Lorry driver moves out of freezing flat to are living in his van after being still left in cold by Ovo Power

A lorry driver who claims he was still left with no any strength for 3 months has chosen to go away his ‘freezing’ flat and reside in his van as a substitute. 

Darryl Moore, 32, handed in his see for his flat of five decades in Upton, Dorset, on Monday following declaring a gas supplier left him in the chilly due to payment problems.

The lorry driver is on the street 5 days of the week, and has alternatively made a decision to reside out of a van that he has been fitting out for the previous yr instead than continue to be in his cold flat.

The father-of-a person promises that electrical power provider OVO’s repeated failure to restore his strength billing process has even left him unable to see his eight month previous daughter who can not devote time in his freezing flat.

He says the issue is the fault of a pay out-as-you-go meter that was fitted in 2020 when his electrical power supplier Spark Strength was bought by OVO Strength.

The meter suffered from faults as considerably again as December 2020 when it remaining him without having any heating, very hot water or gasoline for his hob for over two months.

Darryl Moore, 32, handed in his recognize for his flat of 5 many years in Upton, Dorset, on Monday after professing a fuel supplier still left him in the chilly due to payment faults

He claimed: ‘At minimum my van has a diesel heater I can use to continue to be warm. I’ve been performing a camper conversion on the van for all of this yr, and when it got to the level in which I had no gas I realised the van was warmer than my flat’

The father-of-a person statements that energy provider OVO’s repeated failure to maintenance his energy billing technique has even remaining him not able to see his eight thirty day period aged daughter

Immediately after a complaint to the company and the electrical power ombudsman, the problem was thankfully resolved – but this time spherical he says he wasn’t so blessed.

He states following spending to best up his gas in August, the billing method unsuccessful to sync up with his good meter, leaving him without any gas once more on August 23 this year.

Darryl reported: ‘I topped up my meter, it took the revenue out of my account, but the leading up failed to go as a result of to my clever meter – so my account then claimed I experienced no credit history and commenced to go into credit rating.

‘It started off to build up personal debt, and then it reduce off my fuel. Past time I set a post on Facebook and it obtained shared so much that another person from OVO contacted me and mounted the problem.

‘That time I was blessed far too as I took it to the ombudsman and I received compensated for the cost of the electricity. Immediately after that the meter labored great right until August.

‘On the 23rd I topped up my gasoline once more, and the top up did not go as a result of. I did not know about that, so I then went to work for the 7 days. When I came again I discovered I was in credit card debt yet again.

‘The financial debt was only £10, but I was irritated that it had not labored yet again so I decided not to pay back since it is a sensible meter – it should really be looking at my top ups.

‘I contacted the complaints method at SSE to request where my best up was, and they explained that my top rated up had absent by way of – even nevertheless my wise meter was expressing it hadn’t.

‘After that, I failed to hear nearly anything from them. I later checked and the very last leading up hadn’t been considering the fact that July.’

Irrespective of complaining to OVO twice, and then later on the energy ombudsman, Mr Moore was instructed that an engineer would consider up to 3 months to help resolve the difficulty by OVO.

He suggests the difficulty is the fault of a pay out-as-you-go meter that was equipped in 2020 when his strength provider Spark Strength was purchased by OVO Vitality

Mr Moore was offered a £50 leading up code for his meter that set the heating back again on – but states that no engineer has frequented to glance at the challenge meaning it is only a short-term take care of

Following he received no reaction from the energy ombudsman, he later complained again and was explained to that the wait around would be even longer as there were being no offered engineer slots for him to consider.

Confronted with freezing in December or extra drastic action, he has now opted to dwell in a converted van he intends to remain in for the following year.

He explained: ‘At least my van has a diesel heater I can use to continue to be warm. I have been undertaking a camper conversion on the van for all of this 12 months, and when it got to the position wherever I experienced no fuel I realised the van was warmer than my flat.

‘I made the decision I may as very well continue to be in my van. The only downside is I have to get rid of all my home furnishings, some of which I am nonetheless paying for and will have to provide for a major reduction.

‘I’d instead do that although than pay out for storage or continue to be in a flat that I are not able to warmth. I would rather stay on a campsite in my van – but it truly is fairly shocking I am essentially earning myself homeless.’

Fortunately for now the has provide has been restored to the flat after the incident was reported by the nearby push.

Mr Moore was presented a £50 leading up code for his meter that put the heating again on – but says that no engineer has visited to seem at the concern this means it is only a non permanent take care of.

An OVO spokesperson stated: ‘We’re very sorry to Mr Moore for the shortfalls in company. We can affirm his meter is now performing following a visit from an engineer and he is again on offer.’