What is the problem with Solar Panels?

Well, the quick answer is not a lot, they generate Green Energy and help the environment and for those who have them installed benefit from smaller household energy bills.

So why are there so many complaints regarding solar panels? Unfortunately, it is not the solar panels that are at fault here it is the way in which they have been sold and misrepresented to people who purchase them. We often hear from people who complain that they were promised their Feed in Tariff would cover the loan repayments and that the panels would be ‘self-funding’, but people are often left out of pocket.

When Green Energy incentives were introduced by the government many companies started selling solar panels as investments. Often people were persuaded to purchase after long sales pitches and promised the panels would lower electricity bills, improve the value of their home, reduce carbon footprint, combat rising electricity bills, and earn money back through the ‘Feed in Tariff’.

Solar panel companies sprung up all over the country and started mis-selling the benefits of having them installed. They told consumers that they would save money in the long run by making a small investment but for those who could not afford to purchase them outright, were persuaded into taking out high interest loans with unaffordable monthly repayments.

In 2011 a consumer watchdog investigated the mis-selling of solar panels and discovered that 9 out of 12 companies gave consumers inaccurate information regarding their purchases and how much energy they would produce. They also found that many of these panels were not even installed correctly meaning they were not installed in areas that would provide enough light for the panels to work and generate enough electricity. This along with the aggressive nature of the sales process, meant that many people who purchased solar panels were in fact mis-sold them and they could be entitled to make a claim against the company that sold them, even if that company has since ceased trading.

If this has happened to you or anyone you know, then get in touch with our expert team to see if we could help you make a claim today. If the person or company who sold you solar panels gave you mis-leading information about them or told you would make a certain amount of money from them by selling energy back to the National Grid or you feel they were not installed correctly then you could make a claim. We may be able to help return the money you have paid to date for the system, recover interest on those sums and write off your future repayments to the finance provider.