Solar Panel Company gone into administration ... Help!

DMStue

Hi there,

We had solar panels fitted just over a year ago. I did my due diligence on the company, checked they were MSE and RECC approved, scoured the forums and found nothing to concern me.

I am paying a loan over 10 years for my panels and have a double indemnity certificate for the performance of the system.

Earlier this year, I noticed that they system wasn't producing electricity. I checked the inverter and it has tripped out. Restarting it took it back to the same point.

At this point I tried to ring the company. To cut a long story short, I found out that they were out of business, since about 2 months after my installation. There were numerous summons to attend hearings posted on line, a litany of customer complaints and no way of contacting them.

Sick to my stomach, I started to panic. Facing 9 years paying for an expensive roof ornament was a real worry.

As it happens, I figured out the cryptic menu system on the inverter (you have to knock on it to make it work ... No lie!) and managed to get it restarted.

The whole experience however has me worried.

Yesterday, the panels tripped out twice to a different fault message. I flicked the fuse off and on and the system restarted, but I live in constant fear of solar issues and wish I had never had them fitted.

What I want to know is that my double indemnity certificate is worth something and that if the PV system develops issues, I will be able to get them fixed without it costing me an arm and a leg.

Are there any reputable repair and maintenance companies out there for PV?
Can you sign up to a service and maintenance agreement to give you peace of mind?

I there anyone out there who can ease my worries?

Regards

DMStue

wealdroam

DMStue wrote: »

Hi there,

We had solar panels fitted just over a year ago. I did my due diligence on the company, checked they were MSE and RECC approved, scoured the forums and found nothing to concern me.

I am paying a loan over 10 years for my panels and have a double indemnity certificate for the performance of the system.

Earlier this year, I noticed that they system wasn't producing electricity. I checked the inverter and it has tripped out. Restarting it took it back to the same point.

At this point I tried to ring the company. To cut a long story short, I found out that they were out of business, since about 2 months after my installation. There were numerous summons to attend hearings posted on line, a litany of customer complaints and no way of contacting them.

Sick to my stomach, I started to panic. Facing 9 years paying for an expensive roof ornament was a real worry.

As it happens, I figured out the cryptic menu system on the inverter (you have to knock on it to make it work ... No lie!) and managed to get it restarted.

The whole experience however has me worried.

Yesterday, the panels tripped out twice to a different fault message. I flicked the fuse off and on and the system restarted, but I live in constant fear of solar issues and wish I had never had them fitted.

What I want to know is that my double indemnity certificate is worth something and that if the PV system develops issues, I will be able to get them fixed without it costing me an arm and a leg.

Are there any reputable repair and maintenance companies out there for PV?
Can you sign up to a service and maintenance agreement to give you peace of mind?

I there anyone out there who can ease my worries?

Regards

DMStue

I don't know what a 'double indemnity certificate' is so I will leave that for others to comment on.

It sounds like you purchased this stuff on credit, so probably Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act will help.

S75 makes the credit provider equally responsible for performance of the contract, so you can seek a remedy from the credit provider, even if you are unable to get the supplier to fix things.

Have a read of MSE's Section 75 article.

DMStue

That's good news!

So if my panels stop working, my credit company are responsible for getting it fixed? That puts my mind at rest somewhat.

Are there such things as solar repair companies?

If so, I would like to find out if there is one in my area (West Yorkshire) who could come and check my system periodically and give it a once over.

molerat

A quick google of solar panel maintenance came up with many hits and opening one of the links came up with ....

xxxx offer maintenance and cleaning services on all types of solar energy systems. We also repair, maintain, upgrade and clean systems fitted by ourselves, and we can also service and repair Solar PV Systems fitted by third party installers. We cannot currently service or repair Solar Thermal Systems fitted by other companies.

Your credit company are not explicity "responsible for getting it fixed". They are equally as liable as the original installers were. There could be many reasons for failure so you need to consult your "double indemnity" paperwork to see who it is provided by and what it actually covers, if it is some sort of service and maintenance guarantee provided by the installer then it may be the credit provider that is now responsible. It may be a guarantee provided by a third party insurer in which case you would need to contact them. After 6 months it could be down to you to prove that the fault is down to an inherently faulty item.

DMStue

Hmmm ... not as as good news as I thought then.

We had the panels fit over 12 months ago ... Is the 6 months a fixed period from S75?

Yeh .... I scanned the Internet and was struggling to find an engineer who could respond if I needed help.

shaun_from_Africa

DMStue wrote: »

We had the panels fit over 12 months ago ... Is the 6 months a fixed period from S75?

No.
The 6 month period comes from the Sale of goods act and what it basically states is that any fault that appears within 6 months of purchase is deemed to have been there at the time of sale and if the retailer disputes this, it is up to them to prove otherwise.
A fault that was discovered more than 6 months from purchase could still be due to an inherent fault (faulty manufacture or installation), but after 6 months the onus is on the consumer to prove why the fault occurred.

The reason that the Sale of goods act still applies if you are trying a S75 claim is because this act makes the credit provider equally liable with the retailer for any breech of contract so if the retailer would have been liable under the SOGA, the credit provider would be equally liable.

macman

What make and model is the inverter? Mine had a five year manufacturer's warranty on it, so in the absence of any SOGA protection, due to the retailer's demise, this is the obvious route to take. I'd be surprised if the inverter didn't have at least 2 years warranty on it, maybe longer.
Solar PV is essentially maintenance free, there's little that can go wrong if the inverter is working and the cabling intact-you don't need a repair and maintenance contract on such a system.

unholyangel

Also to note that the finance agreement must be a debtor > creditor > supplier agreement.

In other words, there must be an arrangement between the supplier of the goods/services and the supplier of the credit.

Personal loans are different as they are usually a creditor > debtor > supplier agreement.

zax47

macman wrote: »

What make and model is the inverter? Mine had a five year manufacturer's warranty on it, so in the absence of any SOGA protection, due to the retailer's demise, this is the obvious route to take. I'd be surprised if the inverter didn't have at least 2 years warranty on it, maybe longer.
Solar PV is essentially maintenance free, there's little that can go wrong if the inverter is working and the cabling intact-you don't need a repair and maintenance contract on such a system.

I was going to ask the very same question! The inverter is the "weak link" in Solar PV systems, they don't last forever and cost of replacing it should always figure in any "cost of ownership" calculations over 8-10 years (but often don't) Quality (& cost) varies greatly and this (apparent) fly-by-night outfit might well have fitted some cheap tat with a poor or limited manufacturers guarantee. Look forward to the OP telling us what was fitted in his installation.

DMStue

It's a 'Growatt 3600MTL'.

I have no idea how good that is but I do think I have a 5 year Warranty on it.

macman

So you've answered your own question. Ask the manufacturer to repair or replace it under warranty. I take it you have valid warranty documentation provided by the installer, who should have registered it for you?