ᐅ Photovoltaic system from Norddeutsche Solar – any experiences?

Is this satire? The media are jumping on it?
50% of the tradespeople who built my house don’t even have an online presence, let alone Google reviews.

Pakon schrieb:

Nowadays, a company won’t last long if it doesn’t deliver good work. Negative feedback spreads quickly on the internet and (local) media jump on it. Unless there’s a new company popping up almost every month with the same name or management, many people are paying attention to quality—and they have to. Even if there are negative reviews, it’s worth reading them carefully. A lot of times, the company isn’t at fault, or the customers simply expect something different.
If customers believe that by installing a few panels on their roof they’ll be completely self-sufficient even in winter—that’s just not realistic. But that’s not the fault of the provider.
Have you already requested a quote from Norddeutsche Solar, or are these all different companies? Apparently, you can request a quote online there, and it’s pretty quick. I wanted to try, but unfortunately it only works with a German address.

I wouldn’t fully agree that tradespeople are heavily dependent on their online presence. Maybe it depends on the location, but in rural areas, it’s definitely not the most important factor. Word of mouth spreads about who does good work, and a lot of the time, availability is key, since there is often a shortage of all kinds of tradespeople in many areas. If you need work done quickly, you can’t always choose your preferred contractor if they’re booked.
So far, I’ve never hired a tradesperson based on internet research but rather through property management or neighbors when it came to apartments, or simply locals I knew when it was a house. It’s still true that you have to be good to succeed long term, but that’s nothing new. People talk when someone does poor work or charges too much, etc. I’m generally not that influenced by online reviews; I prefer to ask around locally.

I’ve collected quotes from several providers to get a good and realistic comparison, including detailed lists of services. In that case, I did research online and read up, but I won’t make a hasty decision if I’m not yet sure.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Is this satire? Are the media jumping on this?
Fifty percent of the tradespeople who built my house don’t even have a website, let alone Google reviews.

They don’t need to manage their own online presence anyway. On all these review platforms, reviews can be posted even if the company doesn’t promote itself there. It’s all done by customers.
Which company nowadays doesn’t have Google reviews? If you want to remove them, it’s not something the company can do; customers (and actually anyone) can leave reviews without the company’s consent.
The “media” are either local community magazines or local broadcasters at most – there won’t be nationwide coverage about a company installing a solar panel system at a kindergarten. But if the local kindergarten got a new solar installation, it will of course be mentioned in the community magazine (or maybe just in the newsletter).

jakobus85 schrieb:

I wouldn’t agree that trades businesses rely heavily on their internet presence. Maybe it depends on the location, but in rural areas it’s certainly not the most important factor. Word gets around about who does good work, and often it simply depends on who has availability, because in many regions there is a shortage of all kinds of tradespeople, and if you need something done quickly, you can’t always pick your favorite if they’re fully booked.
So far, I’ve never researched a tradesperson online and then hired them. It was always through the property management or neighbors in apartments, or just people known locally when it came to houses. It’s probably true that you have to be good to be successful in the long run, but that’s nothing new. Word spreads if someone did poor work or charged way too much. I’m generally not very influenced by online reviews; I prefer to ask around in my network.

I got quotes from several providers because I wanted a good and realistic comparison between different offers, including detailed descriptions and listings of services. In that case, I did research online and read up, but I won’t make a hasty decision if I’m still uncertain.

In rural areas, you don’t have ten new companies every week; you have trades businesses that have often existed for generations. It’s difficult for completely new companies to establish themselves there because people locally have many years of good experience with the existing companies and more or less personally know all the staff.
But who causes problems? It’s the companies that suddenly appear and make some special offers.
Those are not the businesses that have been around for many years. With those, you know what to expect.

Pakon schrieb:

But if the local kindergarten gets a new photovoltaic system installed, that will also be mentioned in the municipality’s magazine (or at least in the newsletter).

In the local community newsletters I know, the company that did the work usually isn’t mentioned. I basically understand what you mean, but in rural areas there are definitely many craft businesses that have little or nothing to do with the internet. Yes, maybe the community newsletter sometimes includes something, but not in the form of reviews. And reviews don’t come flooding in unless the company explicitly asks for them.

Pakon schrieb:

In the countryside, you don’t get 10 new companies every week; you have your established businesses, some of which have been around for generations. It’s hard for completely new companies to gain a foothold because local people have had good experiences with the existing companies for many years and often personally know most of the employees.
But who causes problems? It’s the companies that suddenly appear and offer flashy deals.
Those are not the companies that have been around for years. With those, you know what to expect.

Exactly, that’s what I mean. And those established companies don’t rely heavily on reviews or define themselves by them, which is why I try to gather information in other ways that are more useful to me personally. This really reflects my point: if you only base your decisions on the internet and reviews, you might miss the traditional, long-standing businesses. That’s what I want to avoid. So I think we might actually agree more than I initially thought, haha.

I also struggled with this topic because photovoltaic systems don’t have a 40-year track record.

Even a well-established contractor might have been reliable in the past, but if they don’t keep up with current technology, they may have fallen behind.

It’s also hard to tell if Google reviews are always genuinely objective, or if the five-star ratings come from a few relatives, friends, or employees, or even if hundreds of reviews might have been purchased.

I’ve talked to neighbors about their photovoltaic installers as well. However, I found this is a complex issue because everyone has different habits, energy consumption, and priorities. From what I can tell after the first four months based on real data, our decision not to include a battery storage system was correct, even though it’s frustrating to buy electricity at a high price and then sell it at a lower price half a day later. On the other hand, our neighbors swear by their battery system. Judging from the offer, it doesn’t seem economically viable. For me, it was an economic decision that had to be competitive compared to other energy options. For the neighbors, it was not about economics.

Storage is usually a break-even situation and more for the good feeling. This may slowly change due to new regulations and barely any compensation anymore. I want one, but I know that it will probably also be a break-even case. For that reason, I am installing the system myself.