Is there a possible list of scam websites selling Inverters and Li Batteries on this forum? Many con artists out there!
Hi @TianPower
Please note the forum has a dedicated forum “Marketplace” for business advertising. Please DM me if you would like the apply for a sub-forum there.
Feel free to continue to contribute to forum discussions/give technical advice in the general forums.
Kind Regards
Mark
On the main topic, there isn’t a list of scammers because scammers move on quickly, so it is inherently a game of catch-up. A list would actually be a dangerous thing, because it would inherently be a false negative: Someone might conclude, based on something NOT being on the list, that the seller must be okay. Sadly the reverse is true. Any seller you don’t know should be considered suspect until proven otherwise.
- If the price is too good to be true, it is.
- If the seller insists on bank transfers and has no credit card facility, that’s a red flag.
- If the internet domain name was only registered recently, it’s a red flag.
- The website is hosted with a cheap- or free service (this info is also in whois)…
- Seller provides no physical address for his business…
- Seller lists several “warehouses”, none of which seems to exist on Google streetview…
But mostly just number 1. Again and again, that’s how they operate. Load shedding hits, there is a shortage everywhere… and suddenly these guys are running a half-price clearance sale… 
TianPower has been removed, flagged as spammer!
further to @plonkster s contribution be weary if someone only seems to have a FarceBook presence with nice images and false positive write-ups, for that matter any social media… i personally believe there are more scammers/scheissters than can be listed 
I want to warn everyone about Suntrix.co.za or Suntrix Green Energy…apparently in Bloemfontein. I paid for 4 x Canadian 405w panels in December which they assured me were in stock. The delivery never happened, and I was told lie after lie. When we agreed that they would refund me they even sent me proof of bank transfer, which of course never happened.
When I bought the panels there was only one review on Hello Peter.
EDIT: Amazingly, after posting here and another forum I was refunded in full today…
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The fb part is true. I had purchased a fairly good system I thought but after a while found out it was very cheap inverter. The li battery was no no name couldnot even find it on google. But al least my panels were Canadian. So I thought. After removing them to test on the ground i could se the sticker glue from old sticker under the Canadian sticker. Also the size of panel was 100mm shorter that the specs of Canadian. So yes. There are alot of scamers. Unfortunately to many use facebook so i am very very careful now.
welcome @Marra ! indeed, fb was one of the false sources of info i fell for hook line and sinker during building alterations - i cant believe i was so stupid [20/20 hindesight]… since then i have kept strictly to my ‘due diligence’ rules, especially references - not telephonically but eye to eye
good of you to name them…judging by the reaction the person involved could indeed be a member of a forum… them toes have been treaded on! *BRAVO
Suntrix domain name was registered in June 2022. So the company is up and running 6 months now.
Company does have credit card facilities (a good sign). Doesn’t look like there is scamming intent here. Quite possibly just a new company struggling to get off the ground and dropping a few balls here and there. Of course, a “review” like above could very well kill them, so I hope for their sake this was just an honest mistake.
Opinion rescinded in light of more details coming to light.
Its very difficult to deal with some of these suppliers. i bought the battery from Solarwaysuppliers.co.za and everything went extra smoothly (would definitely recommend them). i bought the inverter from averagepower.co.za and it has been one story after another. Order was placed on the 25/01/2023. Order number and invoice was done very quickly but i had to ‘hound’ them to confirm payment. Accounts got back to me confirming payment (after many emails) but now i am having real issues getting the product shipped to me. i am beginning to wonder if these guys are legitimate or not? Anyone else dealt with these guys?
Sounds rather … average … ba-dum-tish.
again one of those ‘volksvreemde’ words/expressions which had me scurry to google; and what an interesting find re the origin found in the sound of drums and cymbals… i suspect in our story the last words in this article are rather appropriate…“collective groan of the audience”
Two elephants and a snake fall off a cliff…
This is true (I mean the part of bad reviews). However, I will not post a review without doing my due diligence.
When the first payment failed to appear in my account after 4 days, I warned them that I am a member on a number of solar forums and would name them if they did not follow through with the payment. They went so far as to say it was a banking error and they were going to do a manual deposit into my bank account that same day. Alas 2 days later there were still no funds, so I basically wrote the money off and followed through by naming them.
The next morning at 07:00 the money was in my account…
A sheep, a drum, and a snake fall off a cliff…
Ba-dumm-tsss
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badumtish.co.za
Update of averagepower.co.za: Stay away from this company. Total scammers. They know every move in the scammers book.
No my friend they did the same to me only i did not get all my money back only R19000 from R32000
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