Solar Panel Cleaning Training Course To Be Held 11th July 2015

[Diwrnach]

What are your thoughts @Diwrnach ?

Not sure at the moment as I have spent a small fortune in the last couple of months and taking the kids on holiday as well next week, so cashflow isn't at its highest point of the year.

Think I will have to keep an eye on when you do your courses and do one slightly later in the year, maybe a months time or something, assuming no one else in the area does it before.

 

[Solar Steve]

No worries. The next one is July 22nd and will probably be the last one for this year. We may only do one more after that because the vast majority of areas are now covered.

 

[lou]

What about South East Solar Steve is that covered?

 

[Solar Steve]

Where in the south east exactly @lou ?

I could do with someone around Slough and Essex.

 

[lou]

Kent. Is Kent covered? lots of farms down ere.

 

[Solar Steve]

@lou We have one Approved Contractor in Kent, but he can't cover the whole county. What town are you in?

 

[lou]

Yea BIG county, Kent! Do you mind if I have his company name or his website?

How much work u rekon u give him monthly? Medway

 

[RealKidJoker]

Who's all going to the course on the 22nd?

 

[RealKidJoker]

Great day on the course yesterday, very informative. I'm looking forward to pushing solar panel cleaning in Dumfries now knowing how to clean the panels properly and what safety measures to take in order to protect myself from a DC shock. @Solar Steve also gave out a wealth of Information, not only on solar panel cleaning but marketing in general which will be very useful.

 

[Solar Steve]

Glad you enjoyed the day @RealKidJoker We look forward to working with you in the future.

 

[lou]

so whats the crack with Kent then Solar Steve, you didnt reply??

 

[Solar Steve]

Hi @lou

Sorry, but Medway is covered by our current subcontractor in Kent. He lives only a few miles away.

 

[lou]

Oh right ok, what parts of the county does he cover as you say he cant cover it all?do you have much work in Kent, Where's he based & Has he got a website? Always nice to know fellow tradesman in my area

Sent from my GT-S6810P using Window Cleaning Forums

 

[Jon Grainger]

Steve,

So if I were to attend your course, and then afterwards, never answer your phone calls, and then use that 'training' to get my own work, then I'm a competitor that you have trained?

How do you stop people from cleaning solar panels when they stop subbing with your company?

Jon

 

[lou]

Solar Steve? so?? you didn't reply??

 

[Solar Steve]

@Jon Grainger Based on the unscrupulous scenario that you decide, there is very little I can do. However, I like to think I am a fair judge of character. This is done on a trust basis, something that we dedicate about 20mins on on the training day. I need to trust you and you need to trust me to make things work.

Based on what you have posted, there's no way I trust you enough to come on the course and buy into what we are trying to accomplish. Any further questions you have about the course or my business will probably not be answered by me. You won't be coming on the course, even if you wanted to. You will now say you didn't want to anyway, so this suits both parties fine.

 

[Solar Steve]

@lou I have spoken to my Kent guy and it appears he is happy to cover all of the county. Now he's done a few jobs for us, he says it's worth his while travelling that bit further.

 

[lou]

Ok. Whats his website steve? Or company name? He/they must be a big firm to be able to cover the whole of Kent! How many farms/jobs you got in Kent then??

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[MrBump]

Sorry if this has been answered / covered already, I got about 10 pages in and although an interesting and somewhat amusing read I can't stomach the remaining 300 odd replies lol. If anyone has read or knows the answers to any of these it would be appreciated.

1. If I paid to go on a course I would I actually have to put stickers on my van and wear clean solar t-shirts? Neither of which I would be prepared to do. Well maybe tees on a solar farm if I was given the work by clean solar. Never if I got my own work and I would never put someone elses brand on my van, that would be a dealbreaker, and I certainly wouldn't pay to do it.

2. The main issue is safety; confidence in cleaning them safely and knowing how to judge each situation safely and I would pay for that. However solarsteve you are only training up one business per area, which clearly means it is a franchise and is great as a business venture, but why not just sell off each area which you will then be subcontracting your work to and then offer training seperately. If someone in my area has already done the course then I couldn't get your safety knowledge. This to me is immoral. If someone gets hurt or worse still, dies from cleaning solar panels as they were unable to attend your course based on a first come, first trained basis, I hope you would still be able to sleep at night. As it is under your terms and conditions to work for you if trained, wear tees, use branding, marketing and subcontract etc then everybody on your course is doing so for the extra work they will gain more so than the actual training, again its basically a mutually beneficial franchise. (which for what solarsteve is charging for the course and will make off subcontracting future work out seems pointless charging for, just get a franchise contract drawn up and train for free and then have a seperate safety course that anyone can attend without all the marketing and free tees and so on). For anyone who just wants to be safe and be around when their little ones grow up they are stuffed.

If there was alot of work to be potentially sent my way I'm sure I'd be up for franchising for my area, ie. if clean solar got the work in, then I did the work and we each got a cut. Thats fine. But it would also be nice to have the choice to be able to purchase or attain the knowledge to be safe myself to earn a few extra quid on the odd solar panel here and there without potentially risking life and limb. I personally dislike electricity more than ladders.

3. Is the answer to just use a fibreglass ladder (check), a fibreglass pole (check, although my slx is meant to be insulated so is that ok too?) and some proper electrical rubber gloves (I would buy)? My only concern here would be that even with a fibreglass pole the water will still be running the full length of the pole which could carry a current? Or best case scenario just turn them off beforehand I could lick them clean if I wanted to? Haha. Although I'm sure I wouldn't always be able to have them turned off.

A big thanks in advance for anyone who takes the time to answer these.

 

[Jon Grainger]

Unfortunately @MrBump, I highly doubt you'll get a reply. Look at how Steve has skirted the issue of what the course involves, in other replies.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Mr B. It took less time for me to read War & Peace. /emoticons/tongue.png

What Steve is offering is a franchise and yes stickers and tee shirts are required.

I like your thoughts on his 'restriction' of health and safety training being immoral.

I already clean Solar panels here in Nottingham (not under franchise) and learned what I need to know by spending two days with an installer covering all the tech stuff and safety stuff and the price? Supper and a couple of pints and I am now no less certified than anyone trained by Steve, only difference is I haven't printed myself a certificate on my printer.

Real kid Joker himself attended the course (he's located in Dumfries) and and Steve himself has said they have gotten no contracts in Scotland yet. That's a real pricey tee shirt and sticker for real kid joker!