Free solar panel feedback discussion: HomeSun

FreeSolar_-_No

Signed up with Homesun for the free solar power in November after a successful survey (surveyor said we were the ideal property for the solar panels as we are due south!) Signed lease/contract, mortgage details etc when rep. came. Recieved reply quickly saying we were sucessful and installation date was booked for 30/11, scaffolders never arrived day before so contacted Homesun to advise, they informed us that they have had problems with the scaffolding companies not turning up and they cannot contact them(?). They did advise that they had our panels and they are ready to be fitted!? After much chasing finally someone left me a message saying that they were trying to organise installation by 12/12. Have contacted Homesun today to be told that installation will not take place by the 12th!! Someone will contact us mid to late January to advise us if our installation is ever likely to take place!!!!!!!!!!!!
The lady in the installation department gave me all the excuses that it was not their fault because the goverment had cut the FIT. Yes I do understand that the government have made it difficult for them but they knew all this when I signed up. Why get our hopes up that we will have free electricity if you cannot fulfill orders.
I am extremely angry as it is far too late to go to any other company for a 'free' system, and due to the reduction of the FIT I doubt companies will be offering the 'free' system in the future.

DoctorBanzai

Sorry to hear you've been dumped in the same boat.

Personally, I keep being told that someone is going to contact me but I assume they're using telepathy because the phone certainly hasn't rung (exception see below).

No contact yet (apart from the scaffold removal confirmation.) Scaffold still here.

Tedward64

Well sceptic2, you seem to be the lucky one, congratulations! I, too, have had a call similar to the one received by FreeSolar-No earlier. This Homesun chap was very brusque and told me that "we cannot install before the 12th December and Homesun were re-positioning the company" and somebody "might be in touch in January with a revised offer".

This is yet another case of breach of contract. But it seems we do not have a leg to stand on as there is a lot of small print which gets the company out of any liability.

Another thing is troubling me. When we signed the contract we were told by the salesman that "regardless of what happened to the FITs in the future we would be safeguarded as we had signed up". This could be a way through the legals but could we prove it? Our word against the salesman.

I am exploring a couple of other companiesbut so far no good. I also plan to contact the Radio 4 "You and Yours" programme which takes up consumer cases like this.

HomeSun_company_representative

*****UPDATE TO ALL HOMESUN CUSTOMERS*****

Proposed cuts to the feed-in tariff have hit us pretty hard. Right now we are rushed off our feet trying to fit all our customers in before the deadline on December 12th. In between all this we are also campaigning to get the government to see some kind of sense whilst simultaneously negotiating hard with suppliers to secure the kinds of prices that are going to make the new rates viable. These are strange times as we are now contacting 1000’s of customers to inform then that their installation will not take place before December 12th. This obviously is a disappointment for everyone. As such if you have any concerns please email your details to customerservices@homesun.com with the subject line as MSE. Your enquiry will be picked up by our representatives and you will be contacted in due course. There are some that wish to use MSE as means of communicating with us however we cannot guarantee that your posts will be responded to in suitable timeframe hence please email customerservices@homesun.com - Thank you all.

Cardew

HomeSun_company_representative wrote: »

*****UPDATE TO ALL HOMESUN CUSTOMERS*****

In between all this we are also campaigning to get the government to see some kind of sense .

The Government(unusually) are showing some sense and sticking to their very sensible decision to cut the massive subsidies you have been raking in.

Your definition of 'sense' is to allow you to carry on making a huge income paid for by all other electrical customers.

DoctorBanzai

HomeSun_company_representative wrote: »

email your details to [EMAIL="customerservices@homesun.com"]customerservices@homesun.com[/EMAIL] with the subject line as MSE. Your enquiry will be picked up by our representatives and you will be contacted in due course. There are some that wish to use MSE as means of communicating with us however we cannot guarantee that your posts will be responded to in suitable timeframe hence please email [EMAIL="customerservices@homesun.com"]customerservices@homesun.com[/EMAIL] - Thank you all.

Email sent to [EMAIL="customerservices@homesun.com"]customerservices@homesun.com[/EMAIL], subject MSE, giving direct contact details for scaffold company.

FYI the majority of users are not using MSE to communicate with you (Homesun). We are sharing experiences with each other. I want my slow decline into madness to be documented, and am being totally open and honest in my posts as, just possibly, it might be useful to others. Including Homesun.

UPDATE: Actually received a reply via email (quite quickly!) Has been escalated and Homesun will contact the scaffold company directly. Not celebrating yet but it's a good sign.

Thank you Poppy. It's nice to know that somebody actually reads my mails.

cosmicgirl1962

I was anticipating my solar panels being installed on Wednesday last week. I had been a bit worried because the scaffolding was erected several days late, and finally arrived very early on the date of planned installation. Homesun confirmed that the installers would be with me within a couple of hours. I had made the arrangements to be home all day and sat and waited. By lunchtime I started to worry and tried most of the afternoon to get through but Homesun's phones were really busy and I could not get through until about 3p.m. By which time a curt and unfriendly operator told me 'well it won't be happening now'. I was given no date or apology for my time wasted. Nearly a week later I have now received a call to say that my installation will now be put on hold and that I may get a call in January. I still have scaffolding in place. I think I should be due some compensation due to the time spent and inconvenience our family has been put through. The least I expected was an apology or someone to tell me what was happening. The reason I am so cross is that when the representative came to our house, I raised the issue about the government reducing the FITs and he said it would make no difference to our installation!!! I am so angry - I work from home and the potential savings I would have made on my electricity bill have gone. I know the government changed the goalposts, but I asked the question and was fobbed off. Interesting that David Cameron got his installed before the change in the law. If we get our installation in the New Year (which I doubt) you can be sure it will be at reduced benefits.

cosmicgirl1962

I feel even more of an idiot now! Have just trawled back through the last few weeks of posts, and can see that Homesun were already cancelling installations whilst I sat there waiting for them to arrive. I do feel some sympathy for the staff, but at the very least they could have kept me informed. They clearly knew they could not do mine. I am very angry as I look out of my window and see my neighbours panels glinting at me in the sunlight. We had a 16 panel south facing roof in the furthest south you could get without being in the sea, with the scaffolding waiting.

FreeSolar_-_No

HomeSun_company_representative wrote: »

*****UPDATE TO ALL HOMESUN CUSTOMERS*****

These are strange times as we are now contacting 1000’s of customers to inform then that their installation will not take place before December 12th. This obviously is a disappointment for everyone.

How many customers have they let down?? They have known about this rate cut for weeks. Why agree to all these installations and getting people signed up if they couldn't fulfill the orders!

DoctorBanzai

Well finally someone at Homesun had the courage to contact me, and it was a worthwhile conversation.

She explained exactly what was going on and that she was going to make sure my scaffolding issue was taken care of. I look forward to waving that issue goodbye.

There will be no installation before the 12th. OK already guessed that and a new offer will be made in January. So it's not good news, but I can wait and see what is offered before I make any further decisions.

If 'HomeSun company representative' reads this then please give Saleha, who had the guts to call me, a medal. She was clearly nervous about calling me and I think she was surprised that I wasn't shouting and cursing at her. I actually sympathise with many of the customer reps (not all!) as they must be wondering if their jobs are safe and must be dealing with a boat-load of extremely angry customers. I don't have any for the senior management who's strategy of greed has screwed us all over.

See that was easy, wasn't it Homesun?

Now just get rid of this damn scaffold and I will be content. Not happy, but content at least.