A parent of a child with autism has expressed frustration after their son has received numerous letters from OVO Energy, all addressed to “The Occupier.” These communications, which included payment demands and threats from debt collectors, have been concerning, especially since the child is a customer of Scottish Gas.
As part of the ongoing issues, the son was compelled to allow an OVO representative into his residence to verify the absence of an OVO meter. Despite this visit and numerous phone conversations, the payment demands persisted.
Customer service representatives have confirmed that there is no account associated with the son, yet they appear unable to amend the information in their system. He remains anxious about the possibility of bailiffs forcibly entering his home.
In response to the situation, OVO Energy has indicated that the excessive correspondence was a result of an address error found in the national database. They explained that the gas and electricity meters for a different property had mistakenly been linked to the son’s address. While OVO corrected the gas meter information, they noted that a different supplier owned the electricity meter and had declined multiple requests for updates to the database.
After further inquiries, OVO agreed to halt the payment demands and provided a letter indicating a deadlock, which allows the son to escalate the matter to the Energy Ombudsman.
This letter, which grants access to the relevant database, confirmed that the electricity meter was correctly registered to a nearby property supplied by OVO, yet somehow, the son’s address had been entered into their billing system. OVO has since been instructed to pay £150 in compensation, and the billing demands have ceased.
We encourage readers to send in their letters, though we cannot respond to each one individually. Please email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, and include a daytime contact number. All letters are subject to our terms and conditions regarding submission and publication.
