How often have your heard the saying…..”You’re signing your life away”. In most instances, it is a statement in jest, however, and with all commercial agreements the detail is so very important to understand, as the ramifications can be costly.
Solar inverters, solar panels, workmanship warranties and guarantees are not created equal. In this blog we will help you identify problems, well before you sign the dotted line and part with your money.
We know that reducing the cost of power bills is a high priority for most clients and it is thus so important to ensure any investment in solar will be there and function long term. It is little wonder that once consumers sign an agreement they put it away never giving it a thought until something goes pear shaped.
Today most businesses have all their documentation cloud based, so it is a simple process to obtain an agreement in advance for review. Printed work order agreements with the agreement clauses in micro font at the back of the application should be very closely scrutinised. The reason, well the Devil is in the detail. Let’s explore this further.
Never follow blind faith that because a retired sports star or celebrity fronts the marketing ad then all should be ok. They are paid to add substance (brand value) and that’s about it!
Some notable clauses to be aware of.
- 20 year warranty. What does this mean, performance of the panel, inverter, and workmanship????
The sneaky subclause. “for a period or 12 months from the date of install XXXXX will assist the purchaser to exercise their warranty in the event of a system fault or failure”. - Now this clause is buried in fine micro print and you should read it as “the system is junk we are not confident it will perform past 12 months, so not our problem thereafter.”
- 24/7 same day back to base monitoring.
- Unless the installer has the staff and technical expertise, your solar inverter could fall off your wall and unless you chase the installer you will be lucky to get a call. Programming your inverter is NOT back to base system monitoring.
Select reputable companies providing external system analytics and who provide this as part of the installation. After all you’re looking to save money and if your system is on the blink, you want it up and running fast. - Plain English agreements, clear and enforceable warranties (ALL COMMITTED TO WRITING INCLUDING YOUR ACTUAL PROJECTED SAVINGS AND HOW THEY ARRIVE AT THOSE SAVINGS).
So yes the Devil is in the detail and taking time to review agreements will save you much frustration and money in the short, medium and long term.
Finally, remember you have a ten day cooling off period, so use this time to review, review and review those agreements.