Vivint Solar Reviews

Original review: I have the Vivint security system which works fine so I thought I'd try Vivint Solar. I've had the system about 6 months. The installation was okay but I don't see any savings and now I'm getting two bills, one from the electric company and one from Vivint solar and the Vivint solar bill keeps getting higher. The app provides pretty useless information. I mean, yay for the environment (I guess) but the whole thing was not worth the trouble and since there are no tax benefits when you lease the system you end up asking yourself, "why did I do this?"

They didn't know what I was talking about either. So everything gets installed sans my solar attachment. Someone from vivint arrives to meet the inspector from the utility. I ask him if he could install it, he says he can, I leave him and he's gone. I find out my entire scanner isn't working, despite the instruction manual left behind. Apparently he had replaced the cables, not ADDED these in. He also had it upside down. We had opened thep panel and undid what he did. He had to come out again later that day for something so we told him, and he actually looked around and only at this time he said he couldn't be done because the solar stuff terminates on the side of the house and the panel is far away on another wall.

If only that was settled on the day of the install. At this point I was expecting lots of miscommunication and falling through the cracks and of course, it happened. A week later the upstream utility for our town municipal utility said our rebate was denied because of the shading on our roof. Keep in mind Vivint told me pre-install they would survey everything and make sure they'd prevent issues like this. No big deal, it's just $1,000, I can call town and get that settled eventually but in the meantime I should be activated, right? Weeks later I find out that is wrong. Apparently this also means we couldn't be activated? I'm still not sure.

Juan from the interconnections team had sent me an email telling me due to Covid it will be 9 weeks before activation. Uh, ok. They can send people out immediately to intall the hardware on the side of my house and roof but not activate it after it the inspection was approved? OK. I waited patiently for weeks. I emailed him back and back again and no response. It's like a ghost. There but not there. I tried calling support but it forces me to enter a number before I continue and it doesn't recognize my phone number so I can't continue. Emailing support is futile but it's a canned response saying someone from the interconnections team will get back to you in 2-3 days and they never do. And when you reply asking why they didn't, you will be told it will take 2-3 days for a response.

I got my trees cut back so there is zero shading on my roof. I notified the person from the utility and my sales person. Through the sales person, Ritchie, we were able to get someone from Vivint out to do a new shading report. It's not normal for the sales person to have to hunt people down and coordinate these things but he's the only person at Vivint that is able and/or willing to help. Everyone else is a ghost.

That report was done last week, and of course I was told I would get a copy of the report in a couple days and I have yet to hear anything. To do this day I don't know if the tiny amount of shading on my roof was the reason they refused to turn on my panels or if that was purely to reject my rebate. Or was it both? I really don't know. No one at Vivint that I can get a hold of can tell me.

I've paid 5 figures in cash, all at once to get my solar activated and it hasn't. Believe it or not, the winter months are my most expensive usage because the furnace is on 24-7. We keep the AC mostly off and use fans where possible. Our energy usage has tripled and we can't use our solar that's been sitting on my house, inactive, for MONTHS. And no one at Vivint can help me or tell me why. They can't even give me my documents I have signed. All the links to the documents have expired and it's not in my customer portal. I can only image how things will be in the following years when I inevitably need support. I feel I have made a huge mistake. Every step of the way post-sales has been miserable.

FYI your electric bill will never be $0.00 because you have to pay your provider for access, $22.25 is the lowest my bill will ever be. Example: last yr Apr 2020 Bill: $65, Apr 2021 Bill: $105 (Total) and I used 30% less energy this year, way more than just a regular bill. BE AWARE that NO MATTER if electricity is used by your home you are paying for every kilowatt produced by those panels. I live in CA so I will be paying very high bills from now on because I signed a contract, as customer service loves to point out. They offshore customer service, which is excruciatingly hard to communicate with, then refuse to transfer you to a supervisor so you're just stuck. No offer of solution or compromise, just a reminder that there is a signed contract. My recommendation is DO NOT USE VIVINT. If anyone knows how to get out of this unfair misleading contract I would like to know.

Original Review: I'm a disabled vet on a fixed income and have been lied to and jerked around by this company. Do not use this company! They do not care about their customers and will just be rude and give you the runaround because you signed a contract. They will not fix issues or help. Panels have been in place over a year, it took them 6 or 7 times after installation to try and correct issue utility company told them needed fixing. Never was fixed even though it was the same issue each time. Now, they received permission to operate and now I pay for Vivint service, while also paying higher electricity bills from SMUD. Called them and they don't offer to fix it for the inconvenience, but tell me to review my contract. They are HORRIBLE!

We are also disappointed in our sales rep, Trey, who swore to us he would check in with us on a weekly basis to keep us informed on the progress. Once the papers were signed, nothing. Except to tell us he was going to Hawaii on his commissions. I guess our only avenue is to have a lawyer contact them for breach of contract since they are not moving forward with having the system turned on. Sunrun should not have purchased this business, it makes them look bad too.

I called customer service as I was told to submit a damage report so they can get this fix. Now they are telling me that they are not responsible for any damage. They said they can have someone fix this but I am fully responsible for paying. They will not fix anything and they will not take off the panels because I am stuck the them for another 17 years. I am very disappointed with the way they lie. I will be seeking legal advise, because this is not saving me money but is causing me all this stress and expenses. I will be talking to a lawyer! Very very disappointed!!!! And unhappy!

As the rep put it, it is something our customers are aware of and they just avoid it when it falls. So when you have snow on your roof, just make sure you are always looking up as you do not know when the snow will be falling off the roof. They have offered to fix to problem but at a cost of $2000 to me. Had I known at the beginning this might be an issue, which my sales rep admitted he might have forgotten to tell me this, I would have thought a little harder as to whether to go with Vivint to install the panels. Just a word of caution to be aware of this if you live in an area with snow and please read their fine print.

Desiring to have the Solar system I asked if I could be sent these forms in the process after the company could put the information on them before sending them to the State. Juliana placed her manager on the phone who seemed rude and gave poor customer service, and actually told me they did not need my business emphatically, and indicated that he wanted me to understand that they did not need my business, and that was in response to me the customer who was excited about getting the solar system, but just wanted information filled in on the form before signing, and who offered the option of signing it after it was filled in by the company, and being willing to currently sign other completed forms. Horrible hurtful experience!!!!

Christian ** has failed to take my phone calls, failed to respond and because of his lack of responsiveness this past Friday I was not able to sell my home. Buyers of my home we’re locked out of their mortgage. I have spoken to over 25 different people at Vivint solar and although very polite no one has been able to correct this problem. It’s still continues today. I am now on a full out mission to let it be known this company is the worst I’ve ever dealt with in my life.

Can you kindly call me at **. I’ve already filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, I called Channel 7 On Your Side, and News 12 in New Jersey. This is a horror. The way I’ve been treated is poor and shows a lack of responsiveness and customer service. To add to my while this is still not resolved and I cannot sell my house until they file a permit which would take five minutes in the town. This is a horror.

On Dec 31, 8 business days later, I had not heard back. I sent a text on Jan 2nd. I also sent one on Jan 3rd. Three texts went ignored. Finally, once I asked to make a complaint, I got a response. Alejandra was very nice and polite and she said that an analysis was being run and they would have a full outcome in 2-3 weeks. She also provided this email so I could make a complaint and I appreciated her help.

On January 19th, I had still not heard back and it had almost been 3 weeks. I texted again and they said it would take another 1-2 weeks. On January 27th, I checked in again. Alejandra said my curtailment case was denied. She said she attached 2 files, one of them was a soft savings analysis and one of them was a system performance report. Neither attachment was there. I emailed her back requesting that she send them again and give more information on the denial. Veronica sent me the System Performance report but not the soft savings analysis. The wording she used in the email to me was not readable and full of errors. I asked her if she could explain what this means: "and due to your system is not producing more energy that the one that you are using the process cannot be approved".

I also requested the soft savings analysis again. Jairo emailed me back. Again, I still did not receive the soft savings analysis after asking twice. Each email I was sent, I was told that "I was previously informed" this and "As we informed you in previous emails" but no sensible reason was given. Next, Veronica emailed me again. She called me by the wrong name this time and sent me a copy paste of what was previously sent to me, the explanation that did not make sense. I decided to call once I got out of work. My first call was with an employee badge number **. She wanted me to speak with a supervisor and when there was no one available, she gave me her badge number to "guarantee someone would call me in the next 1-2 hours". No one called.

My second call was disconnected by the system before I was even able to speak to someone. My third call was to a man who tried to connect me with a supervisor, but again, no one was available. I received an email from Natalia saying someone would contact me within 24 hours. I was previously promised a call before 7pm that evening, and now I am at work so if someone even calls today I won't be able to answer it. I have been patient and polite to everyone I have dealt with. I have worded my questions clearly and put so much effort towards just getting two things: An explanation that makes sense as to why my curtailment request was denied. The soft savings report that I have asked to be resent 3 times over email and multiple times over the phone. No one has been able to help me.

My contract states: A Seller Default shall mean Our failure to perform Our material obligations under this Agreement and the effect of such failure is not cured within thirty (30) days after You give us written notice of such failure. If a Seller Default occurs and is continuing, You may: (1) terminate this Agreement and request removal of the System from Your Property; and/or (2) except as provided below, exercise any other remedy available to You in this Agreement or under applicable law. You have not performed your material obligation under the agreement. I can provide examples of what obligations have not been fulfilled.

The problem was tripped breakers on the panels and poor connections. It was repaired and back to business. Vivint refused to compensate me for 45 days of non-functioning panels. A call to the Vice President of Vivint in Utah fixed that. Yes, I tracked down the name and phone number of the VP. They refunded me $500 for my problems only to have the panels fail 6 months later. Another visit by the “technicians” and a report of the same problem. I now monitor my production almost daily. I got a hold of my representative that sold me the original panels. He recommended that we add more panels because the original assessment was inaccurate. So I said to him, let’s see how much they will cost. A few days later, he told me that I could not have more than one loan with the company that finances them. They only use one lender! So, no new panels and no other company will add their panels to another company.

Yesterday I saw that my production communication from my panels to the electric provider has failed again after just 40 days of operation. I am now waiting on the next visit to my home from the obviously inept, poorly trained “technician” that will most likely tell me the same thing. Whatever you do, don’t use Vivint. As a postscript; I find it funny how all the replies from Vivint on this site are pre-scripted responses that start with: “Oh no!”

He continues to promise resolution as does customer service yet we have to continue to follow up with them as if it’s the first time they are hearing that we have their panels on our home. It’s extremely disappointing considering we are still paying a hefty electric bill. The only reason I selected one star is because the installation crew did such a good job, they were so professional and considerate of our dogs and work day. If it weren’t for them I would 100 percent not recommend this company and especially this sales rep.

Updated on 08/24/2021: Vivint Solar damaged my roof placing the solar panels on, but I did not realize it until a year later when water worked its way through to my child's bedroom. I paid $499 to have panels removed & then the games began. I had to chase them for a couple of months to have my solar panels replaced. Now they sit on my new roof & are NOT connected, but a magic bill for phantom solar appears each month. I have emailed, called, spoken with several Reps who say it will be expedited and reconnected, but nothing, all Winter 2020 to now Summer 2021. Still no solar service, now, no calls are answered, no messages returned, no emails responded to, just ringing lines and promises of auto call backs. This company joined with SunRun and they suck, were much better before, Now I want my roof back! I need them to come get this garbage off my house.

Original Review: I must say that I have enjoyed the solar experience! I saved money on my electric bill and the install was without concern. However, a year later, my roof started leaking. I contracted a local construction company to inspect the roof. They showed me pictures, which I verified with the date details on each photo, of my roof with a whole the size of a boot just above my 7 year old son's bedroom. Water was already entering my son's bedroom by this time and I had to relocate him to another room.

My 7 year old was diagnosed with Autism, the water coming into his bedroom horrified him! He refused to sleep alone for several months. Regardless of how many calls I made, Vivint was extremely slow to respond. After 17 calls (no exaggeration), I finally spoke to a Rep in the Panel Removal department who told me it would cost $499 for the panels to be removed. I promptly paid the same day 8/11/2020 and was told I would be contacted by someone in the Removal Dept in 2-3 days. THIS NEVER HAPPENED. It took me until 11/12/2020 to have my panels removed. It took over 12 calls, multiple emails, several promises of moving my file to "urgent", and promises that a "manager" would call me back!

Once the panels were removed, my roof was replaced the same day, but not before the Vivint contractors, as they were removing the panels, allowed some materials to drop from the roof, smashing my patio wooden steps! Now I was on the hook for chasing them AGAIN for the repair, ugh. I am still awaiting resolve for that matter, but that department has been more cooperative, at least.

Back to the panels, which as of 12/29/2020 are still not replaced. I was back to multiple calls and emailing for now, two reasons, the damage and the replacement. Finally, I got a Rep on the phone who told me that since my panels was an "all day job" they had no one until Dec.28, 2020. Vivint had no panels on my roof from November 12-December 29, 2020 and STILL charged my account! Once I contacted them, they said a portion would be replaced to my account. Why a portion?! I was told that this is the procedure. I demanded that they stop charging my account immediately and discontinue my automatic payments, which they agreed.

My appointment for panel replacement was scheduled for yesterday, 12/28/2020, which I received 3 confirmation text messages (probably was a sign). Needless to say, today is 12/29/2020 at 353pm and I just got off the phone, with, you guessed it, another REP saying someone would CALL ME BACK "to reschedule the panel replacement".

At this point I am no longer interested in Vivint Solar. I am not calling them any longer and contacting my lawyer to learn my rights to have Vivint remove me from this contract. Since they already have their panels back and obviously refuse to honor their own policy, I will take the loss for the $499 and seek another solar company. This is my resolve today. I refuse to allow this to mount into another reason to stress or worry, with rapidly growing pandemic reports, incoming Winter weather, homeschooling, teleworking, and not being able to be with my family, add to this supposedly pleasant holiday season.

I am sadly disappointed in Vivint's response to this situation. A resolve for my pain and suffering would be a FULL refund of my $499, my steps repaired, and my solar panels fully replaced and operational. I am still a cheerleader of solar. I believe we should all do more concerning our atmosphere, but beware of the company you contract! I do not recommend Vivint any longer, although I have two neighbors in the past. This experience highlights what many neighbors expressed as their reasoning for avoiding solar panels being attached to the house.

Then the actual transition comes. Two months in and they haven't given applied the $5 per month discount for being on auto pay they supposedly offer, even though I've had my account set on auto pay from the day I got my welcome info. They don't tell you that you have to reapply for Net Metering through your local electric company and it's practically impossible to find all the information you need to complete the Net Metering application (what's the capacity of the system, the installer license number, etc.).

It takes weeks to get an email back on the simplest request for information. I sent in a request to find out why my $5 auto pay discount wasn't on my bill and was told "it's being forwarded to billing for more information." That was 10 days ago and no response. It took almost a month and about 10 emails back and forth before I finally gave up asking for one piece information my utility company needed for my net metering application. Thankfully the utility company approved my application without it.

The concept of solar panels is great. I like having them. I have yet to see any kind of savings on my electric bill though given it's been 3 months and I'm just now actually "producing" energy according to my utility company. So far I have yet to have any maintenance issues or repair issues since the system was installed in June. I know at some point I will though and I'm dreading the customer service nightmare that will be.

To make matters worse, they have promised to reimburse me for the panel payments and I'm almost 3 payments in, yet I haven't received any reimbursement. Now, it seems like they have blocked me from emailing them and when I call, all I been getting is promises to call me back, but no one is calling me back. It was never like this initially, as I would always get to speak to someone when I called, or if I email them, it would go through and they would respond in a timely manner.

Over the past week or two, this has changed. My emails bounced back and when I call, they claim they cannot get through to the department that handles my issue. So, I'm now stuck with panels on my roof for which I'm paying monthly, but it's not activated. Hence, I'm also paying for my usual high electricity bills. This has caused undue stress and anxiety in this financially difficult time. I cannot afford this and it's really unfair. It's like they made their sale and they don't care about me the customer! I VOW TO NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY AGAIN!!!!

Vivint is refusing to fix it, and not willing to waive the fees to have panels removed to replace my roof that clearly isn't caused by chimney.. This company is charging $499 for front and $1650 for backside!!! Total rip off and the worst agreement I have ever done!!! I have started to take legal actions and sent over the contracts, and the roofer's statements and photos to my attorney to help me with this problems. I am going to fight to have these panels permanently removed, and recommend anyone NOT to invest in Vivint Solar, they are a rip off and you do not save any money, you will deal with headaches for the next 20 yrs, if you decide to sign up with them. I am not the only customer going through this, so please look elsewhere!!! I'm warning you, do research on this company and save yourself the headaches.. I live in the Springfield area in Massachusetts.

Original Review: Vivint has been a nightmare for the past 4 years. If you call them, they skirt around your problems, they are hard to understand if you do get through, my system has been down more than it has worked. It actually started burning up on my roof and the tech shut it off yet they still try to bill me for the past 6 months. I suggest you put a stop on your autopay to get any answers from them if at all. They broke the contract by nonperformance so now am asking to take this garbage off of my roof! No one calls back!

First off we were not told at the day of sale that they put a 2nd lien through the finance company they use. We found out when we were trying to refinance our home and couldn't because of. We asked the rep will it show on our credit or anything else. The rep told us no it won't as long as we make payments and on time. It doesn't show.

2nd thing we asked after inspection the inspector they sent said the roof is still good. So we asked if in the case we need to replace it how much would it be. He stated he doesn't know the exact amount but it's not much. Find out today its $4200+ to take off and put them back on. Mind you it's only been 1yr 1/2 we had it installed. We have to have our roof replaced now bc of a hail storm. The 4200+ has to be paid upfront. No payment plans, not half then payment, nope all of it.

3rd find out later through a family member that has solar through Tesla. They charged him total 28k before the solar credit and has a battery with the panels. We're getting raped by 42k without battery included bc at the time they don't include that, but that would be an extra 5k+, To add it in the future once it's available. Like WTH!!!. So for future people looking into solar there are better companies including tesla that are better than vivint solar period.

The work failed inspections three times and was never communicated to us. We received an email Jan 2020 saying they had good news, we passed inspection and were going online, come to find out in April 2020 we had failed inspection. We had enough at this point, in July I told them to come and remove the panels. I then received several calls some telling us we couldn't have the panels removed because we signed a contract and some very helpful. We finally settled for a $500 compensation. Everything seemed to take months to complete & required numerous phone calls, as reminders, Now that the job is complete, we are not pleased at all.

I received an email to set up my online account to find out it didn't work. Again, I sent several email and phone calls with no response from Vivint. Then, this morning I see they took payment out of my bank account. I called and finally contacted somebody. Well, they only gave me a $300 compensation, thankfully I saved all my communications because I had to provide them with their own documentation. We currently are paying more money to Vivint Solar than the local power company. I only found out since after three months I was finally able to log in to our account. I recommend to do your homework, as we wish we would have done ours and not went with the first company that came knocking at our door. WE ARE NOT SATISFIED AT ALL and would NEVER recommend Vivint solar to anyone.

NOT a single one of the promised outcomes happened, not one. If memory serves I got a few hundred in tax incentives and $200 from my utility company. I had my home professionally appraised and the appraiser told me in no do way solar panels add value to your property. On a side note, I would also speak with a home appraiser before purchasing anything that claims to add value to your home. After speaking to a few of them the general consensus is that almost everything that claims to add to your property value is not being honest and has absolutely no impact on the value of your home.

However, most disturbingly the solar panels do not even create enough power to cover the power my home uses on a monthly basis. The most we have received credit for is less than 300 kWh for an entire month for the last several months. We use on average 700 kWh per month, which is the amount Vivint built our solar array to produce. So now, not only do I still have an energy bill, I have a solar panel bill. So, instead of reducing my monthly expenditures as they were promised to do, I have doubled my bill. I could easily deal with not getting the amount of money promised in incentives, things change and I get that. However, not coming through on the level of energy production promised is something else entirely.

I have made a few calls to Vivint to see about getting some of these issues sorted and I have not once gotten someone on the phone that speaks English well. So not only am I having issues with my system I now have a very evident language barrier with the customer service team. I gave up on after my last phone call when I was trying to explain to the rep that my panels were not producing the promised amount of power. They had absolutely no idea what I was trying to say. To sum this up, my experience has been abysmal. I would avoid this company and any product they are selling.

Vivint continues to makes unauthorized charges against your credit card for non-existent electricity production. They claim these are "estimated" charges, but this simply not true as in months with partial power production, Vivint chooses to bill at the much higher "estimated" full month production. I've gone over the contract with a fine tooth comb and nowhere is billing for "estimated" power production provided for in the contract.

Furthermore, in the months where the solar system is down, we must buy the power from PG&E (our utility) at a much higher rate than the Vivint contract rate. You won't notice this until your year end "true-up" billing. At this point we had paid PG&E for power delivered from mid-May 2020 to January 2020 something like $2000 and Vivint auto-charge d our credit card over $800 for non-existent electricity during the same period during which they had produced no electricity. I know this sounds crazy but I am attaching photos of our power delivered and amounts billed by Vivint.

You can clearly see in May production ceased mid-month. Normally you will see upright bars running all the way from left to right. In June, you can see the zero power production and corresponding zero $ charges from Vivint as is appropriate. However, beginning in July you can clearly see that even though there is little or no power production, Vivint inexplicably began fabricating power production on our billing statements and began inappropriately charging our credit card for non-existent electricity delivery without permission. It is really quite a scam.

We contacted Vivint numerous times by phone and in writing demanding that they cease making these unauthorized and unsubstantiated charges against our credit card. Vivint ignored every request and demand. We were tempted to cancel our credit card, however reading online reviews on other sites we heard about others doing this, which then resulted in Vivint continued the inappropriate billings for non-existent electricity production but then Vivint reported the unpaid amounts as past due debt! It is all unbelievable, yet true.

So, putting aside the multiple liens that prevented us from refinancing our home, the attempts to force us into signing an NDA and "no-claims" settlement falsely portrayed as a "contract amendment" by refusing to lift the liens, and the inappropriate and unauthorized charges made against our credit card- now we had to go through the excruciating solar system repair process. Needless to say this was another complete nightmare. Vivint scheduled and then no-showed for 3 appointments. Since the "Ethernet bridge" component suspected of being bad was located inside our home, I had to be present.

This meant I took 3 days off work needlessly and Vivint never called or otherwise advised of the no-shows. After I started posting online we did get some actual technician visits, but it took another 3 visits to finally get the system operational (knock on wood). The technician that finally was able to repair the system had to come all the way from San Jose. These guys were great and finally got it right, but the system had been totally inoperative for over 7 months while Vivint continued to charge our credit card as if the system was completely functional!

In summary, during the process of attempting to resolve the breach of contract multiple liens filed against our property and the strong arm tactics conducted which prevented us from refinancing our home, we discovered that solar system had ceased working, Vivint does no monitor the solar system as articulated in the contract, and Vivint makes unauthorized, inappropriate, and unsubstantiated charges against your credit card not provided for in the contract. I know this will seem quite unbelievable but documented proof is attached. Selecting Vivint has proved to be one of the worst mistakes I have ever made, so do your homework across multiple online review portals as there is quite a variance. Buyer Beware!

ORIGINAL REVIEW: ***Beware*** Vivint's PPA filing on your property is considered a lien by lenders and will definitely "cloud" your title, thus preventing you from managing your home such as selling or re-financing. They make a big deal explaining how it is not a lien and everyone is stupid or ignorant for thinking that (you know- unknowledgeable, inexperienced companies like Wells Fargo), but at the end of the day, unless they "lift" the notice you cannot sell or re-finance your home.

We attempted to refinance our home in 2017 and discovered that Vivint refused to release and then resubmit the Notice of an Independent Solar Energy Producer Contract filed against our property title, which prevented us from re-financing with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo contacted Vivint to request a release or resubordination of the "lien" or "notice" on our title but Vivint refused to do unless we added foreclosure language required by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Wells Fargo provided an industry standard 1/2 page form for Vivint to complete and lift the lien, which Vivint refused to do.

Instead, the Vivint rep (initials JE) insisted that we sign a new 4 page contract amendment before lifting the filing against our property by Vivint preventing us from refinancing. This new contract amendment was considerably less favorable than the original we had signed and included a statement that we released all claims against Vivint, included a non-disclosure statement (NDA), and the document was actually titled "Settlement Agreement" on all but the cover page. Go figure. We of course refused to sign this disadvantageous contract which caused us to incur two mortgage rate lock fees (about $500 each) while Jacobo wasted everyone's time. Finally, after a month he of trying to get us to sign the settlement agreement/contract amendment, he relented and had the "lien" released and re-filed as we had originally requested.

Around this time we discovered that Vivint had actually filed two (2) Notices of an Independent Solar Energy Producer Contracts against our property- one in April 2015 and one in November 2015- a clear breach of contract. Wells Fargo pointed out that this would have put the mortgage lender in "third position" behind Vivint and no reputable finance company would accept these conditions. I related all of these concerns to a rep (initials AT) of Vivint last year (if you make enough noise eventually you get him put on your case- just FYI he's an attorney but pretends he doesn't understand these issues) and he, after jerking us around and pretending he saw no concerns, offered us a $500 credit. This was completely unacceptable considering the time and expense incurred, and of course now we no longer trust Vivint as a reputable business partner after the attempt to extort us into silence and force us to signa less favorable contract.

At this point we just wanted their system off of our roof, and their bogus filings removed from our property title. This was no inexperienced fly by night lender raising red flags over the filings against our property- it was an experienced mortgage rep who had done hundreds of properties with solar, and he told us he'd never seen anything like this. Rep AT and subsequent rep (initials JB, no longer with Vivint) also eventually offered us a buyout price of exactly the same cost had we not experienced such dishonest and unethical behavior from Vivint when attempting to re-finance our home. Vivint also does not account for the 30% federal tax credit they received when determining the value of your solar system, and they use a deceptive depreciation table that is not cumulative, thus your system will never depreciate to zero

Vivint's filing very clearly clouded title of our home preventing us from refinancing our home on our terms, and Vivint very clearly attempted to coerce if not extort us into signing a less favorable contract amendment including an NDA. Also, the Vivint sales rep indicated that one of the advantages to having solar was the system would continue to produce power during power outages, but didn't tell us that this power produced during outages flows uselessly into the grid while our home remains unpowered, and he also advised that upon moving or selling our home, the solar system could be removed for a one time fee of $500 which is also not true.

On top of that, the system has experienced something like a 20% decline in power production over the past 5 years. We thought it might related to dust, accumulation, smoke and fire debris so we asked Vivint to perform a standard panel cleaning as part the agreed upon maintenance as per contract, but Vivint has refused. Unfortunately, the 20 year contract you sign stipulates the property owner is responsible for any loss or damage to the system not caused by Vivint employees so we are unable to perform the cleaning ourselves or hire professionals without assuming liability for system damage.

With all of the fires and 5 years without cleaning we are reasonably certain this failure to clean the panels is contributing to the power production decline, but we do not trust this company and are unwilling to touch or hire someone to touch anything on their system. Now Vivint seems to have been acquired by SunRun and some of first actions taken are to disable complaint communications.

I am very proactive, I set up my online account and watch the status/progress as the home was being built. We closed and moved into the house, yet Vivint still showed they could not process the application for permission to operate until a final building and electrical inspection was performed. I emailed my reprehensive and customer service several times because there is no way the inspection was not done and signed off by the builder, city, and utility prior to granting the occupancy certificate. That went nowhere for weeks, finally after leaving a frustrated review on another site I was immediately contacted, given many reasons why then told yes the inspection was already done but the builder didn't forward it to them. (Always someone else's fault).

Then they completed the utility application, but they did it wrong and had everything set up and set to my wife, when I am who manages this, I informed them of that and I am the primary on all contractual documents. So the PTO email notification went to my wife's secondary email and was not read for several days. However, we were told by the builder and the representative in the beginning, that once the utility approves the PTO, Vivint would call us and walk us through the process on how to turn on the system and get it producing. That never happened. So I watched several YouTube Videos based off the converter, etc that I have and turned on/activated my system. Only it never came on line nor produced.

I called Vivint for help, I was told I did everything correctly, they could see my system and it looks great but it could take 7-10 for the app and online portal to show the power generation for new accounts. After 10 days and still no power generation on the app, nor did Edison show any offset production on my bill, I contact Vivint again. After being on hold for an hour and getting transferred back and forth I was told yes there is a critical issue with my system and it's not generating power and they need to send a tech, but no tech was available for 3 weeks. Which is crazy, so I was paying a solar lease for no solar and getting hit full pop by Edison during August and Sept heat waves in S CA. When the tech came out, he said it's not a critical error it's simply that my panels were never paired to my system. It took him 30-45 minutes to pair them. He said this happens a lot.

However, my neighbors did not have same issue, theirs activated just by turning it on. Now, I notice I am not generating near as much power as I would expect and was told. Maybe 55-65% of my daily usage is being generated. Why was I forced to use this company, pay them and not even get a system that generates/covers the majority of my use? To add insult to injury, I completed an online info request to add the solar back up batteries and EV charger as they list them on their site. A sales person called me within 15 minutes, then stated I don't qualify as they are only for new systems/accounts/activations. Seriously! Probably better off though based off my experience to date. Honestly if you have the choice in your solar panel company I would chose another company. They are all Sales Sizzle but can't back it up once you sign on the dotted line.

Now my application through NJ Clean Energy Program is set to expire soon (after a year, and yes it has been that long!) and because they filed the application, I can’t even go to another solar company to get my install done!!! I have since run into other sales reps at other stores. All they can do is give me a customer service number to call. I give them all my information, and then I get the same runaround... that they’ll look into it. Don’t waste your time with this company, try to get someone local that has decent customer service and won’t ignore your emails.

You will be responsible for all legal fees that are incurred after this point this will be the last attempt given seeing as how they told us it takes up to 30 day maximum and this request is well over your 30 day marker and COVID has nothing to do with it and is not an excuse after the 30 days you gave. You collected payment on full for this service and still have not provided it, we will be holding your company responsible for the mold growth and roof removal too, since daily damage is occurring due to your gross negligence. Reach out by Wednesday 11/4/2020 to avoid further legal action.

Original Review: I was charged in full for a removal and told it would be done 10/07 but no later than 10/8. It’s now 10/12 and I called in to see why the solar has yet to be removed. I was on hold for one and a half hours waiting to speak to a supervisor. The minute the picked up the line they hung up with no return call, I have now been on the phone, live chat and sent an email that bounced back because the customer service rep gave me an incorrect email to reach the removal and reinstall department. This is unprofessional and unacceptable. It’s now 11:44 and there is still no response. The live chat option online gave me a rep named Diego and at 11:27 am he said give him a couple of minutes to check it’s 11:45 and he hasn’t responded to even the question are you still there? This is the worst customer service I have ever experienced.

This is a hazard to the health of the home owner because of the mold growth due to the leaks cause by your install team. We are going to reach out to the BBB as well as seeking legal aid since none of the supervisors are willing to handle this in a timely way. I’ve been hung up on 4 times today because the customer service line would rather have lawsuits the resolution. Terrible service!

Our representative requested that we continue to wait but once I contacted someone else at the company, they sent a tech. The tech then stated that they have to be sent anyways to initialize. However, my initial instructions once we had the permission to operate was to turn the system on and enjoy the solar. The tech stated that is never true and they must be sent. Our power bill ended up being hundreds more in the meantime as this is July and August in the central valley of California.

Our service has been functioning at approximately 50 to 60% of the capacity of the solar. With doing my own research and talking to techs and neighbors, it should be able to function at about 80%. I have been trying to work this out with Vivint Solar and the answer is that they create an offset to set the function of the solar based off expected usage. However, this is only been covering about half our energy use. Any representative that I have spoken to so far has been unable to do anything or refuses to do anything making us pay more and not have the total carbon offset that we could have.

I understand the offset is designed to prevent the power companies from having a surge of power during peak production times, which makes sense, but we have not supplied any power to the power company yet. I remember doing the survey that helped create this offset and all the numbers were based off our old house which was about half the size of the new house. The panels have been working fine as far as I can tell but do not know if my limited production is related to the system itself or this offset. I have not a knowledgeable response yet.

I had another roofer inspect and caulk the problem area that Vivint claimed but I noticed that it was still leaking the same amount and area. This tells me that it was never the flue vent that Vivint claimed. They asked me to get another roofer to inspect and email their report. I got an inspection from another roofer and they claim that it was probably the gray box causing the leak. This is part of the solar panels. I forwarded the report and sent pictures to Vivint and all I have gotten was a run around from one department to the other. If you value your home be cautious about getting solar panels from this company. I live in a corner lot so my neighbors always drive by my house and see the Vivint alarm sign and about 30 solar panels on my roof, I get a lot of questions about my Vivint services. After this experience I don’t think I will recommend this company to anyone.

I was promised Rebates in the beginning of the process but never received the rebates after the installation process. No Communication through the installation process. Some of their installation personnel with Vivint logo came in and did a lot of work on my roof and left without updating me what was done and why my installation took more than a day. And no communication or update from anyone even after multiple email exchanges. Recently I identified that the panels used are not LG panels but JINKO panels. I have all documented evidences in terms of email conversation and contract review conversations with me.

ORIGINAL REVEW: We contracted with Vivint in 2015 to install a leased panel system. For that we have a 20 year contract. Cost us thousands of $ in true up fees and Vivint would not respond to calls, emails or letters.

I did receive two egift cards from Sam’s club on 08/09/2020 that totaled three percent of the purchase price. The gift cards did say they were from Vivint Solar. I am awaiting the balance. Vivint customer service is hard to get ahold of, or are non-responsive at all in the case of the sales representative when I ask for follow ups. It has been over three months since my installation. I have not received the full amount of the Sam’s Club rebate. What is going on?

They use an artificial number for determining settlements. I didn't accept because they have actual data and an offer of $40 isn't sufficient for the $357 I incurred as result of their incompetence. Out of the goodness of their heart they were willing to add another $50 but $90 still isn't enough to cover the additional $357 that I had to pay for their equipment not working. My system was down for approximately 10 weeks. I wasn't aware of that because VIVINT is suppose to monitor and maintain system. I had to pay $357 more for energy because VIVINT FAILED to do their job. It took them 10 weeks to request appointment to install the broke inverter.

I live on a fixed income. Vivint sold me a lie when they told me how much I'd save in energy cost. Since install in 2018 my bills have never decreased, but they do increase. My energy costs jumped 400% while they were not maintaining my system. Think twice or three times before considering Vivint. IN fact - it's best to find a better company. Vivint has horrible customer service and they don't follow through as they say they will. Can't rely on them to do their job.

Original review: One thing that helped me decide to contract with Vivint Solar was ability to predict electricity costs. Initially I had hoped the system would save me some money. I've had the system for 3 years and I haven't seen any savings. Up until July I was able to predict within reason what my costs are. Apparently my system went down and Vivint wasn't monitoring my system at the time. In August they needed to do some 'maintenance' work - translated it didn't mean 'maintain' it meant replace defective parts. I didn't know system wasn't working because if Vivint isn't working electricity is provided by PNM at their highest rates per kwh. Besides not monitoring that system as promised, Vivint effectively increased my electricity costs by 400%.

Problem - charged too much for Vivint's failure to monitor system. I'm on fixed income and don't have the money. Additional charges from Vivint exceeded my budget by 3 months of cost. Next problem: Last week after holding o n telephone I requested call back they offered. I never received call back. So today I've been holding until I can talk with someone. First call today I held for 45 minutes. I decided to try again since the estimated time was 20 minutes, Second call I waited 80 minutes before someone answered. She couldn't help me so she transferred me to payment center. I've been waiting 1 hour 40 minutes. Ridiculous!

It was suggested that I send an email and then someone would get back with me. EMAIL could be down today I guess. Maybe Vivint Solar wasn't truthful about sending an email to get response. They didn't specify a specific response time for emails. It might be months if they are as responsive with calls on hold. I honestly don't think Vivint will respond to my call or emails. They have me locked in to their contract while I continue to wait on hold.

My problem hasn't gone away. I've been on hold today for 3 hours!!! And nothing resolved. I can't tell you if Vivint has good product or will save money (maybe in 10 years) but their CUSTOMER SERVICE IS ABSENT. Customer care is as important as product. Vivint gets a ZERO from me. Unfortunately the scale only goes as low as a one. Someone called me & then hung up. I DON'T RECOMMEND VIVINT for SOLAR OR ANYTHING!

The work failed inspections three times before we were given a final approval. We had to have power completely off for over 24 hours. Everything seemed to take months to complete & required numerous phone calls, as reminders, Now that the job is complete, we are not pleased at all. Our system is an add on or supplemental to an already existing solar power grid. I do not like that we never know what our usage is, only what the production is. We currently are paying more money to Vivint Solar than we ever have to our local power company for any overage that our primary solar was not producing. NOT HAPPY AT ALL. I would NEVER recommend Vivint solar to anyone.

I contacted them on June 2nd and filed a damage complaint, they asked for photos of the damage and I sent them. They offered $200 initially, when I refused that they offered $300. I refused that since I didn't believe that it would cover a roofer to come out and do the repairs. Instead of sending someone out to determine the extent of the damage I had to find roofers to come out and provide an estimate. Their estimate was $1500 which is clearly higher than what they originally offered. When I submitted the estimates it took them 5 business days to review it and initially deemed the estimates were to high.

Eventually they decided to accept the $1500 estimate. In our contract, Vivint states that "We will fix or pay for any damage we may cause to your Property or belongings" further in the contract Vivint states: "We will be in default (i.e., breach) under this Agreement if we fail to perform any material obligation under this Agreement and we have not made diligent efforts to cure such default within a reasonable time after you give us written notice of such failure (“Lessor Default”)."

When I asked both the Damage claims department and the Customer care department what a reasonable amount of time to fix my roof is? Both departments said they can't provide an answer and that there isn't really a way to provide an answer for what a reasonable amount of time is. I understand that during this covid 19 pandemic, things are more challenging, but when you can't provide a definition for something that is in the contract I believe that is unacceptable. Throughout this process I have had to constantly contact them to gain updates about the process of the claim rather than them contacting me.

While working here in November, the installers brought mud into our home on hard wood and rugs! Screws and bolts were dropped on our driveway and not picked up by the Nov. crew. Because we were gone for the winter it wasn’t finished. According to Vivint, the crew that worked here that fall were not retained! New crew came back in June, this year, they were much more professional, repaired our roof, and finished the job, BUT....they laid several Solar panels on our yard, and the sun streaming thru them all day killed the grass below them! I HOPE we find, when the panels are connected, it will be worth what we endured here!

Original Review: June 10, 2020

Be very careful before signing into a solar lease with this company. I previously owned solar panels with a different company before purchasing this home and enjoyed the customer service experience and savings. That has not been the case with Vivint. I have been a customer with Vivint Solar for the past three years after purchasing a new home and signing the lease transfer for the existing leased panels (requirement to complete the home purchase). In that three-year window, I have had to work with Vivint to resolve system overproduction issues on two separate occasions.

I have a detailed record from the first instance from late 2017 in which the Customer Solutions Team/Service Support analyzed 12 months of utility bills, my utility company’s Schedule R, and the design/intended production for the system. After several months Vivint informed me that they would be turning off several of the panels on my roof to mitigate the overproduction and credited my account $383 in early 2018.

Two years later, my system spiked again (producing over 200% the system’s designed production). I called and reviewed the system production over the life of the system with the representative and we both could see in black and white the substantial spike in production over multiple months. These numbers are significantly higher than the first problem with overproduction in 2017. The first representative opened a case on 9 April 2020 and requested all of the same documentation required to have the system analyzed for overproduction. I had the information prepared and e-mailed it to him while on the same call. It has been two months without resolution.

I have contacted Vivint seven times via phone and have e-mailed multiple times to get this problem addressed as the bill continues to increase exponentially. My bill has gone from previous highs in the mid-$200 range to the most recent bills being of $308.26 followed by $725.05. I have asked repeatedly for a supervisor to call me from the team that is supposed to be analyzing the system overproduction, but I have never received a call or an e-mail addressing my overproduction.

Each time I call for an update I speak to a customer service representative, who are always very polite, but have no actual information on my case. One case was closed without any action so they opened a new case. Today’s customer service representative told me they reviewed the system and said it was communicating correctly, but that it was not evaluated for the actual problem of overproduction. Each follow-up call was supposed to “escalate” my problem and expedite the review, but nobody ever contacts me and I start the entire cycle over again with a new representative.

Each time I call for answers I am always told someone will contact you in 3-5 business days and it never happens and the analysis still has not been done. This is unacceptable and a scrupulous business tactic. I have provided the necessary documentation as well as the e-mail traffic in its entirety from 2017 documenting the overproduction issue on multiple occasions.

If the system for multiple months has far exceeded the 2017 overproduction numbers than it tells me that 1) there is clearly a problem that exceeds the previous issue. 2) The panels that were supposed to be off per their initial analysis to mitigate the overproduction are potentially no longer off. 3) The team has not reviewed the utility bills, schedule R, and previous e-mail data from their own team that I sent them regarding the 2017 issue.

If someone from Vivint is reading this, I will be posting this complaint on every site possible after being unable to get any resolution contacting you via phone and e-mail since 9 April 2020. Please look at the hard data available to you and resolve this system overproduction issue. Ignoring the data and continuing to charge me inflated prices as if the system is functioning as designed is unacceptable. Again, be careful before signing a lease as they have been extremely difficult to work with in resolving overproduction issues.

In early October the on-site evaluation did produce a significantly lower rate $0.135 per KWH. I docusigned the $0.135 KWH agreement as well as an acknowledgment of the oversize panel array. My signature on the oversize panel array acknowledgment, which benefits Vivint came through. Mysteriously my signature on the lower priced $0.135 KWH agreement, that benefits the customer, disappeared.

Now in spite of the Vivint salesman's statement that the $0.135 KWH agreement is the correct agreement Vivint is charging the ($0.215) higher rate. My suggestion that the $0.135 KWH agreement be signed is met with silence. A Vivint "Customer Care Specialist" who acknowledged the existence of the $0.135 KWH agreement. Who acknowledged that the $0.135 KWH was not a forgery and that the Vivint salesman was not cooperating in some scheme to defraud Vivint ended our confrontation by saying "If you cannot produce a signed copy of the $0.135 KWH agreement the matter is closed." The Vivint salesman has stated on several occasions that he will “get this fixed.” That he will see that Vivint “honors” the $0.135 KWH agreement. This has been going on since our first bill at the beginning of 2020.

We get promises from the salesman but nothing happens. One thing is clear from the Vivint “Customer Care Specialist” they have my signature of the higher priced agreement and nothing is going to induce them to honor the lower-priced agreement with the mysteriously missing signature. Only the Vivint salesman’s signature is there. In conclusion, Buyer Beware!!! If Vivint can they will!!

All the stuff, including the permits, got done right away. Vivint Solar was extremely efficient, but the process is a little slow in California. From the beginning until the end, the time we signed the paperwork and put the solar on was five months. We had to wait for PG&E to do their thing as well. However, Vivint didn’t build a big enough system originally. We have two residences on one property and we had to add a second system the next year. Vivint came right back in, did the second system just like the first, added it on and now, it’s up and running. It was the same five months, but it was not their fault. It was California and PG&E.

We still have a PG&E bill, but we only pay about half or less than half of what PG&E charges us per kilowatt. We live in Bakersfield, California, and typically, from May to October, it’s close to 100. Our PG&E bill for the air conditioners were running around 400 and $500 a month and we are now below 300 all the way, sometimes, even around 200. It has been a big difference.

We had 222.53 a month and then we got our tax break and instead of paying to PSE&G that money went to the paying for the system. And we’ve never had a problem with it. There was like two-month period where I got bills that were more than $12, $13. We pay roughly $13 and change a month. They were like 80 something and 50, but we had had like no sun. I had called to just see if there was a problem with the system, and they said, “No, we just hadn’t had a lot of sunlight.” So, we weren’t producing. But we’re back on track now. My last bill was like 13.21. I’m absolutely very happy with Vivint Solar. We needed a roof, and we thought that was gonna put us over what we could afford. But they had recommended a contractor. The guy came in, gave an estimate and with the roof included they still were able to come in at a number that was comfortable for us.

People should just do solar because it lowers the cost. I’m a paratrooper who’s not on active duty anymore. My mindset is a solution that doesn’t cause more problems is always nice to me. People really should go with Vivint because they’re an excellent company. They have been wonderful to deal with. They’re not difficult to contact and they’re quite often discovering and solving problems before we even notice them.

The installation was really quick. The guys who did it were here for one day. My daughter at the time was in elementary school, and they were wonderful. All we had to do is tell them, "Listen, I gotta walk her to school," and they were like, "All right." They stopped everything so that we could walk out safely and not worry about anything. They were done before she got home from school. We've had Vivint long enough. Our bill fluctuates because in the summer, we make more energy. So, we pay a little bit more in the summer sometimes, but it's better than it was when it's just with the electric company. All in all, I'm loving the fact that we have Vivint.

I find it really funny how they are saying it’s not their problem anymore that it’s not working. They are trying to see what the problem is but this seems a little annoying that I’m still paying for a solar system that hasn’t worked since day one. My payment is 250$ a month and as of now April 24th 2020 I’m still paying for a system that’s not working. They refuse to reimburse me for the month of April since they say it’s on but not producing energy. I would think twice before going with this company. I’m kinda regretting going with Vivint.

I’m paying for a system that hasn’t worked since day one. And the customer service is horrible. Do your homework before you decide to go with Vivint. They said read the contract about the reimbursement. So now I have to wait for another technician to come out to see what the problem is. Now I still have a PGandE payment and a solar payment which I’m a little frustrated because of what is going on with this pandemic. Every dollar counts right now and I’m getting the runaround by this company since they refuse to take fault of the system.

The only real problem I had with the whole process was, when it was finally okay to turn it on, I didn’t realize that they had put an extra breaker on top of the box in the main breaker that they had installed. When I turned everything on like I did in California, the system wasn’t actually charging. One of their technicians had to come out. He was like, “Yeah, we threw an extra circuit breaker in the main box. It’s redundant, but we do that because it’s a safety thing,” If it was a little bit better step-by-step process on how to turn their stuff on and then sync up everything, it would have gone smoother. But all things considered, it was easy. The system is producing what I expected it to produce. My bills have gone down, too. It’s really all I can ask for.

A few weeks back on March 25th, APS came out with Vivint and installed a new electrical panel. Before we could continue getting the system completed, the city had to in come out and inspect it... Apparently there was something they did not like because there is a red tag on the wiring. The process stopped again, As of today April 16th, there has been NO communication from the company or the sales representative about will be done to fix the problem so things can move forward. At this time, we cannot recommend going with this company, we do not believe they value their customers. We would like to change our opinion, but that depends on Vivint and how quickly this can be rectified.

After sending the documentation to our grandson all the information that was discussed verbally by the salesperson was unfortunately just sales jargon. We are currently paying $600 more per year than we were and with a 20-year contract. I do not recommend this company to anybody that is older or does not have a strong understanding of business and financials.

But when Vivint Solar came in, they were getting ready to take parts out of the old one and try to replace those and I wasn’t too happy about that. The person that was working on it could tell. He called the boss to see if they could just replace this whole system instead of taking parts in and out and they did that. I still tell everybody this is the best thing going. They fixed it, the bills dropped back down, plus they said I had a credit ‘cause apparently it was still registering so that was a plus. It made me feel awesome and I wasn’t expecting it.

I’ve had two times I’ve had to call in and it was handled very well. First was the modem changes on my part generated where I had to have them come out and reprogram the password for my router. They upgraded the box where they were using a modem device for a cellular connection now versus attaching to your own personal modem. So, I don’t have to worry about changing my password on my router anymore.

One other issue was I did have a load controller. When I first got the solar, it didn’t work the way I expected it to offset the load. I thought we’ll pull it from the solar first, and then pull what you need from APS. The way the load controller was set up, it was looking at the whole demand, not the demand that I needed to pull from APS versus a solar. So, I had to upgrade my load controller in order to work with the solar properly.

We've had it since around the beginning of December and I've been keeping track. It’s been three months to compare and I haven't seen a big saving. It’s the same as our regular electricity. It's hard to compare because of the situation of this year. Maybe it would be less ‘cause we’re home more and using more electricity. Whereas last winter, we were not at home a lot and we took trips. So, it’s not a true comparison and I think I have to do more. Overall, I’m happy because it’s green energy and probably, in the long run, we will be saving. It’s just really too soon to say.

We have contacted Vivint Solar NUMEROUS times to have someone come out to explain what's going on and after months we hear nothing. So we decided to shut off our panels to get Vivint's attention. After 2 weeks we get an email saying they think something is wrong with our box and they want to come out to fix it. Someone comes out and we tell them that we shut it off and want answers to why we are getting triple billed. They say they will get a representative right away to come out. IT NEVER HAPPENED.

Now we have had our panels shut off since mid February and only produced 163 kWh for the 2 weeks we had them on (we have the app that shows our production for the month). We then receive a bill for $127.00 for the month of February and they said we produced a little over 900 kWh. Where the hell did this figure come from? We contacted billing (through emails of course) and all they say is they will forward our email to another department. We then received about 5 emails saying we are past due and still owe them $127.00. Now here's the kicker...we received a bill for March's production (which should be ZERO since the panels have been switched off since February). It says we produced another 900 plus kWh and owe $135.00 and still owe the $127.00 for February. WHAT?!?! How is this even possible?

Vivint Solar is great at hiring sweet-talking salespeople that could sell a popsicle to an Eskimo. They tell you basically lies to get you to sign up. Then after you receive your contract you realize you are stuck with them for 20 years starting at 13 cents per kWh and increases yearly. None of this was told to us from the salesperson and of course you can't disprove word of mouth. This company is a big bait and switch and trying to get someone to explain ANYTHING to you or even get a person to come out to discuss this is like pulling teeth. We realize how Vivint stays in business...they charge whatever they want on their bills and most people just assume it's correct and pay it. BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE!!!! Lastly, Vivint....when you read this review don't leave one of your generic responses to email your online reviews. We already did and also contacted other areas of Vivint to get this resolved. How are you gonna make this right???

We started the process in July of ‘18, installed by third week of October. At the point where we moved forward and agreed on everything we were gonna do, and the design they submitted was 18 panels, they committed to doing the work. The visiting team, the construction crew then moved like a clock. They came in the morning, they secured the whole area with cones and yellow tape around the whole property. And they have their work zones. I cleared out a little bit of space in the garage so they could install the panel, the electricity thing on the inside and the outside. They worked really well. Within half a day they were up on the roof and finished. They were unbelievable. There were four guys, prompt, complete and clean. I took a walk around and there were no nails on the ground. It was pristine.

Our bills from August of 2017 through October of 2018 were cut in half by the time we put the electricity in place. Now that I had a full year of charting that, that’s how I can tell that it’s cut about 50 to 55% of our electricity bill. Meanwhile, this year, it’s two kilowatts a day better. In other words, if March was a 16-kilowatt average a day in ’19, this ’20 March we just finished with 18 kilowatts. We’ve had better sun but obviously, we’ve had a lot of snow, we’ve had colder weather so the bill dropped like 75% of our electricity bill.

With a $21,000 unit installation and with $7,000 of that coming off with a federal credit, one of it was a $1,000 check directly from the state of Maryland. I paid $13,000 for the panel. The fact that I have a wife and daughter who like it a little bit cooler in the summer and a little bit warmer in the winter, so if I would tell if we keep it around at 68. My daughter lives upstairs, and we did not have a huge, super hot time. She will occasionally and rarely once a month come down and turn the heat down or turn it up. But if she’s ever doing that, she can quickly make the adjustment. Vivint Solar is literally a 50% deal.

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The sales agent was out for getting a sale but the enrollment process went smoothly. The people who put it in did a good job. They got it done on time and it worked out well. The only thing that didn’t go smoothly is our first year. We ended up with a true-up from PG&E and we didn’t know anything about that. By the time that was done, we paid almost as much in the true-up as we did for the year of service, which was about 600 and some dollars. Still, we’re satisfied with our decision. It’s an excellent way to go and our price arrangement has been very good. Our son had problems with his services though and he ended up going offline.

Also, I wish there was a better storage solution at this point, but right now, a deal is what we got. But what I would like it for, when there are actual power outages, which usually happens at night and solar is not very good then. But other than that, so far, so good. The system is completely invisible. We didn't even know it was working until I started going online and saw it was generating power. I’m perfectly satisfied. We’ll see how the bills are when it starts coming in.

You learn so much. The great thing is they walked us through and told us many new things that we never would have thought of. They explain the whole leasing process to you. They explain the buying process to you so you can determine which one’s better for you. They let you know that with a lease, they come out and they repair everything because if your solar panels don’t work, they're not able to charge you. So, it’s on them, as long as you're leasing. If you own it and they don't work, you have to pay for somebody to come out and repair it, and then they would still back charge you for that time.

They're very informative and very good at informing me of what’s going on. They were great at their customer service and explanations. That was a huge plus. They told us upfront that it would be about 7 to 10 years before we even notice any true difference or that it has paid for itself. And at that point, I didn’t wanna have to pay for repairs on my own solar so I just leased it. The challenge is selling your house later on. I’ve only had solar for three months and so far, I’m very satisfied.

This company is just going to overcharge you for your solar as I have heard over and over and been a victim of. They should of did a review for us in the house after the other people moved out because I don't even use enough energy to get solar. I would of never even got solar in the first place. Don't use them. There are so many other choices. I hope a board member or president or ceo reads this and does the right thing. Take it down!

I expected my first bill to be expensive, but my electric bill is 20 bucks and my Vivint bill is 20 bucks. I got them today and I’m thinking next month I’m gonna get a $1,000 bill or something somewhere along the line because that doesn’t add up. There must be something wrong with it. I know I generate more electricity than that. Vivint came out and the internet wasn’t connected, so they weren’t seeing the readings. Still, the girl that sold the system to me and the tech that came out were great.

In addition, the charge per Kwh is different for each month with no explanation as to why. I have had to call multiple times to find out why my charges are more than what I would normally get billed from the electric company and the different billing per kwh only to get the same "you get billed according to the amount produced." After multiple calls over multiple months, I have yet been able to speak to a supervisor or get an answer other than the statement above. Beware of their fradulent billing practices and very, very poor customer service in the billing department.

Original Review: I always thought going solar was great. Buyer beware!!!! I was told my bill would be cheaper than those with NV energy, but so far they have been twice what I would have paid. You pay for the solar electricity made, not what you use in the guise you get a rebate from the electric company. Not happening! Also, billing department is very rude and not helpful at all. I was promised an incentive that has not appeared after 1 year.

Representative refused to allow me to speak to a supervisor then stated she would speak to them and see IF they would talk to me; then placed on hold for 8 minutes. Now attempting to sell home and have 2 offers fall through because it is Vivint Solar. Cost to pay off potential energy through end of contract $14000 plus; taking with us is not an option as takes about 10 months for all approvals to get through and we have to pay to move. Feel Vivint Solar used false advertising and statements to persuade us to sign with their company. Purpose of complaint is to make you aware of poor customer service; shady sales tactics, and lack of general false business tactics in order to gain a customer base.

There were a lot of hoops to jump through before production though. I gotta get approval through the actual electric provider and gotta get all kinds of certification numbers. It was all explained in the beginning though. I knew what to expect and I knew it wasn't gonna be three weeks and I'd be good and selling solar. Still, I love the idea of producing solar. I bought my panels and didn't lease them so the objective was to pay Vivint off as soon as possible. Now, I have a cash well coming in, which is a no-brainer for me. I'm making money for nothing more or less at that point.

Our roof, where the panels get mounted, is aligned with the Southern exposure. Something was put on the north end initially because at the time, there was a regulation that said that you don’t wanna put solar panels on the side of the roof that doesn’t get exposed to the sun that much during the day. But now, the new ones are more sensitive and can be put on northern-exposure roofs so that we could benefit during the months where the sun is high in the sky. It will hit the solar panels and it’ll generate electricity whereas the original ones that were put on the southern exposure are not as sensitive. They're the older ones so they still generated the electricity because they're on the south side and exposed to the sun more months of the year. But with the more sensitive ones, they changed the law and you can now put them on the north side.

For the most part, the customer service was very good although I didn't get answers right away. When they installed the second set of panels, it took a long time for something to get approved by the local government and I tried to get the questions answered by emailing a contact that I had from Vivint. Other than that, it worked out fine. They send the notifications by email and they explain how you can interpret the bill so that was nice.

But they finally got it going when I notified them that nothing had been turned on yet. After that, it took another three weeks for them to release it, and then they sent me the instructions on how to turn the thing on. I was looking at the wrong meter so I had a problem. But after I figured that out, it was easy. They got back to me right after I fixed it. The people were very nice at the installation as well. I have the app so I see how much I'm saving or collecting. We'll see.

They were pretty clear about the timeframes and what they needed out of me, having somebody there, which worked out for my schedule. I had to reschedule one time ‘cause nobody was gonna be there and that ended up not being a problem. They were quick to come up with a second date. On one of their dates, their technician had a longer day at the previous installation, so they called and said they weren’t gonna be able to make it that afternoon and rescheduled quickly for the Saturday after that. It went really well. They were accommodating. In California, all homes built from 2020 and on have to have solar installed by the builder, so everybody is getting solar. It’s all part of taking part of the electrical load off of the system being overloaded at times because there are so many new homes being built in California. The way I see it, we’re helping in that way.

The people who came here seemed really nice and friendly. But with the salesman, I’m not sure if I’m real happy with him. He promised us some rebates but we haven’t received it yet. And he wouldn’t answer my phone calls after the installation especially since I had a question I needed to ask about billing. Other than that, the installers were good and they did their job.

While it was not working, we had to pay Pepco instead of having this solar power. Nobody reimbursed us for it because their systems were not working. We could not prove that it was not working because they did not know about it. It was really disappointing and very upsetting too. There was no way of talking to anyone. There were times we had no one to talk to. We called their number and for weeks, there was no answer. I was trying to cook, make laundry and iron when it was sunny, but it was for nothing. All that I could have done it at night because there was no power. We are very dissatisfied with them. We would not recommend Vivint Solar to anyone.

Also, for the first few months, they're telling you that after the solar panels are put on, "Okay, they're charging. Go outside and turn them on." Then I got an email instructing me how to do that, which was not complicated, but I'm still getting electric bills and my solar panels have been on for a couple of months. So, they're not very forthcoming about that process either. For the last two months, I've paid an electric bill and I'm paying the solar panel payment. As of right now, I'm way in the red with the whole solar panel process because it was not described to me in that way. There was a lack of communication. When they come out, it's more of a sales pitch type deal, which I get. But I have signed on for a loan for $38,000 just to go solar and I've been struggling to make both of these payments and was never told that I would be making two payments.

It's been good so far with solar. I got a local group neighborhood and they’ve been talking a lot about it. I shared my experience on there and told them I had a great experience from beginning to end. There were some that had problems, but they got ahold of the company and took care of whatever issues they had. Everybody seems to be very happy with it.

It took two months until I was producing solar energy from the time of the sign up. The full information on how much energy will we produce and how it is compensated by the electric company, however, is little bit confusing. It was not very clear to me. The solar energy which is produced is not paid for and it is deducted from your bill, and then they have an early billing cycle. That whole process was a little complicated. So, more explanation on that should be useful in understanding what we are signing up for.

I called again January 6, 7, and 28th. Vivint has outsourced their call center to another country and there is a language barrier. The person assigned to my case is "Adrienne," and the most she has done to contact the buyer is call one phone number. I asked if she had mailed a letter or sent a rep from the company out to the house since THEY HAVE THE ADDRESS and she wasn't sure if she was "authorized" to do so. The new owners have now had "free" solar for 2.5 months and Vivint continues to bill me. I let Adrienne know that I needed to speak with her supervisor/manager/superior and she just says "I understand your frustration." There is no progress being made. There is no plan of action. I have to keep calling the same phone number and I'm not getting anywhere. My next step is to file a lawsuit.

After they had the panels on, there was,however, a communication error. Apparently, the case manager thought that our borough was going to send that inspection notice over, where in turn, our case manager at Vivint had to call the borough to get the inspection notice to be able to move forward to have our meter and everything all changed out. So, that took about four weeks. That was the only thing I was a little disappointed in because my panels were up since the 1st of November, and it took till the 24th of January to physically be able to turn it on.

I also called the township to find out, and it took me two minutes on the phone with the borough telling them, “Why did not you send over that final inspection notice?” And they said, “Well, we cannot. They need to call us.” This was a learning experience for Vivint because I do not see many people going through Vivint here in South Jersey. Nevertheless, I am up and running now. I got my first electric bill from last month, and I saved $90.