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SOLAR CONTRACTOR RIPOFF EXPOSED
lets break this video down to see how this would be handled here in SA.
It doesn’t say much for Enphase systems, failed units within 10 years.
Let’s say you get a call from this customer, how are you going to handle it, drop everything and head to site so that you can replace all the faulty units free of charge?
Which highlights one of the biggest problems I have noticed, ridiculously low mark-up on solar equipment as an installer, if you as the installer even supply the goods?
Most systems are being sold by a middle man who uses sub-contractors. The main contract is a person in an office somewhere who clicked onto the quick buck scheme and riding it all the way to the bank. Who are you going to call the sub-contractor and threaten them when they tell you to get hold of the consulting company who sold you the system?
Let’s say some poor sucker who was stupid enough to open a business, supply the equipment and install it and is still operating in 10 years’ time.
Should the sucker drop everything and head to site and remove all the panels at his cost?
I find this video rather interesting because I have one of these customers at the moment. I am regretting the day I stepped foot onto site.
The question is: who is liable for the replacement of these fault enphase units?
Did the contractor rip him off?
Chances are the customer at the time requested the rail system, to look pretty, how is this contractors fault?
What did you think about the comment about the location of the breaker in the panel when feeding back into the grid, never heard of that before? Because of the heat dissipated, mmm interesting.
Note the labelling on the conduit, I wonder how many installers in SA own a label machine never mind label the conduit [IMG]file:///C:\Users\IANSTA~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\ 01\clip_image001.png[/IMG]
Note the comment about "the wires were ok" after 10 years, remember his comments about the wire being incorrectly sized. We all know heat happens to wires if they are overloaded, I smell bullshyte in the air.
Just when I thought the new contractor must be legit, then you use them walking on the panels, REALLY.
I suppose when you look at the way the panels are installed and the fact that the contractor walks on the panels, you wouldn’t need to worry about bad layout or removing panels to get to the micro inverter mounted under the middle panels.
Overloaded wires which caused the micro inverters to burn out, why didn’t the breaker trip and why were the old cable reused, they must have been burnt?
Request a plan, I would bet all my old bicycle tubes that he expected the full plan for free, then he would as he mentions in the video take his personal details of the plans and shop around. I am sure we all have stories to tell about these types of customers.
This is why it is a good idea to google the customer’s name before you waste time preparing documents, creating complex quotes and drawings etc., check hello peter, YouTube and other places on social media.
Something else to consider before you rush out and start slapping panels on a customer’s roof, do you as the contractor understand the product warranty and are you aware of your rights as a contractor.
How would you deal with a customer like this?
Anyone rushing out and buy Enphase micro inverters.