I paid the $165 for a site inspection to get a quote for the supply and installation of a French drain in a trench which was already dug alongside a bermed garage wall. The plumbing representative didn't seem familiar with French drains during our… Read more
discussion, so I wasn't surprised that a quote wasn't provided that day. I figured he needed advice from the company's plumbing supervisor. I rang the company after four days to chase the quote I had paid for, and received the quote seven days after the site inspection. In the meantime, I had priced the materials (ag pipe, connectors, gravel, geotextile material) and sub-contracted coring through a retaining wall, at normal retail, at less than $1,500 total. So a reasonable quote was expected to be < $5k. The quoted price was $28k for a 20 m French drain. This exposed the fact the estimator had not even pulled out a tape measure to measure the existing 15.5-m trench. The ridiculous quoted price of $28,000 told me this company didn't actually want this work. I'm so glad - NOT - that I paid the quote fee of $165 when this company could have admitted in the initial phone call that they don't do "complicated" work like laying a French drain and that their quote will be rounded-up from an eyeball guestimate. AVOID: this plumbing company prefers to scam for a call-out quotation fee than do complicated stuff like using a tape measure for an accurate quotation or laying ag pipe on a graded gravel bed.
Follow-up · Product Review alleged readers of this review asked them the following questions, which I have answered in this follow-up: How long was the inspection? The rep was at my property for less than 30 minutes. His inspection of the open trench took about 20 minutes during our discussion. Was the fee disclosed upfront? Yes, it was disclosed during the… Read more
PEOPLE BE CAUTIOUS AND AWARE NO NOT USE THEM. THEY ARE A RIP OFF AND WILL RIP YOU OFF YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY. Air conditioning was cutting in and out. rang the 1300 number and was quoted $250 for servicing and any minor repairs included in the quote. Any parts needed had to pay of it as extra. I agreed and booked. On Monday 22.12.2025 a tec… Read more
attended at 1 pm. Straight away got the iPad and had me sign for $295, when questioned stated that he was given that price. I needed the air con fixed so proceeded with the work. he did all the testing a changed the water solenoid with works completed around 145pm. He got his iPad and said that he will charge me $224 as it took him less time than anticipated. Thinking that the total cost is less than I signed for. I paid for and a tax invoice was sent out later that day where I was charged $524. When questioned they didn't want to know about it and ignored my emails too. I am in the process of lodging a official complaint with the consumer services. this company is a fraud and not honest in their dealing with the public. there advisements are false. please be aware of this company and don't use them, if you can avoid them please do avoid them at any cost as they are rip off.
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I DO NOT recommend this provider. My experience suggests they engage in over-charging, with fees I believe are unconscionable and violate Australian Consumer Law (based upon excessive fees, times and unconscionable rates). I recently received an invoice for $428 to replace a dual security sensor light with commensurate light costs $35 retail… Read more
price at local hardware store ( Bunnings excluding trade discounts), with the work having been informed to take less than 30 minutes to complete. I consider this to be excessively high, even with a callout fee of $50, and I feel it is not commensurate with standard electrical rates in Adelaide.
The company also withdrew previous agreement to remove the light and refund the money. I found this conduct concerning, especially given the company's past history of misleading and deceptive conduct, for which it has been fined $125,000 in the past.
I strongly advise against using their services and am considering options to pursue this matter further.
See the following links applicable to the previous fines charged against this company and the previous federal court action against them:
https://hearsay.org.au/posting-false-reviews-modern-day-racketeering/
https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/news/electrical-and-plumbing-business-fined-$125,000-for-fake-reviews
https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2023/2023fca0778
The company previously involved in this time matches the Company on the invoice I was presented with SPG (SA) Pty Ltd - ABN 22 628 324 176 which is one of the companies previously involved with the abovementioned court action.
Consumer and Business Services SA as part of a media release in 13 July 2023 informed: An electrical and plumbing business has been fined $125,000 for a "sophisticated and well-planned" scheme using fake reviews of its services to mislead consumers.
The Commissioner for Consumer Affairs began legal action against Star Plus Group Pty Ltd and a related business [SPG (SA) Pty Ltd - the same one providing these services under this provider] in the Federal Court for breaches of the Australian Consumer law, accusing the companies of engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct.
Reviews with attachments
Don't believe what they say about them self on they website. They are not more than money grabbing. I called them to change my solar inverter. The electrician they sent was desperate to take my signature before he checked any thing.then 5 minutes check he decided that the inverter needs to be replaced.and it will cost $2000. $1800 after company… Read more
discount. After I paid the money I checked the inverter he installed it costs brand saj 3kw it cost $400 with 10 years manufacturer warranty. Basically the electrician charge $1400 to connect 4 wire's to it Very bad,stay away from them
DON'T, I'M TELLING YOU DON'T USE THEM! – I made an account just to document how terrible of a company Star Plus Group is!. We eagerly commissioned them to install two new chandeliers for our new house as we saw their reviews. When the electrician came over to check if the chandelier was able to be hung, he expressed to his boss on the phone that it was an easy job, so we happily paid the… Read more
call out fee and agreed to both chandeliers being installed for $1,200. However he never finish the work! He installed the large chandelier completely wrong, we told him 4 seperate times that the sequence of building the chandelier was incorrect. We told him that he had to install the metal brace first before you put on the lights. He never listened. Instead he murmured that he spent 2 hours putting on the light, so therefore wasn't bothered to take it off and do it the correct way! He told us that he will come back tomorrow and we had to arrange a scaffold for them to put the chandelier on. We agreed on everything I mean EVERYTHING they said! Yet the next day they never showed up! Instead the manager gave us an angry call to pay them right now, threatening us and insulting us with racial slurs demanding us to pay them the money that they were "owed", the full $1200. We paid and agreed $600 because they did not finish the work, yet the next day they just tell us that we need the full $1200, despite clearly being the electrician ineptitude! They have put us into a debt collection agency as we didn't cower in their threats. Please, I really have to exaggerate please do not use them. If you do some research you can see that they were sued for flooding false 5 star reviews. $125,000 in fact!
Heaters – Tom has been the best electrician I have ever used, on time, neat and tidy, great work all round. I will be asking for Tom for all future electrical work in my home Show reply
Fast and effective service – An electrician was sent out on the same day that I called, for a non urgent job. The electrician who attended completed the job without issue and was friendly. Recommended. Show reply
Latest follow-ups
Be very very careful, they charge for every little thing they do, starts out with quote then every piece of equipment they use they charge extra, my plumber got to my house at 9am and left at 10.15am and that cost me over $700, and on top of that i… Read more
had to call out another plumber 3 weeks later and all they did was to use a long plunger and fixed the problem, he was here 15min and only cost me $70
Follow-up · BE VERY VERY CAREFULL, I WOULD NOT 100% NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLUMBER !!
Positive reviews
Multiple issues solved in one visit – Reviewed and fixed degraded electrics in our rental property. Solved power points, circuit breaker and air conditioner issues. Great job. We thank Dale for diligent service. Show reply
Solar inverter – Very happy with the service provided even though it was over the Christmas break . Dale came out to rectify a tech issue with the app very courteous young man fixed in no time . Show reply
Consistent high quality service and expertise – As always, the technician who serviced our A/C was experienced, professional, efficient and polite. The customer service we have received from Star Plus has been excellent. Highly recommended. Show reply
Negative reviews
On Thursday 22/5/25 I rang Star Plus Energy and spoke with a guy about our faulty inverter on our solar system. I told him what the problem was and he advised me that it would cost $189 for someone to come out and fix the problem. I asked if it could cost more than this and he told me that in most cases this would be the cost of fixing the… Read more
inverter. He said the technician would be here between 12 and 3pm. I told him that I was going out and could he make it for around 3pm or after. He said OKAY so I went out. The technician arrived soon after 12 and had a quick look at the unit. Told my wife it would cost $2,000 to replace the inverter as it could not be repaired. This guy was very pushy and wanted the job and said we would have to decide now or else the price would go up. I was on the phone to him as well as he was speaking with my wife. Told him to go ahead and book us in. He then insisted on taking away the old inverter – I told him no – he had to leave it. He was not happy about this. When I got home, I rang their office and put in a formal complaint about this young guy. He was rude, abrupt, pushy and not very professional. I would not employ him. Also spoke with them about improving the price. They dropped it by $150. Said there was not much room to move because of the cost factor. The next morning, they came around and installed the new inverter. Had no problems there as the tech was very helpful, efficient and professional. I paid them for the job and he showed me how to use the unit. He took away our old inverter as they make money on it. As I found out afterwards this inverter costs $675. So, they could have done a better price. So, they must pay their technicians well as they charged nearly $1,200 for labour. The total time both the technicians spent a our place was 2 hours. I will never deal with this company again and could not recommend them to anyone. They are just a rip-off and not very helpful at all.
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don't use them for plumbing – Charged $165 for providing a quote, the plumber is lack of common plumbing knowledge. Worse, they charge an extra $50 just for splitting the PDF quote into two.
Absolute rip-off company – We had a power surge from a huge storm, which resulted in our airconditioner not working. We need to claim on our insurance so we got Star Group out to inspect and write a report for the insurance company as requested. The person on the phone when we made the booking could not tell me the cost of this service, they said the technician would tell… Read more
us when he arrived. We were then told by the technician that we would have to pay $495 up front for him to complete his work, which was to inspect the airconditioner and write a report. Once he reset the airconditioner in the meter box, everything seemed to be working fine and we received the report that there was nothing wrong. Fast forward 2 weeks to the next time we needed to use the airconditioner and surprise, surprise it doesn't work. They refuse to come out to have another look unless we pay them at least another $500. The person was very rude on the phone, so much so that I had to hang up on him. Steer clear of this company, they will only rip you off. Very poor customer service indeed!!!!
Recent reviews
PowerPoint – Dale did an excellent job today installing our new PowerPoint and down-lights. It was lovely he was able to remember us from prior jobs and this continue the work-client relationship Show reply
Excellent work – I bought a house 3 months ago and needed to check all gas appliances, and later replace 3 water taps and fix a leaking pipe. On every occasion Adam came on time and did a very thorough job. Show reply
Plumbing – The service was completed in a timely manner and the tradie was friendly, efficient and very knowledgable in their field. Would definitely hire again for another job in the future. Show reply
Roller blind disconnection – Dale arrived on time and I found him to be very professional. He assessed the job quickly and once quote was accepted completed the job quickly and to a very high standard. Extremely satisfied with Dale and his work. Show reply
Very Costly Company – Air-conditioner not working called to repair when they arrived they requested that I sign acceptance of fees which was different to what was quoted over telephone. Airconditioner turned on without any faults. They thought they had better place a meter on the unit just to try and justify cost. Charged $249.00 just for rocking up. Next time I will… Read more
ring Fujitsu for recommended repair men. The charges this company charges you are better off purchasing a new air-conditioning unit and get 5 year warranty. In September last year they charged $500 just to vacuum filters of 2 air-conditioners less than 15 minutes work. They try and get you do a review immediately prior to leaving the property. Beware !!!
Dear Ian Llewellyn, We are sorry to hear about… Read more (+1 reply)
Multiple power points installation and electrical survey – We felt very comfortable with these guys. Dale was knowledgeable, friendly and completed the job to a high standard. No complaints Show reply
Outrageous rip off. Do not even enquire to have them visit – We called Star plus to repair our Mitsubishi air conditioner on 18 July. Their advertising offered $50 call out fee which would be deducted from the job if we proceeded They attended and immediately advised that we would have to pay $295 plus parts or otherwise pay $50 for the call out fee, and we had to sign before they did any inspection. He… Read more
took a cursory glance at the unit and advised that it was a PCB board and that the fan didn't turn freely. He then prepared a quote for $2069.52 to repair a $1200 air conditioner. ( The quote was not individually itemized) The quote advisd that they could replace main PCB and replace fan motor. It also advised no guarantee on repairs or parts and that if further issues arise then further charges would apply- He was gone within the hour. $295 for this visit is an outrageous price and so it's no surprise now why he had us sign the contract before he even enquired about the problem. I would NEVER recommend this company as I believe that I was overcharged for the "inspection" and that the quote was deliberately ridiculously high in order to gather the $295 fee without the company having to perform any repairs at all. We paid $295 to be advised that it wasn't worth repairing. I don't trust this company and wonder whether a reputable company would have prepared a sensible quote. A computer motherboard surely would cost no more than $200. Similarly a fan motor should likely be around $200 as well, so where did $2069.52 come from? I received an email from Star Group when I created this review and rang their number. The representative was particularly unpleasant and tried to make me feel like a pauper trying to get something for free. Of course he refused any compensation So caveat emptor. They should be ashamed but it's obvious that this is their business model. Charge $295 first. A cursory glance at the job, an outrageous quote and then on to the next sucker! We were scammed
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Unfortunately Absolutely The Worst Ever – For a circuit trip, called tech during business hours in March 2022. The tech comes and opens his iPad asks to sign for $295 to do fault finding or pay $50 call out fee and he leaves. I moved and unplugged all appliances earlier in the morning before tech came but forgot to unplug the one where the issue was. So, I was unsuccessful in fixing the… Read more
issue.
Little water splashed on the PowerPoint under the sink. He said we need to replace PowerPoint and the RCD. Asked him why safety switch? It was working fine until few minutes ago. Had language barrier, so I asked how much it comes to? He said $462. Gave me a blank page on iPad to sign and I signed. It’s no point saying it would have costed my friend $20 in total to fix the entire thing for me but well, it’s price to pay for so called same day service. Ask an honest electrician if you don’t believe me.
He changed the PowerPoint. I was transferring my money to pay $462. Needless to say, I had to ask him to put the PowerPoint back properly and fix it as he didn’t do that properly, leaving it sideways. He goes to the garage and by the time I reached, apparently he replaced the safety switch. He asked me to put my credit card details on his iPad and I did but when I pulled screen down, I noticed $757 on the next page that he was hiding. I said the amount is wrong. He said “wait, I am sending email with details”. When I checked the email, it was indeed $757+ already charged and he is out the door.
When I kept asking how, he says $58 for dual PowerPoint that you can buy for $10 max, $300+ for NHP safety switch that you can buy for $40 max. He says Covid pricing. I asked what about the rest of the amount. He says it’s labour. So, $295 labour + $58 dual power point + $300 or more for safety switch + more labour. Tech didn’t even want to answer anything and left by his vehicle as I was asking questions. Thank goodness I have video recording of how he was rushing away. When I went to the garage, realised he didn’t leave the old safety switch that was working.
Called their so called customer service very quickly. [Name Removed] says price is set by company and others charge $600 just to be onsite. I asked for my old safety switch back and I offered to drive down to wherever the tech is. [Name Removed] said tech just went onto Northern Express Highway but not to worry, tech will DEFINITELY drop it at my place by the end of the day. If tech can’t drop it, someone can Certainly drop it later in the day as it’s very nearby - they are local. They can reach tech. I saw tech had a phone that was working as he spoke with someone while at work. I had a bad feeling though and that’s why I offered to drive myself to the tech but since assurance was given by [Name Removed], I waited. At the end of the day I called and [Name Removed] said tech threw it in the bin but they will try to find it in the bin and return it next day.
Also, [Name Removed] promised that management will be in touch with me as [Name Removed] will relay this to the management. Waited few days and called back. [Name Removed] said and I quote, “sorry, mate. It’s (safety switch) gone. There is nothing we can do”. I asked how about my concern that I raised. X said tech followed the process (because I signed).
So, basically tech can just lie and get sign on iPad’s blank e-page and it’s all sorted. I told this to some people and nobody can believe what a fool I am that I paid this amount and the level of support I got from this company. This is my first negative review, so it might sound like one of the irritating ones. Apologies for that.
I gave fair share of time to this company - sent email to them on 14 April 2022 and it’s July now. No reply at all. Besides lying over phone, they didn’t even reply. But, I have to admit that their accounts team replied with 2 liners confirming prices of the materials without any brand name (not willing to give me itemised bill) that are way different from what Tech advised (recorded on camera). Accounts team said PowerPoint is $10+GST and RCD $186+GST. Checked my switchboard and I took a picture of RCDs on both ends. Can I find any difference in the picture attached between one RCD from 7 years ago and the other apparently installed by their tech? Tech had the same RCD ready within his 20 min job? Do they dare talking about it? No. How could they resolve it? - easily just by letting me drive down to the tech and getting Old RCD back. Did they agree to my offer? No. They falsely promised because no RCD was replaced in the first place.
Later from some legal sources, I found out that they are a company with many litigations and similar unethical practices. Many experienced the same and currently trying to resolve issues. I should have googled to read about them first but well, it’s too late. Will I take them to court with video and other evidences I have? It’s not decided yet. Are there honest people working for them? Perhaps. Did I meet or talk to any of the honest ones? No. Did they ever call or email me once as out of courtesy in regards to my concerns? No. Did I become aggressive with anyone? No. Once my money left my account, it’s not mine anymore. What a Company!
Electrical fault find – I am very impressed by the service from Dale at starplus group. Very effective and affordable. Prompt service. I am happy to recommend the services of this company. Thank you Show reply
Smoke alarm replacement – Dale is Fine outstanding young man. Did a very good job. Would recommend to others. Cleaned up after him self. We have used star plus group many times before. Thank you Show reply
Lights not working – Very punctual, quick to schedule a time to have a look at the problem, honest and agile. Trustworthy and very informative. Advised of the issue at hand, and ensured that the job was completed to a high level Show reply
I needed an electrician at short notice – I emailed the company after finding them online with a promise of receiving a call within the hour and Star Plus Electrical were true to their word. I booked the job and was told I'd be contacted within 2 Hours. Within the hour Tom (the sparky) called me to say he was 1/2 hour away and he was right on time. I really appreciate trades people… Read more · 1
communicating with the client and keeping their promise. Tom has a great manner and it was pleasure to deal with him. He found the fault by process of elimination, replaced the faulty part and completed the job in a professional manner. I will definitely use Star Plus Electrical in the future and I have there number in my phone.
split system fault – Dale investigated our LG split system fault and discovered the board had been damaged by ants. He professionally explained the options of repair v replace and enquired if anything else needed electrical work. Thanks Dale Show reply
Electrical – Dale was the electrician who attended. He was polite, explained the problem to me. Suggested the fitting be replaced, showed me the price which I agreed to and fixed the problem. Very happy with the work. Show reply
Electrical work – Dale was high professional, very tidy and neat work. Very pleasant person who took extra care to ensure the finished product was an extremely high standard. Job was completed in a timely manner. Show reply
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Dear Leanne / Peng Li, Thank you for your… Read more