SolarCity
ConsumerAffairs Accredited Brand
Since 2006, SolarCity has strived to be the national leader in clean energy services and has become America’s largest solar provider. We specialize in residential and commercial solar systems. We provide energy at a lower cost than paying for energy generated by burning coal, oil and natural gas.
Our mission is to see millions adopt clean energy services, which in the long run will save them from rising electricity costs. We will work with you through the entire process and will provide ongoing monitoring and repair services. Call today for more information!
A+
BBB Rating456 SolarCity Consumer Reviews and Complaints
Our solar PV system was installed quickly after our final communication that someone would be calling for an install date. The team that performed the install was very professional, educating, and thorough in ensuring that my wife and I understood the system and how to engage it when we received word to do so. Our authorization to operate the system came quickly after install. We could not have asked for a better experience. Since install our panels have been producing the kW as stated and we have had no issues. Thank you.
From the very first contact with SolarCity to this very second as I check my system's production online, I have been constantly pleased with their level of expertise, customer service and professionalism. I will never regret my decision to use them for my solar needs.
I signed up for Solar City 4 years ago (lease) and I recently had additional panels installed because of SDG&E's upcoming rate increase. Although I would have loved to purchase solar panels, it was just not affordable for me. There were no surprises for either installation. Everything was explained and communication from Solar City was consistent. My first install was on the garage so the county inspected the work. The latest install went on the house. Appointments for installation happen very quickly after the lease is signed. It is scheduling the inspections that seem to take a lot longer--anywhere from 2 weeks to a month. This has NOTHING to do with Solar City (read some complaint reviews blaming Solar City for long hair for inspections).
Unbeknownst to Solar City, the state had to do the inspection. The county inspector who was sent out is how we all learned that the inspection had to be done by the state because it is a manufactured home on a solid foundation. Right then, I knew this was going to be a long wait. Aaron ** and his team were in constant contact with the state securing the proper paperwork needed and getting contracts to me from the state declaring that I am the owner and to verify serial and model numbers of the house. It was a 2 month wait to get an appointment with a state certified inspector and Solar City was in constant communication with me apologizing which they did not need to do because they do not have control over the inspections.
No need for me to me to be upset with either the state or SC because I have no control over them. SDG&E approved turning on the second system within 2 days of the inspection (they can take up to 2 weeks, also). Now I enjoy seeing all my bar graphs in the negative. Although I pay more for the lease in the winter months than I would electricity (lease is fixed), I pay a third of what I would pay for months (June to October) for electricity. Last year, my final SDGE bill was $40.
Solar City is by far the most professional business I have worked with from the sales agent to the technicians and electricians, and follow up technicians. Family and friends who have signed up with them say the same. I got solar so I could reduce my electric bill but also so I know I am helping the environment. So, even though I know I am paying more overall with a lease as opposed to buying, I know I am making a difference environmentally. Solar City made it possible for me to get solar with their lease program.
We are so happy to hear that you had a great experience with us, Danielle. We work very hard to provide top of the line service and are thrilled to hear that you received our best. Thank you for helping create a greener environment and thank you for choosing to do so with SolarCity!
We were sold on the idea by a SolarCity sales represent to get panels installed. We went through their process smoothly and super fast. SolarCity sent emails and contacted us continuously. They were quick to schedule our roof inspection. Their roof inspector for came and cleared our roof for installation of the panels and again SolarCity quickly scheduled the installation. The installation was done within that same week (in July 2016). 1 year later we started noticing leaks on our roof. The worst was in our daughter's bedroom where the creaking cracked and water was leaking heavily. We called SolarCity and let them know. On September 5 their the roof inspector (Tesla employee) inspected the roof and told us we would hear from Solar. It's ASAP. A full week went by and didn't get a call or email from SolarCity.
We called them and were told that they had made the decision that they were not liable for the roof and we would have to pay to have our roof replaced and pay them $500 to remove the panels to get the work done. We asked for their deduction in writing as to why they felt they were not liable for the roof and the copy of the report. Each time we were told that someone would call us with more info. We are still waiting for a call or an email. We have called them at least 7 times requesting in writing their decision and they have Not sent us anything. They are no longer taking our calls and refuse to send us anything in writing. When we now call they tell us the same thing, "We will have one of the supervisor call you," and we continue to wait. We managed to get a report from the o let representative that was willing to help but now can never get in touch with.
They saw red flags with our roof prior to install that we could have taken care of. The installation of the panels should have never been done. They were so ever to install that they accelerated the damage to our roof. Solar City was dishonest and didn't give us a chance to avoid the severe damage that we now have on our roof. They don't feel liable for their dishonesty and negligence. We are requesting that they send us in writing their decision and the reason as to why they feel they are not liable. Our home insurance needs that Information as well as the people that have to give us quotes. Everything is on hold while SolarCity continues to deny us the paperwork to help us get our roof fixed. Fall is here then, we've had a few days of rain and water keeps leaking through our ceilings.
The damage is getting worst, we are now unable to use both of my daughters' bedrooms and the bathroom in our room. We are worried about the mold that forming and more water continuing to damage not only the roof but now inside water damage to our home. It is getting unsafe and yet SolarCity has no regard or worry for our safety. SolarCity (as well as Tesla) have no regard for our safety. They are so eager to install in homes and being negligent and dishonest with the consumers. BEWARE OF THEIR GREED.
Biggest scam ever. I’m contacting a lawyer in the morning. Their guys in Home Depot will ruin your life. We’re on a fixed income and our two bills, yes I said two bills one from PG&E and SolarCity robbing you. See the electric company gets very upset when you go solar. I’m so freaking mad right now??? I’m not easily taken advantage of but these guys lie so much to get their commission. No trust these **. They rip you off. SolarCity is a scam.
My journey with SolarCity started almost 5 years ago. Yes, I should have looked more closely and read the 12 pages of small print, but I trusted the friendly and charismatic salesperson. It's only much later that I realized I had "prepaid" my electricity and when I did the math, I saved almost nothing. When the 20-year-term is up, I will have recouped my initial $6,000 prepayment. Annually, I get a bill from SCE, this time for $320. At this point, I'm almost at the cost per year that I was at before I installed solar panels. In the meantime, SolarCity got all the tax incentives and rebates. The business model works for them, not so much for the customer.
A year or so ago, I contacted SolarCity about buying a Tesla vehicle. I wanted to know how much power they used and whether I would need more solar panels. They told me it was impossible to estimate that (!!) and that I couldn't add panels under my plan, that the current system wasn't expandable. In other words, they told me I would need another system added on (or the current one replaced) and a new contract. Wow! I went online to get an estimate of the electricity needs of a Tesla S and found some information. I would need a larger array for sure.
In hindsight I wish I had purchased the solar panels, but I'm pretty sure that 5 years ago, they didn't offer a loan and I didn't have enough cash to buy the whole system, so I prepaid. I wouldn't do this again, and I sure wouldn't hire SolarCity again. Why? I want to be able to trust the company I patronize and I want the company to be responsive to my needs. SolarCity is neither trustworthy, nor responsive. I sincerely hope that things will improve now that Tesla is in charge although even before SolarCity was Elon Musk's brainchild and look what happened... The thing is, I was a fan in the beginning. I love renewable energy, but it looks like I paid dearly for my environmentalism instead of truly saving money in the process, too.
Have tried multiple times to understand my bill with little help from customer service. We've been told our system is connected to the gateway and have yet to get someone out to look at it after several attempts. I currently hate SolarCity.
Beware!!! The salesman promised that I would pay less than I used to pay to Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE). Instead, I am paying less to BGE and MUCH MORE to SolarCity! I feel they are worse than a used car dealership-- tell me anything to get me to sign on the dotted line. Shame on SolarCity for such deception!
How do I know I can trust these reviews about SolarCity?
- 912,248 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
For more information about reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com please visit our FAQ.
When you see the advertising it's easy to get fooled into thinking this is a great company. Upon signing up they made many promises including upgrading panels if needed for no cost as well as that I would save money. Instead each year my PGE sends me a bill for 500-1500 each year additional. They want in one lump sum. So between that lump sum and monthly payment of over $100 I demand to know where my savings is?
In addition the system was not working for who knows how long. Took them forever to come out and when I showed them my bill that I keep getting from PG&E they said I could cancel the contract then later acted like they never stated this. This contract is absurd that I would be stuck with something that is NOT saving me a dime. This is false advertisement and has cost me more... It would have been cheaper to NEVER get this system and they put a UCC lien on my house that If I move I'm still stuck paying for the system for 25 years~! This should be illegal.
When I called customer service they had a "I don't care about you" attitude and said basically, "Tough nuggets. You signed the contract. You're stuck!" Even if it doesn't work and isn't enough panels. I was promised a Tesla upgrade for storage of power etc. It's all be lies and BS. Companies like SolarCity need to be shut down for false promises and false advertising. It's a total ripoff. I will come back to upload further info with acct and receipt and repeated emails and stating systems wasn't working and they don't know for how long and they have never maintained as promised.
I had my system activated in March 2017. The system operates but was under-designed and only offsets my electric bill by 40%. The design of the system is way under the energy usage. My home is in Tucson and we obviously have enough sunshine here. The way it was cased out to me was that it would generate enough KW to offset 78% of my demand based on electric bills that I supplied them. My last electric bill was $189 plus the lease payment of $74 a month. What their estimate to me was an average electric bill of $30 plus the lease payment. I have called them numerous times and they refuse to help by adding additional panels to provide me what they should have done from the beginning. If you read this and are considering using them, I wouldn’t use them.
We have been with Solar City for almost 2 years. While our experience with energy production has been great, our recent ongoing experiences with customer service have been horrid! When we initially signed on with SolarCity, we knew that we would not be in our home for more than 2-3 years. We diligently asked questions and confirmed parts of the contract. The Solar City contract gives you 3 options when selling your house: 1) the buyer takes over your lease 2) you pay off the panels and leave them for the buyer to use at no cost or 3) you take the panels with you.
When we had them installed, we knew the town we wanted to relocate to did not allow panels and asked if none of the 3 options were possible what would happen. We were told that 98% of buyers want to keep the panels. However if for some reason they didn't and we couldn't take them to our new home, that Solar City would remove the panels (at our cost) and take them back. Well, now that it's time for that to happen, we are finding out that it isn't true and that Solar City does not stand behind anything their representatives tell customers.
Now that our home is weeks from closing, Solar City is making our transaction nearly impossible. The people buying our home do not want the solar panels on the roof. Period. Even after telling Solar City this, they required a call with the home buyers who really did not want to speak with them. Even after the home buyers reiterated that they were not interested, Solar City would not make a clear plan on how the situation would be handled. After hours upon hours of calls and emails over the last week, they continue pushing for us to move the panels to our new home.
After reiterating that the town we are moving to doesn't allow them (due to having a municipal electric plant) and even having them call themselves, they still will not work cooperatively towards a solution. We have shown them that the contract does not have any information regarding what happens in this situation and have provided the info given to us by our salesperson, however we still cannot get anyone to reasonably help us so we can get the solar panels off the roof to complete the sale of our home. If you are in your forever home, the solar is great and saves a lot of money. If there is any chance you are moving within the next 20 years, you should think twice before signing up for Solar City!
SolarCity started billing for what they call "Non-ACH Payment" fee of $7.50. When questioning the fee, their supervisor Logan explained that it is an administrative fee for processing paper checks and that I need to sign up for auto pay. Well, they are not receiving paper checks from me, I'm making the payments electronically through their website which is an electronic payment. He was rude and showed lack of basic customer service skills. He refused to waive the monthly fee even after I told him I would not refer SolarCity to anyone that is interested in getting solar panels. We are not even saving the money they told us we would be saving. I definitely do not recommend them, once you sign that contract, they don't really care about their customer.
When you see the advertising it's easy to get fooled into thinking this is a great company. I was wrong. I feel like when I first signed up they weren't very up front. They talk up all the good things and none of the downsides. For example no one ever told me that once a year I'd get a bill from PGE for 1500 dollars on top of what I pay SolarCity which essential negates all the savings from having these panels. Also after a family of pigeons started living under my panels they sent some maniacs to my home who put netting on the panels and left injured and dead birds all over my yard and a bunch of bird poop that I had to clean up. My kids were pretty upset seeing dead birds flipping around on their yard.
When I called customer service they had a tough nuggets type of attitude. I'm a nurse. Before I do a procedure or give a patient medications I explain the benefits and side effects of whatever we are going to do. Companies like SolarCity get to hide it in the fine print. We all know that PGE rips us off for electricity but SolarCity acts like they are a better alternative. My experience is now I'm just stuck dealing with two companies that are ripping me off. Sick of this stuff.
My husband and I had solar panels put on our home roughly 5 yrs. ago. We were very direct and stated that within the next few years we would need to have the roof replaced, and the sales representative advised that there would be no problems or cost to have the panels temporarily taken off and then placed back on. Fast forward to now and we are being told it is $1000 for this to happen. We have both made multiple calls to the customer service department who insists that a manager will call us back, and there has been no callback. We received one very condescending email and that was it.
The last rep went as far to tell us when they merged with Tesla they were aware of salespersons giving false information to get the contract signed hence why they changed their sales techniques. I am beyond frustrated! They will not take the panels off the roof, they cannot give me any kind of straight answer or even attempt to work with me on the lie my husband and I were told.
In the last week, If I could give a lower rating I would. This company is horrible. My solar system was installed three years ago. During these three years, I have had nothing but problems. The first three months my system did not work at all. After at least 10 technicians coming out at different times to repair the problem, it was decided that at least 20 panels would have to be replaced. When the technicians came out to replace the panels, they destroyed my gutters. Finally the system worked. Now a year and a half after the new panels were installed, the system is not working again.
During these three years, my husband and I have called SolarCity hundreds of times. You never speak to the same person twice and nobody has any idea of what they are doing. You cannot speak to a manager because they are not at "liberty" to connect you. I was also told that after two years I would be reimbursed for the months my system did not work. When I called regarding my reimbursement, I was told I was owed $3.64. Really? How is that even possible? The system did not work for months. While I believe solar is a great idea, I would never recommend this company. In fact if anyone asked me about Solar City, I would tell them to run in the opposite direction as fast as you can.
Just as mentioned previously in July by another customer, I was promised my bill to be cut in half. NOT TRUE. I am paying the same as before AND I am paying Southern CA Edison a monthly fee as well because if not I will end up like last year paying a one time payment of $1,500. I contacted SolarCity and they informed me that I would need more panels however, this can't be done on my house because of the roof slants. They basically apologized and offered me no solution. I am stuck with them now and paying more than I did before. Shame on you for taking advantage of the people and then leaving them in a rut.
I had a fire on my roof due to defective equipment SolarCity used and now have been completely ignored by the company. The company has shown absolutely no care for the pain and suffering they caused. HORRIBLE customer service.
Thanks Consumer Affairs. Solar City process the refund once the review was posted.
SolarCity is the worse company I ever work with. I choose SolarCity after getting bids from few other companies for a solar system at my home. Contract was signed on July 10, 2017. I was told again and again that if my house need any modification, my initial deposit of $500 will be refunded. System design team send me the email on July 21, 2017 that my house need $4700 upgrade on my roof. They were asking to replacement of the portion of ceramic tile roof with composite shingle roof. They were willing to pitch in $1300 on my behalf. I told them that, I will not like 2 types of roof on my house, and my ceramic tile roof is only 10 years old and is in a great shape. They did not agree and I canceled the contract on August 1, 2017, since it will be 30% price overrun and will having 2 types of roof.
I contacted the companies who also make the bid and ask them to check the roof before I sign the contract. Both the companies inspected the roof and found it in an excellent condition for solar panels. I keep contacting the SolarCity and salesperson by phone and email and asking for my refund. They never bother to return my call. I already selected another company, their engineers approved the site and design. My biggest mistake was I go for brand name TESLA. Tesla is a good company but SolarCity is not worth dealing with. Avoid it at all cost.
The initial customer service with SolarCity was great and the sales side was smooth up until the system was designed and ready to be installed. We were moving forward with the purchase of the system and would later come to find out that somewhere without our authorization we had signed up for a lease agreement. Never once was that even mentioned to us throughout the entire process except on the final contract which we unfortunately signed out of trust. Shame on SolarCity and its employees for using these types of tactics to push deals through the pipeline.
We signed our contract in April 2015. We FINALLY got our system installed in July 2016. It is now August 2017 and we still have not received our rebate!!!! I have spoken to numerous people at SolarCity and after many promises ---- DON'T TRUST THEM!!!!
I took over a payment purchase plan in November of 2016. It's now August 2017 and I have YET to be able to log into my online billing and see my bills. I have YET to resolve a billing issue that continues to get ignored by customer service. They provide an incorrect response, then stop responding completely to any emails or new requests. Since I could not log into my online account, and since I never received a paper bill, I called in December/January customer service to put a credit on my account to cover the 3+ months of back bills (I never received) and future bills to give them time to "fix my account". I didn't start receiving paper bills until MAY and within the May bill, it was clear I was being charged a $7.50 a month FEE for having A CREDIT ON MY ACCOUNT.
Customer service confirmed, at the beginning of June that the fee only started in May, and it had not been charged during the Nov-Apr months. This was fine. Even though I disagree with having to pay 2 ACH fees (I can understand the first fee since I used a credit card to put a credit on my account EVEN THOUGH THE REP NEVER TOLD ME I WOULD BE CHARGED, I noticed they did mention it in my contract). While on the call in June, I said I would ignore the second fee, and I put an auto-ACH on my account to prevent their screw ups again. I was then charged ANOTHER non-ACH fee at the beginning of July, which is when I emailed in and explained this needed to be refunded. I have now received 2 email replies to FIVE emails to customer service. Within those emails they claimed the auto-ACH wasn't added until July, even though I called in June.
I have now sent over 8 emails and the issue is still pending. I have yet to receive a reply to the last 3 emails I have sent. They are charging customers $7.50 a month TO DEBIT CREDITS THAT ARE ON THE ACCOUNT and trying to just it by saying it's a non-ACH transaction! It's not even a transaction! There is no payment processing being done.
Bad experience with SolarCity. I had a sales person come and go over everything and then I had my site survey. Never heard anything after and tried contacting SolarCity. I was told I need to upload a copy of my recent bill. This is after not hearing anything for 2 months, I was also told someone will contact me 2 weeks later. No call or email. Just a waste of time and now a hard inquiry on my credit report that will last 2 years for no service.
If you are on a fixed income and pay little or no income tax, be aware that the tax credit incentives SolarCity promises may not apply in your situation. However even if you are not eligible for it do not receive a tax credit/tax refund for your SolarCity install. This company will want their "share" anyway, even if you are billed for it.
We found this out recently as for over two years we have tried to explain to SolarCity this anomaly in the tax process because my husband is a disabled vet and I am on SSDI so we do not pay income taxes as we did when we worked. Nonetheless we have been harassed, called multiple times, emailed, and when we signed up for auto pay to keep from paying an extra $15 a month processing fee, SolarCity pulled $1,000 from our checking account with no warning. Be very careful with these people. They are impossible to deal with, especially after being bought by Tesla, whose shareholders by the way are suing for misrepresentation.
Roshica! This is really amusing! You submitted a layout to me that is false as I am sure you would be submitting the same layout to the Town of Smithtown to place additional solar panels on my roof where there is not sufficient space. You refuse to allow me to meet with someone at my home so they can demonstrate where they could place additional panels. I certainly cannot enter into a settlement that I know you cannot honor because of the false documents you have submitted to me.
Please advise your upper management of the REAL situation and the reason I cannot enter into an agreement that is impossible to install additional panels on my home. On Monday, August 14, 2017 I will forward all your documents including the falsified roof plan to the New York State Attorney General who has been contacting me weekly seeking a status of the case. Obviously only legal action from New York State will get this matter resolved.
Last summer 2016 we had solar panels installed and a free roof put on. The roofers were good about cleaning up the outside, but left a mess in our attic and broke the window without telling us. We are older and rarely go into the attic, but couldn't believe the wood and mess they left. They installed the solar panels with no issues but our sales representative failed to tell us that there would be a problem with snow and ice sliding off of our roof on both sides into our neighbor's driveway and ours. Our cars were damaged from the falling ice and snow in which our homeowners would not cover.
Our neighbor was very upset as she is elderly with the chunks of snow and ice falling into her driveway. We had never had this problem with falling ice and snow in our driveway before. They also failed to tell us that our sales rep no longer worked for Solar City as we were trying to get in touch with him. Finally got in touch with someone from Solar City and asked us to send pictures as we had taken some this winter. That was two months ago and no one has contacted us. It is very frustrating and winter will be here soon.
I called Solar City today to inquire about getting solar panels installed. The person who answered the call took all my information and even looked up my house on Google Earth. She asked if Solar City could call me for promotional purposes and I said no. She told me if I did not agree to be called for promotional purposes she could not connect me to a salesperson. I wonder if I have to agree to that to test drive a Tesla as well. I have never heard of a business that will not talk to you about their product or services without agreeing to have them call you for promotional services.
So I paid Solar City 374.00 this month and then my lower electric bill of 105.00... I was so lied to. Yes my "electric bill" is lower but Solar City fails to say much on what you are going to be paying them. I have NEVER paid 479.00 for one month of electricity... BEWARE PEOPLE.
Hello Colleen,
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We are deeply sorry that you feel lied to. The type of contract you signed up for is a Power Purchase Agreement, which means that your bill will fluctuate from month to month depending on the amount of power the system generates. Given that you live in Texas, your bill will be higher in the summer and lower in wintertime. Overall, your production from solar will offset enough energy to provide you average yearly savings. If you feel that this is not the case after one year, we'd be happy to conduct a thorough savings analysis in November. You can reach us at 888-765-2489 if you have any further concerns.
The salesman came to my house and said, "Your electric bill will cut in half." I signed up and now my bill is triple. Please my hardworking home owner stay away from solar energy or you will be paying their salary for 20 years. Solar City is nothing but SCAM and ripped off company. I'm going to a start a petition online to bring a class action lawsuit against Solar City next month. Please contact your local media and tell them to broadcast on the air. I'm talking to a journalist on Fox25 regarding them now. My bill is triple with them. I provide them my old National Grid bills to their representative and she saw it and admit that Solar City bill is too high. She mentioned you should have stay with the Grid instead. I have on tape.
Solar City installed solar panels on our roof in November, 2016, and we have yet to save any money. We signed the twenty-year contract which is a big mistake. If you are considering this company, check into articles stating that they are being investigated by Congress, Senate, and treasury department. I was told by Solar City that what the salesperson told me was considered private communication. The salesperson assured us that along with the $150.00 payment to Solar City our payment to our electric company would not exceed $12.00 per month. This was a total misrepresentation. Please read the contract carefully before you sign.
I am very dissatisfied with Solar City as they are still not hooking me up and it will be 1 year since I talked to the salesman and signed up. Still having same old story working on finance. After it was installed in May. 2017 and we started in Oct. 2016. Now is the first of Aug. with no hookup yet.
If you are considering getting a system from SolarCity ask them one question and get it in writing: "When this is done what percentage of energy usage will my system be generating?" In my case I am now told just %30. I have read many reviews, and talked to a notary who came out refi my house a week ago, and the unanimous report I get is that SolarCity intentionally misleads you to think that you are going to save on your bill to your local electric but in my case, I just determined that I am still being billed $200 a month by Southern California Edison. For me, I read the reviews, and thought, well, it couldn't happen to me. I can tell you I even have emails where I warned the salesman and systems designers not to play me or they could come get their panels.
Well now that it's too late, I am screwed so far 3 months into the tune of $600 to SCE plus paying Solar City 50 a month. In other words, my bill before the panels is the same as after. 0 savings when you combine the two together. Customer service, as many have reported, are completely disinterested in helping you. I put my "Customer Care" person on Facebook Live and am hoping it goes viral so everyone can see how little they actually do care. She kept making condescending rude dismissive noises and even after I asked her to stop she kept on doing it anyway. It took a week for them to call me back, and then she wouldn't even let me talk to a supervisor. This company needs to be investigated FTC. Too many similar experiences say to me these guys are into predatory and false business behaviors.
UPDATED ON 08/19/2017: After talking for the last month and attempting to get a resolution on my situation SolarCity (Michael) now admits they made too small of a system and should not have based it off of one month in December. They admit I was promised 85% production but am in fact getting only 30% due to their error. They offered to give me a 250.00 refund to the 1000 and growing balance I owe SCE and offered a discount on an additional system to lower my rates.
This system will not be installed for a year in order give them sufficient data to design the system (which they should have done in the first place). Then, they tried to tell me that I should be grateful as I am still getting a $50 a month decrease as it is now. When I reminded him that I pay them $62 a month for the system already, and so I actually am getting literally 0 savings he didn't have much to say except that this was a "take it or leave it offer" from the "executive committee."
I did counter I wanted at least 500 cash and a guarantee that I pay no more than $70 a month for the new system and mentioned that I have been looking in to joining class action lawsuits that are out there against this company for a variety of fraudulent business practices. He seemed to imply they might go for it as he did say if I agree to this I won't pursue anything further, but I hung up on him and said let me know. I am in contact with several attorneys at this time. The nerve. He reminded me I have a lien against my house for the panels and if I remove them or damage I will be held liable (while they continue to provide 0 saving for the next year while I pay them & the electric company). If they come to your door, slam it in their face.
Terrible experience. Was told my electric bills would be approx $21 a month... This month's Bill was $110.00 And my SOLAR Bill is also $110.00 a month. I live in Arizona... more specifically in the Valley of the Sun. Constant sunshine. Terribly disappointed. Can't wait till my lease is over. Paid less before I had the panels put on my house. Customer service is terrible and my sales rep is MIA.
We have had SolarCity for a few years. When we sat down with the salesperson we made sure to ask 2 questions. The first is how much we would save? The second question was, what if we move and what's the cost? The sales rep said we would save 25% off of our current PGE bill. In reality we have seen about a 10% savings so far. His response to the transfer was full of it. He said that we could transfer the lease or we could take the solar with us. Even showed us on the contract where it says we can take it with us as long as the utilities at the new place were compatible. The warranty would be the same and we would have to pay the lease for the 2-6 months while they were waiting to install at the new place.
We decided to sell our house and buy a new one. We called SolarCity to start the transfer and everything was fine. We were informed of the $499 fee and the fee for new install of $499. We're good. Then I get a call saying they cannot transfer the system because they cannot take all the panels. I would be charged $24,000 since the buyer of our house didn't want solar. I call up SolarCity and talk to Tawnia in the Transfer department and she gave me a list of conditions that are nowhere to be found in the contract. Her exact words, and SolarCity can pull up the conversation because they record everything, she said, "Well they aren't going to list everything in the agreement."
Now I asked her where did I approve to have 34 panels on my house when my wife and I do not use that much electricity? She said we should have said something when we saw it completed. I told her I did and the techs said they installed a larger system in case we wanted to build a pool or expand or use more energy. 34 panels for a 1600 sq ft house with 8 foot ceilings. A house where my wife and I are home from 6 pm until 6 am. Come to find out that techs and installers were being paid by the amount of panels they put in. So long story short, she couldn't find anywhere where I agreed to this many panels or where it said I had to take all the panels. I'm awaiting for a call for the 4th time today from a manager as my situation is being escalated... again.
We close on both homes on the 28th of July. Because of SolarCity I am about to lose thousands in costs of buying and selling a home and if they do not remove these panels I will lose the buyer of my current home and will have to back out of purchasing my new home all because of their shady tactics. If you are considering purchasing Solar, please learn from my mistake and do not use SolarCity under any circumstances. Attached is a picture of the contract that talks about transferring. Section 12 a ii.
SolarCity Company Information
- Social media:
- Company Name:
- SolarCity
- Address:
- 3055 Clearview Way
- City:
- San Mateo
- State/Province:
- CA
- Postal Code:
- 94402
- Country:
- United States
- Phone:
- (888) 765-2489
- Website:
- www.solarcity.com