Outrage as energy firm lavishes staff with wine after telling Brits to ‘cuddle pets’ to stay warm in energy crisis
BRITS have been left raging after an energy firm who told customers to “cuddle their cats” to stay warm hosted a wine-fuelled company bash.
A senior executive at OVO posted pictures of her and around 30 staff hosting a team party.
Beaming staff were seen along with cakes and several bottles of wine in the images – that the exec shared to LinkedIn.
OVO customers have been left furious at the lavish bash, which came as many Brits struggle to pay their bills in the cost of living crisis.
They were shared months after a division of OVO Energy said to “cuddle your cat” and “do star jumps” to keep warm.
MPs blasted the “plainly offensive” advice on lowering energy bills sent in an email – which also included chomping down some ginger and porridge and avoiding chilli “as it makes you sweat”.
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The boss wrote about the party on LinkedIn this week. She said: “Could not be prouder of what we have achieved in our amazing Account Management team these past few days.”
She praised her team’s work, before adding: “The result was an awesome plan for our next increment and the beginnings of our ever evolving and maturing operating model.
“This is the magic you can achieve if you embrace and trust in the process.”
A cake has “10 million customers” written in icing – with the party understood to be celebrating that milestone.
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Raging Brits told MailOnline: “In the middle of an energy affordability crisis, record high prices and increasing fuel poverty, we have OVO Energy – one of GB’s biggest energy suppliers – throwing WINE parties for staff and then boasting about it on LinkedIn.
“Ovo is an awful company with an outstanding ability to never read the room. This is embarrassing.”
Meanwhile, OVO customer Patricia Roberts was upset the firm is throwing lavish bashes when she’s been unable to get help from them.
“‘I first contacted them a month ago to complain that a loyalty discount I had been promised for remaining with them hadn’t been properly applied,” she added.
“A contract should be honoured, a quoted interest award at a fixed rate has not been applied to my account and maybe, probably to many other customers.”
OVO has been approached for comment.
The firm was earlier blasted for telling customers its ten “simple and cost-effective ways to keep warm this winter”.
The absurd recommendations includes “a cuddle with your pets and loved ones”, chomping down some ginger and porridge and avoiding chilli “as it makes you sweat”.
Another suggestion was to “get moving” by cleaning your house and challenging “the kids to a Hula-Hoop contest”.
The email, seen by the FT, was sent to customers of SSE Energy Services – an electricity and gas business bought out by OVO in 2020.
An OVO spokesman apologised, saying: “We understand how difficult the situation will be for many of our customers this year.
“We are working hard to find meaningful solutions as we approach this energy crisis, and we recognise that the content of this blog was poorly judged and unhelpful. We are embarrassed and sincerely apologise”
The energy crisis kicked off in October last year following a multitude of factors including a lessened supply of gas from Russia and reduced stockpiles in the UK that have seen prices skyrocket.
And ofgem – the energy regulator which determines bills for 15 million homes – lifted a cap on rates by 12 per cent in the same month.
And this week, households were warned they could face annual energy bills even higher than first feared.
Gas and electricity bills could reach nearly £5,500 by next Spring, if prices don’t drop in the next few months, experts have warned.
In May, the Government announced an energy costs support package – worth £400 per household – in response to predictions that bills would rise to £2,800 for the average household in October.
But experts at Energy consultancy Auxilione now say that bills are likely to rise to £4,650 in January and £5,456 by April.
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The increase will add an extra £104 extra onto weekly bills – the latest kick in the teeth for struggling households.
Families are set to find out how much prices will go up by on August 26 when Ofgem announces the new energy price cap.