How Many Chances Should You Give Your Solar Installer?

Most of us want to believe the best in people.

If your solar installer says they’re waiting on stock, you’ll probably accept it. If they ask for a few more weeks, you’ll give them a few more weeks.

But when does patience stop being reasonable?

That’s the question NSW homeowner Mark Barnes eventually found himself asking after seven months of delays, a missed installation date and, after cancelling his battery order, still waiting for the return of his $6,500 deposit.

How Did It Get To This?

Barnes and his neighbour, John Smeros, signed separate but otherwise identical contracts with Macarthur Solar in late 2025 for solar and battery systems at their respective villas in Revesby.

The original advice was straightforward. Installation was expected within 9 to 12 weeks. When that didn’t happen, the explanations sounded reasonable as well.

In late January, Barnes was still expecting his installation to proceed on schedule. Macarthur Solar sent customers an update explaining the turmoil affecting the battery industry. It said changes to government battery incentives had triggered unprecedented demand. Suppliers were struggling to keep up, and installation timeframes could “change dramatically in both directions” depending on stock, weather, and staffing.

At the same time, the company sought to reassure customers.

“Just to confirm, this is not suggesting that there will be a delay…”

At the time, Barnes had little reason to doubt it. But the original 9 to 12 week timeframe passed without an installation.

Barnes says he struggled to get clear answers. Numerous emails to the company yielded little more than assurances that the matter was still under review.

Then, on 9 April, came the first concrete setback.

Macarthur Solar advised that the installation would not be completed before the 1 May change to the federal battery rebate due to nationwide shortages of solar panels, inverters, and batteries. It also promised to honour the original contract pricing despite the delay.

Barnes waited. A month later, another email arrived.

Macarthur Solar apologised again, saying supply chain issues were finally beginning to ease and that secure installation dates would soon be issued.

They weren’t.

Later that month came another update. The company expected to clear its backlog within eight to ten weeks and again thanked customers for their continued patience.

Each update brought another explanation. And another reason to wait.

By mid-May, Barnes had become frustrated enough to contact the owner, Mathew Cox, directly. Barnes says Cox assured him the installation would be completed before the end of June.

Around the same time, Macarthur Solar offered both neighbours upgraded battery systems due to ongoing supplier issues. They accepted revised contracts.

“We signed a contract in good faith, waited patiently and agreed to the modifications they requested,” Barnes later wrote.

Even then, he wasn’t asking for his money back. After another conversation with his salesperson, Barnes says he was “still prepared to have that faith” if the company could simply commit to an installation date.

Eventually, it did. The installation was confirmed for 3 July.

The timeline so far.

The Installers Never Arrived

The long-awaited installation date finally arrived, but the installers didn’t.

By 9.30 am, Barnes was texting Macarthur Solar asking where they were. He contacted the owner, Mathew Cox, and his salesperson. Only one reply came back.

“Looking into it for you.”

The morning slipped away. Barnes sent more messages. By 10.53 am, he had warned that if nothing happened that day, he would seek a refund and consider action through Fair Trading and the media.

At 12.01 pm, Cox called. Barnes says Cox told him the installation crew had worked until 10 pm the previous night.

Barnes replied there had been plenty of time to let him know that, and asked where the installers were now, but Cox didn’t know. He then asked for another installation date.

According to Barnes, Cox told him that because of supplier issues, the company was no longer making money on their contracts and could not give him one.

It’s a telling moment.

The conversation had begun with an explanation for why the installers hadn’t arrived that morning. It ended with Barnes being told the company was no longer making money on the contracts and could not offer another installation date.

After seven months of waiting, Barnes and Smeros asked to cancel their contracts. Macarthur Solar agreed to refund them.

Nearly six weeks later, the agreed refunds still hadn’t been paid.

Barnes has since lodged complaints with the ACCC and NSW Fair Trading, and says NCAT is his next step if the refunds are not paid.

Was Mark’s Experience An Isolated Case?

Barnes’ experience reflects concerns raised recently by the ACCC, which warned that poor consumer experiences could undermine confidence in Australia’s growing home battery market.

Recent one-star reviews for Macarthur Solar across several review websites describe customers waiting months for installations or refunds. Public Facebook discussion threads have also attracted dozens of comments describing missed installations and outstanding refunds.

Barnes says he is now part of a Messenger group of over 50 Macarthur Solar customers, many of whom report that they are pursuing legal action or seeking to recover money owed to them.

SolarQuotes has not independently verified those individual claims. Macarthur Solar was, however, given an opportunity to respond to the broader concerns about delays and outstanding refunds.

In its response, owner Mathew Cox acknowledged the delays:

“Firstly, I acknowledge that both customers experienced delays that were well beyond what either they or Macarthur Solar expected. I understand their frustration and do not dispute that the process took considerably longer than originally anticipated.”

Macarthur Solar said the delays resulted from a combination of changes to government incentive programs, product availability, compliance requirements, and unexpectedly strong demand.

The company also said it offered both customers upgraded battery systems at no additional cost due to ongoing supply issues, and that both customers accepted revised contracts before later cancelling their orders. It acknowledged that both refunds remain outstanding.

SolarQuotes subsequently asked what was preventing the refunds from being completed, and when they would be paid.

No response had been received by the time of publication.

A Better Safety Net

It’s important to note that Macarthur Solar is not part of the SolarQuotes installer network.

SolarQuotes customers receive quotes only from installers that have been vetted before joining the network. The SolarQuotes Good Installer Guarantee also backs every installation.

No guarantee can prevent every problem. But if something does go wrong, having an independent team that can work with both you and the installer to resolve the issue can make a difficult situation much easier to navigate.

If you’re considering solar or a home battery, it’s worth taking a few minutes to understand what the SolarQuotes Good Installer Guarantee covers before signing a contract.