Sungevity

They will place your panels facing north and call it an optimal layout.

Their customer service is HORRIBLE! I called from one number and next phone call I got no service. I had to call from a different number each time to get contact. I used 4 DIFFERENT PHONE NUMBERS trying to get help with these POS panels. In my opinion, this company is a joke and I wish I didnt answer the door when they came.

All around bad experiences, Very flexible and thoughtful when I was orientating for installing solar panels on my house. After I decided to get the job done bye them it turned in a bad experiences. Poor communication and all-round bad installation. I would highly recommend to anyone in the market, get the job done bye a local installation company!

Do not use Sungevity! In December 2019, Sungevity Solar (Hemet CA) faultily installed panels damaging the roof at our house with severe damage to kitchen walls and ceiling. Sungevity did not take ownership of the problem. In Fall 2020, more damage occurred due to rain. After multiple attempts insisting Sungevity resolve the issue and repair damages, panels were removed; however only repairing the roof, leaving ceiling and walls unattended.

At present, the situation remains unresolved and Sungevity continues to be unresponsive to calls and emails. Without re-installed panels I incur higher electric bills, and also must pay lease costs. Kitchen walls and ceiling are still not repaired and the family room needs cleaning after roofers attempted repair. Two years of elder abuse.

I have attempted to call this company for the past week and have not received a call back. I never would have imagined putting solar panels up 2yrs later you can't reach anyone

We leased our system from Sungevity about four years ago then they went bankrupt or sold our lease to Omnidian solar and short hills lease co. in november 2019 i went onto the roof to wash off the panels something they recommend, i found two of the 40 panels with shattered glass, i called them they came out and inspected the system and told me that they were having that issue with this brand (Hyundai) so they knew there was a problem but they never contacted me so for safety reasons they told me to shut the system off but we were still obligated to pay our lease and we are paying SDGE full price as well.

They are now telling me that they are discussing the situation with Hyundai and that we might have an answer early in 2021 so we will have been double paying for over a year so basically they are stealing from me. i told them that i think they should fix the panels on there dime and then they can go after Hyundai on there time. im not the only one having this problem and i am talking to an attorney they are reviewing my contract.

Run as FAST as you can from Sungevity. They went bankrupt about 3 years ago. Assets were divided out when private holding company purchased them. Went through a few re-organizations, and they "reemerged" as Sungevity again, but not the same company as before. Their "Short Hills Transfer & Support" team is awful. I don't even know if they are a Sungevity company.

The transfer specialist, (one woman show), is completely unprofessional, rude, and has ZERO idea how to do her job. She constantly said things, then retraced her steps, EVEN THOUGH I had it in writing. She denied things. She doesn't return emails. She doesn't return phone calls. Because of her LACK of professionalism, we missed a closing and caused my clients to go 3 days past their rate lock and ended up paying a ton of fees.

She "claims" there are no managers or that she cannot reach "other teams" that help her do her job. I work with MANY other solar companies, on a DAILY basis with my career, and I have NEVER had this level of unprofessionalism, and COMPLETE lack of concern for the customer. From the start to the end, it took over 46 days to complete the solar lease transfer. 46 days!

I have been emailing and calling for months to get a managers email address to file a complaint, and my email has never been answered. Read all the other reviews. This company is NOT in the business to help customers with solar. This company is in the business of STEALING money with "pretend" solar and does not care of you need to sell your home or not. STAY. AWAY.

We contacted Sungevity in June 2019. Sungevity gave us a prompt quote over the phone. Without comparison, we could not judge the value. The representative (Patrick Solomon) pressured us in accepting the quote on the spot due to supposed Sungevity investor requirements and other intimidating sales tactics. After doing some research at Energy Sage, we uncovered the quote seemed over 25% above market.

We renegotiated the contract at a 10% discount relative to the original price, but still much above market. We figured we were still going for quality as Sungevity was named the best company in its field by this website. The representative confirmed they could complete an installation of solar panels and battery within 6 weeks. It actually took more than 7 months.

The "substantially complete" installation was done in the last week of December 2019. And, as of this writing the system is not yet certified and ready to go by PG&E. The project took such a long time that after several months both the supplier and installer of solar panels sent us "California Preliminary Notice" of filing a lien against our house because they had not gotten paid by Solar Spectrum, one of the operating companies acquired by Sungevity. Also, Sungevity and Solar Spectrum hounded us for weeks to make a second and final payment on an installation that was far from "substantially complete." Some of their collection systems were automated whereby they sent us automatically every other day an electronic document to sign confirming the installation was complete when it was not and demanding a 2nd payment on the spot.

Staff turnover is a problem. Over this time period, we dealt with 3 different project managers and two different finance managers. Another issue is the decentralized business model of Sungevity. The latter is really an umbrella holding company. It controls numerous different operating companies. In turn, these subsidiaries often entirely outsource the entire installation of the panels to other companies. And, the delivery of service of the different operating subsidiaries and especially the outsourced installation panel subcontractors can vary greatly.

In our case, the installer was American Home Energy (AHE). They turned out to be incompetent. They often brought the wrong part for the job. They had to come numerous times to do a job that should have been completed in one single visit. One of AHE staffers even told my spouse with a smirk on his face "you should have bought a generator instead." They were plagued by staff turnover and shortage causing our project to be on hold for weeks if not months. Sungevity developed a fairly revolutionary process including software, design, phone protocol and system whereby they could sell on the spot very expensive solar installation without spending any upfront marketing dollars on consulting visits and achieving a very high sales closing rate (that's where the intimidating sales tactics paid off).

They also could leverage this low cost efficient software based system over numerous solar company acquisitions. This seems brilliant at first. But, there is a downside. They have completely lost control on the actual quality of the products and services they deliver. They actually have a very tough time of monitoring and tracking their own project.

In our case, my spouse turned into the de facto project manager as they often had no idea where things stood, where were the subcontractors, etc. If an executive of Sungevity, Solar Spectrum, or American Home Energy reads this review, it actually provides valuable actionable information. All three companies have issues regarding quality control, staff turnover, project management, financial management, and customer service.

I don't think I would be interested in doing business with this Horizon Solar / Sungevity again because after working very hard for the Referal program, I have waited 6 months for my referral bonus to be paid to me in which it was promised within 4-6 weeks. I've reached out to countless people in Horizon / Sungevity and was told "the check was in the mail". It's been 6 months and still nothing. Referrals are part of a companies reputations, and they have not been honest!

Update: 6-22-19 Lucky enough I got out of the contract. We sold our house and moved to Texas. Not to get out of the contract but, to get the hell away from California. Good luck with their worthless liberal customer service and their pathetic company.

Almost immediately after signing a contract they went "bankrupt" offering no customer service or support.

Bought 8 high quality solar panels in 2015. In the first year the transformer set itself on fire and the panels were down for six weeks. Up front I had said that I want to have insight into the panel energy production with an app. I received an Omnik Transformer that comes with a chinese app. Over the past 18 months the chinese servers have been down up to multiple times per day and I wouldneed to reset the panels severa times per day to get insight. Since 18 months I do not know what teh panels produce. This is not what I expected. All Sungevity support eMail addresses from 2015 seem to not exist any more.

Patrick Solomon was pushy and then plain unprofessional. Trying to push a sale with the excuse that he has a family to feed. Don't we all? Glad I didn't fall in this trap. After researching further there is nothing but pissed off customers and bad reviews. He ended the conversation by saying "you will never do solar." Wow!

Sungevity installed my solar 2 years ago. Now having equipment problems and they went bankrupt. Tried calling the number on the web-site and attempted to email them with no answer and no response! Solar Spectrum was supposed to handle all the warranty issues, I CAN'T get ahold of them either! Avoid Sungevity AND Solar Spectrum like the plague!

Terrible company. Willfully and intentionally screwed over most of its labor force to maximize corporate profit. This, after claiming to be a B corp. Misled providers and suppliers, cheated and lied to contractors and full time employees. Untrustworthy. Unworthy of being in business. Almost any other company is a better choice for your solar needs.

This company was top of my list for going solar, but any company that calls me without prior consent on a Sunday evening automatically loses my business. Ridiculous. While I appreciate a response from the business, this is not an issue of getting the calling times right. Any company who is in the practice of calling people on weekends without prior consent should not be given consideration. If I get a call on Saturday or midday I deal with it and let them know it is not okay. But Sunday evening? Seriously?

Wish I could shut these guys off forever, don't want their BS constantly in my email.

I went live with Sungevity in June 2015. A big part of my decision to go with Sungevity was based on their commitment to stand behind their install. I live in New England where an improper design & install can result in snow & ice dams, so their roof guarantee was very important to me. After the very first winter storm, the snow did not shed properly off the panels as I had feared during the design phase, despite their assurances it would.

It created a wall of snow 2' high downhill of the panels, causing an ice dam and no power generation as snow couldnt slide off. I called Sungevity figuring they'd be willing to help correct the bad design. They said they were not responsible for snow buildup, ice dams, roof damage, interior damage, or really anything at all. The rep I spoke to said the performance guarantee would kick in, but not how they would stand behind a performance guarantee if they are not responsible for snow buildup that should have shed off the panels naturally. Buyer beware.

If you are wondering if you should rent or own, read on - I've done both. Here is my experience in case it helps you decide. My energy bill was SUPER HIGH - sometimes over $400. A few years ago, we leased solar panels - 22 panels at a monthly rate of $214. No money down - just had to qualify for the program with credit score and energy usage.

When I sold that house, the new buyer had to be ok with $214/month and also qualify for the solar lease. When I moved to my current home, we decided to PURCHASE solar panels - 22 panels for about $20K. The cost is A LOT lower in the long run plus I got almost $6,000 back in tax credit (so my panels cost me about $15K-ish). This is the tax credit that will go BYE-BYE in 2016.

If you do the math, over 20 years, leasing can cost over $70,000! So consider buying them. If you BUY them, be aware that the panels save you money when there is lots of sunlight out (not when it is overcast/night). In my situation, I am connected to the SoCal Edison grid - so when it's overcast or night, I use their energy. SoCal Edison bills me annually.

I was surprised to get a bill of about $1200 for the year - the rep told me how to get that bill greatly reduced: 1. Get taken OFF direct payment (your bill will be mailed to you). 2. When you get the bill, look at page 4 for new solar energy amount. 3. Add that amount to the tax amount (usually under $2) on page 4 and write your check for that total, send that in. 4.

This will prevent SoCal Edison from double dipping (as was explained to me). 5. You will always have a large credit so just ignore the "do not pay" info. I got my panels through a company called Sungevity, they did a good job, no problems even with high wind in Etiwanda. If you want to use me as a referral, you will get a discount of $750 that you can use towards the lease or purchase (by the way, you will NOT get this discount if you sign up at your local home improvement center).

I am not sure how long this referral discount program lasts. My referral code is 1237593. My rep's name is Jon Dickson at 510-496-5507. His email is jdickson@sungevity.com. He can answer any questions you have. What do I get? $250 for each person who uses me as a referral. I really don't care if you use me as a referral or not - I'd be happy just helping you make your decision to go solar.

By the way, Jon told me that around springtime, there MIGHT be an additional fee to connect to the grid if 5% of the people in our utility district go solar. So get in early, get grandfathered in. And remember if you buy solar panels in 2016, you get a substantial tax credit that sunsets after 2016. Good luck!

We were very excited to switch over to solar panel and be part of a progression towards less dependency on foreign fuel. While I still stand behind that, we clearly are working with a company with poor customer service. Sungevity had the panels installed on our roof and it has destroyed our home. The installation, was pre approved on our roof to be deemed safe, which it hasn't.

The posts are causing leakage and damage in our roof and in our bedroom ceilings. Our kids wake up with plaster falling on them, and them breathing in the particles. We've repeatedly asked Sungevity to help fix the problem. They have patched our ceiling multiple times but then want to charge us thousands of dollars to have the panels removed, which are essentially destroying our home. I would suggest making sure whichever solar company you chose has better client safety in mind.

First, Sungevity tells me I can cancel the agreement before installation, but when I find out the other solar company seems a better fit for me and I want to sign up with the other company, they are reluctant to cancel the agreement. So they lied to me. Second, they try to show me what kind of mouthing system they use on the roof, but I don't really have time to go over this detail with them because their contract doesn't offer a longer period of warranty as others.

So this is wasting my time. Why don't they cancel the agreement right away if I already make up my mind? I hope this experience may help other people who want to go solar.

I contacted 12 solar companies and got proposals from 6. Sungevity had the best price for purchase, and provided the best power guarantee as well. On the plus side, my Sungevity rep, Parker Thompson, was professional and did not aggressively push me to sign as all of their competitors did, except Solar City. Parker worked with me on the installation as I did not want any conduit running across my roof. Conduit was run in my attic.

As a result, I have a clean installation which I'm very pleased with. My electric bills have been less than $2, most have been a credit. Additionally, thier smart phone and table apps track your power generation hourly. I recommend them highly.

So far, we have had a wonderful experience with Sungevity. Specifically, Sam C., our contact person has been incredible. We're just in the early stages and everything is going well. I had some initial qualms about making this commitment, but I feel this is such crucial move, for ourselves, for our children and their future families and for our earth!