Avoid until they have established themselves properly
I went with BYD because I’ve had their car since it first arrived on the market, and reliability was paramount for me when choosing BYD Solar.
I contacted them first week in July and received a speedy response, and I was very happy with the initial conversation. I was advised that someone would come out to inspect the property. I explained that I was going on holiday for two weeks the following Wednesday, and I was assured that someone would be with me on Tuesday.
Tuesday came and went, and no one showed up.
Unfortunately, that was the end of the communication. No call, no email, no explanation and no attempt to rearrange the appointment.
It’s particularly disappointing because I chose BYD based on the reliability and confidence I’ve had in the brand through owning their car.
Reliability isn’t just about the product — it’s also about doing what you say you’re going to do.
When I came back from holiday, there was still no reply from BYD Solar. At that point, I decided to give them another chance because I’m loyal to the brand. I love my BYD car, and it has never let me down, so I wanted to believe that the initial experience was just a one-off.
I contacted them again, and it did take a while to get someone out to inspect the property. They then needed to arrange for another person to come out and give a second opinion, which again took some time. Eventually, they came out, went through everything with me, and I was happy enough with what was discussed.
I agreed to go ahead on Tuesday evening, 25th August.
Then things moved very quickly.
On Wednesday, 26th August, I received a call from a company called Circet (NOT BYD) to arrange the installation for the following day, Thursday 27th August.
I was then asked to make the full payment of €13,000 before they would start. The payment request came from a Gmail address, which initially raised an eyebrow, but as BYD Solar is relatively new to the market and I had gone through their website and spoken to them directly, I trusted my gut and proceeded.
That meant I had to scramble to get the €13,000 together, as I was told the installation would not go ahead until the full payment had been received the next day
I have to admit, I found that a little cheeky, especially as I already had a confirmed installation date with Circet for the following day. I would have expected the payment terms to have been made completely clear before getting to the point of having an installation booked.
Still, at this stage, I was focused on getting the system installed and was willing to overlook it because I really wanted this to work. I had chosen BYD because I trusted the brand and had such a positive experience with my car.
When Circet arrived, there were five vans outside, so I assumed everything was finally ready to go.
Unfortunately, they had only been allocated 7 panels for installation, despite me agreeing to a system consisting of 21 panels.
Thankfully, that was eventually resolved and the work commenced. However, only the 7 panels were actually installed that day.
I was then told that they didn’t know when they would be returning to complete the remaining work, as they apparently only receive their jobs the night before for the following day.
Once again, I contacted BYD Solar several times to try to get some clarity. Unfortunately, they couldn’t give me a definite answer either. I was told they thought it would be the next day.
It wasn’t.
This is where the whole experience is becoming increasingly frustrating. We all work in our household, and we simply cannot take time off work at the drop of a hat. Each time an installation date changes or we are left waiting for someone to arrive, it means rearranging work and our lives around it.
I have now been booked in for Monday to complete the installation, which means I will have to try to take another day off work to accommodate them.
I completely understand that things can go wrong, and I appreciate that contractors can have scheduling issues. What I’m struggling with is the lack of communication and coordination between BYD Solar and the installation company.
I chose BYD because reliability was one of the most important factors for me. Unfortunately, so far, the experience has been anything but reliable.
I’m still hoping the finished system will restore my confidence in the brand, but at €13,000, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect better communication, organisation and customer service.