What Ignited Your Interest in Solar Energy?
So, we’ve been looking into it. We’ve been fortunate enough not to be on a line that historically hadn’t been too badly affected by load shedding because it was considered important for the municipality, so we didn’t worry too much about it. But we stay on the North Coast, and when we go away for the holidays, we generally rent out our house on Airbnb. A lot of the people were asking, “Do you have solar?” and we said, “No, we don’t, but we don’t really need it.”
Then in January, they changed the switchgear, which allowed us to be turned off, and that was the first time we were really affected. We could deal with that personally, but we also thought that if we were renting out the house, we couldn’t rent it out without a backup system. So, we started thinking about it a lot. Then our bank was investing and sent those emails saying that it was quite a thorough process, and you guys came up as the recommended supplier
Why Did You Choose Soly?
I trusted that Investec would have conducted a thorough vetting process, given that they were willing to finance the product. They would have examined the dealings with the head office and assessed the equipment. I didn’t want to do all that research myself, and I wasn’t going to install just anything, especially considering there might be a lot of subpar options out there given the demand. So, the fact that Investec did all of that and could simplify it for me to make a decision was probably the biggest attraction.
How Would You Describe Your Solar Journey with Soly?
It was surprisingly straightforward, professional, and uncomplicated. They probably over-delivered on our expectations. There was also no unnecessary admin, which was great because I deal with a lot of that at work. Everything was handled on the ground very well.
How was Your Customer Service with Soly?
Very efficient. I’ve only dealt with Mark from the Soly side, and I must say I’m not great with WhatsApp. I’ll send a message, leave my phone, and then come back later. However, I found them very efficient because he’s always available and resolves issues promptly. From that perspective, it was very clear. If there were any issues, he said he would find out and get back to me, that made it quite easy. The document that Soly sent through, in terms of the quote, was taken to the bank, and within five days, they approved the financing for it. I think it just made everything very easy, and they were in contact with the contractors.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about installing solar panels?
I’d be happy to recommend Soly based on this experience.
Speaking from my experience, a big advantage was not having to shop around and get up to speed with all the jargon. It was great to find a company that had already done all of that. I also appreciate that you offer different options and aren’t tied to a specific product. You can provide various products and ranges depending on the financial needs or requirements of the customer, so there’s a solution for everyone, even if it’s very low spec.
A lot of the admin side of setting it up and recommending a good product has been taken care of. If I had seen you guys online before the Investec email, I wouldn’t have known the difference between the many solar companies. Having Investec give you the green tick was a big seller for me, and I was happy to go ahead with that.
