First4Solar Omdömen 

It’s a shame you don’t allow a zero star rating - no after service, endless problems, warranty worthless. AVOID this company at all costs

phone number 0800 246 5588 disconnected/no longer in service. cannot find any other phone or email contacts.
all i want are my invoice and reciept

STAFF IN OFFICE RUBBISH - THEY FOB YOU OFF!!! Actual workman who installed panels and electrics great. I never receive data dongle until after installation and it took them over a year to have it installed after they kept trying to get me to do it! Software is poor too. I'm planning on upgrading system to have batteries but I wouldn't use these clowns. As far as I know the company has gone bust I'm not suprised!!!

Hi there,
We paid a 50% deposit over a year ago and the work has never been completed. I have applied to join the facebook group, but my invitation is pending. Please could someone direct me to how I can go about claiming my money back through the administrators? I am worried because I paid it a long time ago by bank transfer and it sounds like I won't be protected :(
I hope someone can help, thank you in advance

Case number 1 — In administration

Administration started
18 May 2023
Practitioner
Martin Paul Halligan
Wentworth House, 122 New Road Side, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 4QB

Sad to see F4S become insolvent. Very underhand tactics but anyone losing cash due to paying cash without protection have really lost out. This is common for co's about to go pop as evidenced in the 80's 90's when this sort of practice was rife. Now it happens even more due the desperate nature of people wanting to cut their energy bills.
Yes they installed mine and pointed out the bad shape of the roof which I forked out for a new one, but they did well for me, even though I checked every step from HEIS Registration, Insurance cover to installation and it wasn't easy but was completed.
16 months on my system touch wood is working well and no need to worry yet. I do note getting in touch with FoxEss may prove difficult but they do have info so anyone with a Fox system should not worry.
Linked in should tell you where most the good people have gone, Theo was wonderful.

This company are now in administration,as of may yet I didn’t know until yesterday.yet according to the Yorkshire post they sent a letter to everyone but I never got oneI’m not surprised you get a quote from them and pay a deposit and then they don’t do anything for six months.it’s like your non existent as they seem to be,they have also set up another company selling boilers called first4boilers

Do not use these charlatans. I paid my deposit last Sept. Was given 3 different dates for installation all of which passed without explanation. I sent email after email but received no reply. I signed up to the information portal but received no replies despite raising multiple tickets. I have asked for full refund in my deposit given that they have not upheld any part of their agreement. No reply. I found that they didn't even register me with HIES. It feel like I've been robbed of just under £3000. All emails come back as unknown mailbox etc. they have taken my money and disappeared.
C Brown

Thankfully, I saw them for the bunch of thieves they were and got a refund from my credit card company. It might be of interest to people out there to know that there now appears to be another tanrec owned company trading from the same head office called first4boilers. Looks like they are at it again under a new name ...

So, they finally went bust. I'm one of the lucky ones as I got my install late May 2022. But the definition of luck needs examining...

Both my battery AND inverter failed and I had to complete the warranty claims myself (inverter on-going) and it's really hard work dealing with Chinese owned operations.

Of course I anticipated a much longer relationship with F4S and they should have handled the warranty claims. If you're reading this then factor your relationship with your supplier into your purchase equation. Almost certainly TrustPilot will give a good view of current day operations, and a companies house report only tells you what got reported for the previous year - so no one would have known the state of affairs at F4S.

Like I said, I'm lucky, but you don't need to be:

1. You're only going to do this once so if the price for your system seems too cheap... look elsewhere.
2. The installer must look like they're going to be around in the next 20 years - you'll likely need to replace the inverter and battery in that time frame.
3. The HIES scheme has a 120-day cover period which might be too short.
4. Pay a bit more to make sure you get your system.
5. Use companies house to get a picture of your intended installer.
6. If the install date looks too far away then look away.

Took deposit and gave us excuse after excuse for failing to arrive for booked installation dates. Now gone into liquidation. BE WARNED.

From the Companies House website a few months ago, David Hawkins owns 75% of the company and Daniel Hawkins (son) 25%.

I opened a complaint about First4Solar with NAPIT in October 2022.

On the 26th January 2023 I wrote NAPIT saying:

"Last summer I was told that First4solar had 450 jobs waiting to be done.

I now know that this figure is around 1200. [15th May 2023]

If the average installation cost is £10k, as a deposit of 25% has to be given, this means that First4solar should have (10,000/4) x 1200 = £3,000,000 in the bank.

[snip] [worker] who came here told me [snip] Daniel’s Dad (David Hawkins who owns 75% of the shares) apparently constantly takes the money out of the company so that they are running with nothing in the tank. If business takes a dip, the company will go belly up.

At some point there will be 1200 + customers owed a lot of money. Who will pay this? Is it NAPIT? Surely this company is already trading illegally? Is this your responsibility, and if not, whose responsibility is this?"

From this information, if anybody is owed any money (deposits particularly) this should be retrieved from the Directors - David Hawkins in particular.

I paid the deposit for our installation in June 2021. It has still not been completely finished.

This company has gone into liquidation, couldn't have happened to nicer people. Compulsive liars and untrustworthy. David you deserve this and I hope you are happy with yourself. Karma........

Just reassure people, if your within your 120 days and you've paid by Debit card, weve just received our 3.6k back from applying for charge back to Halifax on Thursday the money is back in our account. Absolutely praise Halifax for acting so fast.

If I could give no stars I would have done. This company are complete and utter fraudsters. Deposit paid for system March 22. After numerous late in the day cancellations I cancelled the contract stating unreasonable timescales. No system fitted more than 12 months from signing the contract. I did manage to get a partial refund but First4solar have tried to charge me for work they say they have completed. They even lied trying to charge me, telling me that thay had applied for the DNO cert for my system, until I told them I had contacted the DNO and no such application had been made. This company and it directors should be ashamed of themselves. HIES, the so called consumer protection company, should also be ashamed of themselves. All they seem to have done is look after their member and side with them. The poor consumer, who they are supposedly protecting, has been shafted by all sides. It does look as though the company have now gone into administration but hopefully my card company will be able to help under Section 75.

Agree with all the other recent reviews, avoid this company at all costs, great when you first contact them but this soon changes as the months drag on, I am one of the lucky ones who got a refund from my credit card company.
On a better note I had my install carried out by a first class company who I have also reviewed on trust pilot.

I’ll try to be short.
Horrible! Everything that happens to other also happened to me: Delays in surveys, low quality designs, non-existing permits, two last-minute cancelations of appointments to install, etc. I’ve heard all the excuses: sickness of the engineer, bad weather, rail strikes, war in Ukraine,
After 12 months, I asked for the deposit back because I did not believe the lies anymore. It has been three months and I have not managed to get the deposit. I received a small portion of it. However, First4Solar/TANREC claims £175 for the design, and what they sent does not even meet my order. They claim £250 for the survey, and what I received is a hand-written box (literally) with numbers together with photos provided by me, and a check list. Finally, they want to charge £90 application fee for the DNO and when I investigate it turns out they did not even submitted the application in the first place. So all those appointment to install were just fake and I was never in the waiting list to get anything in place.
I have been dealing with HIES trying to mediate, but not even that is working. According to HIES, First4Solar/TANREC do not answer to calls. I am now claiming to the Customer Ombudsman. I have claimed also losses for the energy saving promised in the contract and not delivered which I believe I am entitled based on Customer Act. I’ll update the review because I won’t give up.
My advice:
1. Avoid at all cost. You can see how many people are disappointed, so why running the risk? It is worth going to someone more expensive but with
2. If it is too late, record the calls because they constantly lie and ask for email confirmation
3. Challenge the design and the survey if you believe is not up to standard, and in written send a letter stating that so you are not charged after from the deposit.
If someone organises a collective action against First4Solar/TANREC, I’ll be more than happy to join.

Just been told by HIES that Solar are attempting to sell the company so do not pay them any money and I suggest you try to recover anything paid to date. Cannot get them to reply to any emails or phone calls so it looks as if they have gone bankrupt.

This is their trading name.
They are Tanrec Limited.
I paid them a deposit 14 months ago which they would not refund.
I have today been informed by the dispute resolution ombudsman that they have entered into administration.
Be warned.
Do not have anything to do with them.
They are and have for some time been institutionally liars, cheats and fraudsters from the directors downwards.
I hope the directors are disqualified from holding such offices to save the public from their behaviour.
I do not know how they can live with themselves and the chaos they have caused except that I think they are happy with how they have profited and do not care about anyone else who has lost money and lined
their coffers.

Also got the remedial letter recently. Felt it was a scam company after about 5 months of my deposit being held with no response to my communications.

Not sure, HIES would be efficient though. Had several communications with them but it is a long process through them. If you have used other means than credit card, still keep trying with HIES. Best is to go through your credit card company under section 75. My credit card company has now credited the money which was a great relief after nearly 6 months of stress.

Worth watching this BBC programme about the solar companies and in particular this one is highlighted well. It is The One Show of 3rd May 2023 and available on BBC iPlayer.

This might help you make your case strong for your dispute and getting your hard earned money back. Good luck.

At first a ok result with teething problems from my first order however, second order as a repeat customer, took my deposit, promised time and time again to installed and got my address wrong and the system I wanted complete mix up and then continue to lie and promise and never return calls right up from the owner of the business. Stay away for this just awful company and all directors should be held to account. To this date my deposit hasn’t been return when requested.