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Anyone Having problems with First4Solar (Leeds)
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My Brother-in-law just had panels and battery fitted In Huddersfield- I’ll find out who he used and what he thoughtSmart Tech Specialist with Octopus Energy Services (all views my own). 4.44kW SW Facing in-roof array with 3.6kW Givenergy Gen 2 Hybrid inverter and 9.5kWh Givenergy battery. 9kW Panasonic Aquarea L (R290) ASHP. #gasfree since July ‘230
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We ordered solar off them in March 2022, installation date September 2022, nothing, radio silence from them. Had to keep chasing, by November we were phoning them daily, in the end requested a refund and they were just as bad with that, the promised refund dates came and went. In the end my husband contacted his bank and even though he hadn't paid the deposit with a credit card the bank were able to do a charge back, so the bank refunded the money and took up the dispute with first4solar. Put a bad review on and the director even had the nerve to phone up and ask why were trying to ruin his company! Putting pressure on us to remove it!0
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bazneol said:We ordered solar off them in March 2022, installation date September 2022, nothing, radio silence from them. Had to keep chasing, by November we were phoning them daily, in the end requested a refund and they were just as bad with that, the promised refund dates came and went. In the end my husband contacted his bank and even though he hadn't paid the deposit with a credit card the bank were able to do a charge back, so the bank refunded the money and took up the dispute with first4solar. Put a bad review on and the director even had the nerve to phone up and ask why were trying to ruin his company! Putting pressure on us to remove it!0
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Hi Surfbabe. I'm in the same boat as you. Deposit paid early Oct 2022. Broken promises and false information given. I should get my money back through Section 75 but it galls me that companies like this exist. I suspected that this company was running a deposit scam and less than 24 hours ago I set up a Facebook group called Last4Solar to provide a place for others to come and share their experiences.
And boy has it exploded! I've had private messages from other customers with a similar experience. Some have even gone further and paid a further 40% in anticipation of goods, with scaffolding being erected then nothing else arriving! But that isn't all. I've had allegations about other business practice inc. failure to pay employees, suppliers or subcontractors. And then this afternoon, I took a call from an ex employee who whistleblew further. His allegations go further and are of a criminal nature. I can't go into detail yet but reporting will be made to the relevant authorities.
Any customer who has had an install already is advised to check that they have been sent confirmation of Buildings Control notification for electrical installation and an electrical installation certificate which proves that the works have been registered.
Believe me, I opened a hornet's nest!
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geekylisa said:Hi Surfbabe. I'm in the same boat as you. Deposit paid early Oct 2022. Broken promises and false information given. I should get my money back through Section 75 but it galls me that companies like this exist. I suspected that this company was running a deposit scam and less than 24 hours ago I set up a Facebook group called Last4Solar to provide a place for others to come and share their experiences.
And boy has it exploded! I've had private messages from other customers with a similar experience. Some have even gone further and paid a further 40% in anticipation of goods, with scaffolding being erected then nothing else arriving! But that isn't all. I've had allegations about other business practice inc. failure to pay employees, suppliers or subcontractors. And then this afternoon, I took a call from an ex employee who whistleblew further. His allegations go further and are of a criminal nature. I can't go into detail yet but reporting will be made to the relevant authorities.
Any customer who has had an install already is advised to check that they have been sent confirmation of Buildings Control notification for electrical installation and an electrical installation certificate which proves that the works have been registered.
Believe me, I opened a hornet's nest!0 -
First 4 Solar have gone in to administration circa 9th May. (ref: Facebook and a post from Giv Energy) (I don't think that I have enough MSE brownie points to be able to include hyperlinks in my post). This was also confirmed by their subcontractor who is owed a lot of money by them. Whilst our installation (details on trust pilot reviews 'Andy dated 5th of May 2023) was littered with errors including key safety issues; it has largely been fixed and is now working well. It did however take a huge amount of effort and daily calls to achieve what others would have got right first time :-(
Anyone who is owed money should use all available options such as section 75 and chargeback ASAP. My opinion is based on the comments of their subcontractor (not at fault here) and the Giv Energy letter on Facebook. It would appear that the company may have significant debts and so any refund from the administrators may be small and take ages to get.
We still need to get a final battery added which thankfully is sitting next to the system along with the new BMS; this may cost £200 to finish which isn't a disaster. For those of us 'fortunate' enough to have a 'working' system, our warranty from F4S is clearly compromised and a £12k investment now relies on HEIS insurance should anything further go wrong; but insurance claims are a 'last resort' and aren't a substitute for a responsive supplier. Can anyone offer advise:- What percentage of the price is the warranty?
- Whether I can / should ask the credit card company for that percentage under section 75?
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