 feels that through increased energy bills, he is effectively subsidising Shell Energy to the tune of £1,000. He is not the only one in this position. My energy supplier, SSE, was recently replaced by OVO Energy. In my final bill – and despite the fact that I had given an actual reading – SSE estimated a level of electricity usage for summer that would have been laughable in winter, and I was charged for this supposed usage. This meant the figure I was in credit for was significantly reduced when my account was transferred to OVO, which, in my opinion, is fraudulent. OVO has now also lost a monthly direct debit. The upshot of all this is that although I should be more than £600 in credit I am unable to get either SSE or OVO to recredit me or even to allow me to request a refund. Ofgem has been no help and I am having to involve the energy ombudsman. No wonder people have zero sympathy for energy suppliers. Ian DobieWest Overton, Wiltshire SIR – OVO Energy recently increased our direct debit by more than four times, projecting we will use 2,700 kWh electricity in the next 12 months, despite us using only 9 kWh in the past year (and a total of 35 kWh in the past three years) in the little-used outbuilding it is billing us for. No amount of reasoning with the company has made OVO change this figure. Is this a case of baffling incompetence or corporate theft? Emma CombesPewsey, Wiltshire SIR – EDF, my energy provider also informed me that my direct debit would increase by more than £100 a month to £390. However, it also asked for monthly meter readings, which I supply, and it now sends me an actual usage bill, currently running at about £180 per month. I pay this by bank transfer, so have no smart meter or credit build-up on my account. John SnookSheffield, North Yorkshire SIR – I advise anyone who is having problems with their energy provider to switch to a different supplier, and change the nature of their contract. We did thi){kind=link}
SIR – Richard Jacobs (Letters, October 25) feels that through increased energy bills, he is effectively subsidising Shell Energy to the tune of £1,000. He is not the only one in this position.
My energy supplier, SSE, was recently replaced by OVO Energy. In my final bill – and despite the fact that I had given an actual reading – SSE estimated a level of electricity usage for summer that would have been laughable in winter, and I was charged for this supposed usage. This meant the figure I was in credit for was significantly reduced when my account was transferred to OVO, which, in my opinion, is fraudulent.
OVO has now also lost a monthly direct debit. The upshot of all this is that although I should be more than £600 in credit I am unable to get either SSE or OVO to recredit me or even to allow me to request a refund.
Ofgem has been no help and I am having to involve the energy ombudsman. No wonder people have zero sympathy for energy suppliers.
Ian DobieWest Overton, Wiltshire