5.6kw for 500 quid?!

[bigring]

i have just joined this forum, after reading this thread.i did work (self employed) for esg.
initially the 500solar deal seemed to be a good idea, and initially the remit was that the homeowner would recievethe export tarrif.this soon changed, as have a lot of aspects of the whole deal. i like to think that i am an ethicall salesman, and have never mislead a customer.
i think the whole plan got too big to quick and they couldnt handle the influx of orders.
and by the sounds of it there have been people misled into signing up. probably thru lack of training as opposed to dodgy selling tactics.
i allways advised homeowners they would be much better off buying the system, and indeed several did buy.and are very happy with their installs , and the return they are allready seeing......thanks to this great spell of sunny weather.
i did question the bosses..........................i am no yes man.
there is a lot of these systems that have not been fitted, from months ago, bear in mind the customers have paid their 500 pounds.
i couldnt get an answer as to timescales on install etc, and the goalposts keep moving. so i no longer work there, i believe in the whole pv solar thing, and want to work for an ethicall company in promoting it.
so at the moment i am not working but looking for an ethicall employer.
there still are some of us ethicall salespeople out here

 

[dgreenberr]

i have done12 estimates for new pv installations did not get one asked the customers where i was going wrong and was told i was the most expensive new to the pvs but have been trading as an electrical company for 25years, i have used mcg to price materials and then added my labour plus scaffold plus roofer , probably need to source cheaper materials any ideas

 

[Scamseeker]

I have got information here from inside Energy Saving Group that there is no way you will get 5.6KWH for the Solar Panels deal at £500. I have posted a blog about it with actual documents I have scanned and put in the blog. Read it here at The Energy Saving Group and Free Solar Panels. Is it a scam? - Scam List Thanks.

 

[davellis]

OK OK! I agree it does look dodgy and have told my friend to be careful. Better still keep clear! For my part I would only consider buying a system outright and knowing that I would receive the benefits. Thanks for the warnings.

 

[Scamseeker]

If you are going to get anything like 5.6kwh generated from solar panels then you are looking at having to put up something like more than 40 of the best solar panels you can get and that is directly facing South at a 30 to 40 degree angle in Southern England but the more panels you put up then the lower the Government regulated FiT Payments become so the whole thing really is a challenge.

 

[bigring]

If you are going to get anything like 5.6kwh generated from solar panels then you are looking at having to put up something like more than 40 of the best solar panels you can get and that is directly facing South at a 30 to 40 degree angle in Southern England but the more panels you put up then the lower the Government regulated FiT Payments become so the whole thing really is a challenge.

or...............(being pedantic)...............22 sanyo 250 panels.
but yes i agree with your comments regarding esg.
as i said in earlier post, once i realised what was going on ........i left

 

[robbie c2c]

hi are you still looking to be involved in solar sales,from your comment you seem the type of sales agent worth speaking to.you can email me on [email protected]

 

[robbie c2c]

hi i can get you cheaper materials ,give me a list of what you require and potential volumes,[email protected]

 

[steve1982]

I currently work for the Energy Saving Group. I can assure you this is not a scam. We make it abundantly clear from the get go that you will not get the feed in tariff with the £500 scheme and that is why this deal is about. You get a minimum of 14 PV solar panels on your roof, you pay £500 to get the panels installed, maintained yearly for 25 years, and the 25 year guarantee. After said 25 years the panels belong to you and you can do with them as you wish. But the whole point of this is you pay a minimum amount and still get your free electric per daylight hours, you just don't have the initial pay out of stupid amounts of money or the feed in tariff.

We are not scamming customers at all, yes there have been issues in the past year in regards to rules changing and refunds have been an issue, but the refunds are going around as we speak and will be completed soon. We also do offer the fully paid system with the feed in tariff in which you will get 10% of your payment back per year. If we were scamming surely we wouldn't offer this option let alone have customers take the option quite often.

 

[Worcester]

Well with the EST reckoning that you might save £70 a year, that's a long time before you get your £500 back.

What do you actually tell the customers they will save off their current bill?

So Steve1982 if it's really so above board, post your contracts on the board here for all to see.

 

[SRE]

I suppose some people's idea of a scam is different to others. I watched something on tv last week about the Mafia. The guy being interviewed genuinely didn't think he was dealing in drugs because he didn't buy them in the first place - he took them off someone else. He was very clear about it and couldn't understand why others would think any different.

It all depends on your perspective on life

 

[SolarCity]

My big issue with it is the website. It's deliberately misleading. As soon as you start going down the road of misleading potential customers then you're basically operating a scam in my opinion.

 

[Hevskitronic]

Just to let you know, I can confirm that Energy Saving Group have not ‘gone’, they still exist, are still carrying out surveying work, and are issuing customers' refunds. A large number of people have already received them, and they are being issued on a weekly basis.

It isn't a con, it isn't a scam; the company itself are not at fault. One of the installers they used dragged their heels and then changed their criteria, so loads of customers ended up finding their property was no longer suitable for the scheme. The installer that they were using are nation-wide, hence the problems in all areas.

The new installers are much more efficient and I can confirm that customers are having their panels installed now within weeks of placing the order.

The company are now using other installers and panels are being fitted without problems or delays. Customers who were rejected or have cancelled are either being resurveyed to see if they are now suitable under the new installers, or refunded if this isn't possible.

As SO many customers were left requiring refunds, the company are working as quickly as they can to get the cheques out, but as the money people have paid up front is used to process the order (there's all sorts of legal paperwork, surveyors etc to pay for and that's what the money is used for) so they have to get this back before they can refund people.

They're working through the refunds in the fairest way they can, which is in chronological order so people who paid their money first, get their money back first.

Everyone who is entitled to a refund will get a refund, but as explained, looks like this may take a bit of time; I can confirm for you that refunds are definitely going out and the company are doing all they can to issue these as quickly as possible.

 

[SolarCity]

It isn't a con, it isn't a scam; the company itself are not at fault.

If the company is not at fault and it isn't a scam then why was their (your) website so misleading? Why was I visited by one of their rude and overly pushing, clueless salespeople?

One of the installers they used dragged their heels and then changed their criteria, so loads of customers ended up finding their property was no longer suitable for the scheme.

What criteria is this? Surely the installers just install where they're told to install? Is it not ESG that have the 'criteria'?

s SO many customers were left requiring refunds, the company are working as quickly as they can to get the cheques out, but as the money people have paid up front is used to process the order (there's all sorts of legal paperwork, surveyors etc to pay for and that's what the money is used for) so they have to get this back before they can refund people.

I suppose the big question is: Exactly what is the £500 used for? Why isn't this cost absorbed by the ESG? Why is anyone using ESG when they can get the system installed for free by far more reputable firms?

Everyone who is entitled to a refund will get a refund, but as explained, looks like this may take a bit of time; I can confirm for you that refunds are definitely going out and the company are doing all they can to issue these as quickly as possible.

Exactly how long does it take to pay someone their £500 back?

 

[SolarCity]

In my opinion, Energy Saving Group have done irreperable damage to the industry and the fact that the MCS and REAL are effectively powerless to stop them makes me wonder exactly what my money is being spent on.