EMPTY PROMISES, BAD SERVES

My Journey with the “Hallo Sunshine” Group aka GoSolr

In early November, I was on an overseas conference call when our solar system died during loadshedding. I had to apologize to the client and reschedule. GoSolr took four days to resolve the issue.

On 11 December, the battery depleted again. I contacted the helpdesk and was promised a callback, which never came. I phoned daily and, after three days, finally spoke to someone who resolved it within minutes. This occurred even though I had previously requested the battery be set to stop at 30% to prevent damage—clearly, it wasn’t done.

Over the next month, I made several calls to get the 30% setting app****. Eventually, it was sorted. But then the real frustrations began.

23 February 2025

After several calls, I sent this email:

When you were here to sell us the solar, we asked you that we will be getting the same system As the friend that recommended us to you. You locked into their details and could see what system they have etc. We have been having problems very often, so we went to them to asked them to show us how the system work. We DEFINITELY do not have the same system, and we are paying more than them !!!!!! We cannot manage our system to switch to Eskom at set time etc. Which means if we have load shedding late at night our battery is depleted and we have no ELECTRISITY anyway, my small little inverter worked better than this system. I run a business and with time differences overseas I had to call off meetings due to no electricity THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE !!!!!!!! We need this sorted ASAP !!!!!!!! This is not on and I will not leave it here! I expect a call from you on Monday 24 March by 15h00 or I will take this further.

I got a reply.

28 February 2025

I sent another email:

Thank you for your email. I appreciate your response, but I wanted to highlight a few ongoing issues we have faced regarding the battery and service.

We've had two instances where the battery completely died. The first time, I had to call after hours and wait over 20 minutes without an answer. I called again the next day, and was told that someone would reach out and come to our home. However, after three days of waiting without any contact, I called again and was told the same thing. It wasn't until five days later, when I posted on Facebook due to the lack of response, that someone finally called me and managed to resolve the issue remotely immediately. This was very frustrating.

After this, I was reassured that the system would be checked thoroughly, and everything would be running properly. I had also requested that the battery be set to cut off at 30% to prevent damage. Unfortunately, just a few days ago, the battery ran completely to zero in the middle of the night while I was on a conference call with overseas clients, and, to make matters worse, it was during load shedding, so there was no power available at all.

This past Sunday night, we encountered another issue. My concern is that with load shedding occurring at unpredictable times, I need to have the ability to switch to Eskom when necessary in the evenings to save power on the system, ensuring I have backup during load shedding, especially late at night.

We attempted to switch over to Eskom by flipping the switch, but the inverter light stays on while the Eskom light remains off. When I check the app, it still shows that we are running on battery power rather than Eskom. This seems to be an ongoing issue, even after being assured that the settings were adjusted for optimal usage and power saving.

Additionally, when we want to use the air conditioning in the evenings, it drains a significant amount of the battery. We are unable to manually switch to Eskom while using the aircon, which causes the battery to deplete much faster. As a result, we are concerned about not having enough power when load shedding hits, especially later in the evening.

How can we optimise the system so that we can assure that the battery will be fully charged prior to load shedding and not use solar power to the maximum and only eskom as required to top up at night in case of load shedding during hours of darkness.

Despite being assured that the battery was set to cut out at 30%, we’ve observed that the battery was drained well below 30% during the early morning hours. This is concerning, as we specifically purchased your product to ensure reliable backup during load shedding and to save on electricity. However, we are finding it frustrating as we’re unable to make necessary adjustments to optimize the system's performance.

I would also like to commend Lelo Hena, who assisted us on Sunday evening. His service was excellent, and we truly appreciate his help.

Could you please advise on how we can better manage the system going forward to prevent situations like the one mentioned above?

We would like to ensure optimal use of the system, especially during load shedding.

I received no reply or feedback.

03 March 2025

I followed up:

Please advise in below it has been a week Thank you

Still no reply. I sent another:

PLEASE REPLY TO EMAILS !!!! What is happening now is that at night when there is no loadshedding, it goes over to Eskom and the battery stays full all the time , I have bought more Eskom electricity in the last week than in months so at night no electricity from the battery just Eskom electricity.

12 March 2025

Another email sent:

CAN WE PLEASE NOW SORT OUT THIS MATTER PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS. ONS A PERFECT SUNNY 28 DEGREES DAY OUR SYSTEM USES ESKOM ELECTRICITY???????????????? PHOTOS ATTACHED. THIS IS NOW BECOMING CRAZY. WHY DO WE HAVE THIS SYSTEM ???????? Date and time 12 March 11h15

Still no reply.

I phoned customer care and was told my battery was set to 90%, which meant it was only using 10% solar before switching to Eskom. No one had informed me about this change.

A technical manager called, adjusted it back to 30%, and promised compensation and better app control. He said he would call me Monday. He never did.

28 March 2025

I sent this email:

I am so frustrated with the service I have received from you and Gosolr in general. Over the past several weeks, I have sent multiple emails to you,which have gone unanswered. Furthermore, I was contacted by someone claiming to be "Janine," but when I called to speak with her, I was informed that no one by that name works at your company. Despite repeating her name multiple times during our call and even writing it down, it seems there has been a mix-up or lack of proper communication.

Janine had assured me that she would call me back on Monday, two weeks ago, to ensure that the app was updated so we could have more control over the system. Well .... surprise, surprise I have still not received a call from her or you or anyone else in your team.

In addition, you set our sistem 95%, which resulted in higher electricity costs from Eskom, beyond the monthly payments we make to you and you did not even inform me what you were doing( in my mind that was just being spiteful behaviour from you ) I was not informed of this change, and I am extremely disappointed that there was no prior notification regarding the increase in electricity costs.

Today, I received an SMS stating that our account is in arrears and the system will be switched off unless payment is made. However, we pay by debit order, and the payments have been successfully processed since day one. Therefore, I am baffled by the claim that we are behind on our payments although I shouldn't be, if I look at the service and unprofessional track record I have been dealing with for the past few months.

I expect to receive a personal call from you by Monday, March 31, 2025, at 16:00, to resolve this matter. If I do not receive a response by that time, I will take the following actions:

Send an email to Andrew Middleton, CEO. Post a review on Facebook. Submit a report on Hello Peter. File a complaint with the National Consumer Commission (NCC). File a formal complaint with EIOSA and report Gosolr. I have been patient and tried to address these issues via phone and through emails, but my patience has now run out. The lack of response and unprofessional service have already cost me money, and I will no longer tolerate it !!!!!!

Attached proof of sms and proof of debit order that has not ONCE failed !!!!!!!!!!!!

30 March 2025

Jason, the manager, finally called. Apologized and promised resolution that day.

01 April 2025

I got a voice note: “Everyone was in training yesterday.” Still, nothing was sorted.

04 April – 13 May 2025

04 April: Call from Zenande, checked the app. Still not working. I was asked to log in/out and send screenshots. 11 April: Email from Zenande – still no fix. 23 April: Another email – still waiting on the technical team. 08 May: GoSolr arrived at the estate without notice. Five days later, they still hadn’t shown up at my house. I sent a voice note to Jason. No reply. Called customer care—again promised a 5-minute callback. Still waiting. 09 May: Followed up with Jason. App still not sorted. 13 May: Zenande called—still waiting on technical feedback. FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s shocking that such a small issue has dragged on for over six months. The complete absence of customer service is appalling.

I’ve been extremely patient. In today’s world, where customer options are plenty, this experience is honestly unbelievable.

13 May 2025 @ 12:27

As promised, I acted on my list

Because I don’t make empty promises—unlike GoSolr. Still hopeful (somehow) that this won’t take another six months to sort out.