Bryan T

Quick sale and installation- but no referral from me.

We have rented a solar System with Stage Zero. The sales team worked fast to set up the contract and went out of the way to answer my questions. Installation was meant to take 6 weeks becasue of a lack of parts. However, within a week or 2 I was told that they had made a plan and a time was set for the installation. The installation was good and they also answered my questions. The team worked efficently and cleanly. 1- But as soon as the team left, my prepaid meter tripped and showed an error message. I had to call the electricity department to reset it and it tripped the following day. Problem: the box was not compatible with solar and I needed a new meter. Stage Zero team failed to inform me of this despite all their experience. I had to pay for a new meter. The Municipal team informed me that application for solar need to be approved BEFORE installation by Stage Zero, so that the electricity department can ensure the correct box is installed. 2- I have purchased a 5kw invertor. Despite the battery been charged, and full sun, the invertor only handles a load of about 3.5kw. In other words, if 1 geyser and another appliance runs, the system pulls from the grid despite ample charge in the batteries. The invertor should be able to handle a miniumum of 5kw of power. I am now paying for electricity despite having power in the batteries. Stage Zero have still not adequatly adressed my concerns. I need a new invertor becasue what they have provided is substandard. 3- The invertor is NOISY: it works 24/7 and I can hear it through doors. The system pulls a consistent 0.2kw/h from the grid despite batteries been charged. By no means can it be placed in a house. Other invertors I've seen are in peoples living rooms and don't make a sound. 4- The wiring in the roof was loose in conduit cables. For this Stage Zero responded and sent a team to ensure the connections were up to spec. 5- The system was installed on the 6th of March, and the plans have yet to be approved by the municipality. Stage Zero works on referral system. In good conscience I could not refer this company until the invertor problem is addressed and their ethics around installation before municipal approval is dealth with.