Why are Ovo taking monthly payments out via DD rather than using my £700 credit?

[Sudeko]

Can I ask them to use the credit instead?

If you have a DD set up, they will take that unless you cancel it.
But why not reduce your DD and reduce your credit - you may be glad of it next winter!

Have they factored it into your dd amount? I’m with Shell and they show how the credit is taken into account, reducing the dd over time. Does that make sense?

I think I am on the minimum. The govt monthly payments has mainly caused the credit build up. I don't exactly need the money back as long as it is promptly refunded when I leave in the future.

Just ask them for it. The same happened with my Next Eon.

EDF did this to me. Had to phone them and eventually they refunded some of our credit, but didn’t reduce the direct debit amount so the surplus in the account just grew again.

Think you will just have to phone them and ask for some of your credit to be paid to you.

You can ask them to refund the credit at any point, as long as it's over a certain amount

It's way too complicated for them to be changing the DD for all their customers every month. The cost involved would of course have to be passed to the customer. If the credit racks up to more than you're going to need over the winter, simply ask them to refund now.

You can reduce the DD yourself. You don't have to go through them.

The DD should be calculated so that a surplus builds up over the summer months which is then used up over the winter months (rather than energy companies holding on to surpluses all year round, interest free in most cases). High and fluctuating energy costs make that a little harder to calculate - but adjust your DD or request the surplus be paid back to you.

How do you reduce the direct debit yourself?

Assuming you have online banking, you can just do it on there. If not, or if you're unsure, just call your bank and ask.

DDs are basically under your control. You choose to take them out and how much they're for, not the person you're paying. The company will always sound firm in what they want it to be, but ulimately it's your call. And most of the time it makes sense to go with their estimate, as suddenly having to find the balance when you find you're in debt to them, is more worrying. But if you find they've over-estimated , with the summer yet to come, just change it.

Standing orders are a different matter, but they're rare these days.

@saraclara sorry if I am being dense but I bank with Barclays and can't change my direct debits. The company that I have instructed can eg British Gas. I would have to phone the company and do it that way.
I can cancel them. Not alter them.
It's why I pay by standing order. I can alter the amount if I want to.

@saraclara I also have looked and can't see a way to change the amount on a dd

Sadly now that the prices have gone up my extortionate direct debit amount is probably right now 😑
Good to know for future though, thanks

If you login to your OVO online account you can change your direct debit easily on there.

Thanks for that alternative. I know I changed my Ovo DD, and I was sure I did it via my bank. But if I'm mistaken, my apologies.

I can change my dd amount in the Eon Next app. They only alllow you to reduce it by 10% though.

I think you've got confused here. Standing orders you can change the amount. DDs you can't via your bank.

I used to change my Bulb DD so I have no issues with believing that OVO is the same. However, I remember them saying that I was already paying the minimum allowed for my property.

Prices are staying the same for average usage for another three months (small increase to standing charges and decrease of unit rates that will mean those with low usage will pay slightly more), then are likely to fall.

You have it the wrong way round. Standing orders are under your control and you choose the amount to send and when to send it.

Direct debits are controlled by the company and they tell you the amount and when it will be taken

You should be able to amend your direct debit amount via the energy provider. Either through an app or by phoning/emailing them

https://www.ovoenergy.com/help/refunds

https://help.ovoenergy.com/article/ec960ecd-95a1-4249-9876-5dfa7c6a5ebe-web tells you how to reduce your direct debit

Thanks for this, really helpful