NT WorkSafe, Consumer Affairs grovel after accusing innocent solar company of shonkiness

Last week, NT WorkSafe and Consumer Affairs issued an alert about two solar companies alleged to have engaged in dodgy business practices targeting Darwinites. The only problem – one of them was innocent.

NT WorkSafe and Consumer Affairs have issued a warning about a WA-based solar installation firm – but also included an innocent NSW outfit in its warning. Picture: File

Two Northern Territory government agencies have issued an apology after accusing a legitimate solar business headquartered in New South Wales of shonky business practices.

Last week, NT WorkSafe and Northern Territory Consumer Affairs issued a statement entitled ‘The sun is out, and cons are out’, warning Top End consumers about a Western Australian based company, Sunboost Energy Pty Ltd, trading as Energenic Solar and Energenic Engineering, which was targeting Darwinites via the issuance of promotional material.

According to the agencies, the company, which they said was especially active in WA’s north between Port Hedland, Broome, Kununurra, and Halls Creek, has been “reported as making unsolicited sales, not giving consumers the required 10-day cooling-off period, and taking deposits and making purchasers sign unlawful contracts”.

“The business appears to be targeting Indigenous communities in particular and coercing people to purchase products through financing arrangements,” the agencies said.

“Vulnerable and elderly people have also been targeted by signing and entering into contractual arrangements for solar and financing.

“In some cases, the installations provided by Sunboost Energy Pty Ltd have malfunctioned or failed to work at all.

“The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety in Western Australia has referred Sunboost Energy Pty Ltd to the WA Consumer Protection for further investigation.”

So far, so good – but the statement also claimed National Solar Energy Group Pty Ltd, trading as Sunboost, was in on the alleged con.

This masthead smelt something fishy and corporate searches via ASIC confirmed the suspicion – National Solar Energy Group Pty Ltd, headquartered in New South Wales, had nothing to do with Sunboost Energy Pty Ltd.

NT WorkSafe's Darwin head office at the Territory Business Centre, Berrimah. Picture: Google Street View

A day after seeking urgent clarification from NT WorkSafe and Consumer Affairs, the agencies issued a joint statement admitting they had fingered the wrong outfit.

“NT Consumer Affairs and NT WorkSafe issued a media release [last Thursday] about a business using unlawful practices to sell photovoltaic (PV) equipment,” the statement read.

“This release also mentioned another company, National Solar Energy Group Pty Ltd trading as Sunboost.

“NT Consumer Affairs and NT WorkSafe have since been contacted by a representative of National Solar Energy Group Pty Ltd trading as Sunboost, which has advised that their company has no connection and no association whatsoever with the business selling PV solar equipment.

“We regret that National Solar Energy Pty Ltd was incorrectly identified in our previous media release.”

Trade publication SolarQuotes Blog and local media organisation NT Independent were among those to unknowingly publish the incorrect information.

An Energenic Solar spokesman who identified himself via social media as ‘Adam’ said the business did not have any NT operations and denied issuing promotional material in the Top End.

“I was never contacted by WA Consumer Affairs on any matter and I don’t know who has referred our business to [them],” he said.

Sunboost, the incorrectly identified business, was contacted for comment.