I've been a massive fool...My planet UK Solar.

vuvuzela

Gstyle007 wrote: »

Ha Ha cheers Ohreally,


It's made it to the 2nd page of results on google !!


My Planet UK Myplanetuk myplanet uk !!!

It's good to have your honest review of myplanetuk appear on google's first page when people search for review of myplanetuk.

ohreally

Gstyle007 wrote: »

It's made it to the 2nd page of results on google

You need other posts to refer to MyPlanetuk or MyPlanetuk wont move up rankings.

[Deleted User]

Your initial post does not suggest the company have done anything wrong at all. You even say the salesman was not pushy and your post implies you had ample time to think about the purchase and back out so unless you can prove some sort of mis selling then sadly you may find there is nothing you can do.

It may be worth taking legal advice if you have legal insurance with your house insurance if you feel you have been misold.

Although you may have paid more for your set up than a similar set up by another company, do you know that for sure? What brand of inverter and panels did you get? How does that compare with what other companies would have charged? Did you get any extended warranties included? Anything else that may have put the price up that much more?

Try not to beat yourself up too much. Many people regret spur of the moment decisions. At least you have something to show for it and you can enjoy lower energy bills and in time, maybe some profit.

Meanwhile there are lots of MSEers with solar set ups, me included, and lots of useful info in the Green forums about how you can enjoy what you have invested in and make the most of it.

Good luck.

Gstyle007

Thanks Deleted_User,

Ive found that for a 3kw system which is double mine with the same make of panels and pretty much the same as everything else even an energy monitor free (I had to pay extra for mine) is £4550 fully fitted. Now whether the company is any good I dont know but there are similar deals all over the place!

My system is: 6 x Solarworld panels, An Afore Inverter and a Geo Solo 2 monitor.

Anyway I've had a phonecall from Myplanet today following my complaint to them, They have taken down all my issues and they said they will look into it and get back to me so fingers crossed !!

Gstyle007

Ok, so I've had an email from the MD and here is the content:

"I have fully reviewed the contract and calculation sheet. At this stage I do not see how you have been mis-led or mis-sold.

Believe me, if these practices were to occur we would be out of business.

Myplanet are not and will never be the cheapest company in the marketplace. We have been trading since 2008, use top German panel and fully warranty customers systems and products. I can guarantee you all companies you have seen a cheaper system by have only been trading a very short while and will not be around in business in a couple of years.

Your predictions are based on the FIT income, savings from your existing bill and the export tariff. There are also additional savings from the LEDs. Our calculations build in assumptions such as an 8.79% yearly energy price increase (over the last 10 years, year on year it has been more than this), and 2.5% RPI. This is not best case or worst case but a true reflection of the financial benefit you should receive over the lifespan of your system.

I’m sure you can appreciate you can always find something cheaper on the internet. For example if you bought a pair of shoes for £60 and then saw them for £20 cheaper 2 weeks later would you take back the £60 pair ??

Regards
Mark.

Can someone help me understand the figures he has quoted? are they correct? and would this equate to £18000 over 20 years? if my Electricity bill is around £960 per annum. He mentions LED's which I have yet to receive but as I already have most lights with led's then I dont think this would make much difference and I had told the sales person that.

Also can someone tell me if it is against any rules if the sales person offers a big discount if signed on the day?

Cheers

System

Gstyle007 wrote: »

Also can someone tell me if it is against any rules if the sales person offers a big discount if signed on the day?

Cheers

The simple answer to this is 'no'. My guess is that had you said 'no thanks' they would have been back the next day with a better offer. You also had a 'cooling off' period to consider whether to go ahead with the purchase. You could have cancelled but you didn't.

I have tried to download the latest PV guide from the MCS website and failed. The latest guide introduced significant changes:

New performance estimates
The old method for calculating the performance of a solar array was based on SAP. The calculations produced were based on a single geographic in Sheffield and didn’t accurately take into account the pitch and orientation of roofs.
The new system combines the current geographical zones introduces in the new SAP combined with the PVGIS European database of irradiance and performance. PVGIS is widely acknowledged as a more accurate database and the new system should provide a much more accurate prediction of system yield up and down the UK.

Shade calculation
Under the previous guide, shade calculation was incredibly crude and difficult to audit. The new guide introduces a revised shade calculation that MCS hopes will be far more accurate than the previous method. The key point of the new method is that the calculation is auditable. Although the new calculations can be done easily with specialist instrumentation they can also be produced with the most basic of equipment – a handheld compass and something to measure the inclination.

Do you have anything in writing from MyPlanet about the cost versus projected savings? Without that information, it is difficult to tell whether the MD is correct. I confess that my PV assessment contained only a projection of output in Kwhs per year and savings at the date of contract times 25 years. I doubt whether using past energy price inflation to 'inflate' the savings that will accrue from less energy usage, and RPI to inflate annual FIT payments is illegal but it is most certainly unusual: that said, I can see why they would want to do it. Tossing LED bulbs into the equation is also a little strange. But, as I say, without sight of the calculations that you were given, it is difficult to know whether you have any re-dress.

As others have suggested, you had time to sit down and work out whether PV solar was right for you.

jd87

Putting aside issues such as whether a cooling off-period was adhered to, etc. Is the OP's primary complaint that they feel they were overcharged because they found the same thing cheaper elsewhere?

If so then I don't really see any valid complaint here. People get charged more than the next person all the time. It's called capitalism! Happens all the time. Think package holidays. Think car repairs. Any market where the consumer doesn't have ready access to compare prices. Is it not just a fact of life?

mandragora_2

It's himself he's angry with, not My Planet UK, as he says in his original post.

System

mandragora wrote: »

It's himself he's angry with, not My Planet UK, as he says in his original post.

Yes and no. Like any of us in a similar situation, the OP is hoping that someone will produce a 'get out of jail free' card that he to use against his installer. The OP has paid a top end price for a small PV system and he has taken out a high interest loan with a rate of somewhere between 9 and 10% APR.

When I was a child, I remember my father sitting me down to pass on some advice given to him by his father. That advice was 'remember the power of compound interest'. By 'inflating' the FIT payments by 2.5% RPI per year; 'increasing' the savings on the 50% of energy generated (assumed to be for own use) by 8.79% per year, and adding LED light bulb savings (compared to what only the OP knows), it is entirely possible to come with an income/savings figure of £18,000 over 20 years.

System

Gstyle007 wrote: »

O

Can someone help me understand the figures he has quoted? are they correct? and would this equate to £18000 over 20 years? if my Electricity bill is around £960 per annum. He mentions LED's which I have yet to receive but as I already have most lights with led's then I dont think this would make much difference and I had told the sales person that.



Cheers

This worried me overnight given the size of the OP's system. A quick look at MyPlanet's Solar Calculator shows that a 1.5Kwp system will produce in Yr 1: £188.46 in FITs; £88.54 in electricity savings and £19.60 in export or a total annual benefit of £296.60. The calculator refers to SAP which has been replaced by PVGIS. I doubt that this would make a material difference. The webpage states: 'Free Detailed and Personalised System Predictions' when you contact us. Even taking into account the benefits of LED bulbs, I cannot understand how the OP has come up with the figure of £18000 over 20 years?

Reading back, I found this:

Quote Had a look at the figures and when i get a chance ill scan the sheet he gave me with the figures on, but looks like he quoted the right ones basically £320pa and about £18000 over 20 years which includes savings from 20 led light bulbs. Although he did say this was worst case scenario if my house had shading, wasn't pointing south, only 20% sun etc and a few other things which i can't remember now. Unquote

Surely, this is when the alarm bill should have started ringing as 20 times £320 = £6400. Even with compounded APRs and RPIs this will not come to £18,000 over 20 years. My apologies: I was confusing the OP with another poster who has had similar issues but with a much larger PV system.

If the OP wants any further help, then I think he needs to produce the personalised quotation that he was given. I would also consider going back to the MD to ask him to justify with an detailed calculation the £18000 savings figure that has been quoted if, that is, this figure was given in writing.

Alternatively, walk the personalised quotation round to the CAB who are usually happy to give advice.