Friday 23 September 2011

Solar Panel's on BBC's Watchdog


The people's consumer champions - BBC's Watchdog - reported in yesterday evening's programme that some homeowners were not getting the free solar installations they'd paid an 'arranging fee' for.

Their investigation centred around one company that were charging an 'arranging fee' of £500 to homeowners who were interested in a free solar panel installation. The fee included an on-site survey as to the suitability of the property for a free solar installation and, if it passed, and the owner wanted to go ahead, then the £500 fee was being charged.

In the studio, the 'owner' of the company being investigated, following consumer complaints, maintained that many homeowners had been refunded, whilst others had received their free installations. The problem, he said,  had arisen because the installation company he was using changed their criteria over which were suitable properties for their free installation scheme.

Solar Panel Quoter wants to assure homeowners that we never charge homeowners a single penny for using our free online solar panel quoting website or our subsequent offer of matching your location and project with our database of registered solar installation companies.

Our service is completely free. The companies we find you will all offer their best quote and if you decide to go ahead with one of them, then you'll enter into a usual customer / contractor agreement for payment and completion of the work. Solar Panel Quoter doesn't take any commissions from completed or quoted for installations either.

Our service not only lets you see the details of the (maximum of) 3 companies we've found for you, it also lets you see any homeowner feedback (good or bad)  from previous homeowners who've used our service.

The Watchdog website itself recommends homeowners try and get 3 quotes for comparison before deciding which company is right for you. It also mentions the importance of genuine testimonials and previous customer feedback.

Watchdog mentioned the MCS accreditation scheme - only company members of this scheme can authorise an installation as being fit for the Government Tariffs. It should be noted that some companies, in our experience who are not MCS accredited are usually working in partnership with another MCS registered company who will 'sign off' their installation.

No doubt, you'll want to ask these sorts of questions when our recommended companies make contact with you, to arrange their survey of your property and offer their quotation.

photo credit: jelly dude

Solar Panel Quoter can offer instant online quotes for Photovoltaic (electricity generating) and Solar Hot Water panel installations across the UK. We can also advise on Free Solar Installations. The service is completely free to homeowners, but could save you pounds.

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