Cheap Solar Ads: Watch Out For The Spin

We’ve all seen the adverts on TV with used cricketers flogging cheap solar, but have you considered who’s boosting who?

Is it the retailer using the credibility of respected personalities; or are washed-up sports stars just getting their face on TV after retirement?

You get what you pay for. People who buy cheap always buy twice. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, or free electricity.

For years, SolarQuotes has preached long and loud about how expensive cheap solar really is.

To be honest, I’ve always found it a little bit disturbing that people are so willing that they actively set about getting the cheapest option when bolting something to their most expensive asset.

Nobody seems to care what the return on investment is on their couch, and yet they obsess about ROI for solar without apparent value for risk or the improved real value of their house.

No Name Equipment Attracts No Name Installs

I’ve seen it time and time again where cheap gear has been banged on a house and the compliance certificates aren’t presented on the day of install, because the people signing them were never on the premises.

It doesn’t happen as often these days because STC incentives (the rebate) are claimed using an app that compels installers to take geotagged selfies at the start, middle and finish of the job. Plus images of serial numbers, switchboards and the front of the house.

However, the facts are that low-priced equipment attracts low-paid contractors and low standards of installation.

Cheap Systems Come With No Support

If you have a look at the review pages on SolarQuotes I’ll urge you to sort for the one-star feedback.

While every retailer has some brilliant 5-star installs, I’m always a little suspicious about across-the-board perfect records. It’s not credible because there are always some disastrous oversights or accidental damage done somewhere, not to mention the occasional insane customer who simply can’t be pleased.

Hopefully they’re few and far between, but justified or not, the way retailers deal with irate customers is what sorts the cheap rubbish companies from those we recommend.

Be aware that some earn themselves a lot of one-star reviews, then manage to incentivise customers to remove them.

Cheap Companies Don’t Answer The Phone

Whether they realise it or not, any medium-sized solar company likely spends $100,000 per annum on warranty issues, call-outs, problem solving and staff time to answer questions, even if it’s just over the phone.

The cheap companies don’t answer the phone at all. They obfuscate, they lie, they don’t pay subcontractors, who rightfully enough don’t turn up. If you take them to court it will still likely cost you more in time and effort than it would to simply pay someone else.

And the laughable part is that when one of the biggest solar retailers in the country was threatened with suspension after being hauled into the courts for breaches of their electrical licence and STC incentive scheme, they argued they must keep trading because there were warranty obligations to honour.

Check The Reviews, But Watch For Fakes

Check the reviews — real ones. And beware the polished profiles: some of the worst offenders are masters at hiding the bodies.

The best advice I have is to check all the online feedback, and bear in mind that large companies may be able to game the system with large numbers of fake reviews.

At SolarQuotes all the reviews we host are eyeballed by a human before being uploaded to screen out fake reviews, and reviewers are verified by phone if we’re in doubt about the submission.

While there are plenty of great installers who don’t use our service and run excellent businesses, there are others who go through our vetting process and accept 1 lead per month, simply because they see our endorsement as carrying more weight.

While some installers have a pay-to-display blue badge, which offers zero additional consumer protection, customers using SolarQuotes get a third-party guarantee. We put our own skin in the game to make sure your installation goes well, or we pay to get it fixed.

For more on the high cost of cheap solar, read our guide on the strategies employed by dodgy solar companies.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/cheap-solar-ads-watch-out-for-the-spin/