ComplaintsforLuminaSun Smart Home, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  02/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Towards the end of 2022, I had a solar panel system installed on my house through **********. The install process was was unorganized from the start. Crew never showed up when they originally were scheduled to and would show up unannounced to start work. One instance was after 7pm they showed up to work for an hour. Once the system was installed, the county inspector had to get them back out to correct some issues with the panel box. After finally getting access to the monitoring website, I noticed that I was not generating anywhere near what was discussed when planning the system. After two months, I had to call several times to get ahold of anyone to come out and look at the system. They did not go into detail but they had to fix something on the inverter. After several more months I again reached out to ********** to find out why *********** was not reporting the correct generated kWh. I was told by **** that it was on the solar installation company (**********). ********** said that it was on Duke's end. Now after a full year of having the panels, I have not even come close to the expected generation rate. For example, in July of last year I was charged with using ***** kWh. Duke shows I only delivered 434 kWh to the grid that month. Per the monitoring website, I generated ***** kWh. Therefore, I should have only been charged for 468 kWh. In the proposal, it was expected to generate ****** kWh. Per ***********'s website, I used (and was charged for) ****** kWh in 2023. When being sold on this system, I was told that I would be generating credits that I can sell back at the end of the year to Duke. So far that was a lie as well. I paid all year for the solar panels as well as full energy usage from Duke. I have been scammed.

  

  Business response

  02/14/2024

  To whom it may concern, 

  I have reached out to **************** directly as we were not aware of these issues until he reached out to my co-worker on 2/13. We are assessing his production concerns and will be in touch as soon as possible. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased solar panels in July of 2022 which were installed around Oct of Nov. Before agreeing to get devices from and work with this company I was promised that my energy bill would significantly decrease and that I would pay no more than $7-$10. Well that has been completely false information, my bills have been higher than theyve ever been before since grilling the solar panels installed on my home. I have reached out to the company since day 1 because I had problems from the beginning and had been fighting, but has still had no resolution or help with this issue. I have been stuck with paying double a month now because I have been responsible for the monthly payment of the loan of the panels as well as my high energy bill. This has caused a significant financial burden for me and my family that I have to care for

  

  Business response

  02/02/2024

  To whom it may concern, 

  *************** to the recent complaint left by **************. She mentions contacting us from day 1, but apart from receiving a call this past Friday, our last point of communication was from about 10 months ago when ************** requested a billing evaluation. When this process was completed, we let her know that her solar was functioning, but her bills were so high due to a lack of payment. My supervisor has reached out to her, letting her know that in order for us to help, we will need copies of any bills presenting a concern so we can get to the bottom of why they are higher than expected. We also requested that we provide a complimentary service to the homeowner by completing a system check, and collecting the necessary serial number from her data logger installed since she was unable to migrate her account to the new monitoring platform through her manufacturer. It is imperative that we have this production data so we are able to see how her system is producing in conjunction with her initial proposal. 
  
  

  
  

  Customer response

  02/03/2024

   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Majority of what this business is saying is not true. Yes it is true that the last time they heard from me was last year before other week because they have refused to do anything about the issue after several calls to them. They mentioned that I  spoke with them 10 mos ago so that confirms that this issue has been ongoing for a while. My bill is not high did to lack of payment as I have every last one of my bills stating the monthly amounts for each month in itself. My energy company has explained to me that the solar panels are not producing enough to cover the energy that I am using from the look of my bills and that is the reason my bills are so high. This company has a history of the same complaints from numerous customers if you look at the reviews online so they are known for their product not performing as they promise their customers it will. After I sent my bills to them they constantly stated that they could do nothing for me. *** also spoken with the loan company about this issue so their customer support department can reach out on my behalf as well which is what they do. I am in process of speaking with news media getting a lawyer and taking further action because they are not going to take ownership and they cannot continue to do this to people and get away with it

  

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  To whom it may concern, 
  We recently dispatched a technician to attempt to connect **************' monitoring, perform a system check, as well as collect the cumulative production data. We will have to order a cellular device as the technician was unsuccessful at connecting to her Wi-Fi. However, since activation, this system has produced at over 100% what was initially proposed according to the inverter itself (see attached). The system has cumulatively produced ****** kWh for the year and 3 months that she has been on. I deducted the pictured current month, and previous month from the cumulative figure which amounts to ****** kWh. She is proposed to produce ******** kWh annually.

  Even with December being the only month not accounted for (she activated in November), the discrepancy between total proposed and actual reported production is over **** kWh, and the proposed production for December is only ****** kWh. Meaning the system produced more than anticipated. 

  With that being said, as we have stated in a few different forms of communication, if a customer's bills are higher than anticipated we will need copies of these bills in full (pages 1-3 for Duke customers). Especially with the system producing over the initial estimates, we will need to see what is causing the elevated bill, as it seems unrelated to solar. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a system in August of 2022 and it is still not working yet. Lumina is no longer paying the bill for the solar panels what where supposed to be working by Sept of 2022. Dealing with their customer support staff has been a nightmare, the follow up and care for their customers is just not there. I have had to email and call multiple times in order to get a response. During the installation multiple different crews were used and all of them would blame the previous ones for their incomitance. Damage was done to my house where the inverters were installed and the wires run into the house. There has been a ticket opened to fix it but no one has followed up since the initial email a week ago. I would just like for my system to work and to not have to deal with ****** again. The process has been the worst experience with customer service i have ever had. I would like for them to honor the agreement that we had that they would keep paying for the loan until the system is working. They had also agreed to pay the next two payments after the completion of the system so that it could produce and help bring down the power bill.

  

  Business response

  04/13/2023

  To whom it may concern, 
  I am writing to respond to the recent review left by **********. Please note the delay of the projects completion is primarily due to the multiple requests made by your utility company to change the format of the installation to meet their metering requirements. As we are sure you are aware, the utility company did request that we change the format yet again, since they have granted that your system be under a net metering program. Please be advised that this is a significant upgrade as you should receive full credits for your solar production after this change has been made. It is my understanding that ******** has confirmed that we will make the necessary changes to your installation per your utility companys request this coming Wednesday, April 19th. Regarding the mentioned damage, because we are unable to address this in house, we are actively working on subcontracting this out as soon as possible. I will follow up with the representative working on this matter today. We sincerely apologize for any lack of communication you may have received. We will do our best to turn this around moving forward. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The solar system that I was sold has not worked 30% of the time I have owned it. I had roof leaks that took 6 months to resolve. I currently have a battery issue that the company refuses to warranty, even after thier technician said it was due to an installation mistake.

  

  Business response

  03/15/2023

  To whom it may concern, 

  After reviewing the notes on this account it seems that the leak has been repaired. The equipment installed as part of the solar system are for the most part covered by warranty.  Based on the notes this customer's most recent service was for their battery which was repaired as a breaker was tripped. To see if this was functioning with the solar system properly we would need to connect to this customer's monitoring to for any further troubleshooting. This customer's monitoring device is a cellular device that SolarEdge (the manufacturer) does not cover when and if the carrier drops the network the system was initially connected to. This is the case for this customer, and replacing this is not covered by the manufacturer. Again most other equipment is covered by the warranty, however labor and servicing is charged by LuminaSun Smart Home to the customer being serviced when they are outside of their one year of free service. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  - Purchase date 4/7/2021 - Financed amount: $41,400 - Solar panels, battery, energy efficiency upgrades - Installers left holes in our roof, causing leaks. The company has sent people out multiple times to "fix" the problem, but our roof is still leaking - We were promised the company would apply for a *********** rebate on our behalf - we didn't find out until it was too late for us to file ourselves that they didn't plan to honor that promise and we're told they never said that (although both my husband and I know they did. We should have made sure it was included in the contract, but we made the mistake of taking them at their word)- The installers bribed us with a $40 Amazon gift card if we gave them a 5-star review on ****** (not just a review, specifically it had to be 5 stars). This was immediately after the panels were installed and we had no way of knowing how satisfied we were with the installation and the system itself)- When I left a negative ****** review, the company responded by lying and saying the leaks in our roof weren't due to their installation, even though we have an email where they admit liability. They are misrepresenting themselves to possible future customers.

  

  Business response

  01/27/2023

  To whom it may concern, 
  I am reaching out in reference to *************************** most recent complaint to the BBB. 
  To address her first point of concern that she has had a perpetual leak in her home, I have let her know that we would be more than willing to service her property, however a service fee would apply as we have been to her property on numerous occasions to try to repair the issue at hand. Most recently ************************** reached out in January/ February of last year and her service ticket was closed due to her lack of response. In reference to the rebate program, we have asked that customers file for this on their own since I have started working here (her project was prior to this point) so I am not able to address this, however I do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused her. The only thing solar customers need from their solar companies to file is their unique ID and total system size which she should have had access to during her project, found in her interconnection agreement. In reference to the review, it is my understanding that the crew at the time was running a market campaign, and she was not required to leave a review; however she chose to do so.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I got my panels installed in Aug of 2021, My bill hasn't been what i was expecting. I was told by the sales agent that my bill would be as low $10 which would be the taxes. My power bill is high and i'm not seeing the benefit of having the solar panels. The sales pitch was very misleading and the cost of them isn't a benefit. I did reach out to the company to address my concerns and was told it would go lower, it hasn't ether they aren't working like it should or they lied. I feel very mislead in having the solar panels and they can come get them.

  

  Business response

  12/20/2022

  To whom it may concern, 

  I am reaching out in response to ******************** complaint regarding a higher than expected ****. I looked up her contact information in our systems and the only communication I was able to locate was me sending an out going email including her requested documents for her taxes. I have not received anything for a bill evaluation request. That being said I was able to take a closer look at her production. Her monitoring has been down since what looks like November, however prior to this her system was producing very well on a monthly basis. I am happy to take a closer look at this matter. If she could, I would like to request that she sends me her most recent 3-6 months of Duke bills in full to my email- ********************************** and that she contact me with any questions she has about her system so we can try to get to the bottom of this matter. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed the contract to have panels installed in August of 2019. The panels were finally "live" in December after a lot of confusion with the local power company and issues with failing the inspection and requiring some rewiring. In addition to the trouble with getting started, the savings that were promised by the salesman on the utility bills were outright lies. My utilities have decreased at most $30-40/month. The sales pitch said I could expect utility bills of $10-20 for electricity due to the solar panels. The panels began leaking December 2020. A Repairman was sent and I was told it was due to faulty installation and it was fixed. The same panels are leaking again and they began leaking in October 2022, less than 2 years after the supposed "repair." Twice we've had appointments set up for a tech to come and do repairs and twice it has been a no-call no-show. I am concerned about the underlying roof from continued water damage.

  

  Business response

  11/10/2022

  To whom it may concern, 
  I am reaching out in response to ************** Dentons complaint regarding her system. She is fully correct we have had several issues with getting **************** scheduled with our team to ensure her property is looked at and repaired as needed. We have reached out to **************** to get this rescheduled for Tuesday, November 22nd and will make any repairs necessary to ensure her roof is sealed. 

  Customer response

  12/05/2022

   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Business response

  12/12/2022

  To whom it may concern, 

  I am reaching out as I have spoken to ****************. We did reach out via text message as we know she is a school teacher and we consider her service high priority and we had an opening in our schedule. She let us know she did not receive this message, and we do have quite a few technical difficulties with the application we use when trying to send text messages. Because she was not able to receive confirmation that we wanted to service her property, we did seal this from the exterior of her home, but per her request we are willing to reschedule this for a full assessment from the interior as well. We will be reaching out to try to get this scheduled for Tuesday, December 20th, or will work with her on a date that better fits her schedule. We have every intention on rectifying this as soon as possible. 

  Customer response

  12/13/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint.  *********** is scheduled for December 20th for them to come and inspect the roof damage from the ongoing leak and ensure that the roof is sealed.  I will update my response after the service visit. 
  
  Thank you. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had solar panels installed on around March of 2020. The cost of the solar panels totaled around $48,000.00. I have paid the company in full. The panels worked fine until June of 2022. I placed a services call and paid $150.00 for someone to come out and fix my panels. I was told that a fuse was blown. I received my *********** bill for August and realized I had not been generating any power. I tried to call several times and you can never get anyone to answer the phones. I finally got in touch with someone via email they keep telling me they are getting a service call placed. I have been almost 2 months without generating any energy. The company is failing to stand behind their products. Solar panels are a huge investment for them to become yard decorations after only 2 years. I am unable to get in touch with anyone at the company willing to help me resolve the problem. I would hate for other people to continue to get ripped off my this company.

  

  Business response

  10/27/2022

  In response to Ms. ******* complaint, please offer the direct line to our customer service specialist at ************.  I do see there is a service scheduled for this customer on 11/2, so I am assuming they were able to speak to someone about their system.

  **************** speaks about standing behind "our products", while we do stand behind the products we sell, we are not the manufacture...we are a sales company.  The manufacture does have a warranty on their products should the customer need to initiate a warranty claim.  We are happy to assist with that if needed.

   In regards to the service fee paid...we do offer free service visits for the first year.  As she stated, the issues with her system was over 2 years later, so a service fee was applied for the trip and replacement of fuses.  When we left the site, the system was working.  We are not sure why it is not working at this time, but we will be able to troubleshoot further on 11/2. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased solar at the end of No ember 2021. To this date they have not fixed the panels so they work and lower our energy so we are paying full price for our electric as well as payment on an $80k loan. We were suppose to pay $208 a month for loan and roughly $88 for electric. Because the solar isnt working I am paying over $550 for electric on top of loan for the solar. We notified them in January 2023 of their being a problem and yet to have it fixed. Nor have They have not refunded any over payment monies even though we call and email them weekly requesting an up date.

  

  Business response

  10/13/2022

  I am reaching out in response to the recent inquiry from ************** regarding her solar system. We have serviced her property in July, and will be returning to her property next week. We have had extensive difficulties with her manufacturer and their products (Generac) but are actively working on ensuring her system is functioning properly. For several months **************** site was missing from LuminaSun Smart Homes portal for our Generac customers. After a continuous attempt at contacting our representative with the company, they finally reinstated this so we are able to see her system to evaluate any discrepancies in production to assess why she is receiving higher than expected bills. Her system is however disconnected (offline) which is why we are planning on returning October 17th to address this matter. We will also be looking over her system at this time to ensure again that her system is functioning properly. While the production numbers she was provided with at the point of sale are projections and not guaranteed as depicted in page 13 of her signed contract ...the numbers provided for production and usage are illustrative only and are not in any way guarantees, we still care about this customers satisfaction, and will do everything we are able to do to ensure her system is functioning as designed, and do intend to look further into the matter once her data from production is backfilled after her system is reconnected. Should this customer have any further questions or concerns she can feel free to contact us at any time.  

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In March/April of **************************** learning about having solar panels installed. I was promised that I would no longer receive electric bills, no longer be at the mercy of ******************** rate increases, that I would be able to finally use my air conditioning and heat without worrying about high electricity bills. Since installation in April, I have never had the net monitoring that I was promised. They didn't install the backup battery because I was told they wanted to wait until a better, smaller, cheaper battery that was coming out was available that would provide more energy. I have received multiple electric bills. My roof leaked afrter installation. Mind you I replaced my roof with a metal roof in 2016 that had a 40 year warranty that they voided by drilling and s******* through multiple times to install this project. They claim no liability for the leak. I've been in contact with a low level customer service rep regarding the adapter they installed that is supposedly at fault for my not having net monitoring. I was eventually emailed with an explanation that nothing could be done. I expressed that answer was not acceptable and it needed fixed. I've emailed, called and left messages about the system that was installed that I am now learning will never generate enough electricity to offset a monthly bill much less come close to offsetting monthly or yearly energy historically used. No one has answered. Not even the owner of the company, *****. I cannot afford this! I was promised this solar installation as an answer to no longer having ever increasing electric bills. Now I'm paying increasing electric bills as well as a solar financing payment. I was promised they would service, replace and manage the equipment the life of the loan...they won't even return contact. This is unacceptable service. This is unacceptable breach of contract. This is fraud plain and simple.

  

  Business response

  10/07/2022

  We will look into this issues that prompted complaint promptly. 
  

  If there is an issue with installation or equipment will address it. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩