SolarCity

Now I just got a huge electric bill and I am trying to figure out when they will repair the inverters and I can't reach anyone and whether or not I have to pay my purchase agreement if the panels aren't working....Not being able to talk with customer service really is a problem and getting answers about the problem is even worse. I have no idea when they will be fixed. They are not helpful and if I didn't call them they would not have notified me that there was a problem. I would not recommend Solar City to anyone.

Tesla gave me an estimated repair date of 9/4/2020! My system is going to be shut down for almost a year because they only have ONE repair team for the entire State of MA. I don't see how that is possible since they purchased SolarCity and they had plenty of repair technicians. Tesla also said there is nothing they will do to reimburse me for the down time. I have to pay for my electricity until the system is repaired as well as pay for the non functioning system.

They said my contract has a clause that states if I don't generate a certain number of KW in a 2 year period I'll qualify for some type of reimbursement but that doesn't address the fact that I'm going to lose the credit I've built up with my electric carrier and once that is gone, pay for my electrical use. None of that will be reimbursed. Tesla refused to let me speak with a supervisor or manager, told me that they are aware of the situation and there is nothing they can do. HORRIBLE! I'd give them a zero if that was an option.

The price sounded fair and since I had multiple offers on my house I wanted to get the sale completed. So I selected one of the offers with the provision that the system would be removed within 90 days of the closing of escrow. The sale of the house was completed and the system was removed within the allotted time. I continued to receive monthly invoices for $56. When I called billing about the issue I was told that my average bill would continue until the system was reinstalled. I mentioned that the contract was for "power generated" and that the system was sitting in a warehouse somewhere not generating power. I was told not to make any payments and all would be corrected when the system was up and running. It took awhile to get the possession of the new house.

So finally a SolarCity "engineer" came out for a site survey to make sure that the "new installation" could be accomplished and what it would require. (A very professional and knowledgeable guy never to be seen or heard of again) He stated that there was two drawbacks to the new installation. Because of the roof design of my new home. The system would need to be split instead of all on what appeared to be one single panel. Which was not a problem, just that it would require a two day installation instead of one.

The second issue was that now my panels would be facing southwest and northwest and the roof was a steeper angle that would block complete sun until later in the day. THE panels would not be as efficient as they were before. But that they would still be generating power. All this made sense to me. They proceeded with the installation which had some problems with quality that I noticed and had them return to make it right.

After a fight with the the local power company on a net metering issue. The system was turned on. The first bill (once the system was turned on) was for about $35 which made sense to me. (I forgot that it was for a partial month) SolarCity did credit back the "charged for" kWH that was charged during the systems storage. The next months bill was $98! I called and asked what the charge was for. The answer was for power generated. My reply was, "until you can give me an explanation as to why my bill is nearly double for a system that is no longer optimum I will not pay." That has been nearly 2.5 years ago. We have been proactive (several times) in trying to have this sorted out by SolarCity both by seeking them out at home shows and by contacting the billing department.

Each and every time there has been correspondence emailed back and forth with a promise of, “We will check it out.” No bills for a couple of months and then the billing and late notices start again. My gut feeling is that the system was originally "dialed down" to match the original claim/promise. But after the relocation all bets were off. I had recommended the system to several friends who had the system also installed and were initially satisfied with the results. The total lack of follow through and what appears to be deception on SolarCity's behalf has me looking for others that would like to participate in a class action suit. Provided that we can come up with a law firm that will take it on as a contingency. How can we do this as this forum does not allow any contact info to be listed?

I had to make 4 different appointments to get the system fixed. They were no-shows for two of them and they didn't even tell me they didn't make it. I learned that the system generated an average of 200 kwh per month during the 2 years before I moved in. That's over 80% less than promised. When I asked to speak with supervisors I was told "Ain't gonna happen" or that they would call me back - which never happened. I was told I am not guaranteed any minimum energy regardless of what my contract says. I was told it doesn't matter what the electric company claims on how much energy was created so the fact it isn't as much as it's supposed to be is irrelevant. They voided the performance promise during the time my system wasn't working. It's been 14 months now and my issues are unresolved. I did find contact info to the board of directors here: https://ir.tesla.com/corporate-governance/contact-the-board

I wrote them and have not heard back. There is also a forum on their website. I have requested access so I can post threads but I it has not been granted - it probably never will. There is also a department named "Executive Resolution" which I didn't learn until after 10 months of complaining. It wasn't because I had issues. They contacted me because I refused to pay. So next time ask for them. Maybe if everyone on here did it would make a difference? The level of incompetence and unethical behavior is beyond belief.

Right now through the summer I haven't paid anything to my power company. But I am paying Solar City what I would've been paying to my power company. This is not a saving of any type. I should have listened to my gut and just not done it. I have written to my Congressman. Don't really expect much action. Next step is to go to the local media. I was recently told that Solar City is looking for a new buyer.