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.
Reviews for Macarthur Solar. This is from their SolarQuotes review page. Please note that it only accounts for the last year.
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. Here’s the timeline thus far:
- 9 December 2025: the contract was accepted and the deposit was paid.
- 30 January 2026: an update explains the industry battery shortages and changing timeframes.
- 9 April 2026: the installation was delayed beyond 1 May.
- May 2026: further delays and a battery upgrade was offered.
- Mid-May 2026: they promised installation before the end of June.
- 3 June 2026: the installation was booked.
At one point, Macarthur Solar received five star reviews, but it’s been a while. Please note: Macarthur Solar is not in our vetted installer network, and doesn’t qualify for our Good Installer Guarantee.
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.
About Kim Wainwright
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Repeated no shows are annoying enough, it is when they don’t even bother to contact you before, at, or after the agreed time and date that it becomes completely unacceptable.
I think this is more prevalent when companies use subcontractors because they are juggling their own installations, they make more money from, with the subcontracted work. It is not just the no shows, they simply put your job to the bottom of their list.
From my experience with 5 different solar installers / subcontractors there is only one I could recommend to friend. A much higher strike rate than any other trade I have dealt with in the past.
When the installation company takes a 25% deposit and then you have to wait months for stock and then the subcontractor makes you wait as well?
In a similar vein, how many Sigenergy customers are still waiting for their recalled inverters to be replaced, nearly 10 months after the ACCC issued a recall notice, warning of melting AC plugs and potential fire risk?
As a customer who has been affected by Macarthur Solar, the hardest part has been the indifference we were shown as people. We ordered in May 2025, 50% deposit, and have followed the same legal pathways as Mark. As a family the time and cost investment was genuine and challenging. Fortunately, after a lot of soul searching, we ventured back into options, we used the SolarQuotes Good Installer Guarantee, found a new installer who was brilliant, timely, treated us with respect, and went beyond expectation when they evidenced our story.
Thanks for sharing that, Michael. I’m glad the second experience was a much better one.
Macarthur Energy announced in liquidation yesterday and an administrator appointed:
https://publishednotices.asic.gov.au/browsesearch-notices/notice-details/Macarthur-Energy-Pty-Ltd-604435421/c5d3c3fe-3e5a-462e-8777-b96bb5e69073?appointment=All¬icestate=All&court=&district=&dnotice=
Deposits are limited to 10%. My solar installer was the complete opposite. (Aussie Solar Batteries.)
No deposit. At all.
November 25 they apologised and warned of delays. Early December i get a call at 8am….We had a job near you cancelled are you ready? Yes….
It then rained and they said we will be back. Its too unsafe. Totally agree. They were back within a week.
These installers are cowboys. Taking that $$$ are now its gone. They cant afford to do it because there is no money
I suspect many (possibly most people – myself included) are/were not aware that all building and construction work in NSW, including the supply and installation of solar and battery systems, must have very specific clauses and requirements written into the contract including payment:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/compliance-and-regulation/your-obligations-to-your-customers/guide-to-providing-home-building-contracts
Having spent quite a lot of money in the last two years on various upgrades to my property I don’t think a single tradesperson or any quote I received for any of the work would comply with all of these requirements. I wonder if compliance is the exception not the norm. Certainly when I was getting solar quotes most if not all would not have met these standards.
HBCF insurance is one of the points that SolarQuotes raises in our vetting process.
For the installers who don’t realise we become a business coach making sure they maintain licencing & aren’t charging illegal amounts for deposits.
Reading this just sent a very very cold shiver down my spine.
I paid a deposit of $18000 for my upgraded system to Macarthur Solar. Signed the contract in January and paid the deposit in February. Was told 8-12 weeks as well.
No communication either, and I was becoming increasingly terrified that they had gone out of business by April. The end of the generous battery rebate came and went at the end of April (the quote was based on the rebate), so I was quietly freaking out if I was going to get the quoted system at the agreed price (I did).
By the end of June I really escalated and was given an install date the following week. The install date was to be July 1st. The install went over time and the guys did not finish until late on July 2nd – they were literally on the roof taking compliance photos at 9pm. I was obviously the client just in line before the one in the story above.
The install job itself was excellent but it was *very* stressful. See my review on here for more.
Wow Reuben. Sounds like you may have got through the door just before it slammed shut. Glad it worked out for you in the end.
Reuben you are lucky. I put down 17k in Jan and have received nothing but delays, now emails/webpage/phonelines/mobiles are all off the air. my last email from Macarthur Solar was on 25/8 from one of the consultants (since then email not delivered, address not found.).
25/8 “I have been trying to get an installation date for you, but Mat is yet to give me one. Please give me a bit more time on this and I will get back to you ASAP. I really appreciate your ongoing patience :)”
a trend over the last 5 months in email /phone correspondence.
The solar / battery upgrade was to help me with my disability (25% WPI after a MVA years ago, not my fault either) over the next 20-30 yrs.
reasons I did go Mac Solar.
1) they did have a good rep and family members have used in the past.
2) in house installers.
3) they guarantied before my signing of the contract that if there was a delay into May my contract would NOT be affected by the CDC change. they would over it. same as others..
Hi Darren,
Is it these guys?
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/installer-review/macarthur-solar/
Yes – I was told the same, and chose them for the same reasons. It seems they did have a very good reputation and were doing pretty well until around 12 months ago, when all the bad reviews started slowly appearing, and it just snowballed after that. This makes me suspect that something went badly wrong with the management of the company in more recent times.
The guys told me when they did the install that many jobs were not scoped properly and were not profitable. I was also told that the sales guys are supposed to be managing the customer up until installation and locking in the install date, which is a rather flawed way to run things especially when you have a non-communicative sales person (as I did).
I was very near their office yesterday around lunchtime and drove up to it to have a look. It was all shut up, all signage had been removed and there were old solar panels and Goodwe boxes near the skips waiting to be picked up.
Every time the Government announces a subsidised deal the price of the product skyrockets and the cowboys come out of the woodwork with the aim of making a quick buck. Surely there are lessons to be learned. I’m thinking that Fair Trading and the Clean energy Council should be used more as a first resort rather than a threat. Not only are installers holding our money for months, we also miss out on lost opportunity by lengthy delays and inferior installs. We shouldn’t have to put up with the usual poor performances and inflated prices.
It took MacArthur solar close to 12 months to do my install…as a VPP project…..battery config/manufacturer changed a few times….got it all done.signed off…then the power bill came in from Red energy , not mac solar and I made 5c…..that’s when I started doubting the final process….
I have my battery set up..also have their battery set up ,which is now off line…..
Dyness have been great and advised their inverters are not approved for VPP projects at this stage…….
Mathew Cox emailed me to offer his battery at a reduced rate…I said yes but also asked him for an explanation of a few contracts details….all polite,above board….thats when it went dark……
I now need advice on a solar electrician to review my instal , any advice appreciated…
Hi Robert,
SolarQuotes clients offer maintenance services so if you fill out the form and add the appropriate details we can help.
At the end of the form there’s a space for notes where you can add details. If you put more than 200 characters in that field it will be flagged for manual processing so we can eyeball it & find the right vendor.