A North Yorkshire homeowner has finally received £1,575 in backdated feed-in tariff (Fit) payments plus £200 goodwill compensation from ScottishPower, after a 10-month ordeal that required Guardian intervention. The customer, identified only as DC, moved into a new house 14 months ago and applied to ScottishPower for transfer of ownership of the solar panels and the associated tariff. Despite the company confirming it had all required information, no payments were made for over 10 months, with the amount owed exceeding £1,000.
Delays and communication failures
ScottishPower took seven months after confirming it had the required data to register the customer's ownership, and a further month before instructing the customer to register for its payment portal. System glitches then prevented registration. The customer's complaint was repeatedly referred back to the Fit team, which reportedly takes up to 12 weeks to reply.
This glacial pace is not an isolated incident. In March, the Guardian reported on a widow who was denied payments because ScottishPower failed to accept her husband's death and transfer ownership.
Resolution after intervention
After the Guardian contacted ScottishPower, the customer was called the next day and promised immediate resolution: £1,575 in backdated payments and £200 in goodwill. However, it took another month for the money to arrive. ScottishPower blamed an “administrative error”, admitted service shortfalls, and stated that transfer of ownership should take eight to 10 weeks, with payments following within three weeks.
ScottishPower's handling of Fit transfers has drawn criticism for its slow and error-prone process, leaving customers without payments they are legally entitled to for extended periods.
