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The demand for solar systems is unbroken. But there are also dubious companies in the industry that demand high advance payments from their customers and do not provide anything in return.
The Kopp family has been living without a roof over their heads for five years. Only a tarpaulin protects your house from wind and weather. As early as 2019, the Kopps wanted to re-cover their roof with solar tiles and have two electricity storage devices connected.
Victoria Kopp remembers that the company presented a complete offer: dismantling the old roof, disposal, building the new roof and so on, “really an all-round, worry-free package”. This way you don’t have to coordinate different companies with each other, you just have to wait until it’s finished and then be happy. They pay 155,000 euros for the package.
No service despite deposit
But the dream of having your own solar system turned into a financial and legal nightmare that continues to this day. The roof is now in need of renovation and the company responsible is insolvent. The family does not have the money to hire another solar company.
At least eighteen other customers of the same company could tagesschau.de research. Everyone experienced a similar experience between 2022 and 2023. Some received no service despite a high five-figure down payment, others only received partial benefits or had significant defects.
Market difficult for consumers to understand
Delivery and service disruptions as well as warranty problems are again the most common reasons for complaints from consumers this year. This is reported by the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv). The number of complaints related to the installation of solar systems tripled in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Many other customers also have opposite tagesschau.de described how they fell victim to dubious profiteers when buying a solar system, sometimes took out large loans and in the end received either inadequate service or no service at all.
“Consumers cannot tell from the outset whether they really have a good company or someone who is now jumping on the boom,” says Florian Becker from the Bauherrenschutzbund eV. He recommends that consumers always receive a sample contract from the company and under no circumstances should you accept larger advance payments. You should also only pay deductions based on the service provided. Otherwise, in the event of defects, you no longer have any means of exerting pressure on the contracted company.
Customers have to pay twice
High advance payments can quickly become a financial fiasco for those affected. Customers of Envoltec from Leipzig also discovered this last year. In November, the company filed for bankruptcy after two years. Hundreds of customers were left without an inverter or a connected system, even though they had already made large five-figure down payments.
Lawyer Jens Reime, who represents some injured customers, is suspected of commercial fraud. The same customers were always addressed, i.e. homeowners who urgently needed a solar system. “And that’s exactly where the dubious market participants come in,” says Reime. The Leipzig public prosecutor’s office is now investigating where the down payments from hundreds of other Envoltec customers went.
Shortage of skilled workers meets solar boom
It was only at the end of April that the Bundestag passed the so-called “Solar Package Two”. The law is intended to ensure a continued boom in solar systems. However, the shortage of skilled workers is also hitting the solar industry hard. It seems all the more advisable for consumers to be careful when choosing businesses; Above all, a lot of patience is often required.
The publicly appointed expert Rolf Gühring observes that the solar market is increasingly becoming a seller’s market in which orders are awarded to subcontractors: “I also notice that companies in Germany are causing mischief that only deliver as sales partners, but not themselves – or only a partial delivery. But in return they collect all the customers’ money, then run away and actually harm the solar industry.”
Protection against defects
In any case, vzbv advises consumers to make an on-site appointment with the company. You should check the offers carefully to see whether all the components and work required for assembly and connection to the network are actually listed and whether components and services are shown as individual prices for comparability.
“Consumers should also ask whether they will receive documentation in accordance with VDE regulations during commissioning,” says the expert Gühring. “If companies cannot promise this, the consumer can be sure that this company is not able to install professionally.”