Solartricity is......

[MCS Renewables]

Solartricity is another trading name of Ideal Solar.

Here is the website photo of Ideal Solar Main Office :-
Ideal Solar Energy - Ideal Solar Energy has 10 years history and highly trained professionals

which is identical to the Solartricity Main office shown here :-
Solar Panel Installations - About Solatricity | Solatricity

Just so everyone is aware Ideal Solar lost their MCS approval for miss selling, overselling and ripping people off . Following appearances on Watchdog and in the Which magazine Real ejected them. However they are now no longer in the MCS scheme and have the same sales techniques with astronomical prices. They now just sub contract the work to the individual MCS contractors.
So now their salesmen can say whatever they like with no comeback.
They come from Ringwood, Hampshire which seems to be the home of the solar rogue.

 

[SibertSolar]

Interesting, thanks for the heads-up!

 

[SolarCity]

Hmm, seems like a loophole that needs closing. These rogue traders are f***ing it up for everyone and it's seriously started to annoy me.

 

[MorganPVI]

I did a survey for an ex copper recently, the customer ran some background checks and must have found something he didn't like, he refused to allow them in the house when the salesman called. I have seen some of their quotes - 2kw systems for £17k, once they call the boss a 2K discount appears like magic. 15k for 180w panels and some random inverter. Classy.

I feel sorry for the suckers and vunerable people they expolit, it makes a mockery of the MCS and REAL schemes to allow the cowboys to blatantly operate using subbies and high pressure sales.

 

[Worcester]

Solartricity and Ideal Solar also have the same installation photos and the same testimonials on each site.

Indeed the solartricity site shares the same web server as vps.idhgplc.co.uk which is amk-solac.co.uk which was set up by Ideal Solar Energy Ltd in March 2010

The following information is freely in the public domain from Companies House (you can do your own online webcheck at WebCHeck - Select and Access Company Information )

Solatricity Ltd
VICTORY HOUSE 400
PAVILION DRIVE NORTHAMPTON BUSINESS PARK
NORTHAMPTON
NN4 7PA
Company No. 07240198
Date of Incorporation: 30/04/2010

And
These three companies are also obviously interelated : Generic Services Ltd, Ideal Solar Ltd and Ideal Solar Energy Ltd

(If someone has access to a credit checking software, you also be able to get lists of the directors, all other companies of which they are also directors, and their home addresses, it is all information available in the public domain)

GENERIC SERVICES LTD.
UNIT 1 CROW ARCH LANE IND EST
CROW ARCH LANE
RINGWOOD
HAMPSHIRE
BH24 1PD
Company No. 06854266
Date of Incorporation: 11/12/2008
Previous Names:
Date of change Previous Name
23/03/2009 IDEAL SOLAR ENERGY LTD.


IDEAL SOLAR ENERGY LTD.
UNIT 1
CROW ARCH LANE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
RINGWOOD
HANTS
UNITED KINGDOM
BH24 1PD
Company No. 06771626
Date of Incorporation: 11/12/2008
Previous Names:
Date of change Previous Name
23/03/2009 GENERIC SERVICES LIMITED

IDEAL SOLAR LIMITED
WOODPECKERS
HANGERSLEY HILL
RINGWOOD
UNITED KINGDOM
BH24 3JW
Company No. 06872272
Date of Incorporation: 07/04/2009

AMK-SOLAC UK LTD
UNIT 1,
CROW ARCH LANE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
RINGWOOD
UNITED KINGDOM
BH24 1PD
Company No. 07278215
Date of Incorporation: 09/06/2010


This reminds me of a local double glazing company that changed it's name 4 times in as many years each time leaving a pile of unhappy creditors.

 

[Markc]

Shocking!

How can we get this type of thing stopped?

 

[Worcester]

If they are not MCS registered companies, and are a sales operation subcontracting to MCS registered installers, then as afar as I can see, the only thing to do is to take it up with your local trading standards officer.

Likewise they are also not likely to be members of REAL, if they are then they should be reported to REAL.

I would presume that they have engaged a lot of small local MCS installers who do just that, install. The interesting part is when those installers come around to their annual MCS assesment to check the paperwork trail etc.

The Company shall identify his suppliers of designs, products and materials which are incorporated into the final installation, including packaging.

And they have an obligation to check that the designs are correct:

Where contractors do not engage in the design or supply of solar PV systems, but work solely as an installer for a client who has already commissioned a system design; then the contractor must be competent to review and verify that the design would meet the design requirements set out in this standard and this should be recorded.

It will take a while though, since trading standards will have to collect a fair amount of information before they can act, and it will have to be more than heresay, you'll need the salesman's name, company they represented, propective customer, date and time of call etc.

BBC's rogue traders did a good expose of a large training provider in the re-skilling sector - electricians, plumbers, and IT a few years ago, which had a good effect on the market place.

As I mentioned above, these guys are most likely outside the scope of MCS and REAL, and they don't mention either scheme on their websites and the subcontracted installers can legally distance themselves from the sales process.

Unless someone else can come up with an idea for a 'Name and Shame' scheme, or a 'We're the good guys' scheme - which is what MCS certification and REAL is about and the roagues will never join beacuse of that , then so as far as I can see that really only leaves Trading Standards.