Ovo Energy FIT payments for solar panels

Curlew123

Is anyone else still waiting for their first FIT payment from OVO energy since they bought SSE?  I have been waiting more than 6 months now.  The last communication said payment would be at the end of May and still nothing from them?  Does anyone have the up to date contact details for Stephen Fitzpatrick the CEO?  I wish Martin Lewis would do an investigation on them.

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

Try the ceoemail website, which is a dot com.

JSHarris

Both SSE and OVO seem to be a bit of a shambles with regard to FiT payments.  Our FiT agreement was with SSE and dates back to 2014 when we had the system installed.  For years SSE were very patchy with regard to making payments on time.  Not unusual for them to pretend they hadn't had a generation meter reading as a reason for not paying. 

I got into the habit of ringing them after submitting the reading online, to force them to acknowledge it and pay up.  Immediately after the "COVID meter reading scam" they used to delay payments SSE's performance dramatically improved.  Getting the payment within two or three weeks of the reading date became normal (I assume someone lent on SSE a bit).

I didn't receive our March FiT payment (due a couple of months ago), so called SSE this morning to both ask when I'd get it and to check they had my June meter readings that I'd submitted online earlier today.  A very rude person at SSE told m it was nothing to do with SSE and that my FiT agreement had been transferred to OVO (without my knowledge).

Having wasted most of the morning trying to find out what on earth was going on, it seems she was right and that I have been forcibly transferred to OVO.  It would have been nice if they had told me earlier.  Worse still is that they aren't paying the outstanding March payment (they have no record of it, apparently) and won't pay the June payment until "early September".  Be interesting to see OVOs reaction to an energy customer telling them they wouldn't pay a bill for months.

I may try emailing the CEO, but frankly I doubt that will change what seems to be a deliberate policy of withholding FiT payments for as long as possible.  The internet is awash with people raising this issue, and as OVO haven't done anything about it before now I have no faith they will miraculously change in the next few weeks or months.  They've already warned me that any complaint I make won't get looked at anytime soon, as their customer service people are maxed out.

I think the best course of action is to switch to a better FiT provider, which is almost certainly exactly what OVO are trying to get people to do anyway.  I'm in the process of researching this at the moment.  Doesn't look impossible to do, although does need a lot of paperwork, passport copy, copies of original invoices for solar panels, proof of ownership, etc, so is a bit of a palaver.

On the plus side, I'm glad I didn't choose OVO as our energy supplier (I very nearly did!).  My view is to add any energy company that provides a poor FiT payment service to a blacklist, and never use them as an energy provider in future.  Choosing who we do business with is pretty much the only way we can have any influence on the way these companies behave.

yota

Ive been trying to help a friend get their FIT payments from OVO for a couple of months now but with little or no success. He like others was switched to OVO without consent from SSE in about October 2022 and since then has not had any FIT payments even though he has dutifully given quarterly readings. Contacting the FIT section of OVO is really really difficult as most attempts end up at OVO Energy who supply his electric and who tell him to contact FIT and so he joins the roundabout of auto answer services bringing him right back to OVO energy. I may be being rather cynical but it does seem that the current system is almost designed to put people off from calling.
On the occasions when i have contacted the FIT  department (more by luck than judgement) they 
always say that the relevant payments have been made but if nothing has been received then its due to a technical problem. They have recently been sending out emails to say that payment has now been made but if the cheque (his method of requesting payment) has not been received then to contact OVO. 
The date for receipt of the payment has now passed and as instructed we entered the OVO roundabout trying to get an answer to why no money has been received. We are talking of over a £1000 pounds now so its quite concerning that it could be adrift in the postal system. After about 3 hours of texting , whats app messaging, on line chats and finally a connection to a human being, we were informed that a technical problem had caused the delay and a further cheque would be sent soon. This actually came from the complaints department who offered £25 in compensation off the next electricity bill but that the complaint would then be cancelled. This all sounds a bit like what an ex prime minister might say so we declined the offer and asked for the complaint to be formally registered. I requested the complaints representative to send me an email confirming the complaint which she duly did and added that the payment would be re-sent as soon as possible providing there were no technical problems. ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE. Why hasnt the ombudsman service got hold of this company and given them a good shake

JIL

Ovo have sent me an email this month to say they were very sorry but they have paid me twice for June and will recover the overpayment in September.
I haven't been paid twice yet....

I did think it very efficient of them to pay me 5 days after I submitted the reading. I was so impressed I bought the walking group I was with coffee and cakes.

I wont bother phoning, will just see what happens. I am convinced I will get a further payment in July.

The customer service isnt good, I waited 2 years for my first payment after moving and doing a transfer form. I phoned numerous times and it progressed very slowly. 

[Deleted User]

He like others was switched to OVO without consent from SSE in about October 2022

No consumer consent was necessary. SSE decided to pull out of the retail market and it sold its customer base to Ovo. Octopus has recently purchased Bulb. Shell Retail is looking for a buyer for its UK retail energy business. E.oN moved its customers to a new company E.oN Next.

By taking energy from Ovo, a new contract has been established. Your friend could just have switched suppliers. The FIT contract would have stayed with Ovo. This can also be switched. 

jazzgremlinash

OVO CEO:
stephen.fitzpatrick@ovoenergy.com
raman.bhatia@ovoenergy.com

jazzgremlinash

Like the others I’ve been with SSE since 2011 -no real problems. Reading June1st - payment and statement within a fortnight. 

OVO take over and nothing happens. Gave a reading on June 1st, got a statement on Aug 16th(!!!) - on Sept 1st 90 days on and nothing! 

What is wrong with them? I’m leaving. 

E on Next have said they’ll pay within a week-maybe. Scottish Power within 3. 

Perhaps I’ll give one of them a chance to prove it!!
OVO NEED ………….ING. 

I don’t think they’ll be around much longer 

QrizB

EON Next have my FIT. They pay me within a week.

tim_p

With OVO too, reading submitted on 30th June, statement emailed on 16 Aug, money paid to bank today. It was usually within the month when it was SSE  Definitely not a change for the better. 

jennifernil

Our FIT is paid by EDF, they pay quickly, usually 2-3 days.