Ovo under investigation over billing glitches

ONE of Britain’s leading independent energy suppliers is under investigation by the industry regulator amid complaints that it has billed its customers using incorrect usage data.

Ofgem said it was too soon to say how many of Ovo Energy’s 800,000 customers may have been hit by the data glitches, which date back to last winter.

But the regulator warned that the incorrect consumption figures may have led to customers receiving inaccurate bills, annual statements and other important infor- mation.

“This in turn can lead to customers being unable to properly manage their accounts and deciding to switch based on incorrect information,” a statement from Ofgem said.

Ofgem said that the opening of the investigation did not imply that it had drawn any conclusions over whether Ovo had breached its licence conditions.

If the investigation does find that Ovo has fallen short of Ofgem’s standards, it could face a fine at a time when the regulator is under pressure to prove it has a tight grip on the sector.

Late last year energy minnow E was fined £260,000 for misleading energy customers. Ofgem fines for larger suppliers have reached highs of £10m against SSE and £26m against Npower.

The Ovo investigation is a major blow to the former energy market darling, which has won thousands of customers since it was founded in 2009. The company’s outspoken founder, Stephen Fitzpatrick, has set his company in direct opposition to the Big Six suppliers by criticising the legacy giants for exploiting customers and “charging what they think they can get away with”.

A spokesman for Ovo said: “We have a great track record in customer service and are always open to ways to improve it.”