ComplaintsforPanhandle Solar

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i hired panhandle solar to install a solar system on my garage for my residence. the system is still not working. he told me he would take care of all required permits. he hasnt done any of that. all he has done after a long period of time is put the panels on the roof. my electrician has did all the electrical work. roger bacon is the owner of panhandle solar. the guys a nut talks alot of gibberish.

  Business response

  12/03/2023

  I was hired by the customer to install solar panels on the roof The contract clearly states he is to do his own electrical and his own permitting The homeowner wanted a self-install. I have documentation with the contract to prove such agreement. It is unnecessary to call people names this is a professional organization let's keep it that way please.

  Panhandle solar completed the contract and its entirety. The customer is responsible for his own permitting and electrical connections per agreement thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  05/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 6/27/22 I purchased a solar system + installation from ***** @ Panhandle Solar with a $16,296 down payment. On 10/8/22 I paid another installment of $9,468 for "delivery of equipment". On 10/20/22 ***** mounted solar panel hardware on the north-facing half of my roof, facing AWAY from the sun. This is a gross deviation from solar industry standards (as confirmed by five separate solar contractors/electricians). Solar panels should always face towards the sun as much as possible to maximize production, not away from it. ******* reason for doing this was “So that you will have room to expand your system later.” He then confirmed he would add the second row to the south half of my roof as planned (he never did) but that he couldn’t remove the north facing hardware as it would cause my brand new roof to leak. On 2/9/23 ***** finally gave me a payment receipt after several months of me requesting one from him. On 4/14/23 ***** finally delivered some of the equipment I paid for 10 months earlier, but it didn’t comply with the contract. The contract promised 28 solar panels + 28 solar inverters at 8.4 kilowatts and ***** only delivered 24 of each at 5.88 kilowatts (only 70% of what I paid for). He refuses to give me that missing 30%. A wi-fi solar monitor was also included in the contract to track my solar production remotely. The monitor that we discussed was the Enphase IQ Gateway which is specific to the Enphase IQ system that I purchased. ***** refuses to deliver this monitor despite me paying him $1,500 for it (it only retails for $500.) ***** has now abandoned my job and stated he is “done” after literally not performing on any part of his contract that was executed almost one year ago. He also refuses to respond to any of my resolution requests and has ceased communication entirely. ***** has breached his own contract, refuses to deliver what I paid for and I’m now stuck with a damaged north half of my roof covered in ugly and unnecessary hardware.

  Business response

  06/22/2023

  In response to ******* complaint.  There are several erroneous statements in his complaint. When he contracted Panhandle Solar (4/22) the building did not exist, he was doing a build and wanted solar.  When the structure was framed up and the roof was completed, sometime in October 2022, we install the rails as per our original communication, which is noted on the contract. 50% on the North and 50% on the South. The orientation of his roof would gain more production with this roof plan.  He stated that I didn't deliver for 10 months, which was decided from the original date of contract due to no safe and secure place for the equipment.  I stored his equipment at no charge for that time. Customer impatiently demanded that his equipment was to be delivered immediately in April 2023.  The roads to his property were not improved, matter of fact when we installed the rails in October we had to be towed out, I informed him we would not return to his property until such time the roads would handle my truck, trailer and heavy equipment. We settled on delivery to a neighbor's house, in which all equipment was delivered. The contract and explanations of the number of panels has been explained many times.  I will draw it out for everyone here again in black and white.... He purchased an 8.4 k solar system; he received an 8.7 k solar system.  He received more power than he paid for. IE: contract reads 8.4k system: 28 panels x 300 watts equals 8400 watts. I Delivered 24 x 365 watts equals 8760 or 8.7 K.  I do not know how else to show he got more power than he paid for. I could have given him 23 which would have equaled 8395 watts, I gave him equal to a free panel.  NO WHERE on the contract does it say wifi monitor.  I delivered him a mechanical monitor system which is standard. I never agreed to a wifi monitor system verbally or in writing. ***** also stated that he did not want me to finish the install.  He hired an attorney that did all of his communication.  ***** actually is the one who breached the contract. He has an outstanding balance of $2716.  ***** was provided ALL necessary equipment to do his own install as he requested.  There is no damage to his roof, he can remove to rails leaving the brackets without causing any damage. Panhandle Solar has provided a complete contract, ***** made it clear he wanted to finish himself, we are not in the business of providing solar equipment to homeowners, ***** has refused our service with a outstanding balance of $2716.  ******* attorney took over all communications between parties.  With the fact that ***** is refusing our install services, I can only assume we are done as he puts it. I have no interest in returning any funds and he has accepted and maintains possession of equipment as he demanded in April 2022.

  Business response

  09/22/2023

  After the contract was signed, the consumer demanded that I deliver the products and that his friend was going to install the equipment.  All of the contracted equipment has been delivered. The outstanding balance that the consumer owes is the amount for our labor for install.  The consumer did not want our company to come out and install the equipment, everything that was agreed upon in the contract has been delivered. 

  Customer response

  09/26/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  *** ***** clearly isn't taking this process seriously as he refuses to provide any timely or substantive responses, nor does he demonstrate any accountability for his own actions.  He continues to avoid addressing issues of glaring negligence (breaching his own written contract in numerous ways, installing a north-facing system, damaging my roof in the process, fraudulently altering a signed contract after-the-fact, etc.) 

  *** ***** continues to also make false claims.  Now he alleges I told him I was going to have a friend do the solar installation instead, which is completely false and he cannot provide any letter, text, voice recording, etc. that would ever substantiate that claim.  The truth is that I never let him out of his contractual obligation to complete my job and I have the text messages to prove it.  If I did have a friend who did solar installations, which I don't, I would have used that individual from the beginning.  Furthermore, it has been extremely difficult to find another solar contractor willing to step in and clean up ******* poor workmanship.  He abandoned my job, and in doing so left me in a very difficult position.

  There is no need to forward this response to *** ***** as I will now be pursuing other means of action.  I've made every good-faith effort possible, including offering a very fair compromise (to *** ******* benefit) within my prior response.  That offer is now off the table. 

  I know of at least one other customer that *** ***** has recently defrauded.  At this point my concern is Panhandle Solar's continued accreditation and A rating with your agency despite his clear and utter disregard for me and my job, as well as his response obligations to you as a BBB Accredited business.  I note that this complaint never reflected on Panhandle Solar's BBB page, and now it appears the other complaint which previously showed on the webpage has been removed?  I ask that you please do everything in your power to prevent this behavior from continuing.

  As a consumer, I rely heavily on the work that the BBB does (I actually researched Panhandle Solar on the BBB website prior to engaging with *** *****) and I know others do as well.  Therefore I respectfully request that you reconsider both Panhandle Solar's accreditation and/or rating in light of all of this.  Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything else I am able to provide beyond what I already have.

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** **********

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  September 25 2022. Started putting solar panels on Solar panels are on but don't work. Roger ***** owner wants the last **** dollars I have paid the company ********. he says I need to pay him he doesn't care that it is not operational he put the panels on the roof. He said no warranty, no guarantee is how I do business Please help me I've saved for years For Solar to help the environment only to be left with a white elephant on my roof. Please help me but more importantly help others not to get into this mess

*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. ↩