Nearly caught with a different Solar scam

misterfish

We had a phone call last Friday from an unknown caller
wanting to arrange to read our solar ev energy meter. He wanted to come
on Monday but we told him that today was the first available date. I
felt somewhat patronised by the tone of the call!

He arrived at the arrange time this morning and just had a perfuctory
glance at the meter then checked the invertor and pointed out the output
voltage was low and needed a voltage regulator to sort out the problem.
He arranged to do this on Friday next. He also emphasised that he was
working for the Microgeneration Certification service and this needed to
be done so that the system would be recertified to continue with our
export payments. He also mentioned in passing that they wanted payment
by cheque.

So after he left it played on  my mind and I investigated and found posts that this was a
scam and no voltage regulator was necessary. We contaced the MCS people
who confirmed that they were not employing anybody to carry out checks.

We also spoke to tho citizens advice and they are contacting trading standards.

The paperwork they left had no address only an email and phone number that I
rang to cancel and was given another diatribe about it being necessary.
I just said that it is a scam and i'm cancelling it.

So if you get involved with KEG Renewable Energy tying to sell anything be careful.  

misterfish

Just had a phone call from them saying they're going to cancel my feed-in-tariff and then he hung up!

 

QrizB

That's a close call. Good escape!

I've had various cold callers over the years trying that sort of thing on; once I actually contacted my FIT supplier about it, and they reassured me that it wasn't anything to do with them.

Screwdriva

Can you find their business online? (I couldn’t)

Would be good to share their information and your impression more broadly!

kingdaddio

I have just had a similar experience as misterfish.

A cold call purporting to be doing installation check on behalf of MCS as I was now just past the mid-point of my 25 year FIT contract. As it happens I had discovered a problem with my generation meter that had 'stuck' and wasn't recording any generation.

When the technician from KEG Renewable Energy arrived he checked my paperwork and then entered the loft to examine my inverter. He duly announced it was at the end of its life and needed replacing and that was what was causing my meter issues. He said he could call back tomorrow and fit a new inverter for £3500, when I said I wasn't going to pay that sort of money without getting other quotes he got quite insistent that I wouldn't get a better deal and would probably have to wait weeks. He wouldn't leave any written price but did leave an order form that gave a company name and phone number but no website details.

After he had left I checked my generation app that showed the inverter was recording generation but had stopped at the time he entered the loft and was now showing a fault. It appears he must have tampered with the inverter and caused a fault.

I have reported my experience with Action Fraud, MCS and Trading Standards. I have also seen similar reports on Facebook for the same company.

EricMears

As a general rule, if anyone contacts you and tells you that you need their services it's almost certainly a scam. Only if they're from your FIT paying company or your original installer should you even think of letting them anywhere near your installation or records.

I'm well past the midpoint of my 25y FIT contract but the only contact I've ever had from anyone is the 'routine' inspections of the meter (and even that usually fails so I've been asked to submit my own photo of it !).

Heedtheadvice

There seem to be a few companies with KEG in their name associated with renewables:

On in India

One a British company with an address in Romania

and a third that was dissolved in 2014

!

Make of that what you will.....

QrizB

There seem to be a few companies with KEG in their name associated with renewables:

Based on a thread on the same subject from a different forum, they might be Kingsley Energy Group.