OVO Energy pays £54,000 after agents missed appointments

Press release

Publication date

OVO Energy is paying £54,000 to charity after its agents missed appointments with customers, or turned up late, and then failed to compensate them as required by Ofgem. This includes £54,000 that the supplier has agreed to pay in redress, and £4,000 extra funding to charity.

Our Guaranteed Standards require suppliers to meet minimum standards of customer service, including when they need to visit customers’ premises. If suppliers fall short of these standards, they must pay customers compensation. 

In 2014 it was reported to Ofgem that OVO Energy had missed some appointments with customers, and hadn’t then paid compensation to affected customers as required by the Guaranteed Standards.

Ofgem has been working with the supplier to make improvements. The supplier has since taken action to change its customer services processes to make sure, when things go wrong, customers receive the compensation they’re entitled to.

OVO Energy has agreed to pay £58,000 to charity Step Change to help indebted energy consumers.  

Due to these actions, Ofgem has agreed to this redress package rather than take formal enforcement action. 

Notes to editors

Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards for suppliers set specific customer service standards, in particular where suppliers need to visit a customer’s premises. Where a supplier fails to meet a performance standard, they must pay compensation to the affected customer. The current supplier Guaranteed Standards are found in the Electricity and Gas (Standards of Performance) (Suppliers) Regulations 2015, which superseded the requirements on suppliers under the Gas (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2005 and the Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2010 (which were in force at the time of the failures in question).

About Ofgem

Ofgem is the independent energy regulator for Great Britain. Its priority is to make a positive difference for consumers by promoting competition in the energy markets and regulating networks.

For facts, figures and information about Ofgem’s work, see Energy facts and figures or visit the Ofgem Data Portal. 

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Further information for media

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