A young woman kept her heating off until late December because OVO came after her saying she had failed to pay her account - an error the Perth-based company later admitted.
The electricity supplier is in the process of taking over power accounts from SSE. It lost records of her payment and sent final demands and court letters to her home until the PA intervened.
Alysson Ross (21) has a flat in Perth but despite working full time, felt the pressure of paying her bills. She works from home as a financial administrator and moved her desk into her bedroom so she didn’t heat the whole space in the day.
Living in her first place of her own, she had no one to turn to when in the midst of the cost of living crisis, it seemed she was getting into trouble over unpaid bills - despite her best efforts to sort out the situation.
The worry put her off heating her flat until just before Christmas. Instead she tried to keep warm at her desk with a hot water bottle on her lap rather than turn up the thermostat.
She came to the PA after getting worrying communications about her bill - despite paying £200 in November and attempting to set up a payment scheme.
Her issues with SSE began before her account migrated to OVO over Christmas and she became alarmed at how the new company was pursuing her for money.
“The cherry on the cake came when I had a call at my door after dark recently, with a man trying to hand me a final demand,” explained Alysson.
“The letter threatened that if a court decision were to go against me, the next step would be a prepayment meter being installed.”
Alysson told the PA she made a payment in November 2022 of £200 up front and made an agreement to pay £46 monthly. But OVO contacted her for payment and had no record of her previous attempts to settle her account.
She opened a complaint but was seething when OVO told her this complaint was closed because she had not agreed to a new payment plan after being doorstepped.
She took her case to the Ombudsman Service and the matter was still with them last week.
“I moved into the property in June 2021. I didn’t set up an account with SSE for some time as it was my first flat and I didn’t know I had to - I just paid the quarterly bills that came via post.
“I’m certain that my details were put on the account in September 2022. A letter from October had my name at the top of the account.
“On October 21 I received a first bill under my name for £1,425.01 for period August 22, 2021 to August 26 2022. Confusingly I got further letters giving amended bills and on November 1, 2022 I received an ‘electricity statement’ advising I had a £0 balance on my account.”
Further bills indicated different amounts adding to her confusion.
She set up a payment plan on November 10 but two weeks later she got notice that she had defaulted, giving the new figure owed as £1.097.14.
“It said ‘we are preparing to take debt recovery action against you.’ I was horrified their figure had jumped from £856.04 to £1,097.14 from November 7 to November 21. I was sure I shouldn’t have received this bill due to a payment plan being set up on November 10.”
Alysson contacted them about the error but they continued to insist there was no record of a payment plan ever being set up.
The same thing happened two more times, once with a bill for £1040.14 and one for £1030.14.
She contacted them again only to get the same response.
She said: “Then on February 1, a gentleman arrived unannounced at my address, he didn’t identify himself straight away, although there was identification on his lanyard around his neck, there was nothing referring to SSE or OVO.
“He requested meter readings which I provided. The letter he handed me was hand written and the contact number on the form takes you to NFU insurance company. When I called the number, they couldn’t assist me and the call handler had no idea what I was referring too.”
Alysson tried to complain but was advised SSE/OVO customers cannot speak to a complaints department.
“It’s all done online,” she said. “This would be very concerning for elderly or vulnerable people.
“SSE have advised they are currently trying to get a warrant to take me to court and if ruled in their favour will install a pre payment meter to my flat.
“They are making me and many others financially vulnerable and it is having a negative impact on mental health in an already very challenging time.”
OVO looked into Alysson’s account and admitted that due to human error there was a delay in arranging an affordable payment plan.
An OVO spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to Miss Ross for the service she has received in arranging her repayment plan. “This has now been agreed and a goodwill amount will be issued in apology for the time taken to resolve this.”
