Ovo Energy has been threatened with legal action by television presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell after withdrawing thousands of pounds from her account.
In a string of posts on X, the Only Connect presenter said: “I've reached the end of the road with Ovo Energy, the most terrible service provider I've ever encountered.”
She added: “Nothing but legal action will do for them now.”
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). Nothing but legal action will do for them now. Sadly, we still need electricity. So I need advice.. 1/2
— Victoria Coren Mitchell (@VictoriaCoren) March 11, 2024
Mitchell’s comments come after energy suppliers have faced regulatory scrutiny over poor standards of customer service, with Ovo itself having been found previously to have hit customers with bills worth over £100,000.
Ovo, which is among the UK’s ‘big six’ energy suppliers, was ranked number 12 out of 18 suppliers in terms of customer service by consumer group Which? in February.
Ovo was also among firms to be ordered by Ofgem last August to improve its service and handling of complaints.
“No company could possibly be worse than Ovo Energy who, quite apart from the money they’ve wrongly taken, have driven me personally to despair,” Mitchell added.
Ovo apologised to Mitchell in a posted response, adding: “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.”
The news came as Ovo said chief executive Raman Bhatia is set to leave the company to join Starling Bank ahead of a possible listing on the London Stock Exchange.