You could cancel your direct debit arrangement and move to paying the bill in full each month, albeit at a higher rate. Then switch to a supplier that does variable direct debits. Not sure which companies do that, it may even have been the company you were with !!! Personally I think the process of switching is a bit of a pain, sometimes it’s better the devil you know.

From what I’ve been seeing though, Variable Direct Debits seem to be going the way of the Dodo. Not many suppliers are still offering them and there’s no guarantee they’ll stick around for the long run.

Looks like there are a few who offer variable dd, although I have to say that as I don’t have more income in winter, I prefer the equal monthly arrangement 

Thank you all. Yes, I had a variable direct debit at my old supplier. I don’t understand why they aren’t available with Ovo. It makes sense to me that customers only pay for what energy they use month by month or at least have the choice to. Or go back to paying customers interest on credit balances.

OVO used to do VDD, but removed them several years ago. You can still pay for only what you use each month via Pay On-Demand, but you lose the automatic payments and the rates are higher to reflect the extra costs and risks incurred by the supplier (this is the same with all suppliers). On average, it’s about £100-£200 a year more expensive to pay that way.

Ultimately, even on Direct Debit you only pay for what you actually use anyway - the rest just stays in the account as credit towards the next bill.

OVO Interest Reward was useful and still exists for anyone who already gets it (however, if you leave OVO and/or move house then you lose the reward and can never get it back). However, it was thing that OVO got special permission from Ofgem to do a long time ago, and that permission came with a recall clause - Ofgem had the power to revoke that permission at anytime. This is what happened in 2021, Ofgem asked OVO to bring the scheme to a close.

It’s unlikely Ofgem will ever allow any supplier to do credit interest ever again.

Honestly, if you really prefer paying by variable direct debit then I would consider switching.

A few ex SSE customers who were migrated to ovo have posted about doing that.

I fear you may end up getting very frustrated if you stay.

Who were you with before? Double check they still allow variable direct debits for new customers.....

Yet again OVO has decided that my DD is to be increased without any consultation.  My account is in credit, we are in a reduced charge for the next 3 months, I am not on any plan 

You need to talk to OVO about this.

https://ovoenergy.com/help

The Direct Debit (DD) system is designed to keep the account healthy over a whole year, not just until the next quarterly price change. When that change does happen, the DD will be recalculated for the next twelve months and so on. It is supposed to help avoid nasty shocks when winter bills are suddenly higher than summer ones. The calculator in use now aims to bring the balance to zero by the end of next March, the idea being that this date marks the end of winter after which bills should start to fall again.

It’s a fair system for most customers. If you know what your consumption has been for the past twelve months, you can compare this to the figures on your Plan page for Future annual consumption (FAC). Unless something has changed in the past year, there should be good correlation. 

Using the FAC and your current prices (also on the Plan page), it’s easy to make an estimate of the cost of fuel for the next year. Since your account’s in credit, you then subtract the current balance from the estimated annual cost to find out how much you could be expected to have to pay over the year. Divide this number by the number of DD payments left between now and 31 March 2025 to see what the monthly DD amount should be to bring the balance down to zero by then. 

This is just what the online DD calculator does, with a bit of refinement for seasonal variation. Since we’re only a couple of weeks into the ‘energy year’, this shouldn’t make any significant difference between your pen-and-pencil number and the one the robot arrives at. Then, in three months’ time, rinse and repeat to take into account changes in annual consumption, the price cap and the balance on the account. 

If you’re not happy with this arrangement, you can always elect to pay on demand - just pay for each month’s actual consumption as the bill arrives. The problem with this is that it’s a bit more expensive. Your choice.
  
  

I’m not quite sure what you mean by OVO has decided that my DD is to be increased without any consultation. If you’re not on the track OVO think you ought to be on, there will have been warnings for several weeks before any diktat is issued. There isn’t really anything to consult about unless there’s been a major change in your situation: either the DD is high enough to cover your projected costs, or it isn’t. If it isn’t, it has to be increased. ‘Major change’ might be taking a solar array or an EV into use, which would render your FAC inaccurate. In any such case, Support can help, e.g. by freezing the DD at its current level for a few weeks if you’re struggling with the proposed increase. 

Here’s a good story, my mother is currently hospitalised, it’s unlikely she will ever return home. She has storage heating, so her bill is around 350-450/mth during the winter.

The day she went into hospital (5 weeks ago), I switched off her heating.

Obviously her use has dropped to (inc standing charge) about £45/m.

I have PoA access to her account. I requested a refund of the credit that had built up, and asked to have the DD reduced to 50/m. The agent could only reduce it to 85/mth.  Good enough, I thought. Then yesterday an email arrives from OvO saying that her DD was going up to 281/mth !

I phoned this morning. The first agent simply didn’t understand that her heating is off, and the house is empty, and kept banging on about the Jan/Feb/Mar bills being circa 350/m.  In the end he gave up (thank god) and put me though to ‘Collections’. That was a struggle too, but it seems (after 50 mins talking) that I have to accept the 281/mth DD, and ask for a refund every month !  They did offer ‘On Demand’ but why should she pay 6p per day more for standing charge, because OVO can’t set a realistic DD ?!

Just nuts. Hopeless 

I would write a letter to the CEO and send it by recorded delivery or even write to the Sunday Times ‘A Question of Money’ lady.  Terrible treatment from customer services especially when you have the worry of your Mother being in hospital. 

Hi @MarkC63,

I’m really sorry to hear about your mum and the challenges you’re having with her billing. 

It doesn’t sound like paying by direct debit is the right choice for your circumstances. As our billing system works on an automated review process, any fixes we make will always be temporary. You can find more information here on different payment methods. As the price cap is reviewed every three months, direct debit payments would rise or fall with any changes. This is one of the reasons we can’t “fix” a direct debit. 

I’d suggest speaking with our Support Team and asking for a “direct debit exemption” because the property is empty. This should stop the review process for 90 days as, from my understanding of your situation, you qualify for it. The support team should be able to confirm this 100% when they look at the account. Again, this isn’t a long-term fix, but it would allow you to manage this every three months rather than going through the refund process every month. 

Let us know if this works for you.

Thank you @ChristopherS_OVO 

What’s the best way, and what ‘key words’ do I need to put the email subject header, in order for my email to reach the right department ?

(I’m so angry about it, it’s best I don’t ring !)

Hi @MarkC63, 

The best thing to do is send an email from an email address linked to the account. This allows the system to pick up the email and attach it to the account. If you send an email from an unrecognised address, it will return and let you know it can’t find an account to attach it to. I’d say use a subject header like “direct debit review exemption” as this lets the team know exactly what you are looking for. Include the information you shared with me about your circumstances and that the house will be empty. That would be clear enough to understand.

I appreciate your frustrations, and other contact methods are available, but before I recommend any to you, can I check if you are named on the account or hold power of attorney? So that I can understand the best way to direct you!

Thanks @ChristopherS_OVO 

I do have Power of Attorney, and actually registering that with OvO was very smooth and painless when my mother was migrated from SSE last September.

She is still the person named on the account

I’ll therefore send the email from my email account, and cc her’s ?

I emailed, but unfortunately the person who responded was just as hopeless as all the telephone staff I’ve dealt with. Basically said tough, that’s how it is. Addressed me as my late father (who died 6 years ago) presumably because he is listed as an attorney on the PoA document. Oh, and sent the reply to mother’s email account, despite my enquiry coming from my own account, and signed with my name (and not my father’s, obviously)

I can’t wait to sell the house, and be free of this god awful organisation

Hi @MarkC63, 

I’m sorry that you’re not moving forward with this any further. I have asked our Forum_Support team to reach out to you to see if there is anything else they can do to support you with this.

Look out for a private message here soon: https://forum.ovoenergy.com/inbox/overview.

Well, I’ve still ended up with On Demand, with increased payments. For the extra 2 to 3 quid a month, it’s not worth the bother.

However, next problem, OVO rang me up last Monday, asking me to consider re applying the Direct Debit. I explained I didn’t want to, they said fine, OK then.

Next morning they rang again, same question, same answer.

Wednesday they try ringing again, I don’t bother answering

Thursday, they ring again, same question, same answer given, plus please stop ringing me every day. They promised they wouldn’t, but next morning another attempt, and again this morning (both ignored, and incomprehensible voicemails left)

I’m considering reporting OVO to Ofcom and Ofgen for telephone harassment !

Hi @MarkC63,

I’m really sorry to hear this. 

I can see that this was already with our Forum_Support team. I’ll get someone to reach out to you via a private message.

My ovo monthly payment as been altered from 108 a month to 350 a month nothing as altered dare not use my heating I am 85 and am 600 pounds plus in credit so why as it gone up 300 percent I will not pay that each month I can't afford that on a pension so I will leave and go to octopus perhaps get better treatment this really deppresses me you can't win

I think you’d actually be better off calling OVO on 0330 303 5063 and ask for this to be looked into - simply leaving probably won’t fix this.

Hey ​@nothing, 

​One of our volunteers ​@Blastoise186 has left some great advice so far. Have you called and spoke to someone about your Direct Debit? You can also message the team if that’s easier for you on Whatsapp - 0330 175 9695.

Please keep us updated!

Hey ​@nothing 

I’m sorry to hear of the issues you’re having it sounds very stressful.

The first thing to check is if the bill is accurate:
 

If you’re struggling financially or you’re worried about your energy bills, we’re here to support you. Find out about the different ways we can help here.

What can our payment support team offer if I can’t pay my energy bill?

Our payment support team has supported lots of people in similar situations, and are trained to do so. 

Some of the ways they can help are:

• They can create a payment plan that’s suitable for your financial situation. A payment plan can spread the cost of what’s outstanding, you can find out more about them here.
• They can discuss what other payment schemes you may be eligible for. They can make sure you’re getting the support that’s available to you, such as benefit entitlement checks. 
• Our team is also trained to give advice on energy debt, and discuss what help is available. 
• They can show you where you can find free, independent advice.

For more financial support, call the team on 0800 069 9831. We’re open Monday to Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday 9am-2pm.
 

If you or anyone in your household is vulnerable, or just needs a little extra assistance at a difficult time in your lives, our Priority Services Register is a free support service you might find useful.

Struggling with your energy bills? Our Winter Support Package might be helpful to you.
 

Have recently committed to a Fixed Rate Tariff plan for 24:months, have had a email confirming it's started but am getting emails saying my direct debit is being increased to more than I was quoted. When will my lower payment I have signed up to start?

Hi ​@BlobbyPoet ,

What you’ve signed up to is fixed rates, not fixed payments. Only the Unit Rate/Standing Charges is locked in - not how much you pay each month. This is how such tariffs work.

If you think your payments are wrong though, you can discuss that with OVO Support via https://ovoenergy.com/help to ask for a review.