A PENSIONER got £900 back from his energy provider after discovering his meter was running 10 per cent fast.
Roy Brown grew suspicious he was being overcharged earlier this year and began taking daily electricity readings.
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The retired oil and gas worker realised something was off so contacted OVO Energy.
He requested an engineer come out to check his 17-year-old meter but was told he would need to pay a £149 fee.
Confident he was right, Roy, whose supplier was SSE until the firm was acquired by OVO in 2020, forked out for the check – and found it was clocking 10.13 per cent fast.
He eventually had a new smart meter installed but has been trapped in a battle for compensation for months.
Roy, from Murthly in Perth and Kinross, told The Courier: “My complaint right from the start is that the meter could have been faulty from day one.
“I could have been paying 10 per cent more for my electricity for 17 years but I can’t prove this and OVO can’t prove otherwise.”
OVO initially offered to cough up £579 for the overpayment, as well as repaying the £149 calibration test and £180 in compensation for missed installation appointments.
The major supplier then put forward another £100, but Roy feels he deserves substantially more as the “total hassle” has gone on for nine months and turned it down.
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He also wants OVO to check “everyone’s” meters as they too could be overpaying.
“I could have been paying an extra 10 per cent for the rest of my life so the best thing anyone can do is get their meter tested to make sure it’s accurate,” he added.
“I’ve asked for £500 compensation and it’s been referred to another team in OVO.”
Roy has taken his case to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman, which will make an impartial decision.
A spokesperson for CA said: “If your meter is faulty, your supplier should replace the meter.
“They should also refund you any money they owe you as a result of the fault, for example extra money you paid on a bill.”
OVO said £908.59 has been credited to Roy’s account, with a further £100 offered as a gesture of goodwill.
A spokesperson added that the firm will abide by the Ombudsman’s final decision.
How to complain about your energy bill
The first step is to talk to your provider if you have a complaint about the price of your bills, or if you’re struggling to pay them.
Explain the problem and what you want them to do – if it’s a case of being unable to pay, then many providers have support grants to help cover costs.
And if you believe your billing is a mistake, then flagging the issue to your supplier should prompt a quick fix.
You can usually get in touch by email, letter or telephone, but keep a record of contact that you make so you can reference it later if needed.
Citizens Advice has a variety of complaints letters templates you can use to help with the process.
Free online tools from Resolver.co.uk can also help you track and manage a complaint step-by-step.
But if you don’t have any success with a complaint you can take it further and raise the issue with the Energy Ombudsman.
It handles issues between customers and suppliers on billing, installations and delays, loss of service, customer service, and switching suppliers.
If they help take your complaint on, they can only help back bill you for 12 months.
That means you won’t be able to get help getting money back before this.
