We lost £3,000 after collapse of Ikea’s solar panel installer | Consumer affairs

I am one of many left thousands of euros out of their pocket after registering for solar panels via the Ikea website year.

Ikea had partnered with the European installer Soly and the fact that the panels were announced via such a well-known company gave us confidence.

In February I emailed Soly to check when the installation would start and received an out of office notification. My next email, in March, bounced. The phone numbers no longer worked either. even though the website was still operational.

That’s when I found out the European operation was gone screw up. The partnership was still advertised on the Ikea website and Ikea agents assured me that the British division of Soly was still operational.

I checked the Companies House register and found that the UK branch had entered liquidation in January this year. Ikea has since quietly removed Soly but offered no advice to customers paying deposits for installations.

I contacted Ikea in store and online several times for help but received no response. I had to find the administrator’s contact details through Companies House and was told that the chances of getting my £3,000 deposit back are very slim.

ZR, Dalkeith

Ikea’s silence is a shame considering the fanfare with which it launched its solar partnership last September.

Customers have been encouraged to invest in a “better future home life” in “five easy steps” by requesting a free quote via the Ikea website. Your materials boasted that as an Ikea customer, you appreciated “Ikea prices.”

About a month after launch, Soly’s European operations had gone bankrupt. Its UK arm followed in January, but neither company informed its customers.

In December last year, Soly was bought by energy company Otovo, but the deal did not include liabilities, guarantees or unrealized installations.

I asked Ikea why it didn’t inform its customers on its website about Soly’s bankruptcy and their options. She evaded the question and said she was not a party to Soly’s contracts, even though she should have received commissions for each successful referral if Soly had not collapsed before it could pay.

He asked me (but not his clients) to contact HIES, a consumer protection organization covering the installation of renewable energy and home energy efficiency products, for advice.

Your situation highlights the vulnerability of customers whose solar panel supplier ceases operations before installation begins.

Those with completed projects can benefit from the “Assured Warranty” if the installer has been enrolled in a contractor program such as HIES.

HIES also offers deposit protection insurance, but only if your contract has been registered with the system. It appears this is not the case with yours and HIES has not responded to my requests for information.

Soly’s administrators, S&W Group, told me that customers should file a claim with them, but that the chances of a refund are uncertain.

Unfortunately, you paid the deposit by bank transfer, so I’m afraid it’s unlikely you’ll see your money again. If you had used a credit card, you could have made a claim with your card issuer, who is held jointly and severally liable under the Consumer Credit Act.

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