By Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast
As always, there is one person (or more) that will try and make ‘fast money’ and ruin the reputation of the whole industry. The week before last saw a Gold Coast Pastor and his wife arrested for scamming a $900 deposit for solar panels out of over 400 home owners.
The husband and wife couple are due to face the Brisbane Magistrate Court today after they were arrested on fraud charges. The Queensland Fraud Squad investigated the couple after there were over 150 complaints lodged against them and their company called ‘Solar Powered Products.’ Their business was operating out of a Carrara industrial building which fronted as the Pastors church called the ‘Australian Revival Church.’ The business was purely a cold calling centre. The Pastor allegedly posed as a ‘Mr Williams’ when visiting homes wanting solar power.
Apparently, before the couple relocated to Queensland, they were prosecuted by the NSW fraud teams for operating a mortgage refinancing scheme – they were fined $70 000 over the scam. In 2008, they had declared themselves bankrupt alleviating over $1 million of debt.
In the market these days, price of solar panels is not always a good indicator of quality. There are many considerations including solar inverters, railing systems as well as installation. There are probably fewer solar ‘cowboys’ out there these days but there are still those that people need to be careful of. Those wanting to install solar power need to do a little research before signing on the dotted line.
A good solar company will have done many successful jobs in the past and be able to show you photographs and testimonials. Quality solar panels, inverters and railing systems are always of the utmost importance. The other main point to always check is that the company is using a Clean Energy Council Accredited Installer who abides by the current industry standards.
It’s always a pity when the industry gets a black mark against its name but there are still quality dealers out there, supplying good, green products built to last. Here at Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast we are always more than happy to have a chat with you and address all your concerns. We hope that this case will be a wakeup call to all those out there selling inferior solar products.