First4Solar Bewertungen 372

Finally, I made a tough decision to cancel my order with first4solar after waiting for 8 months. It was really difficult to do that as now starting everything from scratch will take more time, but didn’t have choice because I have lost faith in them due false commitments and no communication about anything throughout the process. I think they are super busy by accepting all new orders and they don’t have the resources to deliver it. I made a wrong choice by selecting them and it was based on the reviews and youtube videos last year. My major worry was that even if I stick with them (even I don’t know when will be the installation) the post sales service will be a serious challenge as they will not be able to provide support on time. I was given 4 installation dates and none of them were met and most embarrassing thing that happened to me when they put up the scaffolding and it was erected for about a month and suddenly scaffolding guys came and removed them with no installation and no communication prior to removal. This was the day I decided to cancel it as it was very unprofessional.

The only good experience that I had with them is with the sales team as they were brilliant in understanding your needs and creating a good system for you. The other thing I felt good is the price which is quite competitive. Apart from that no good experience, even for my DNO application I had to chase them directly to know the status or any blockers which in my case there were quite a few. I did not get my survey report, also no one was able to provide me the cable design for my installation. At last when I escalated this to the owner of the company, he was a bit responsive but again he gives all false commitment and even after I escalated to him about my Installation dates he was not able to give me exact date for installation and it was lingered on for 30 days more. So at the end I told him to cancel my order.

Now I am struggling to get my refund back for which I have to call them multiple times and as usual no one bothers to return your call and provide a confirmed solution.

Adesh

Very very very very very poor service. Do not, and I say do not trust this company. Old review taken down because of the truth and first4solar are trying to cover up there shambles of a company. They constantly cancel installations and never ring, email or text. This company doesn't deserve customers. Do not trust them.

Theo Bacon, he was terrific. He was personable, enjoyed a bit of banter but importantly dealt with my request quickly and efficiently.
He has renewed my faith in First4Solar.
I will definitely go to him in the near future to deal with the quote and installation of a new Array and Battery.

Update 6/4/23
After i gave an honest review of the poor service i had from First4solar. They contacted me by phone last week and tried to bribe me in offering me money to remove my review! After refusing this they flagged my original review so people cant read it! Quality company, provide a poor service all round, fail in every area and then try to stop others reading how bad they are, speaks for itself folks, enjoy your journey into green energy with first 4 solar. Good luck, you are gonna need need it!

Terrible experience. I paid a deposit in AUGUST 2022, had heard nothing about an installation date so chased and after many phone calls was told verbally in November 22 that the install was Feb 23. A day before the install they cancelled due to "over run" on other jobs and that they'd contact me to rearrange. Guess what? No contact, despite me chasing by phone and email. I'm now trying to get a refund of my deposit and guess what? No contact. I can usually speak to a customer service person, who promises me I'll get a phone call back. Never happens. Emails are not responded to.

They sent a newsletter highlighting how much interest they had had in solar, but they never hired the staff to cope with it. Incredibly short sighted.

I'm lucky that I have a barrister in my family to advise. Out of interest I asked another company to quote after a family member had their solar fitted - turnaround time quoted as 2 weeks. First4solar shows signs of cash flow issue, so I'd think very carefully about getting solar from them.

Yet again a cancellation for installation of a battery I ordered in March 2022.
This is the 7th appointment that First4Solar have failed to honour. I have had to chase up these appointments as First4 Solar do not get in touch to inform of cancellation.
Do not order from this company unless you are prepared for a very long wait with lack of communication
or like me 12+months without my order being fulfilled

Hi whoever has had their solar panels installed, how long was it from deposit to actual install ? I paid a deposit around the 5th of May and just had my second install date cancelled today 5th April. On top of that, I have paid for my batteries and was told they will be delivered first.
Is this the norm ?

Note - First4Solar are apparently now in administration.

I placed a deposit with this firm in December, with a timeframe for installation approximately end of February/early March. The telephone consultation and onsite survey were all fine, and I was keen to move ahead. On the 17th March I wrote to ask if there was a date yet, got a mail back stating they'd be in touch right away, and that was the last I heard from that person. I sourced another name and address from a Trustpilot review and contacted that person - who promised me a call on the 4th April with an install date. I did get a very hurried call on that date indicating that I'd be called the following week with a date. I've written to them to advise I want a refund of my deposit and expect that will be ignored.
They clearly have taken on too much business and can't satisfy demand. Avoid this company and take your business elsewhere.

Some notes- the HIES deposit guarantee scheme is only valid for 4 months - so, I'd not have had any benefit from that as they've stalled so much.

I put in a request for a chargeback Friday, having heard nothing from the previous week, still no response to my mails.

Worse, when I called about a charge back, the person I spoke to was very familiar with the firm and had processed a number of similar requests. That speaks volumes.

Avoid Worst4Solar at all costs.

25/05/23 Contacted Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133. They can take details and will let Trading Standards know, who can investigate Tanrec/First4Solar and its Directors. Would all those affected like to do the same?

________________________________________________
06/04/23 Spoke with Robyn and agreed a fourth installation date for mid June (> 9 months after deposit taken). Now waiting for confirmation of extension to HIES certificate.

03/04/23 Called today (as they haven’t called me) to be told that my ‘guaranteed’ installation this week is now unlikely to happen.

This is the third time First4Solar have cancelled their install - another massive inconvenience.

Sales pitch is 3–4-month installation time. My reality is 7+ months and still waiting.

DON’T RELY ON HIES INSOLVENCY INSURANCE TO PROTECT DEPOSITS as mine expired after 4 months. Check the certificate.

Service went downhill as soon as a deposit was taken. Communication became non-existent.

Buyer beware.

Will update this review as things progress.

After reading the reviews I wanted assurances that the installation of my solar panels was not going to drag on and was told 8 to 12 weeks definitely, so I paid my deposit of over £2200 this was in March 2022! So far they have failed to turn up to fit my panels on 8 different dates, each time I have had time off work and waited in, for them to never show up and not be notified of them not turning up. Only once has someone phoned to say they are not coming and that was the night before.
It has just been excuse after excuse, some of which I have sympathised with but there is no excuse for not letting people know and no excuse for not being able to fit them in over 12 months, so now I have lost over £1500 in wages plus the interest on my money that they have, plus the loss of the electricity the panels would have generated if the had been fitted within 8 to 12 weeks timescale. Finally i left this reveiw on here and was contacted by the managing director who admitted this was not good enough and said he was going to get this sorted for me, at last i could see the light at the end of the tunnel and believed him. Now i have had another 3 missed installations then someone came round and fitted some clips on my roof and that was it. I tried to contact them and they are not answering my calls i have sent messages and nothing finally got hold of somebody today and they said they would find out what was going on then they sent me to answer machine! So if you want to save yourself alot of time, money and stress i would advise you to avoid this company and go elsewhere it is just not worth it.
**EDIT. At last something is getting done Roofers turned up today to fit solar panels, no sign of electrician yet or batteries and inverter. Will update my review as things progress hopefully with a postive outcome soon. The main problem is communication when they don't get back to you or let you know what is happening that is what makes me more mad. Better communication would be appreciated by all their customers.

I am incredibly angry with this company. I paid a £2500 deposit in July last year (2022). They have postponed my installation twice, once in November with 3 days notice, I had to call them, for them to tell me, they could not make it, and 3 weeks ago at the beginning of March, although to be fair the snow did play a part in this, however, I expected to be called the following week, as promised by the installations manager Jake Hughes, I quote, "I’ll be keeping an eye on the weather over the next few days and from there I can give you an update, never happened, but then he has a great track record of not communicating with his custommers. Their lack of customer care is staggering and as far as keeping their customers updated, forget it. they are incapable. Having run my own businesses for over 25 years I know how to run a good organisation, this business needs a complete change in their approach and dare I say it a change of the staff who cannot do their jobs properly. I have taken legal advice and will be cancelling my contract. Steer well away from this company if you want peace of mind and less stress in your life, you have been warned, don't ignore the other negative comments, they are telling the truth.

So, after a couple of reviews updating potential clients on our experience I now appreciate and understand the upset & frustration of many of First4Solar customers before, during & after installation. What a shambles, to think myself & partner were PROMISED by the Director David (not fit to run a tap never mind a business) that or installation would take place within 5 days was a kick in the teeth. Excuse after excuse, even using personal circumstances directly on the phone when this story is apparent to many others. Scaffolding erected and demanded to be taken down at a convenient time and then being lied to directly on the phone as to when it would be removed, resulting in the firm trespassing on neighbours property! To be fair, no fault of the scaffolding company, just the female employee clearly taking orders from the top having no clue what she is doing. All in all, again, utterly Shambolic and having spoke to clients who have paid deposits and had plenty of interactions, we feel like utter mugs. David and his son should be investigated for their wrong doings.

A great sales experience followed by poor communication and an inability to carry out the installation on the agreed date. Had I read previous Trustpilot reviews I would not have placed an order and my advice to others considering First4Solar would be to avoid this company and look elsewhere for your solar PV / battery requirements.

UPDATE - since posting this review a director of First4Solar has made contact and agreed a new installation date. Let’s see if First4Solar can redeem themselves!

UPDATE2 - the installation date agreed with the director was cancelled by First4Solar and rescheduled. The rescheduled date was then cancelled. I have now requested a refund.

I had my installation finalised last Saturday. Order placed on 03.10.2022 for 16 x Jinko 415w + GivEnergy 5.0kW Hybrid + 9.5kWh Battery. After the survey, I added additional 2 panels and agreed v2 of design on 13.12.2022.

I was pretty concerned reading all reviews online, but remained hopeful bad news spreads easier & travels faster and good reviews were not being shared in the same proportion. I was correct!

There were few bumps on the road, calls not returned, I expected easier communication, however work started on the date I was given initially. Staff installing it was very good (especially F4S electrician Levi) and technical support at F4S (Theo).These guys were great. Levi came to finish installation on Friday at 6pm and left at 9pm with 2 hour drive home left. Theo helped sorting online commissioning on Saturday morning! Their attitude was impressive and turned things around for me!

Overall GOOD 4* review. Thank you

Such a worst company I have ever deal with. I wish I could give them zero star. I did placed order in March 2022. Agreed deposit was £250.00 But they have taken £2400.00 in April. In April 2022 ask them to provide me Deposit Protection Certificate been told it will posted to you but never received. After chasing numerous times via emails & Phone calls, Every time they have promised some will call you and sent you by this afternoon but never received. Finally I did get in touched with the deposit protection company and they have sent me copy of it when I checked that I did realise that deposit protection was expire in June so I rang back and asked them that this certificate was expired and our job is not even started their adviser told me that I will speak to them and get it protected which he did and sent me new certificate. Our design was approved in May 2022 and First installation date was given by mark on the phone was end of June 2022 but never happen. After that even I have been given numerous installation dates, but installation was never happen. After having all the stress I have to go through HIES to request cancelling the order and after they have cancelled my order on (20/02/2022 @13:40PM) I have received emails from company director that we have refunded your deposit and you will received it within 2-3 working days but until today I haven’t received it and even I have sent numerous messages to (Company Director) not a single response from any of them.
After cancelling order and put the bad feedback & review on google & trust pilot I received a call on 27/02/20233 @10:30AM from sales adviser Who ask me the reason for bad review and I have explained the reason for the bad review and she said if we can resolve this issue she has spoken to company managing director and explain the situation then they ask me that if we get your system installed on 07.03.2023 but you have to removed the review from google and trust pilot as it is damaging our company reputation so agreed that if the installation will not happen on 07.03.23 I will put this review back and he promised me that it will get done. But guess it’s never happen again as usual so rang back on that morning and ask them where is the installation team at 10:30AM. They told me that your installation was booked for tomorrow not today and I said no I have received confirmation emails from Keeley. Later that afternoon Keeley rang me and said your installation will not happen tomorrow so I ask them that our agreement was if the system was not get install then we will cancel the order as we have scaffolding up since January and four installation dates been moved. Also my neighbour has asked me that could you please get in touched with the company who is doing your work as they have requested the permission to using our drive way just for a week but it is almost three months so get in touch with them and if they don’t remove the scaffolding by Friday (10/03/2023) then he will take legal action against the company. Then due to the bad weather he allowed scaffolding to be up until Wednesday 15/03/2023 as our installation was schedule for 14/03/2023 but installation never goes ahead and then scaffolding was removed from property without installation on Thursday (16/03/2023). As they knew that they are in trouble.
I really had a very poor experience from First4solar and worst part of the service is their customer service and also their installation team, Who always promised to call back but never. Even this company doesn’t follow Health & safety Law, which has been placed for a reason. we had scaffolding in my & neighbour’s property since January and by Law if scaffolding stays in your property for more then 7days it should needs to be checked but no one came out to checked even once and when I requested I been told what’s wrong with this and do you see any problem? The problem is it's a LAW

Well my our installation date has been and gone. Still no install. Shocking customer service. Infact probably the worse I've ever come across.
I sent an email on February 4th which was picked up quickly probably because it was a negative email. This was responded by Daniel we chatted via text over the weekend and then on the phone on Monday 6th February. He wrote our install date In the dairy for 22nd March. So the wife takes 2 days off work and nothing. I rung Daniel twice on the morning of the email, no reply. Text, no reply and emailed with a few others copies in and guess what no email.

So I phoned the install team who seemed confused as to who I was. They were going to phone my wife. Guess what, yes no phone call.
I did however get a phone call from Kelly not Keely as she corrected me saying their new system was Installed and they were calling back by Friday to let me know of a new install date.

Well the system works as well as their customer service. None existent.

Very happy and speedy at taking deposits and getting the survey done but unless you chase them you will hear nothing. Probably a victim of their own success and grown to quick. After theTiktok videos of Alan Hart.
Saying that he has a lovely new install more batteries and inverters added. But hey ho none in our property.

Let's see what happens next eh. Probably nothing. We'll either my install goes ahead or we go down the legal route.

Update... director spoke with us both willing to give benefit of doubt at the moment. Let's see what next week brings.

Update 06/04/23

Scaffolding going up Saturday 08/04

Communication is getting better from First4solar.co.uk

A very annoyed Gary & Christine Turner

Very helpful and patient when answering my questions.

I have since had my request for a refund acknowledged and now expect my refund within 14 of the request so I will take no action if the refund is received. After my previous review on the 28 February I was contacted by Keely from first 4 solar and was given another date for the installation (13 March ) that day came and went without any contact, when I contacted them again I was given a date of the 20 March. The day before the due date this was cancelled so I told them I wanted my deposit returned and was told to email the request which I did I also asked for an acknowledgement of the email but none was given I have phoned and was unable to speak to Keely but was told she will call me back. The email requesting the refund was sent on the 22 March I was told refund in 14 working days in the meantime I will be contacting trading standards and preparing a small claims court application.

Contracted with them end of October, promised to install solar panels in March, that month was specified in the contract, but failed to contact and provide any timeline. Despite numerous attempts to contact them through email and phone, they have responded sparingly and now not at all, leaving me in the dark about the status of the installation.
This lack of communication and follow-through is unacceptable, and it raises serious concerns about the company's reliability and professionalism.
Overall, I would not recommend this company to anyone, I asked them to reply with a date or I will claim my money back through small claims court proceedings
UPDATE 1 march 24: I now received a date for installation in a months, if everything goes to plan I will update accordingly
UPDATE 2 march 31st: on march 24th after my review and only because of it it seems I was contacted by the director who gave me his mobile, promised to renew my HIES insurance and gave me an installation date. He told me I would receive email confirmations asap. He mentioned my review. The same day a lady called to book installation. The lady gave me another installation date than the director, I said I was told the 25th, she said oh ok let's do the 25th then. It left the uncomfortable feeling that it didn't matter because nothing would happen anyway. She then tried to convince me to change my review. As a gesture of goodwill I switched to 2 stars and said I'll update according to what will happen with installation. She didn't seem pleased. Since then I didn't receive ANY updates, emails or other, even after texting the director twice and him replying once that all was coming and soon in my mailbox. This looks more and more like a scam.

AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS,
Will take your deposit and then seems to go wrong from there, I paid deposit in July 22 on basis job would be completed in 12 weeks and no sub-contractors are used only their own engineers, YEAH RIGHT!
Surveyor was sub-contractor who came out with all his fancy gadgets, including a drone! To take aerial photos, He inputted all the details on to his tablet, including drawings etc and then apparently failed to send anything to FIRST4SOLAR. After chasing FIRST4SOLAR a design was eventually sent which after looking closely i found that all my flat rooves were shown at incorrect heights! After adding some optimisers to the quote was made to sign an ammended quote to avoid any further delays, in the new quote they ammended the lead time to 16-20 weeks which i never wanted, They associated my email address to someone else’s FOX ess account, From very beginning was told it was two day job for 2 engineers, 1st install date wasnt scheduled until week before Christmas, (12 weeks would have been end of October) chased a week before as no scaffolding had been erected, was told my solar install couldnt be done as it was snowing in kent, ( I live in west Mids) New date given for 12th an 13th of Jan 23. Scaffolder txt me at 18:45 on 2nd of Jan saying they were coming following morning which i had to change as no-one available to give them access, re-arranged scaffolding,arranged someone to be there for access, scaffolders never turned up, re-arranged for following day, they erected scaffolding but caused damage to my property, On morning of install i received an email telling my i had to pay a further £6500 for equipment which wasnt at my property, after ringing FIRST4SOLAR i was advised all the equipment was en-route, (this is around 0900 ) One installer turned up at 10:30 with no parts or equipment, second engineer was supposed to be on way, Eventually found out that equipment was being collected from London until 12:10 on that day,(Like i said i am in West Mids…..2.5-3 hr drive from London at dinner time) Complained to FIRST4SOLAR and was told parts were going to be at my address by 14:30 and the one engineer who had turned up would have the panels on my roof that day! (16 Panels over 3 roofs!) insult to my intelligence! Also apparently now its not a two day job for two engineers as told from start. It was now apparently a two day job for one engineer or a one day job for 2engineers, again an insult to my intelligence, The one engineer that turned up sat in his van on my drive until 16:00 i guess chatting on his phone. On the same day FIRST4SOLAR also managed to send all my personal details to another customer with the same name, in the end i cancelled my order with the Director and i havnt heard off them since, ive sent a full letter of complaint to FIRST4SOLAR in line with their complaints procedure which they received on the 10/2/23 and have had no response what-so-ever, This review is probably a bit jumbled up but basically, if you want to lose money and get treated like an idiot then this is the company for you. Maybe they might contact me after this although i’m guessing they will respond with “ i’m sorry, we dont seem to have a GARRY TAYLOR on our system so we cant identify you” Well FIRST4SOLAR you have 2 Garry Taylors on Your system, be interesting to see if to can find the correct one!!
Update following F4S response,
Added a further review of under Avoid this company at all cost part 2 as not enough room on here to review experience with F4S
Ran out of room on the next follow up review so the part i had to miss out was regarding the scaffolding,
Which was removed as they state, but thats because i spoke to scaffolders direct to arrange this.And my name is GARRY not Gary, cant even be bothered to address me correctly!