Solar Powered - Electric Shock

Energy Giants put customers at risk with crass and unprofessional processes - in spite of available technology.

It is said that you can: ‘Invest in solar panels and benefit from the feed-in tariff (FiT) – which gives guaranteed payments to those who generate their own electricity’.

Some of the big six energy companies appear to have their own definition of 'guaranteed’.

According to Ofgem, FiT payments can be claimed and paid on a quarterly basis, for electricity produced. Utility providers operate a policy of checking meter readings every 2 years. This shouldn’t be a problem….

….But how do these policies operate?

• One company turn up without any appointment. A gentleman in his seventies was shocked, when upon answering his door he was told he must allow entry to read the meter or his FiT payments would be suspended.
• Another company show up without warning, even when visiting an isolated rural property. The house was only occupied as the daughter was not at college due to illness. The young lady, home alone, was shocked and worried, by a male engineer insisting be required entry to read a meter.
• Eon send out letters – the like of which – leave you wondering whether to laugh or cry!

I was shocked to find my own FiT payments were suspended because I didn’t stay at home for 11 days!

An example of Eon’s idea of communication:

“We’re coming to read your meter. We will visit the property 5 working days before or after 3 November 2015”

Surprise, surprise I didn’t wait home for 11 days for someone to read my meter!

This led to another example of Eon’s communication:

Your FiT payments have been suspended because attempts to visit your property to obtain a FiT read have been unsuccessful.

Doesn’t seem to be Eon’s policy to actually specify a day and time. (Although when I requested this I was given a date, and a five hour window. I waited in but no engineer arrived).

Has anyone informed Eon that the 21st century has seen a revolution in the way we communicate? As well as post and telephone we also have email, text messages, voice mail…….

Companies who do not operate an adequate and appropriate policy to communicate with customers demonstrate both incompetence and bad manners.

Why should the elderly and young, who are particularly vulnerable, or indeed any other individuals, have their safety put at risk by such shoddy policies?