Pod Point evaluation Less good: • Application forms lengthy and in places not clear, especially about dates of car arrival & charger installation. We struggled a bit, not encouraging for a doctor and a teacher. • Application for OLEV Grant repeats some of the same questions • Auto reply suggests that forms submitted are ok, then some days later, a personal email tells you there are deficiencies • There is a very long wait to get the kit fitted; need to step up a gear as a company - there are other firms out there. Octopus has since been recommended to us, as being quicker & more responsive. • Pod point response time is slow – to emails, generally at least several days. • Pod point telephone line wait too long – sometimes 15 minutes • At no point of the application were we told that this system works best with a good internet signal. Fitter arrives – “it will give basic functions without” – luckily! • At no point were we told that a smart phone would be needed to get the best out of this system; you should not assume this. • At no point were we told that fitting would be conditional to tests on electricity, earthing, water systems. It could have been a wasted journey. Not sure why an Earth on the water supply is relevant? • I submitted several photos & a sketch map, to show the route for the cable. These were at first not understood. A phone call from someone who knew more about the fitting process might have avoided a number of not-fully -understood emails. • I offered to do well over half (in time) of the work, partly to reduce Covid19 risk, drilling holes & routing cable through the building. Fitter only had to fit up the ends; but no mention was mad of a discount. • Lack of clarity about the installation booking process; we were offered a “provisional” date for installation; which we accepted then heard no more. We had to phone to confirm 2 days prior. Should be autoconfirm – people are arranging their days around to suit • A text about the installation was sent to us only the night before; but it was sent to a landline number; so we got BTs verbal text service – barely intelligible; and no number was given to text back. We were worried that our fitting might be cancelled as we had not replied. • Lack of documentation, eg information pack, written quote, contract, invoice, receipt, warranty. The usual stuff when you contract a firm to work on your property. All we now have is a small green & white booklet, left by the fitter. Better: • Website fairly clear, if you know what you want • Staff on the telephone & emails are polite and mostly friendly, clearly know the business. • Staff explained in detail how to handle information missing from our application forms • Staff at Pod point were able to work around their system – sending me the cables to install. • Installer, Stuart, arrived promptly, was friendly, helpful • Covid precautions were well-observed – minimum access to areas & time, face masks etc • Work completed quite quickly & neatly, to high standard; Stuart was happy to follow my planned route in every detail. I am fairly finnicky – but a review has shown just one screw I need to reset. • Fitter talked us through how use the system, including what to do when a red light shows – which it did later that day (!)