Ovo billing error left Bristol woman unemployed and claiming Universal Credit

# What happened

Kate Holding, a tenant in Redland, moved into a new flat where the electricity account was in the landlord's name. She contacted energy supplier Ovo to have the account transferred into her name so she could produce a proof-of-address bill for DBS checks required for work in education and a charity mentoring role.

She says the request should have been straightforward. Instead, months of phone calls, repeated assurances, and disconnected calls followed. Bills continued to arrive addressed generically "to the occupier."

# Consequences for one person

Because she could not obtain a bill in her name, Kate lost a promised mentoring role and could not secure other education jobs that required DBS verification. That left her without income and forced her to claim Universal Credit. She reports serious financial and emotional strain, damage to her relationship with her landlord, and worsening mental health.

Months later, when a bill finally arrived in her name, it bore the wrong postcode and remained unusable for the checks. Further investigation revealed Ovo agents had created three separate, duplicate accounts for the same address and customer.

# Customer action and protest

Kate and other dissatisfied customers took their stories to Ovo's head office in Redcliffe. Members of the community union ACORN occupied the foyer to demand a meeting with senior executives as part of a nationwide protest over the cost-of-living crisis. After three hours the occupation ended when police were called and threats of arrest for aggravated trespass led campaigners to leave.

At the foyer, customers recounted first-hand experiences and read others' stories aloud. Kate asked Ovo for a formal investigation, an apology, appropriate financial redress, and an explanation of what will change to prevent similar failures.

# Context: Ovo's regulatory record

Ovo became the second-largest energy supplier in the country after buying SSE in 2020. The company has previously paid into regulatory redress and faced fines:

• In 2020, Ovo agreed to pay £8.9 million into Ofgem's redress fund after an investigation found it had undercharged and overcharged customers.
• In 2021, it paid £2.1 million in customer redress related to price protection.
• In May 2023, Ofgem found Ovo charged almost 11,000 customers more than the maximum allowed under the Energy Price Guarantee scheme and required refunds.

These past actions are part of the background customers cited while protesting and seeking accountability.

# What Kate is asking for

• Investigate the account failures formally and explain how three duplicate accounts were created, and why repeated assurances given to her were incorrect.
• Apologise and provide appropriate financial redress for lost earnings and related hardship.

# Why this matters locally

This case highlights how errors in routine energy-account administration can have cascading effects: lost employment, reliance on benefits, emotional distress, and wasted time on repeated customer-service interactions. Multiple customers gathering at Ovo's offices signal that this is not an isolated complaint for those protesting.

• Three duplicate accounts were created by Ovo agents for the same address and customer.

• Ovo has a history of regulatory redress payments and refunds related to billing and price-protection issues.