Solar energy - Feed-in Tariff payment delays - your experiences?

KevinG

I know I sing Scottish Power's praises re FiT payments, but I do have one problem with them, which is that after the winter quarter, when I report my reading for my Micro CHP boiler, it is not paid when I expect. This has happened two years running, the only difference this year was that I reported a Solar PV reading in the same phone call and that was paid.

I then phone them and they tell me that this is because the reading is "over tolerance", then they say it will be paid in two weeks. It's only capable of generating 1kW and even over winter I am only averaging about 5kWh a day as we only have the boiler on when we need it, unlike some who seem to leave theirs running 24/7! So I have no idea where they get their "tolerance" level from and there seems to be no way to get it increased and no system for telling the customer the reading has exceeded it unless he calls back to query! Even with this delay, the total payment time will only be about a month, so much better than most.

EricMears

KevinG wrote: »

I then phone them and they tell me that this is because the reading is "over tolerance", then they say it will be paid in two weeks.

That's just ridiculous ! If their 'tolerance' serves any purpose at all, it ought to trigger a proper investigation into why you're apparently trying to defraud them :rotfl:

If they're not going to investigate but just pay up anyway then the function serves no useful purpose.

KevinG

EricMears wrote: »

If they're not going to investigate but just pay up anyway then the function serves no useful purpose.

I agree! I'll live with it for now and see if it happen again in a year's time.

amboy

Received my statement of terms form to print,sign and return from EDF, they confirmed receipt of forms on 29 Nov 2011.

Well done EDF, now just upto 2.5 months for payment.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

The issue which needs to be taken on-board is that with the rapid growth in pv installations the situation is only going to deteriorate unless something is done ... it's not worth relying on the CEO instigating "a complete review of our services" or "looking at moving from a manual to an automated system" as it's so obvious that what's needed is action, not intent ....

In a situation where the current administration is manual and the identified solution is to automate (at some time in the future !) there is an obvious short-term issue which can only be addressed by additional resource on a temporary basis .... so when will the necessary resource be allocated ? - it would be extremely good to have a reply on this particular thread by the end of this month saying that 'the admin resource has been temporarily increased by x% whilst the long-term solution is being developed' ... that's what I would classify as a move to address customer satisfaction ...

HTH
Z

Hi zeupater

As promised, I've been talking to the Section Head of FIT and am happy to give you and others an update.

We're very conscious of the delays customers have been experiencing in receiving their FIT payments and have done a number of things to cut these waiting times.

This includes more staff and greater investment.

These delays are certainly not deliberate and we're as concerned as anyone to put things right so all our FIT customers receive their payments promptly.

Have to admit, we were caught out by the increase in volumes. In particular, DECC's review of the FIT scheme led to a surge of new customers and we're only just clearing the backlog this created.

As I say, we've taken on more staff to help us through this hump. We've also invested heavily to find a permanent solution.

We started the move to an automated system last summer but have speeded this up in the light of the increased demand.

The good news is, we're in the final stages of testing and will be looking to introduce this new system in the coming weeks. Once it's been signed off, we can start moving customers over.

Customers will start seeing the benefits almost straightaway even though it will take a few months before everyone has been moved over.

Our intention is, and always has been, to give customers a high level of service with response times which are among the best around.

Fully admit, we were caught out earlier but we've not let things lie. On the contrary, as I hope the above shows, we've been very active in finding an answer, both in the short term (more staff) and the long term (automation).

Hope this is of interest and many thanks to everyone for their patience. Sorry for the delays but light is definitely at the end of the tunnel.

I'll continue to keep people updated but if anyone has a particular query please feel free to let me know (contact details are in my Profile). I'll be happy to help.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

margin wrote: »

So much for the helpful E.ON presence on this forum. As far as I can see I'm no farther advanced in getting my money. :wall:

The bit about emailing [FONT=&quot][EMAIL="feedintariffenquiries@eonenergy.com"]feedintariffenquiries@eonenergy.com[/EMAIL] [/FONT]seems to be an attempt to draw the sting from criticism they might otherwise receive publicly.

Sorry about the wait and frustration margin.

Are you still waiting?

Let me know if you are. I'll jump on this for you.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Doc_N wrote: »

Pretty clear message emerging here, then:


Scottish Power value their customers and treat them fairly.

E.on have nothing but contempt for their customers and treat them like idiots.

Since the same attitudes (set from director level) will apply across the board, and not just for FIT payments, it's pretty clear where you should buy your energy from (assuming more or less equal pricing) if you want a company that takes customer service seriously.

I'm really sorry if we've given you this impression DocN. Please be assured we take all our customers very seriously.

I know we don't always do things right and that we make mistakes. I also understand the frustration and anger these delays/mistakes can cause. However, we certainly don't treat customers with contempt or as idiots.

I hope my earlier post shows our commitment to sorting out the problem of late FIT payments. This commitment can be extended to other areas where customers have told us we've come up short.

We're determined to listen to our customers and change our practices accordingly. This initiative (Reset) was launched at the back end of last year and is being led from the very top of the business.

It covers every aspect of what we do and, as such, it'll take time to put everything in place but we've made a start.

Again, sorry we've given you such a poor impression in the past but hope this shows our determination to do things differently in future.

Malc

Doc_N

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

I'm really sorry if we've given you this impression DocN. Please be assured we take all our customers very seriously.

I know we don't always do things right and that we make mistakes. I also understand the frustration and anger these delays/mistakes can cause. However, we certainly don't treat customers with contempt or as idiots.

I hope my earlier post shows our commitment to sorting out the problem of late FIT payments. This commitment can be extended to other areas where customers have told us we've come up short.

We're determined to listen to our customers and change our practices accordingly. This initiative (Reset) was launched at the back end of last year and is being led from the very top of the business.

It covers every aspect of what we do and, as such, it'll take time to put everything in place but we've made a start.

Again, sorry we've given you such a poor impression in the past but hope this shows our determination to do things differently in future.

Malc

Thanks for the response. I was planning to allow e.on a little more time to sort this mess out, and hoped this thread might achieve the desired result.

If your words are carried through into positive action by the people responsible (and I've no reason to doubt you on this - e.on always used to provide good customer service before FIT payments came along) I'll be delighted. And so, I think, will a fair few others.

Yut_Man

Very impressed with NPower. I gave them my first meter reading end of march. There dead line was 10th April. Received a letter on 14th April confirming my readings had been accepted. Payment made directly into my account 19th April. Im totally speakless. Expected a few months wait.

margin

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Sorry about the wait and frustration margin.

Are you still waiting?

Let me know if you are. I'll jump on this for you.

Malc

I don't think you'll be very surprised to learn that I have not yet received my money.