What’s the most important thing when buying a solar system? Is it the panels, or is it the inverter.
I have been wondering for a while what people really want when shopping for a solar system. At first you would think it’s the panels or inverter right?
After reading hundreds of reviews of solar companies online I realised something. Although when collecting quotes on systems, customers think the most important thing is the products (and it is true the products are important), what matters the most after they bought that system is the installation quality, after sales support and customer service.
Remember the “good quality doesn’t come cheap and cheap isn’t usually good quality”.
Solar Panel Installation Being Offered At A Lower Price Does Not Mean It’s Exactly The Same Service
Through reading reviews of solar companies I have actually reverse engineered what matters the most to solar buyers and most of them don’t even know it until it’s too late.
Unfortunately I have heard nearly every solar nightmare that can happen in my time working in this industry.
Before they signed the dotted line, I heard people say things like “the other company is offering the same products for a cheaper price”. As a business owner I almost find this offensive because it implies the skilled labour, installation quality and customer service means nothing to that person.
Clearly this person hasn’t dealt with a poor quality underperforming installation, leaky roof or a faulty inverter, with the company not willing to come help or worse gone bankrupt from selling too cheap which happens all the time in the solar industry.
Products That Are Cheaper But Offer The Same Warranty, Doesn’t Mean The Warranty Or Customer Care Is Going To Be Good
The other thing I hear a lot is “the cheaper inverter has the same warranty”. Now again, anyone who said that has never actually tried to lodge a warranty and seen what a nightmare it is.
A cheaper inverter might be covered under warranty but it could take up to 3 months to get it replaced. iI that happens over summer then you would lose hundreds, potentially thousands of dollars because your system is down and not generating any energy.
You’ll also find most manufacturers won’t allow the installer to use an inverter they have in the warehouse, they actually send out second hand inverters instead. Definitely not worth the difference for going with the cheaper installer if you ask me!
Solar Panel Buyers Really Care About The Quality Of The Installation, After Care Support and Customer Service
The reality is when you read the reviews of solar companies, all people actually care about is the installation quality, customer service, after sales support and how quickly they can sort warranty issues.
None of the actual “products” or a line item on the quote are being considered or cared about. Even when an issue with the product occurs, customers want a quick response from the installation company to help them fix it.
They aren’t tangible and for that reason it’s easy to look at the quotes and think you’re just buying products off a shelf and it doesn’t matter which store it comes from. However, the reality is solar installation is a service not a product, it really does matter who you get it from.
The company you buy solar from is everything, not the products.
Are You Prepared To Risk Your Home For A Cheaper Solar Panel System?
Most people forget that their house is almost always their biggest asset. But that asset can quickly become a liability with a shoddy solar system on the roof or a battery in the garage becoming a potential fire hazard.
The reality is a poor solar installation or faulty products with no after sales service can become a total solar nightmare. One you definitely don’t want to have!
At the end of the day we all know good service doesn’t always come cheap and cheap service isn’t usually good. Honestly, is cheap solar really worth the risk? Personally I wouldn’t risk going with “the cheaper quote”.
