Less people in the house should equal lower electricity and gas; why won't Ovo believe me?

[KatyMac]

DD & her boyfriend moved in for Covid and moved out in June this year

Ovo says we used 3600kWh last year so they are basing out payment on that

I say they should use 2019's usage (average of 2018 & 2019 was 2100) because there are only 2 of us in the house and it's approx a third less

They say no - what should I do?

I would switch to paying a paper bill quarterly, the old fashioned way (that way you pay for what you’ve actually used, after you’ve used it) but I suppose it depends on whether there are any financial penalties for you in doing that? Depends on provider/contract terms…

Do have the Ovo app? I do and can adjust my payments as and when I want x

I'm with Ovo. I use the app. Take readings weekly and adjust my direct debit. They are about the easiest company to deal with.

I'm with Scottish Power they just kept ignoring me when I said my usage would be lower when my son left home ( he had 40 minute showers and couldn't switch a light off ) so I prove it by sending a reading every week .

I’m having the same argument Katy except EDF are taking way more by DIrect Debit than even if I were to use last years figures.

last year Ds was at college 3 days per week and at home 2 days per week, plus several isolations, online college weeks etc etc. And you know what he’s like with all his computers and digital pianos he never turns off and whacking his radiator up to maximum!

He has left for Uni now, plus we’ve turned the thermostat down. But they won’t refund my £1,500 credit and want over £400 per month whereas based on last years figures I’m only using £250 per month at todays prices averaged over 12 months.

Because loads of people lie about this kind of thing to get their DDs down so they generally don't take your word for it. Submit weekly meter readings then call them again in few months when you have proof your usage has gone down.

If you do this, you will pay about 6% more for your energy. If you think you are paying too much read this from Martin Lewis. www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits/#how

They have already agreed my usage has gone down

I mean why would I lie to get into debt

Lots of people do. I used to work in an energy company call centre. If they already agree your usage has gone down then I dont know what else to suggest apart from cancelling your DD and setting up a Standing Order for an amount of your choosing but you would lose any DD discount.

You can see if dropped in June then is lower every month

Actually I just worked out - if my usage was identical to last year

My direct debit, plus my current credit, plus the government 400, plus dh's winter fuel payment would be about £90 a drift not £900!!

FGS

I will speak to them again next week - I tweeted them too!!

Can't you just adjust the DD on the app? Mines been up and down like a yo-yo recently!

No the app is just telling me "you'll be £900 in debt if you don't increase your dd"

I have the same issue with Scottish Power. I've been on my own this year and my usage is so much lower. I submit monthly readings and am £300 in credit but they are still trying to put my DD up. The app/online will not allow me to put the DD at a rate lower than what they think it should be and the call centre had the same issue when I spoke to them. Infuriating and a case of computer says no.

I'm with ovo. Also couldn't change the DD amount below what they thought we would use. We have stopped using tumble dryer and stopped using central heating in the day (two people working from home, was switched on occasionally last winter) so I'm predicting lower usage. But I don't actually have any proof - yet they did agree a lower DD when I phoned them to discuss. If you haven't already tried phoning I'd do that. I specifically said to them that I was not giving permission for them to take the amount they wanted.

It's funny isn't it

I am an adult who hasn't been in debt to them or any other utility
I manage my finances and all other payments responsibly

& yet I can't be trusted to know how much electricity/gas I will use (ie the same as I did before the kids moved in) or that I can and will adjust my dd appropriately

No other company treats me like a child

Ovo does have the option online to change your DD but you can’t go down below what they recommend even if you think/know it’s too much.
They recommended ours higher but we had a fair bit of credit and weren’t using heating yet. So I ignored it. They changed it anyway eventually. The next month they wanted a bit more again so I upped it just over what they were saying. Literally the next day it was saying we needed to pay more. I’ve ignored it again. I’m sure they’ll just change it again

Until the suspension of the minimum usage fee (1Nov) SSE have simultaneously been telling me I need to increase my D/D and charging me the MUF.

I’ve starting taking meter readings more often & submitted a complaint.

Funnily enough every time I’ve spoken to them by phone the agents have been quick to say ‘cancel D/D contract’ as a ‘solution’. Almost as if they know that means they could avoid the D/D discount & charge more for same usage

I ‘should’ have an emailed answer by Mon but yep, has made me quite pissed off and even more determined to save separately rather than allow any more of a credit build up.

In fact it has reminded me that in previous years a different company wanted to refund me a credit build up in spring when I wanted to keep it for winter - their agent scathingly told me they didn’t like customers building up large credit balances because ‘we’re not a savings bank you know’

I would switch to paying what you owe each month and for forget the direct debiit

According to Ovo I am persistently a late payer
According to my back statements and credit file I pay my bills on time each month.

Unfortunately if you are with Ovo you need to keep track of what they are doing with your account.
I am now nearly £400 behind in payments.

I do look like I haven’t paid but I keep having to go back and look at all the statements since I began with them as they keep altering statements and this latest fiasco is because when they decided to rewrite some statements from the beginning of the year they forgot to put my payments back in the new and revised set of statements.

Trying to tell their collections department falls on deaf ears and their complaints team only seem to be able to manage one payment at a time and they are falling behind as they have just sorted out one payment and added it to my account but now I have 2 statements that are now not correct.