Solar Energy Equipment Dealers
Pink EnergyHeadquarters
Information and Alerts
Alert Details
This business has 2 alerts.
Out-of-Business known or suspected
According to information in BBB files, this business is no longer in business.
Bankruptcy
On 10/07/2022, the business filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 (Liquidation) of the federal Bankruptcy Act, case# 22-50228. Those with monetary claims against the business are advised to obtain a Proof of Claim form by writing to United States Bankruptcy Court - Western District of North Carolina 401 West Trade Street Charlotte NC 28202 for resubmission to that court. The case number should be entered on the form. Claims must be submitted by 11/16/2022
Important Information
Additional Info
At the time of the business closure in 2022, BBB was reporting the following information regarding a pattern of complaints:
According to information in BBB
files, Power Home Solar, LLC d/b/a Pink Energy has a pattern of complaints in
the areas of product and/or sales practice issues, as well as customer service
issues. Specifically, complainants allege that during the sales process
representatives are suggesting the consumer can expect large savings on their
electricity/utility bills as a result of the solar panel systems being
installed. Complainants allege that the sales representatives claim the
solar power will provide the majority of the energy needed/used by the
consumer's home and sometimes overproduce resulting in credits from the power
companies. Once the contract has been signed, complainants allege that
they experience long delays in getting their systems activated due to
inspection issues or equipment issues. Additionally, once turned on, complainants
allege the systems are not producing as much energy as previously suggested
during the sales process. Complainants are furthermore alleging that once
they attempt to bring these issues to the company's attention, they are
experiencing communication challenges such as long hold times on the phone,
lack of response to emails, and/or unfulfilled promises to review the systems
in question.
On May 6, 2022, BBB contacted the
company seeking their voluntary cooperation in eliminating the pattern of
complaint. Power Home Solar, LLC d/b/a Pink Energy responded to the
request agreeing to work toward eliminating the pattern of complaints by taking
the following steps outlined by the company below:
We have instituted a minimum 7-day (longer if
required by applicable jurisdiction) penalty-free cancellation period in
order for customers to have additional time to review their contract and
decision to purchase.
We are expanding our customer service team to better
and more quickly respond to customer inquiries and have hired a leader
with nearly 30 years of experience in sales and customer service to run
this team.
We will launch a digital customer portal to give
customers real-time insight into project status and timelines and provide
a post-install communication and support tool.
We have extended our workmanship warranty for all
existing and future residential customers to 10 years.
We are performing an independent investigation into
sales practices.
We have been and will continue to revamp and improve
our sales processes, and we are placing a renewed focus on ethics,
honesty, and quality control. This includes:
The elimination of commission-only sales
associates.
A third-party review of all sales training
materials and requirements.
All sales associates must complete two weeks of
training and a three-part Ethics in Sales course.
All sales associates have recently reaffirmed their
ethical pledges and will be required to reaffirm them annually. All sales
associates must sign a robust Honesty & Ethics in Sales Policy and retrain on
sales and ethics policies every 60 days.
Recording and regularly auditing the sales team’s
interactions with customers. This includes leadership dropping in on
calls regularly and state of the art technology that uses AI to identify
key words and phrases that should not be used and alert the sales
associate in real time as well as flag for management.
New account success managers that walk customers
through the contract to ensure they understand what they are agreeing to.
New project acceleration team that calls customers
within 72 hours of the sale to go over a brief questionnaire to make sure
they understand all terms of the contract and loan.
The establishment of an internal ethics committee
to regularly audit sales practices to ensure all our ethical standards
are upheld.
A secret shopper program.
BBB Monitored the company’s efforts:
UPDATE 8/24/2022
Pink
Energy outlined their plan to address the pattern of complaints
identified by BBB and this update serves as the basis for our review of
their progress to date.
BBB identified three primary areas of concern: sales practices; product quality; and customer service issues.
Pink
Energy implemented a number of new policies and procedures relative to
the training and oversight of their sales teams. BBB has seen a
reduction in the number of complaints relating solely to selling
practices.
Pink
Energy recently terminated their relationship with Generac, a key
supplier of batteries and components for their solar installations (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQa_j1PGDwE). BBB believes that this step is addressing the product quality issues.
At that time, customer service issues persisted and consumers continued to point out lengthy delays and
difficulty in contacting Pink Energy for service issues.
At this time the pattern of complaints will no longer be monitored or is no longer
ongoing.
Pending Government Action
On September 26, 2022, the Missouri Attorney General's Office filed a Petition to obtain injunctive relief, restitution, civil penalties, and other equitable relief against Power Home Solar, LLC d/b/a Pink Energy in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County. Charges filed allege that the business has made misrepresentations to Missouri consumers about its residential solar energy generation systems in violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
The matter is pending.
Pending Government Action
On September 26, 2022, the Ohio Attorney General's Office filed a Complaint and Request for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, Consumer Damages, Civil Penalties and Other Appropriate Relief against Power Home Solar, LLC d/b/a Pink Energy in the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County. Charges filed allege that the business engaged in unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable acts and practices in violation of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act.
The matter is pending.
BBB encourages you to contact the following agency to confirm this information:
Ohio Attorney General's Office
https://ohioattorneygeneral.gov/
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