MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Badmouthing: One More Reason Why We Prefer Supplying AND Installing All Equipment

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The old adage of; “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures” surely applies to our loadshedding crisis as private citizens embark on a crash course around renewable energy production and storage options.

BUT, what most consumers forget is that after doing their research they still need to rely on a professional installer (i.e. Master or Registered Electrician) to install their chosen product.

UNFORTUNATELY, we still have poor misguided souls who want to save one or two rand (in the short term) by buying their own equipment like Solar Inverters, Batteries and Panels and then asking a qualified person to install.

FUNNILY ENOUGH, that equipment often ends up costing the consumer more in the short term than if they had purchased from a professional installer who receives better pricing or wholesale discounts exceeding 25% and then only marks up by 20%!

WHAT HAPPENS THEN IS, the better able installers turn down any invite leaving the poor consumer to go further down the list to find someone desperate (stupid) enough to agree to do the install.

YES WE DO HAVE A HEART SOMETIMES and agree to install a smooth talking clients pre-purchased equipment.

What happened to us recently was that we installed an inverter sourced by a client from family of his. What tipped the scales for us was: 1. That the inverter was a discontinued model from a family of inverters that are regarded as the Rolls Royce of solar inverters (that we support) and 2. The National supplier had recommended us as the installer of choice.

Upon arrival, after quoting, we were presented with a back-up battery already purchased as well by the client.

As the client was a professional in the construction trade I immediately (and privately) marked him as being a mite underhanded off the bat as he would have known from experience that such behaviour demanded another quote and bigger expense via a Variation Order.

Anyway the inverter and battery installation went smoothly, all worked as per spec and we finished the job reminding our client that we do not carry any guarantee on any of the equipment.

As luck would have it – the older model inverter needed some firmware updates and the client was unable to handle it. His request was done with the reminder once again that we did not carry the guarantee.

Over the next few months our strong hints that he was now wasting our time fell on deaf ears as our client struggled to manage his system – all our clients who purchase full systems from us enjoy remote monitoring by us – one more reason why buying equipment and making us responsible for the whole solar system is a GOOD THING.

Anyway – the time came for us to gently tell our client that we would not entertain any more warranty/guarantee/support questions on any of his equipment and only supported our workmanship and balance of system components.

DID THIS OFFER US ANY PROTECTION? Apparently not – as one of our peers was to report later.

Apparently our peer was at a gathering of professionals – architects, engineers, quantity surveys etc. – when our client had a full go at our lack of service.

So, when he phoned (again) for a problem we graciously gave him the solution over the phone but not before asking him to examine his attitude towards us in public.

AND, what do you think his first reaction to that challenge was? Deny – like the social grace lacking miscreant that he had always shown himself to be!

In my travels giving solar and other quotes I have seen many strange things like the residence that had a faulty prepaid meter whose owner only bought R20 a month (just to show movement!) or the residence that did not have an electricity meter at all!

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.