Modern Solar Reviews
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Modern Solar is a Solar Power Installation company based in service most parts of Australia and serves NSW. Here are their reviews as submitted by visitors to SolarQuotes
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Modern Solar Reviews (82)
Show Most Recent reviews from All time across Australia
Average Scores
2.9/5
Value for money
3.3/5
Quality of System
3.3/5
Installation
2.8/5
Customer Service
- 5 star 10
- 4 star 21
- 3 star 18
- 2 star 7
- 1 star 26
27 September 2024
01 February 2024
NO AFTER SALES SERVICE AT ALL
Do not use Modern Group. Great at the initial sale, but no after sales service at all. The only pleasant part of calling Modern Group is the receptionist.The installation team left our roof in a mess and caused roof leaks by not sealing up around the conduit and fixings correctly. We had to get a roof plumber to fix this issue at our expense! The system, once installed, worked well for the first 9/10 years. Over the past 12 months we had intermittent faults from time to time. The entire system went off line in July of 2023 with a 'ground fault' and could not be restarted as per the instructions.
My husband called Modern Group for service/repair assistance each fortnight on his RDO (first call 11.07.2023). Every time he called he was told no one was available and someone would call him back. They never did.
I finally spoke with someone after 6 months of us both trying to make contact for a service call out. When I first spoke to the team manager to advise our system had been off line for 6 months he was very disinterested. Making me feel like I had interrupted him and my call was not worthy of his attention.
Given his total lack of interest in my call and system fault I advised him 'not to worry about it, your (his) lack of interest and customer service have made my mind up and we will be upgrading our system with a different provider'
I further advised him that 'this is an upgrade sale his team just lost out on due to poor customer service'.
Rather than try to turn the situation around, he rudely asked me 'So is this the only reason for your call? To tell me you're going with someone else?' Not interested in fixing this or turning it around in any way.
This is a company that is very good at taking your money and very bad at anything thereafter.
Perfect example of a large corporation loosing sight of what is important - customer service! Do not spend your $$ with this big corporation, find someone smaller and independent that will actually care about you and give you the after sales service you deserve.
Panel rating: 3/5
Inverter rating: 3/5
19 July 2023
Modern Solar are a COMPLETE RIP OFF !!
We had solar panels fitted to our roof which was a complete rip-off. When we started having problems the person in charge of the Hobart Tasmanian branch was a rude self-centered prick he lied and said we had the best on the market and said once he look at the rebate said we wouldn't get a good rebate like when they were first put on it was just excuse after excuse with this idiot. They said they would send someone out to see what the issue was and nothing so we called them back again they said they would send someone over to see what the issue was and still nothing! we asked another company to see if we could replace our inverter as we were not getting our rebate and haven't for nearly a year and a half. still not resolved Don't go with Modern Solar.Inverter rating: 1/5
14 April 2023
stay away from these solar people
Modern Solar promised the world but delivered nothing. The $7k solar system never generated more than 2 cents per quarter in rebates and they refused to assist. Their installed system simply didn't work. I have a new system installed by a more reputable company and its making huge savings.Inverter rating: 1/5
22 October 2022
Modern solar
We had modern solar put panels on our roof 10 years ago now and they have never worked. Constantly contacting them and nothing was ever done. $10,000 down the drain. Till this day still nothing and never any help. Now they have to come off and be replaced. More money. My advise is not to use this company. I have spent so much time ringing and getting nothing from them.06 February 2020
Never - under any circumstances use Modern!
Looking back, I would never had gone to Modern for solar in the first place if only I had read the reviews.I ended up signing up for a 6.6 kw system that cost me $15,000. The salesman sat there and lied through his teeth, telling me that the solar panels were engineered in Germany. This maybe so, but I'm betting that they're still made in China for a fraction of the price (I mean, there's nothing like a little mark up for yourself). He let me in on a special deal (how lucky was I?) if Modern allowed me to place a sign on my fence for 3 months, I'd receive a discount of $3000. I ended up throwing it in the bin after 12 months. (Clearly the "good" name of Modern isn't that important).I enquired about the cost of having a battery attached to the panels, to which he informed me that the R&D department were still running tests on the various batteries on the market, so as to offer thier customers the most efficient (& I'm betting, expensive) option & when they had reached a decision on that, I would be informed. 3 years later & I still haven't heard. I guess thier R&D department (which I seriously doubt even exists) don't have a clue either. However, the installers were quick and efficient. What they didn't inform me was that one of them had stepped on, & cracked a roof tile (I'm guessing that's why they finished up and left before anybody here knew).I contacted the service team at Modern, & was promptly told that I would have to prove that it was one of thier people who did the damage. Last but not least - the money I'm saving by having solar panels just doesn't justify the cost involved. This last gripe isn't directed at Modern specifically. It's referring to the solar industry as a whole. So don't believe anything you hear, see or resd in advertising - IT JUST ISN'T WORTH IT!!
07 August 2019
Never never never use modern
We were charged $17000 dollars a few years back while everyone else was charging 4-5. Our fault for being to trusting they use power selling tactics and lie through their teeth. Not just solar also a hot water quote was a scam fortunately we wised up. Make me sick to my stomach to think these pricks ripped off my family and i just had to pay it off for years. RunPanel rating: 3/5
Inverter rating: 3/5
06 June 2019
Not at this stage, thanks
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06 March 2019
These people installed a 5kw system on our property that does not work to its highest proficiency. The installer decided that he was going to instal it on the roof of the house and launder because it was convenient for him, (not for us, the client), just so they did not have to supply extra cabling from the shed that it was best for, which is what was quoted for. The quote was not altered to suit the installation on the house and laundry. They installed it on a roof directly under a massive bush, that now has to be ruined just to receive any benefit at all. When we called installer back for a consultation and explained that system clearly does not work properly, he argued for ages with us, would NOT listen to our situation and my husband sent him packing and told him not to ever come to our property again. We made a complaint about him, but to no avail.'
When we waited for the connection we had to wait longer because we had a dog, and they did not want to come out and connect up to electricity within the 10 days. We still had to pay the connection fee.
We recently received a quote from another installer for another 5 kw system, they were absolutely disgusted at the treatment we had received and advised us that the installation was so very badly done. Their quote is less than half of this mobs, and they have offered to move some of the solar panels in order to make the system work better for us.
DO NOT USE THIS BUSINESS, THEIR BUSINESS ETHICS ARE VERY POOR. NO BACKUP SERVICE, VERY RUDE AND NO INTEREST WHAT SO EVER FOR THE CUSTOMER ONCE THE JOB IS DONE. IF THESE PEOPLE SHOW UP AT YOUR DOOR, SEND THEM PACKING.
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When we waited for the connection we had to wait longer because we had a dog, and they did not want to come out and connect up to electricity within the 10 days. We still had to pay the connection fee.
We recently received a quote from another installer for another 5 kw system, they were absolutely disgusted at the treatment we had received and advised us that the installation was so very badly done. Their quote is less than half of this mobs, and they have offered to move some of the solar panels in order to make the system work better for us.
DO NOT USE THIS BUSINESS, THEIR BUSINESS ETHICS ARE VERY POOR. NO BACKUP SERVICE, VERY RUDE AND NO INTEREST WHAT SO EVER FOR THE CUSTOMER ONCE THE JOB IS DONE. IF THESE PEOPLE SHOW UP AT YOUR DOOR, SEND THEM PACKING.
03 January 2019
We had a consultation and received a quote with everything set to go before Christmas which was a great price and everyone was happy.
The day of the solar installation, the consultant advised that the couldn't install the solar due to the roof.
No phone calls made, everything was dropped but when they were chasing us up to book in a consultation we received call after call.
I have just spoken to the original sales consultant - a call I had to make to get some answers - only to be told that the type of roof we have, solar panel cannot be installed. Mark the sales consultant could definitely brush up on his customer service skills with zero care factor when explaining why we couldn't have solar panels.
I work in customer service, how about how are you to begin with rather than this is Mark from solar panels and this is why we can't install your solar panels. I will NEVER recommend anyone to use this provider.
To top it off, they were more than happy to take a deposit and I've just had to call for my deposit back to which the response was I will call you back to advise when the deposit will be refunded.
Absolutely disgusting! Everything should've been picked up from the beginning.
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The day of the solar installation, the consultant advised that the couldn't install the solar due to the roof.
No phone calls made, everything was dropped but when they were chasing us up to book in a consultation we received call after call.
I have just spoken to the original sales consultant - a call I had to make to get some answers - only to be told that the type of roof we have, solar panel cannot be installed. Mark the sales consultant could definitely brush up on his customer service skills with zero care factor when explaining why we couldn't have solar panels.
I work in customer service, how about how are you to begin with rather than this is Mark from solar panels and this is why we can't install your solar panels. I will NEVER recommend anyone to use this provider.
To top it off, they were more than happy to take a deposit and I've just had to call for my deposit back to which the response was I will call you back to advise when the deposit will be refunded.
Absolutely disgusting! Everything should've been picked up from the beginning.
23 November 2018
The consultant that came to our home was pleasant and considerate.
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23 October 2018
We purchased a 5kw inverted and 12 panels 3 years ago. Spend $10,000. So far the most we have saved is $23 in a 3 month period on our power bill!
Absolutely disgusting when you pay this much for what you are led to believe will save you hundreds of dollars.
If they told you this at the sale you would never buy them. Very disappointed
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Absolutely disgusting when you pay this much for what you are led to believe will save you hundreds of dollars.
If they told you this at the sale you would never buy them. Very disappointed
30 July 2018
07 July 2018
!!** W A R N I N G **!!** B U Y E R S **!!** B E W A R E **!!
My experience with Modern Solar Group.
Very Unprofessional. Stay away from Modern Group!
We gave Modern Group a $500 deposit for a 6KW system they priced @ $16.000. Apparently, this was the best solar system on the market.
Later that evening I did a little research and discovered they were giving us cheap no name low-end products riddled with failures listed in many forums by a huge number of unsatisfied customers.
Armed with this knowledge my wife called Modern Solar the next day to speak with sales and to ask a few more questions with the possibility of selecting a different inverter and panels however, the receptionist was unable to assist and management including sales staff were unavailable.
We sat around for 3 or so hours no one bothered to contact us so we made the decision to email Modern Solar Group and advise them we no longer want to go ahead with this purchase.
Strangely enough a few minutes later Modern Solar’s General Manager called my wife being very disrespectful screaming profanities and refusing to acknowledge the cancellation request.
I immediately grabbed the phone from my wife furiously questioning his conduct only to be verbally abused and threatened. He was aggressively dictating what I will and will not have installed on my roof and that I was going to have his system whether I like it or not.
Enraged in the manner he was speaking to me I hung up on him however, he repeatedly kept calling back yelling and swearing stating he hadn’t finished talking to me however I continued to hang up. The fourth time he called I made it very clear to him That I will not tolerate his attitude and I will most certainly not be paying top dollars for rubbish. I also stated that if he continued to call and harass me or my wife or send installers to my home to fit his cheap and nasty system onto my roof I will be going straight to the police station to slap a restraining order.
15 minutes later we receive an email stating due to the late notice his phone calls to us the salesman’s time spent at our home trying to sell their systems to us along with the ordering of stock he already has stored in his Warehouse our $500 deposit will not be refunded.
*please* *Note*
If you plan on going solar.
Make sure that the solar company you choose is in fact an accredited clean energy council retailer and not just an installer something of which Modern Solar claimed they were but isn’t.
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My experience with Modern Solar Group.
Very Unprofessional. Stay away from Modern Group!
We gave Modern Group a $500 deposit for a 6KW system they priced @ $16.000. Apparently, this was the best solar system on the market.
Later that evening I did a little research and discovered they were giving us cheap no name low-end products riddled with failures listed in many forums by a huge number of unsatisfied customers.
Armed with this knowledge my wife called Modern Solar the next day to speak with sales and to ask a few more questions with the possibility of selecting a different inverter and panels however, the receptionist was unable to assist and management including sales staff were unavailable.
We sat around for 3 or so hours no one bothered to contact us so we made the decision to email Modern Solar Group and advise them we no longer want to go ahead with this purchase.
Strangely enough a few minutes later Modern Solar’s General Manager called my wife being very disrespectful screaming profanities and refusing to acknowledge the cancellation request.
I immediately grabbed the phone from my wife furiously questioning his conduct only to be verbally abused and threatened. He was aggressively dictating what I will and will not have installed on my roof and that I was going to have his system whether I like it or not.
Enraged in the manner he was speaking to me I hung up on him however, he repeatedly kept calling back yelling and swearing stating he hadn’t finished talking to me however I continued to hang up. The fourth time he called I made it very clear to him That I will not tolerate his attitude and I will most certainly not be paying top dollars for rubbish. I also stated that if he continued to call and harass me or my wife or send installers to my home to fit his cheap and nasty system onto my roof I will be going straight to the police station to slap a restraining order.
15 minutes later we receive an email stating due to the late notice his phone calls to us the salesman’s time spent at our home trying to sell their systems to us along with the ordering of stock he already has stored in his Warehouse our $500 deposit will not be refunded.
*please* *Note*
If you plan on going solar.
Make sure that the solar company you choose is in fact an accredited clean energy council retailer and not just an installer something of which Modern Solar claimed they were but isn’t.
03 July 2018
Very disappointed in follow up service wish I never heard of modern solar
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16 June 2018
We bought a home with modern solar already installed and still under warranty and have already had to replace the inverter twice at a cost to us. We think that they keep failing due to it being placed in possibly the hottest exterior wall of our home which is not recommended by clenergy and just happens to be next to the meter box. Which would have been the cheapest place to install .Have spoken to modern solar regarding this and they will not do anything except make us pay for 2 new inverters . So do date we have not gained one cent from having this solar system on our home. I would never use this company.
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27 February 2018
I spent a lot of moey with this company, over 100k they provided me with a system that simply does not give me what it should and constantly fails. On multiple occasions, the fuses / switch things they use have burnt out. The power it is meant to generate is no where near, what it should, i still get power bills of nearly 6k per quarter. I have not been able to get anyone to address the ongoing issues with the system for over 4 years and now they simply don't even respond to me. Worst customer service i have ever come across. I paid more than double what i should have done through a more reliable solar company. I would never recomend this company or its products to anyone. I am now processing a claim through ACCC and the ombudsman. I am going to have to remove the equipment they installed and have it redone with new equipment, REALLY, REALLY POOR SERVICE AND OVER PRICED TO BLAZES
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09 December 2017
Modern Solar have absolutely NO quality control, they use subcontractors who rip, tear, bust. Modern Solar did not tell the truth and do nothing to help customers after job is done. DO NOT USE THEM, INCOMPETENT!
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04 November 2017
Aggressive, constantly lied, unreliable, incompetent. Do not use this company.
Installation was faulty. I called them on the second day after installation to tell them that system was turning itself off. Modern promised to send someone to find out what was wrong and to fix it. They did not send anyone and then did not return my calls until I put a negative review on another website. Then they told me I had to take the review down to have the fault repaired. I did not take the review down. I searched the internet for the reason for the fault ‘Derating’ and found it was because the inverter had been installed in full sun and was overheating. Modern told me that I was wrong and was very rude and treated me like I was stupid.
They sent the original installer twice to find why the system was not working but he kept making excuses and did not fix it. They told me there was a problem with the electricity supply to my house so I got United Energy to check - there was no problem.
I refused to have the original installer back so they sent another installer who told me there were problems and he would give a full report to Modern. Modern then sent a different installer to ‘fix’ the system. He cut back a tree and claimed the problem was shading.
I had an independent inspection by the Clean Energy Regulator. He told me there were three main problems. 1. The inverter should not be installed in full sun. This is a breach of the manufacturer’s requirements and will void the warranty. The inverter will overheat and turn itself off. 2. The installer drilled a hole in the isolator housing in breach of the manufacturer’s instructions. This will void the warranty and cause water to enter and damage the isolator. 3. There were not enough mounting feet on the rails holding the panels. This is in breach of the manufacturer’s instructions, will void the warranty, cause the panels not to sit level and potentially result in an accident.
I reported these faults to Modern. They promised to send an installer to fix the faults but cancelled at the last minute. I had taken the day off work, the 5th day I have had to take off work for the solar system installation. The installer came on Saturday. It was the same installer who had given a report to Modern months earlier. He told me his report identified all the faults that had been found by the Clean Energy Regulator inspector. The whole system had to be completely reinstalled to fix the faults.
It has been 10 months since the system was installed incorrectly. I spent $1000s and have saved $20 on my electricity in the past 10 months because the system has not been working. I have spent large amounts of time trying to get Modern to fix the problems. I now have 9 holes in the brickwork next to my front door where the inverter was first installed wrongly. I have a large hole in my eaves and a large hole in my meter box. It will cost me $100s to have the holes fixed properly.
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Installation was faulty. I called them on the second day after installation to tell them that system was turning itself off. Modern promised to send someone to find out what was wrong and to fix it. They did not send anyone and then did not return my calls until I put a negative review on another website. Then they told me I had to take the review down to have the fault repaired. I did not take the review down. I searched the internet for the reason for the fault ‘Derating’ and found it was because the inverter had been installed in full sun and was overheating. Modern told me that I was wrong and was very rude and treated me like I was stupid.
They sent the original installer twice to find why the system was not working but he kept making excuses and did not fix it. They told me there was a problem with the electricity supply to my house so I got United Energy to check - there was no problem.
I refused to have the original installer back so they sent another installer who told me there were problems and he would give a full report to Modern. Modern then sent a different installer to ‘fix’ the system. He cut back a tree and claimed the problem was shading.
I had an independent inspection by the Clean Energy Regulator. He told me there were three main problems. 1. The inverter should not be installed in full sun. This is a breach of the manufacturer’s requirements and will void the warranty. The inverter will overheat and turn itself off. 2. The installer drilled a hole in the isolator housing in breach of the manufacturer’s instructions. This will void the warranty and cause water to enter and damage the isolator. 3. There were not enough mounting feet on the rails holding the panels. This is in breach of the manufacturer’s instructions, will void the warranty, cause the panels not to sit level and potentially result in an accident.
I reported these faults to Modern. They promised to send an installer to fix the faults but cancelled at the last minute. I had taken the day off work, the 5th day I have had to take off work for the solar system installation. The installer came on Saturday. It was the same installer who had given a report to Modern months earlier. He told me his report identified all the faults that had been found by the Clean Energy Regulator inspector. The whole system had to be completely reinstalled to fix the faults.
It has been 10 months since the system was installed incorrectly. I spent $1000s and have saved $20 on my electricity in the past 10 months because the system has not been working. I have spent large amounts of time trying to get Modern to fix the problems. I now have 9 holes in the brickwork next to my front door where the inverter was first installed wrongly. I have a large hole in my eaves and a large hole in my meter box. It will cost me $100s to have the holes fixed properly.
18 September 2017
04 August 2017
09 May 2017
Had solar installed February, still waiting to have it connected, 3months now. When I paid the money ( cash ) they said that the inspector will check the solar. After 4 weeks I rang Modern asking why we haven't had the inspector around. They told us that he has been trying to ring me and left message. I didn't receive anything. Told me that he has tried and tried, later he can and I said have you tried to ring he said yes but you don't answer. So I said let's check, he could not get here quick enough. Found out he had the wrong number. After waiting 3 more weeks I rang my electrical supplier , they told me that Modern had given them the wrong address. Still waiting for connection. So would not recommend Modern. Poor service, and given the runaround. I had to do all the chasing, and ringing.
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11 April 2017
All in all fantastic and pleasant to deal with! Had no problems & already starting to see the difference it's made to my bills!
Highly recommend Modern to anyone wanting a reputable and professional company.
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Highly recommend Modern to anyone wanting a reputable and professional company.
03 March 2017
Yes Modern are a bit more expensive, as others have mentioned the rep used the sales pitch of reducing the cost if you market the solar power by displaying a Modern sign for a few dollars. What everyone fails to mention is there is no point having a warranty if the company goes bust. Modern are a 40 year company, Solar companies that started 12 years ago more than 50% have either changed there name or gone broke. I paid $6720.00. Unlike other companies Modern complete all the paperwork and contact your energy provider. smaller companies have better prices but less product information. I rang Modern on the 23/2/17 the rep arrived on the 24/2/17 the job was completed on the 3/3/17 1 week after paying a deposit. I am now generating 75% capacity on a cloudy day. and my panels are directed to gain capacity after 2pm its 12;30.
Very happy. It will take 20 days for the energy rep to configure the meter to return energy to the grid.
At the end of the day I paid the extra for a quality inverter that I can upgrade and connect batteries when there price comes down,. I paid an extra $1000 for quality PV panels and I wanted qualified experienced Electrical contractors mine was actually an engineer and designer as well as being a Solar Electrician for the past 12 years. They completed the fit in 3 hours. I had all contracts and receipts sent via email within 20 min of the job being completed Modern do all of there paperwork via electronic forms rather than paper.
Its a no brainer you can get deals $1000 $1500 maybe even $2000 cheaper but whats the point if it doesn't work to capacity, if you cant guarantee the company will be around in 2 years, who is doing the job who is walking on your roof.
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Very happy. It will take 20 days for the energy rep to configure the meter to return energy to the grid.
At the end of the day I paid the extra for a quality inverter that I can upgrade and connect batteries when there price comes down,. I paid an extra $1000 for quality PV panels and I wanted qualified experienced Electrical contractors mine was actually an engineer and designer as well as being a Solar Electrician for the past 12 years. They completed the fit in 3 hours. I had all contracts and receipts sent via email within 20 min of the job being completed Modern do all of there paperwork via electronic forms rather than paper.
Its a no brainer you can get deals $1000 $1500 maybe even $2000 cheaper but whats the point if it doesn't work to capacity, if you cant guarantee the company will be around in 2 years, who is doing the job who is walking on your roof.
10 February 2017
Modern Solar completely damaged our roof when the 16 panels got installed. Had to battle it out with them and show photos of the 2 inches of the roofing screws poking down from our ceiling. Modern tried to duck and weave but finally their insurance company paid the bill. Mis informed us about the savings we would get. Never return calls when questions need to be answered on system. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND MODERN GROUP FOR ANYTHING.
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10 January 2017
Two weeks ago we rang as our solar stopped working. We've received one returned call, one technician came out, didn't know what to do, turned it off and said someone would call. No one has called. When initial contact is made they tell us that WE are taking up the line for other customers, that they only take messages, they don't know Managers, they don't know if managers or staff are working etc. etc. all they say is we are very busy and we will get back to you shortly. We have a faulty product and no one assisting us. For almost two years they have called us for follow up referrals and additional add on's for their other products but as soon as we needed help NO ONE is available. We have been ringing daily. The customer service line is confused with busy staff. Horrible.
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09 January 2017
Inverter failed after 14 months. Replacement cost me $400.
Warranty conditions were completely crap.
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Warranty conditions were completely crap.
12 October 2016
03 September 2016
The salesman promised a big savings on power usage with their 5 KW Solar Panels. We are only getting half the savings he said we would. The hot water solar unit lasted only a month before element blew & i got the run around before a serviceman repaired it. Thank god the roof renovation is ok, i hope.
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16 September 2015
Original Review on 15-01-2015:
I went with MODERN8 months later we asked Keith: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
1500kw system have not seen output anywhere near that figure. Am awaiting MUSK,S Battery Wall when it gets toAustralia to upgrade my system to 3000kw or more as required to be independent of Grid05 July 2015
I am anelectrical engineer. Quality workmanship and efficient service.
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04 July 2015
Good company. Everybody I've dealt with has been really helpful.
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16 January 2015
From installation through to today we have had many issues with Modern solar and find them lacking in after sales service and reliability. I can not list all the problems as I will not fit it all in here but I would strongly suggest that if you are buying solar panels that you do NOT buy from Modern. They are too big and really don't care about their customers once they have your money.
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25 December 2014
Went with Modern Solar, really great experience
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07 November 2014
23 October 2014
09 May 2014
Original Review on 13-03-2012:
Part of choice was that I have used the company before for roof renovation and was happy with their quality product. They also provided a contract with an electicity supply company which will mean I will receive payment of 30cents a KWH for sale of electricity back to grid. If I went through any of the other companies I had a quote from I would have received what the electricity companies are offering - 6 cents.26 months later we asked Cliff: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
Yes.02 March 2014
They have been really good to deal with and they installed the system 4 days after we signed up with no fuss or without any inconvenience to us at all, very professional
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27 February 2014
Avoid Modern Solar at all costs. The installation was dangerously defective. The price turned out to be extortionate. The after-sales service was terrible. The system still does not work as promised after 4 years!
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27 November 2013
I was told that our electricity bill would be cut each month by the amount we were paying for our solar panels. This is not true: we would retrieve possibly one weekly payment for the whole 3 months of our electricity bill. I thought it was, at least $80, for the three months but no, not even that. I was informed by electricity supplier that it was only around $30-40 per every 3 months. We pay around $130 per month for the solar panels from Modern. We had thought and had been told that our solar power would cover the cost of our payments. Be wary if you are considering installing solar power panels.
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26 September 2013
We were obviously taken in by a salesman who sounded as though he really wanted to help us out with an affordable system that would more or less wipe out our power bills in the summer and reduce them to around $220 in the winter.
He told us that he was legally obliged to inform us of the minimum amount of power the system would generate per day with full cloud cover and that was 14kw. We have been lucky to generate 2 to 4 kw per day since installation so we rang Modern Solar to ask them to check the system. My husband was given the name of someone in Melbourne who was extremely rude to my husband on the phone. He told him the the 14 kw per day was an average of a year, yet we don't seem to see that disclosed on the contract anywhere.
When the system was initially being installed they sent subcontactors up to do it and a young guy did all the wiring. Another electrician came up a few days later and had to redo all the wiring because it was all wired up wrong. After our enquiry about the lack of power the system was generating they sent up another electrician who said the system is working as it should so where is our minimum 14kw? When they were installing the panels they had very little regard for our property and we know have dents all over our colourbond roof.
A family member has bought a similar size system for half the price and is generating more power per day. We paid extra in the belief we were getting a superior system with great back-up service but what a croc that was.
My advice is to stay away from Modern Solar. There are many smaller businesses out there that could do with your business and could not possibly suck you in any more than this lot did.
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He told us that he was legally obliged to inform us of the minimum amount of power the system would generate per day with full cloud cover and that was 14kw. We have been lucky to generate 2 to 4 kw per day since installation so we rang Modern Solar to ask them to check the system. My husband was given the name of someone in Melbourne who was extremely rude to my husband on the phone. He told him the the 14 kw per day was an average of a year, yet we don't seem to see that disclosed on the contract anywhere.
When the system was initially being installed they sent subcontactors up to do it and a young guy did all the wiring. Another electrician came up a few days later and had to redo all the wiring because it was all wired up wrong. After our enquiry about the lack of power the system was generating they sent up another electrician who said the system is working as it should so where is our minimum 14kw? When they were installing the panels they had very little regard for our property and we know have dents all over our colourbond roof.
A family member has bought a similar size system for half the price and is generating more power per day. We paid extra in the belief we were getting a superior system with great back-up service but what a croc that was.
My advice is to stay away from Modern Solar. There are many smaller businesses out there that could do with your business and could not possibly suck you in any more than this lot did.
10 August 2013
The installation was dreadful. Another tradesman warned me that it was so defective that it was dangerous. The system has never preformed to specification and Modern Solar has been completely unhelpful and refused to rectify it. Avoid them at all cost!
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23 July 2013
Very angry and upset for paying such a big amount for the products that make from China that not even worth it
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07 May 2013
Have not actually purchased the system offered but felt concerned enough about the sales-tactics to post this review, also it doesn't look like any other Tassie people have posted yet. The guy from Modern Solar initially quoted a price of $11,000 for a 2.25 kW system, then dropped it to $8,990 after having a conversation with his boss, which sounded really fake and rehearsed, about their display-home promotion. I was dubious because the front yard where they were going to put their sign is South facing and nobody would have seen the panels! He then offered us a three-year no deposit repayment plan. My wife and I told him that we wanted to discuss it and get back to him, and he said "we are actually asking people to sign on the day". We felt really pressured and said no. He then tried to say that he'd made it clear at the outset that you had to "sign on the day" - this is a lie, we would never have wasted two hours of our time with the guy if we'd known that we weren't able to discuss the offer with family and friends and get comparison quotes!!
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20 April 2013
Buyer beware my mum & dad went to these pple for a quote and then got pressured into signing up they have no idea how solar works at all. they had seen an ad in the local paper and though they would enquire with no deposit needed sounded good 3 years interest free, well different story with the sales man he got 860 dollar deposit from them and waited at their place till they went to the bank , after 4 weeks and no phone calls from them mum & dad ring MS and then got told that they needed permission from housing trust to put up the panels , they had a approval form on the table form 10 months earlier but had expired , why didn't the salesman pick up on this ??? so now they need to reply for approval from the trust , I rang MS on there behalf and spoke to the manager there in the Adelaide branch explained the situation and then asked for my mums deposit back , he was RUDE and ARROGANT and said NO they wont get their deposit back , so my mum in her 70s had rang later that day and was abused & yelled at so no I have taken the matter further with the help of ACCC and legal services , please beware of MODERN SOLAR not a very pleasant experience at all . NOT A WAY OF RUNNING A BUSSINESS
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16 April 2013
When the rep visited he told be their panels have storage capacity, so I don't need batteries to have free power from the solar panels all night! Absolute rubbish! Then the manager told me the sun shines on their panels for a greater part of the day than their competitors panels
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15 April 2013
Modern Solar have burned us - the salesman told us that the system would generate far more on average than it does. We purchased their system knowing it was more expensive but believing that it would generate more than what other systems produce (based on their sales pitch). Based on what it actually produces compared with friends who have recently purchased the same size systems elsewhere, Modern Solar's system is overpriced and overrated. Furthermore, their after-sales service is terrible - they are extremely unhelpful once they have your dollars in their back pocket. I will NEVER recommend Modern Solar to anybody.
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14 September 2012
Original Review on 29-05-2010:
A lot of different people have to be involved, and before you can connect your Solar system it needs to be approved by Integral or Energy Australia. Some information seemed a little misleading and because 2 separate electricians are needed, one for installing the solar panels and the other to connect the solar system to the grid it took 3-4 weeks before I had the system up and running.It is too early for me to say whether it has been worhtwhile, as I was restricted by how many panels I could have, as I live in a duplex and have limited roof space, I also have solar water heating and the panels for that system are much larger reducing roof space. I guess time will tell... winters end should give me a better idea!
Louise
NSW
28 months later we asked Louise: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
It does in the summer, but certainly not as efficient in the winter and I still have reaonable electricity costs during the winter.06 September 2012
Original Review on 16-06-2010:
Under no circumstances, would I ever recommend MODERN SOLAR (MS) to anyone. They failed badly. They appear to be telemarketers getting jobs which they them sell-off to other businesses. Let me give you some instances of where they FAILED and where they LIED.Installation:
- My prime reason for selecting MS was that they would be using their own staff/employees/personnel over which MS has control. When it came to the installation, I found out part way through the job that they were using sub-contractors to install the system. Whilst I have no problem with subcontractors, I do when MS promised to use their employees and without telling me, they use non-MS personnel. In short they broke their salesman�s promise to use their staff/employees - my prime reason for selecting them.
- They promised to install the system ASAP. One month after signing the contract, I had yet to hear when they proposed to install the system. I wrote to them and some 3-4 weeks later they had the good grace to contact me!!! Sure things take time, but a 'phone call telling me of the status of the job would have been welcomed.
- Two days before installing the system, they rang me to say that they did not have the inverter that they quoted on and would I change to another. Fair enough. These things happen. I agreed to a change. The next day they rang again to say that this inverter was not available so they wanted me to take another!!!
- Price: Way over the market -- eg they paid $28 per REC when the market price was $40+ ... my mistake.
- User manuals: None from MS -- only the manual written by the inverter maker.
- Guarantee: MS has sole discretion in determining if the system is performing in accordance with their specifications. The customer does not seem to have much say.
Customer Service: In short their customer service is disgusting. Letters are not answered. MS are only interested in selling as many systems as possible at the highest possible price with no care before and after.
Contract: Be very carefull. The salesman asks customers to waive their cooling-off perod. This I did because I understood that it would speed up the installation. I now understand that this deceptive sales procedure is used by all MS salesman.
NEED I SAY MORE
27 months later we asked John: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
The system is performing well. However, is it good value for money? Definitely not. I paid close to $7,000 for a 1.5 kkh system. Far too much for the system.31 August 2012
Original Review on 21-06-2010:
We were rushed to make decision on the spot because the sales manager said the marketing offers (which brought down the cost) ended the moment he walked out of the door.27 months later we asked Seok: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
We have a 1kW system. During summer months the output could reach about 5.5 to 5.8 kWh per day, which we think is quite good.
Promise of a top-quality system from Modern Solar
The sales and quote were a bit expensive. But we were promised a very reliable system. Modern Solar informed us that we didn't qualify for the government rebate. got and 8 cent kw rebate from the electricity company, we had 5 KW 20 panel solar system plus solar hot water system fitted. The installation was ok until after they had finished, an electrician that was doing some other work for us found drill holes in the roof where the solar team had obviously realigned and left the exposed holes. This turned into the was worst experience we have ever had. After the panels were fitted and the system was up and running the solar the hot water failed. Modern solar tried to place the blame and failure on the plumber that was fitting out our new bathroom, charged us a fee to replace the failed part, spoke with the guy from modern and he informed us the part sometimes fails and was easy fix. We had two panels crack in the first two months which they refused to replace as the electrician that was fitting the electrical for the new bathroom was blamed for it. When we proved that the electrician had not been near the panels Modern said maybe my neighbours kids threw rocks and broke them. My neighbours were in their 70s with no kids at home, The after sales were always rude and didn't care, the team did everything they could to pass blame onto everyone else, charged us a fee to check the panels, told use we must have walked on them. So in the end they refused to replace the panels, wanted us pay for two new panels so the system would run, told us we had to pay for the removal of two broken panels. So much for 12-year warranty when I couldn't get things fixed two months in. In the end a local electrician helped us out and removed the broken panels and connected the system back up and running for a quarter of the price Modern wanted to fix a system they had installed.Will never recommend Modern to anyone. They failed in every way and have not spoken to us since 2016. I am now 10 years in to having this system and have not been impressed. We worked out that over those ten years the cost of the system of $12790 and the savings from solar are about $14,000 we are only $1300 better off, works out we saved a total of about $130 a year. Not really been worth it for the amount of stress it caused. We know we are due to have a new system fitted but am very reluctant after our previous experience. I will see if we continue or just move back to paying normal electricity costs
Panel rating: 1/5
Inverter rating: 1/5