I have had solar panels on my roof since 2011 and used to receive quarterly feed-in tariff (FIT) payments from SSE Energy.
However, since Ovo Energy started managing the payments I have been having problems. For the past nine months I have not received any money despite submitting readings in February, May and August.
I have tried phoning Ovo numerous times but its automated message always warns of waits in excess of one hour. I also have written to the company with the automated response from the FIT team advising that at busy times it can take up to four weeks to respond.
The three outstanding payments total in excess of £2,000. That money would be very useful to help me pay for the forthcoming increases in gas and electricity bills.
I’m sure if I owed Ovo for nine months of gas and electricity it would be in contact. I cannot get through to a human being at the company to resolve this. Can you help?
MJ, Wootton Bassett
Your letter is one of several I have received about delayed Ovo FIT payments. At the same time you wrote to us you also emailed the Ovo chief executive, Stephen Fitzpatrick, and this did the trick. You were contacted almost immediately by a senior manager who informed you a cheque to cover the February and May payments would be in the post by the end of the week.
The delay was blamed on the integration of the SSE business into Ovo (Ovo bought SSE’s energy supply arm in 2019) as the two companies dealt with FIT payments in a different way. Ovo waits until Ofgem has paid it before paying its FIT customers, which takes longer. The company offered a case of wine as a goodwill gesture which you accepted.
You are glad to have finally got some answers (and hopefully your cash) out of the company but we don’t think you should be forced to write to the chief executive of a large company to resolve such problems.
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