ACCC hits EuroSolar, P&N with record $145,000 fine
Euro Solar, P&N, Worldwide Energy & Manufacturing have come under scrutiny by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the company being handed the largest fine for a solar retailer in Australian history. Found to have mislead customers with fabricated customer testimonials and misleading customers regarding their solar panel’s country of origin, their bank accounts will be lighter to the tune of $145,000.
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said, “Consumers should be able to trust that testimonials give honest feedback about a consumer’s experiences with a service or product. If they are not genuine, consumers may be enticed into making a purchase that they would not have otherwise made.” The Federal Court found that video testimonials published on YouTube and the companies websites did not feature genuine solar customers.
P&N distributed Chinese manufactured solar panels under their company name “Australian Solar Panels”, a move that was found by the ACCC to have mislead and misrepresented their product to consumers. “Businesses making misleading representations can harm consumers by influencing them to purchase products, sometimes at a premium price, they otherwise wouldn’t choose to. They can also harm competitors who accurately represent their products by creating an unfair playing field,” Mr Sims said.
Industry website Solar Business also points out that the company publishes on their website thousands of customer addresses across Queensland. While customer testimonies are a powerful tool for developing trust with a solar provider, it’s worrying that so such detailed information is provided publicly. EuroSolar’s Terms and Conditions of sale don’t outline their policy for making their customers details available to the public, certainly private agreements between retailer and customer could be reached for each individual but it is a worrying sign. As Solar Business say the information provides, “a very convenient map for solar panel thieves”.