SolarCity

A month later received phone call that system was shutting down throughout the day and they need to come over and correct issue. I wait two weeks for appointment, they cancelled and rescheduled. Just called today and found out the appointment is scheduled for this week, NO communication. I call MySolarCity earlier today and the guy said "I not going to lie to you" I thought well that good but he did not help. This is my experience. The solar install was over 30 panels.

February 2 - Finally received response that someone will get back to me. February 2 - I signed the proposal as I was told any changes could set back the project. February 12 - System installation scheduled, my choice to delay 2 days enabling a Saturday install. February 14 - Invoice for 50% of balance. February 16 – Payment. February 17 - System installation. Made changes to design during installation. February 21 - Re-design approval. February 22 - Notice on Inspection. February 26 - City Inspection (I was not advised to be home for electrical box inspection).

March 1 - Had to be home for re-inspection inside. March 2 - I check to see if inspection results was send to Electric Company. March 2 - Invoice for final payment. March 7 - No response yet from scheduler, I resend request on results to Electric Company. March 3 - I questioned need for final payment, system is not functioning yet. March 7 - Reminder on payment, no response on my request on why payment. March 7 - Final payment. March 12 - I check with Electric Company, was advised something is missing. A placard is needed and SolarCity did not know. March 14 - Last update from Sales, he went dark for 3 days. His title - Sr. Sales Support Specialist. I am not getting a timeline. March 15 - I shared my gate code with Ops team. March 17 - Was told that they have other scheduled work too.

March 19 - No response yet... System has been installed more than a month, with delays in scheduling inspection and submitting accurate documentation. Once accurate documentation is send to Electric Company, they have 9 -10 weeks according to SolarCity. I will update as I get further input. My suggestion, ensure SolarCity is ready to support your County / City / Electric Company.

My previous utility was APS, no issues with APS. Per SRP no legal issues going on, Panels was removed on January 19th 2018, still I am paying bill for SolarCity, Today I got a letter from SolarCity stating releasing contract due to debtor default; I did not understand, how come debtor's default? SolarCity broke the contract, I was told while purchasing I could move anywhere USA with any utility company. On top of everything, the man called me was so rude, told me I would end up paying full amount for the panel which is sitting in their storage, I did not sign the release contract. I never recommend SolarCity to anybody I know.

I had signed up for auto-pay. After a few months, they stopped withdrawing my auto-payments without informing me. Interest accrued on my account. I thought I got it resolved, but a few more months later of still no auto-pay and I inquired, they told me I had to call or email to authorize payments because my account was complicated. I don't understand how/why it's so complicated. So I authorize my Jan 2018 payment and they send me a receipt saying payment received. Receive my Feb invoice and the numbers are off again and show no reduction in principal balance. Inquire again, and they say January payment didn't really go through (so I look at my checking account and verify no transaction) and I have 3 months of accrued interest brewing. I schedule a payment of $100 and confirmed with my checking account - yes it went through this time.

I'm angry and over it so I request a payoff quote. The payoff quote is more than $200 than the principal balance on my last invoice. I dispute it. They insist the payoff is accurate, citing I have $75 in accrued interest. I remind that I made a $100 payment that should negate that $75 plus some, if that were true. I ask them to send me some sort of balance sheet showing a running total with my payment history. They refuse. Really? It's simple amortization! At this point, I'm paying off the loan and saying screw it. Me paying an extra $100-$200 that I don't expect to get back is worth the savings in future interest avoided as well as not having to deal with their financing dept. ever again. I reported them to the State of California.

One of their customer service reps advised that my bill is for the lease of my panels and not the power consumed. I'm aware of the details of my contract. I'm also aware that as part of that lease, it is expected that the panels will generate electricity not simply serve as an unsightly adornment on my roof for aesthetic purposes. I'm paying for a service. I've been told for months that once my inverter begins working again, SolarCity will be able to get an accurate reading from it and issue a credit. That hasn't happened. There is no end in sight here. I've tried to remain optimistic but you're not making this easy SolarCity. Not at all.

The last time I complained they offered me a dining discount that was worth about $3.00. They claim it is a software problem and won't admit that this is their way of punishing me for winning in court. They have lied to my face. Lied over the phone and their representative at small claims court was rude and dismissive. I tell everyone I meet considering solar for their home to stay away from SolarCity.

And, around here anyway, having leased solar makes your home darn near unsellable; understandable that nobody wants to get roped into these 20-yr contracts that don't allow for you to pay it off early. At the end of the 20 yrs (& NOT before then), you can either extend the contract or let 'em come repossess their panels, etc. And get this: if you decide to move (if you even find a buyer for your house), they'll move your panels to your new place or if you decide to leave the panels with the house, Solar City's "third party loan" company has to approve the buyers taking over the lease.

I heard 1 guy say he was going to just quit making the payments & let 'em come repossess their stuff. Well guess what? If you, like I did, got roped into letting them take the payments auto out of your bank acct--and they really push you to do it this way, "We'll charge you $7.49 less a month, bla bla"--you can't cancel the payments since you didn't set up the autopay thru your bank yourself but set it up thru Solar City, so you have to contact Solar City to stop the payments. Yeah, right; you know what they'll say to that. (That's my bank's policy anyway; maybe yours would be different.)

Anyway, we're now sitting here in an unsellable house (unless we lower the price down to "give-away" level). They should really give people the option of paying the loan off early; but neither of us had ever leased anything before & feel like we were rushed thru the reading & signing of the contract. So don't lease solar & don't set up auto payments thru anybody but your bank.

We had our professional 'roof man', who has met our roofing needs over the past 40 years, come look at it. Upon checking out the leak and the roof - this had nothing to do with the solar installation, he informed us that this roof, of 28 years (20 yr shingles), was showing significant signs of deterioration in regards to the roofing materials (shingles showing wear) and that the solar panels should not have been installed without addressing replacing the roofing material first. He addressed the leak (minor issue) and I called SolarCity. I was very upset that the condition of the roofing material wasn't brought to my attention at the time of the roof inspection. I was given a 'scripted reply' by the customer service person I spoke with-that when the engineers come out to inspect roofs, the only issue they are concerned with is the 'roof structure and ability to support the panels', they are NOT inspecting the roofing material.

I informed the customer service person that I felt this was unprofessional, misleading and neglectful, because in my mind, a 'roof inspection' is a dual inspection - structure and roofing material integrity. Especially when it is going to cost me ~ $400 to have the solar units removed and put back in order to replace the roof (not even a year later!) I'd asked my sales person after the roofing inspection, specifically about the roof 'being in good shape', only to be assured that 'all was good and passed the engineer's inspection'. I received a follow up phone call from another SolarCity rep after completing their survey, only to hear the same script. I let her know the same thing, most homeowners would think a 'roof inspection' did assess the roofing material and let the homeowner know, prior to installation, that it may need attention.

So - here is my warning: Buyer BEWARE! If you do go with this company, have a professional roofer inspect your roof prior to agreeing to an installation and save yourself the money of having to pay for the labor of removing/replacing the solar because their engineers didn't include the evaluation of the roofing material integrity in your inspection.

I called Solar City and asked if they would install some type of snow barrier to avoid the snow falling down. The customer service was very rude and indicated that it was stated in the contract that I was responsible for getting the snow off my panels. I explained the main problem is that the panels are 40 feet from the ground. Again, she indicated that it was in the contract and I was responsible to figure out how to get the snow off the panels. I further explained to the customer service agent that all 4 entries of my home are in line of snow falling which happens when it falls.

I further indicated how my truck was damaged and also the house as well. My main fear is that when this heavy snow falls it could possibly fall on my family and or dogs while exiting my home. Lastly, I asked if I could buy my own barriers and attach them to the panels. I was told by the customer service agent that they are owned by Solar City and I wasn't authorized. I don't know what to do at this point. If I knew this ahead of time I would of never signed the contract. Highly disappointed.

Plus, they didn't cash checks and credit my account for months, again, not an acceptable practice. In addition, their system and the electric company production records don't jive and they either {a} didn't want to prove up their system or {b} can't prove up anything. Argued with them for over a year and still don't believe the jumbled info they sent. Then they finally set up an electronic pay system, best thing they did in my opinion. HOWEVER, all they did was push the error to that one and those folks are just as bad as the other ones when it comes to resolving the issue.

Then the internet interface was down for 2 months before I could convince them to send a new one, still wondering how if that isn't working how do they know what the system is producing and how it jives with what the utility company is showing. After many complaints and frustrating conversations I had 1 person trying to work with me a few years back, but he couldn't show me where all the money I sent was accounted for. It appears that Solar City has a different view of resolving issues than the average person has, their way or no way. I WILL FOREVER REGRET EVER DOING BUSINESS WITH SOLAR CITY...

Solar City contacted us regarding bill a few months later and we told him the story who passed it on to his Regional Mgr. We would like panels re-installed. Months go by and finally they ask would we break contract and we said yes either way but we weren’t going to pay for non-installed solar. I email 2-3 people each month regarding having the matter decided and today Dec 20th, they say we have to pay $499 (de-install/re-install fee) (never was reinstalled since August 2016). All Solar payments up until this month! Even though we have been waiting for their decision on installing panels or breaking contract! So now the price they want is $1100! I believe maybe it should be 1/2 of the $499.

No proactive tracking, no update on timeline, no set timelines. They just lie every time you ask and give some absurd answer. No way to reach the technical team online. You are dealing with customer service who just does not know much and of no help other than giving another timeline at every call. Totally frustrated. BTW – it’s their own requirement to have power generation monitored 24/7 but consumer is following up, wasting time without any resolution over the months. Pretty bad service overall.

After contacting SolarCity numerous times, nothing is resolved. Instead of a solution, I was told what my local forecast was, told my consumption must be increasing, and told I have guarantee and would receive a check after 2 years should the system not perform. I continued to contact SolarCity with the Customer Service department referring me to their Technical Department and the Technical Department referring me back to Customer Service Department. I received a power bill from PSE&G in the middle of the summer showing I used 10kWh from my power bank in one of the most productive months of the year. (Not possible.) I called PSE&G & inquired about my energy bank and they informed me at the same time last year I had 300 kWh more in my bank.

There have been no changes in my home, no new appliances, no A/C units in use at all, no one in the house except me, no new buildings, no new tall trees. The only change from 2016 to 2017 is that I was home during the day in 2016, and using the computer every day. My usage should be less in 2017. When I contacted SolarCity Customer Service and told them there is definitely something wrong having 300 kWhs less in the bank this summer, I was told again I have a Guarantee and will have to wait for 2 years to see IF I will be receiving a check. Clearly after more than a year and a half, SolarCity has done nothing to look into a possible malfunction in their equipment and now, Customer Service is telling me after 2 full years of falling short, they will decide IF I will be getting a check.

I paid SolarCity in full for a system that will provide me with all my power for the next 30 years. (Providing no changes.) My latest PSE&G bill shows I have nothing in my Energy Bank. I will not be looking forward to paying PSE&G full electric bills this Winter when I have already pre-paid SolarCity for my power. I don't have a monthly payment. My system is paid off. If the system was working correctly, I wouldn't be paying PSE&G for the next 5 months.Where the initial readings incorrect? Are all the panels working? I should have at least 300kWh more in my bank. Is someone stealing my power? Has someone tampered with the system? After emailing numerous people, they don't even agree what the guaranteed amount is. The one person who knew what he was doing at SolarCity is gone. Tesla/SolarCity does not deliver what they promised. Today is December 7, 2017 - after almost 2 years, only 4609 kWh produced.

I finally got through to customer service by going through the BBB (they since have closed the complaint due to how long it's taken to fix things) and they told me that I installed my pool after the installation of the system. I did not. The pool was installed BEFORE the system. They knew that. I have emails to that fact. They then told me that I have to wait a year. For what??? They won't give me an answer. They won't fix anything, They won't talk to me, and I have no guarantees that my problem will be looked at by anyone. This company is irresponsible. They treat customers like they are criminals. I bought this system in good faith and was so happy to have solar. I don't understand why I have been treated so badly by a group of people.

I thought it was a catch from the beginning because why would a company give away free panels what do they gain. When they ran my credit I did not initially qualify. I should have looked at that as a sign and ran as fast as I could but my mother basically vouched for me. She told me that I may have to trim some of the trees in my backyard so that the panels I would receive would get full access to the light. That was was another sign I should have took and ran. But I inevitably didn't have to get any trees trimmed so I continued with the process. The energy consultant also told me that I would be paying less than $100 for both bills. The only truthful thing I felt she told me was that I couldn't claim these panels on my taxes. She also neglected to tell me that the company will place a lien on your home if you want to sell off your home and the panels that you don't essentially own aren't finished being paid for.

I had asked my relative, "So when do we get to claim the tax credit," thinking that eventually we would own the panels thinking he may know because of that's a question I forgot to ask. He stated that probably when the panels are finished being paid for that day will never come. I also didn't know that if I decided to sell or rent that the new owners would have to accept responsibility for the contract with them. Nor did I know the cancellation terms that also would have been a game changer for me. I wondered why there would be two bills and she told me that it would be to pay for any energy used by the solar panels and of course whatever power if any I would use from BG&E.

Because I have a larger family I thought, "Well if I can pay less than my current BG&E bill alone this might actually work." Not only will I be paying less between both bills but I will also be leaving less of a carbon footprint on the earth. Not thinking about what happens with the disposal of these panels. I do blame myself for not thoroughly reading through my contract and asking more of the right questions, making sure I have a better understanding (which I thought I already had) or even telling them no thank you for the first two incidences but from what the consultant told me which was convincing I thought it would be a win for my family and myself.

I went on with everything and in 1/2016 my panels were installed. I ended up going through three dryers because the construction team neglected to connect a cord back up so that my dryer could run on a certain amount of watts to dry my clothes. I got rid of my old dryer thinking it went bad, replaced it with a used one thought that one was bad, bought a brand new one and when that one didn't dry we knew it couldn't be the dryer. After some time passed my bill started to come in and I noticed that my bill was not under $100. That summer of 2016 my solar city bill was over 200 and my BG&E bill was right under that. I called them to complain and asked why my bill was this high when I was told by the energy consultant my bill wouldn't be over 100. The customer service agent said that it's because of the summer and typically bills are higher than and it should drop during the colder months.

I was astonished of course. No ** is what I thought but that's not what I was told when I signed up for SolarCity. That was the beginning of my unhappiness. These bills kept coming in and they were higher than what I would have paid if I was just with BG&E. There has not been one day that has gone by that I am not paying over 100 between both bills for electricity. I felt mislead, tricked, upset by all of this with SolarCity. Currently, I am not working and contacted them to see if they offered assistance for people who are unemployed.

The agent wrote back and told me that they offer a payment plan and that currently they are not adding any late fees. What am I going to do with a payment plan when I don't work and it's hard enough to maintain the main bills let alone paying and extra electricity bill? And with all these reviews I feel like my home is tainted because of these panels from SolarCity and the reputation it has gained. I may be stuck in this home when I had plans to move and rent out after a certain time. No one is going to want to rent let alone buy my home knowing I have solar city panels. I just want to be done with SolarCity pay whatever remaining balance I have and they come get their panels because this has been a nightmare.

Then I had to hire the third party inspecting the whole roof to figure out who should be responsible for it. The third party told me it was SolarCity. Then I told SolarCity the third party inspection showed it was SolarCity's responsibility. The picture showed broken tile near solar panel. They still told me it was not their responsibility. How could they walk away and left broken tile on my roof for years? Rain is coming soon. I had to hire roof company coming. I don't have lots of time arguing with SolarCity and let my house continues to be damaged more.

My neighbour hired other solar company installed solar panels on their roof. There were lots of broken tiles around the solar panels. Their house was damaged a lot. Inside walls wet and lots of bubbles on the wall came out. Later they fixed it and sold out the house quickly. So don't trust any Solar companies, don't let them install solar panels on your roof. Besides, the third party told me if you wanted to sell your house, if other people said they didn't want solar panels on the roof, then you had to hire third party to remove them. It costs a lot to remove them.