A state-level investigation is underway into the business dealings of the Dominion General Group of Companies Pty Ltd, which operates in the ACT and adjoining areas, in response to claims that it allegedly pocketed money from several customers for the installation of solar panels and inverters that were either faulty or never delivered.
Rajan Walia is listed as the sole director of the group of businesses that have been trading as Mr Solar, Mr Solar Canberra and Mr Solar Australia.
Acting on the complaints, the ACT Commissioner for Fair Trading David Snowden recently issued a public notice, warning Canberra residents to avoid entering into any agreements with Mr Walia or his group of companies.
“Mr Rajan Walia, who has traded as Mr Solar, Mr Solar Canberra, and Mr Solar Australia, has a demonstrated history of taking deposits for the installation of solar systems that he then does not supply,” Mr Snowden said in the notice.
“I urge Canberra residents not to enter into any agreement with Mr Walia and associated companies.”
Mr Snowden further alleged that he had reasonable proof that Mr Walia had exhibited a “blatant disregard of the Australian Consumer Law".
Meanwhile, refuting the allegations, Mr Walia told ABC news in an email that “things have been twisted and turned against me, being a small business I can’t afford to even fight [sic] against these false claims".
He has since become uncontactable and Access Canberra told the ABC that he may have fled the state.
Mr Solar’s Review Page on SolarQuotes includes testimonials from disgruntled customers some of whom claimed they had paid 50 per cent deposits to Mr Walia’s personal account but never received any services, while others have alleged that the equipment delivered turned out to be defective.
"We bought a 7kw system from Rajan and from day one we had problems with the solar edge inverter. After sending him 100 correspondents he sent someone after approx 4 months and still the problem hasn't gone.We told Rajan about it and now he doesn't even reply our texts and emails. Please don't trust these people as their products are rubbish," Mr Ganeshwar Prasad from NSW has written in his complaint.
How to avoid being duped:
Mr Snowden has appealed to people to undertake due diligence when entering into any contracts for solar or similar services to ensure they are not stung.
“This can include seeking references from previous customers, obtaining multiple quotes, reading any contract and quotes carefully and agreeing to progress payments based on work completed,” he said.
“Large upfront payments should be avoided where possible.”
Consumers who have faced similar problems in their dealings with Mr Walia or his group of companies should contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
