SolarZero Billing Disputes: Your Rights Under the Fair Trading Act

Bottom line up front: If your SolarZero (now operating under new ownership after the 2024 receivership) bill has jumped, your contract terms have shifted, or fees have appeared that you don't recognise, you have real legal protection in New Zealand. Under the Fair Trading Act 1986 and the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, misleading conduct and unfair contract variations can be challenged. Your free, government-backed pathway is Utilities Disputes Limited (UDL), who can investigate billing complaints against energy retailers and order remedies up to $50,000. You do not need a lawyer. You do not need to pay anything. You just need a clear paper trail, a written complaint to SolarZero first, and the patience to escalate properly. This article walks you through every step.

This guide is for SolarZero customers who feel their bills, fees, or contract terms have changed in ways they didn't agree to. We'll cover what your legal rights actually are, how to build a dispute that gets taken seriously, and how to lodge with Utilities Disputes if SolarZero won't budge. If you're earlier in your SolarZero journey and just trying to understand the bigger picture, start with our SolarZero Recovery Resource first.

What a SolarZero Billing Dispute Actually Looks Like in 2025

Since SolarZero entered receivership in late 2024 and emerged under new ownership, thousands of long-term subscribers have reported changes to their monthly experience. We've heard from customers across Auckland, the Waikato, Christchurch, and Otago about a similar pattern.

The common complaints fall into a few buckets:

• Monthly subscription fees increasing without a clear explanation tied to the original contract.
• New administrative or "service" charges appearing on invoices that weren't there in 2022 or 2023.
• Buy-back credits being calculated differently or applied inconsistently against the subscription.
• End-of-term and buy-out figures being quoted higher than what customers expected based on their original paperwork.
• Communication going dark: emails unanswered, phone lines long, requests for contract copies ignored.

None of this is hopeless. New Zealand has one of the better consumer protection frameworks in the developed world, and energy is one of the most heavily regulated sectors within it. You have leverage you may not realise you have.

Your Three Pillars of Legal Protection

Before you write a single email, it helps to understand the legal ground you're standing on. There are three statutes that matter here, all enforced by NZ regulators.

1. The Fair Trading Act 1986

Administered by the Commerce Commission, the Fair Trading Act prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct in trade. If SolarZero told you (verbally or in writing) that your monthly fee was "fixed for 20 years" and it isn't, that's potentially misleading conduct. If marketing materials promised guaranteed savings that haven't materialised, the same applies.

Section 26A also addresses unfair contract terms in standard-form consumer contracts. A term that allows one party to unilaterally vary the contract in significant ways, without clear notice or the right for the consumer to exit, can be challenged.

2. The Consumer Guarantees Act 1993

The CGA guarantees that services will be carried out with reasonable care and skill, fit for purpose, and within a reasonable time. If you've been waiting six months for a servicing callout, or if your inverter has failed and the response has been inadequate, the CGA gives you remedies. (For more on the warranty side, see our companion guide on SolarZero warranty and servicing responsibility.)

3. The Electricity Industry Participation Code

This is the regulatory code overseen by the Electricity Authority. It sets minimum standards for retailers, including how they communicate price changes, how they handle complaints, and how they bill customers. SolarZero, as a participant in the electricity market, is bound by it.

The Key Numbers and Timeframes You Need to Know

Disputes have rules and clocks. Here's what to put in your diary.

• 20 working days: The Electricity Authority's expected timeframe for a retailer to resolve a written complaint before you can escalate to Utilities Disputes.
• $50,000: The maximum award Utilities Disputes can order against a provider in a single complaint.
• Free: The cost of using Utilities Disputes. Funded by industry levy, not by you.
• 3 years: The standard limitation period under the Fair Trading Act from when the misleading conduct occurred (or when you reasonably should have discovered it).
• 6 years: The general contract limitation period under the Limitation Act, which can apply to certain breach-of-contract claims.

Translation: you have time, but it pays to move promptly. The earlier you start the paper trail, the stronger your position.

How to Build a Dispute That Actually Gets Resolved

Most customers lose disputes not because they're wrong, but because they don't document well. Here's the playbook our team recommends.

Step 1: Gather Your Original Paperwork

Find your original SolarZero contract, welcome pack, marketing brochures, and any emails from before you signed. If you can't find them, request copies in writing. Under the Privacy Act 2020, you're entitled to a copy of personal information held about you, which includes your contract documents. They have 20 working days to respond.

Step 2: Build a Bill Comparison

Lay out your last 24 months of invoices side by side. Highlight what's changed: the base subscription, any line items, any credits, any new fees. Create a simple table. This becomes Exhibit A in your complaint.

Step 3: Write the First Formal Complaint

This goes to SolarZero directly. Email is fine; keep it written so there's a record. Include:

• Your account number and address.
• A clear, dated timeline of what changed and when.
• The specific clauses of your contract you believe have been breached, or the specific representations you believe were misleading.
• What outcome you want (refund, fee reversal, contract clarification, exit without penalty, etc.).
• A reasonable deadline, typically 20 working days, after which you will escalate.

Keep the tone professional. Anger feels good for ten minutes but weakens your position. You want them to take you seriously, not write you off as a difficult customer.

Step 4: Escalate Internally

If the front-line response is unsatisfactory, ask in writing for the matter to be escalated to a complaints manager or the equivalent. Every electricity retailer in NZ is required to have a formal internal complaints process. Use it.

Step 5: Lodge with Utilities Disputes

If 20 working days pass without resolution, or if SolarZero formally declines to resolve the matter, you can lodge with Utilities Disputes Limited. This is the independent, government-approved dispute resolution scheme for the energy and broadband sectors.

How to Lodge a Complaint with Utilities Disputes

This is the bit most people don't know about, and it's genuinely your best free tool. UDL is staffed by trained mediators and adjudicators, and their decisions are binding on the provider (not on you; you can still pursue court action if you disagree).

What You'll Need

• Your name, address, and contact details.
• Your SolarZero account number.
• A summary of the dispute, ideally 1-2 pages.
• Copies of your original contract, recent invoices, and any correspondence with SolarZero.
• Proof that you've tried to resolve it directly first (a copy of your formal complaint email and any responses).

How to Submit

You can lodge online at utilitiesdisputes.co.nz, by email, by phone (0800 22 33 40), or by post. Online is fastest. There's no fee, no lawyer required, and English isn't required to be perfect; their team helps shape the complaint into a usable form.

What Happens Next

UDL will first try facilitation: a low-key conversation between you and SolarZero to see if it can be resolved informally. If that fails, they move to investigation and adjudication, where a case manager reviews the evidence and issues a recommendation or binding decision.

Outcomes can include: fee refunds, credits to your account, written apologies, contract corrections, or in some cases the right to exit the contract early without penalty. The process typically takes 2 to 4 months end to end.

What This Means for You (by Persona)

If You're the ROI Pragmatist

You signed up because the maths worked at the time. If the fees have crept and the maths no longer works, document it. Compare the original 20-year cost projection in your welcome pack against what you're now paying annually. That delta, multiplied by remaining contract years, is the financial harm you can quantify in your complaint. Run your new numbers through our Solar System Cost and ROI Calculator to compare what owning a system outright would cost instead.

If You're the Tech-Savvy Optimiser

Your gripe is probably less about the headline fee and more about restricted access to your own system data, inability to integrate with a dynamic tariff retailer, or the buy-back rate baked into the subscription being below what you could achieve on the open market. All of these are legitimate dispute angles, particularly the data access point under the Privacy Act.

If You're the Eco-Conscious Family

You wanted clean energy and predictable bills. Predictability was a major part of the SolarZero pitch, and if that's no longer being delivered, you have a misrepresentation argument worth exploring. Many households in this category are also exploring the buy-out pathway as a way to regain control.

What SolarZero (and Other Subscription Providers) Won't Tell You

A few things that are worth knowing, that you won't see in any marketing email.

• You can dispute and stay a customer. Lodging with UDL does not breach your contract. They cannot terminate you for raising a complaint. If they tried, that itself would be a Fair Trading Act issue.
• "Standard contract" doesn't mean "unchangeable contract." Standard-form consumer contracts are exactly the ones the unfair contract terms regime is designed to scrutinise.
• Verbal promises count. If a sales rep told you something at your kitchen table in 2021 that contradicts what's happening now, that's potentially actionable conduct under the Fair Trading Act. Try to find anyone else who heard it (your partner, a flatmate, a neighbour).
• The receivership doesn't wipe your rights. When SolarZero changed hands after the November 2024 receivership, the new owner inherited customer contracts and the obligations attached. Your rights moved with the business.
• Class action isn't your only option. Individual UDL complaints can resolve faster and more cheaply than waiting for a class action that may never get off the ground. Both can run in parallel.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

We've seen plenty of customers stumble in ways that cost them leverage. Avoid these.

Don't stop paying. Withholding payment, however satisfying it might feel, can result in disconnection notices, credit reporting, and weakens your standing in any dispute. Pay under protest and put the protest in writing.

Don't sign anything new without reading it carefully. If SolarZero or the new owner sends you a "contract update" or a "consent to new terms" form, read every clause. You are generally not required to accept a unilateral variation of terms in your existing contract.

Don't rely on phone calls alone. Always follow up with an email summarising what was discussed and what was agreed. "As per our call today, you confirmed X." Memory fades; emails don't.

Mind the 20-working-day window. UDL generally won't take a complaint until the retailer has had a fair chance to resolve it. But once 20 working days pass without resolution, escalate promptly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can SolarZero increase my monthly fee whenever they want?

It depends on your specific contract. Most SolarZero subscription contracts contain an indexation or variation clause, but those clauses are themselves subject to the unfair contract terms regime under the Fair Trading Act. A clause allowing unlimited unilateral fee increases without a meaningful right of exit is the kind of term that can be challenged.

Is Utilities Disputes actually independent?

Yes. Utilities Disputes Limited is approved by the Minister of Consumer Affairs under the Electricity Industry Act 2010. It's funded by a levy on the industry, not by individual cases. Its independence is built into its constitution and overseen by a board with consumer representation.

What if I can't find my original SolarZero contract?

Request a copy in writing. Under the Privacy Act 2020, you can make a personal information request and SolarZero must respond within 20 working days. If they don't, that itself is grounds for a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

How long do I have to lodge a dispute?

Three years from when the misleading conduct occurred (or when you reasonably should have discovered it) under the Fair Trading Act. Six years for general breach of contract claims under the Limitation Act. The sooner you start, the better, but a one or two year old issue is still within range.

Can I exit my SolarZero contract entirely through a dispute?

In some cases, yes. If the dispute reveals serious misrepresentation or unfair contract terms, UDL can recommend or order remedies that include releasing you from the contract. It's not guaranteed, and it's case-by-case, but it's on the menu.

Does the Commerce Commission handle individual complaints?

The Commerce Commission accepts complaints but typically only investigates patterns of conduct affecting many consumers, not individual disputes. For your individual case, UDL is the right venue. However, filing a complaint with the Commerce Commission still helps; it contributes to the pattern they monitor.

Will lodging a complaint affect my credit rating?

No. Lodging a dispute is not reported to credit agencies. What could affect your credit is non-payment. Keep paying under protest while the dispute is live.

Can I take SolarZero to the Disputes Tribunal instead?

You can, for claims up to $30,000. However, UDL is purpose-built for energy disputes, free, and generally faster. Most consumers find UDL the better first port of call. You can still go to the Tribunal afterwards if you're not satisfied.

What if the new SolarZero ownership says they're not responsible for what the old company did?

The acquisition of SolarZero's customer book and operations after receivership came with the contracts attached. Whoever holds the contract holds the obligations. If they try to disclaim responsibility for representations made before the acquisition, that's an argument to raise directly with UDL.

Where to Go From Here

If you're at the start of this journey, your next 24 hours look like: pull together your last two years of invoices, find your original contract (or request it), and draft your formal written complaint. Give SolarZero 20 working days. Then lodge with Utilities Disputes if it isn't resolved.

If you're further along and the dispute is leaning toward exiting the arrangement entirely, our guide on how to buy out your SolarZero system walks through the practical and financial side. If the issue is service quality rather than billing, the companion piece on SolarZero warranty and servicing responsibility is where to head next. For the broader picture and a directory of related guidance, the SolarZero Recovery Resource is your home base.

And if, through this process, you're considering what owning your own solar system outright would look like instead, the numbers are worth running properly. The current cost of a 6-8 kW system with battery is genuinely accessible for many Kiwi households, and the ROI maths has shifted meaningfully in the last two years.