A FATHER-OF-THREE fought OVO Energy over an unbelievable £14,000 billing error - and won.
Simon Pitts-Drake, 43, took his former energy supplier to court after he was billed the unfathomable amount but didn't know why.
It was only when a smart meter was installed in his home that he could prove he was paying for far more than he was using.
After moving into his new home in February 2020, his direct debit had strangely tripled.
Simon explained: ''I contacted Ovo Energy straight away and they just told me 'yeah, that's right, the system says it, so that is what it is.'"
But the dad was left baffled as the readings he'd been given only indicated £3,500 of usage.
He continued: "I kept pushing and asking for a smart meter and they kept refusing - this went on for about six months, me calling, emailing, writing letters.
"They kept escalating it internally on their side, I kept raising official complaints and getting nowhere."
Eventually Simon convinced Ovo to install a smart meter in June the following year.
He said: "Once the smart meter was fitted I realised that I was using about £900 to £1,300 worth a month and I was being charged almost double that in the monthly direct debit because of this £10,000 debt."
In the midst of the back and fourth, a whopping £4,500 was slapped to his account in October last year.
Simon then escalated things and made a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman who investigated the issue.
They ruled that Simon had been overcharged and Ovo Energy needed to apologise and pay the money back - but this was appealed by the firm.
The Ombudsman dismissed the appeal and the decision letter read: "They needed to provide new evidence or new information that made a material difference to the case or showed a significant error in fact. I am unable to see that they have done this.
"We are unable to explain the balance on the account or confirm that the energy charges are valid.
"There are numerous transfers and billing adjustments which have taken place which are just not clear where these charges have come from, when they have been used or if they are valid.
"I would expect that a supplier does explain any charges in dispute in a clear and easy-to-understand way and as I conclude that Ovo Energy has not done this in this case, I have no choice but to remove the charges."
As a result, Ovo Energy was ordered to pay back a total of roughly £14,598.
This is including a £200 credit they were ordered to make to Simon's account as a gesture of goodwill and to apologise for the shortfalls in customer service.
Since this horrific situation, Simon has been urging people to pay close attention to their energy bills.
He said: "It was a great day to get the cheques in the post, but I haven't gained anything, this was my money that we've spent over the years.
"I'm glad that it's been resolved, and I hope it makes people realise they need to understand what they're paying.
"Check what your direct debit is, check your usage, check what your bills say. This could be happening to other people."
A spokesperson for Ovo Energy said: "We've resolved Mr Pitts-Drake's query and implemented all proposed actions from the Ombudsman, including a goodwill gesture to apologise."
SUPPLIERS are allowed to increase customers' direct debits, but any rise should be in line with a household's usage.
You usually get 10 days' notice before your monthly direct debit goes up, too.
And the price cap is in place to stop energy providers overcharging as well.
Before you dispute your bill, you need to know your rights.
If you pay by direct debit, then this monthly amount should be "fair and reasonable".
If you don't think it is, you can complain to the company in the first instance.
If you're not happy with the outcome you can take it to the independent to dispute, but there are a few steps before you get to that stage.
Your supplier must clearly explain why it's chosen that amount for your direct debit.
If you've got credit on your account, you have every right to get it back - although some experts recommend keeping it there through the summer, so your bills don't go up in the winter when you use more energy.
Your supplier must refund you or explain exactly why not otherwise and the regulator, Ofgem, can fine suppliers if they don't.
If you are disputing a bill, taking a meter reading is a must.
That way the company can't rely on estimates, which may lead to you being overcharged.
If it's lower than your estimate, you can ask your provider to lower your monthly direct debit to a more suitable amount.
Martin Lewis' says that if you find you're always in credit, you should request the direct debit be lowered to reflect your actual annual usage and meter readings.
But beware that you don’t end up in debt later on with a bigger catch up bill at the end of the year from underpayments racking up.
If you don't have success in negotiating a lower payment then you can put in a complaint.
You can usually get in touch with your provider by email, letter or telephone, but keep a record of contact that you make so you can reference it later if need be.
Charities like Citizens Advice have you can use to help with the process.
Meanwhile, free online tools from can also help you track and manage a complaint step-by-step.
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