Christmas comes early for Begg family as electricity issue is resolved
After a seven month wait for an electric meter to be installed a family from Glasgow can finally start work on their forever home in Kilchoan thanks to an intervention by the Lochaber Times.
Craig Begg, his wife Kathleen and their two children Caoimhe, 9, and Lawrence, 7, had hoped that the demolition of the current house at Achnashie Croft and rebuilding of a new family home would be well underway by now.
However, due to what energy supplier OVO have now described as a "communication gap" the family have had to wait since September last year for a power supply that would allow them to begin the work.
Speaking to the Lochaber Times last week Craig said: "We took over the croft belonging to Kathleen’s family (Campbells) last year with the idea of rebuilding to a working croft and relocating to live there.
"Kathleen spent many happy childhood holidays there and it has long been a dream of ours to relocate.
"We have a static caravan on site and we got all the preparatory work done by SSEN in Sept 25, leaving the energy supplier OVO to simply come and install a meter so we could use the electric.
As a last resort Craig contacted the Lochaber Times with his story however and low and behold, the day after we got in touch with OVO, the energy giant provided him with a clear date for the meter installation.
An email from OVO Customer Resolution Specialist Cara Cameron said: "I will certainly move past the technical discussion and focus solely on the successful completion of the job.
"My priority is ensuring that the assigned engineer is fully prepared to carry out the work so that no further time is lost.
"Regarding the discrepancy in our communications, I would like to offer some clarity. We partner with a third-party service provider, SMS, to facilitate these specific mobilisations.
"As they operate on an external system, there can occasionally be a delay in how updates are synced with our internal records.
"Please rest assured that this communication gap is being addressed. I have shared your experience as formal feedback to ensure our processes are improved as it should never be the customer’s responsibility to relay information between us and our contractors."
An OVO spokesperson told us: "We are sorry to Mr Begg for the delays he has experienced in getting his power connected.
"We have contacted Mr Begg to arrange an appointment for May 12 2026.
"To acknowledge the frustration caused, we have waived all installation and re-energisation fees, and will provide a gesture of goodwill following completion of the appointment."
Thanking the LT for our help Craig said: "We might actually have power for the May weekend now. It’ll be like Xmas!"
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