A frugal life is an easy life!

Representing an SSE customer, whom has had their energy accounts (for gas and electricity) transferred over to Ovo (the company that own SSE).

A simple process, which has been over complicated and left the customer’s account balance over £1300 worse off.

Ovo’s online staff and senior complaints resolution staff, have been obstructive, misleading and inaccurate in their responses.

Ovo senior staff have deliberately attempted to confuse issues, even when a same basic question has been put to them on several occasions, refusing to answer.

Ovo staff have gone even further, in attempting to persuade others to make themselves financially liable for the account, before responding/discussing the account, quoting inaccurate legal positions/requirements, while failing to abide by current legal practices required (under common law for England and Wales).

SSE’s staff refuse to even discuss the issues (let alone act) and simply refer directly to Ovo’s staff.

The complaint:

• SSE have billed the customer in the past.
• The customer was over £700 in credit.
• Ovo took over the account via transfer from SSE.
• Ovo have read their smart meters.
• SSE have re-billed the customer.
• After “Checking” with SSE’s back office, migration team, Ovo have applied their re-billing to the customer’s account.
• The customer was put into debit on their Ovo account, by over £650.

Now under normal circumstances there would not be an issue.
However, a succession of misleading and inaccurate statements from Ovo staff, led to the complaint being escalated to Ovo’s senior resolution staff.

Ovo’s senior resolution staff gave explanations that can be proven to be false/inaccurate.

When questioned to justify their position, Ovo’s senior resolution staff have been unable to answer several key facts.
I put these key questions to the senior resolution staff again.
Again, they refused to answer what are to me, basic questions, that would justify their position.

Their response was, “We are going around in circles here” and “You are simply refusing to accept the answers I’m giving!”

This has led to Ovo senior resolution staff offering “A £100 goodwill gesture credit” to close the complaint.

This has now gone to a “final resolution letter” and the energy ombudsman option.

I’m happy to deal with the account, however, I’m not happy to proceed unless fundamental questions can be answered, especially when it can be proven that the claims of Ovo’s senior resolution team (via SSE’s migration/accounts team), are false and inaccurate.

At the very least it requires SSE and Ovo to explain what has been done.