BBC star threatens legal action against Ovo Energy after 'big incorrect' bills
Victoria Coren Mitchell has accused Ovo Energy of "wrongly" taking thousands from her via "big, incorrect bills" and is considering taking legal action against the energy company.
"I've reached the end of the road with @OvoEnergy, the most terrible service provider I've ever encountered (and I've been served in a casino by a croupier who killed someone)," the writer and BBC TV star told her Twitter (X) followers over the weekend. "Nothing but legal action will do for them now."
Writing on the social media platform on Sunday, Victoria alleged that the company had taken "thousands of pounds" from her bank account that they shouldn't have. The despairing Only Connect host also asked her 30,000 followers on the site if they thought Octopus Energy was any better.
Ovo Energy replied to Victoria's complaint online, saying: "We're sorry about your recent experience with us. One of our senior complaint handlers has reached out via email to address this situation for you as a matter of urgency. We hope we can fully resolve this for you quickly."
However, it seems Victoria's complaint hasn't quite been resolved. Writing on Twitter today, the professional poker player admitted: "I’m still with @OVOEnergy while I try to sort out the mess of my billing history but it seems a no-brainer to move. Thanks so much for all the votes, stories and advice."
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The TV star, who is married to comedian David Mitchell, then added: "There's been a lot of press coverage and I should clarify, because some headlines are wrong: Ovo didn’t take money directly from my bank account. They sent big, incorrect bills, which I kept (protestingly) paying, and once I found the error, it proved *impossible* to put right."
Victoria Coren Mitchell says she received better service once she stopped using her 'anonymous married name' (PA Archive/PA Images)She continued: "I’m now in touch with a complaints person at Ovo who seems properly reachable, but I think we know why. I'm grateful, but I wish they’d offered the same service when I was an "ordinary customer" under my anonymous married name. And will he be able to fix the problems anyway?
"I’ve encountered many individuals @OvoEnergy over the last gruelling months, and EVERY ONE was likable and fine. The problems lie in the company’s systems, policies and accessibility, not its people. Those problems run deep. I suspect that might be true of others in the “Big Six” list of energy "providers"; this all seems to have touched a nerve with sufferers nationwide. I’ll report back in a week or so with developments, your stories and my advice to other energy customers."
In a statement shared with the Mirror today, an OVO spokesperson said: "We’re always striving to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. Our teams work extremely hard to provide help and support and will continue to review lessons learned."
Ovo Energy started in 2009 and now supplies energy to more than 4.5 million homes across England, Scotland and Wales and is classed as one of the six biggest energy companies in the UK. Last August, Ofgem, the energy regulator, ordered Ovo to improve its customer service due to how many complaints weren't being resolved.
The regulator has started looking into Ovo after the Energy Ombudsman and Citizens Advice Scotland told them about how the supplier was dealing with complaints. Ofgem has told Ovo exactly what it expects and has set goals for them to fix all the complaints they haven't sorted out yet and to be quicker at solving problems.
In December, famous artist Sir Grayson Perry had a go at EDF on Twitter (X). He said the energy company tried to make his monthly electricity bill jump from £300 to a massive £39,000. Other people, like the writer Jon Sopel, shared similar horror stories about the energy company. EDF explained that when meter readings aren't right, "unusual" changes to direct debits can happen.
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