ComplaintsforSolar Holler LLC

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Solar Holler has performed in a substandard manner while undertaking unethical business practices. Specifically Solar Holler attempted to increase the contract by roughly $1,800 for an electrical service upgrade. They have lied multiple times about services they perform. When questioned about what this upgrade was/did they were unable to provide any explanation. No electrical work was needed. While performing installation the contractor repeatedly damaged my property and never notified me of any damage (unethical behavior). They left burnout marks on my driveway, removed attic installation, and installed components sub-standardly resulting in a leaking roof. They did send a crew to attempt to fix the leaks, but never addressed the water damage. They sent multiple teams during installation that were unable to install wi-fi connectivity; then blamed me for the issues thus requiring me to research and fix their wi-fi failures. They failed the electrical inspection and failed to notify me. Damaged my shingles with excessive wear. After ******* Electric Power finished their work Solar Holler waited days after notification to fully activate the system costing me days of solar production. After being notified that I wanted prior knowledge before any workers could be at my home, they still sent technicians unannounced. I requested multiple documents from Solar Holler which were promised but never delivered. They tout a solar production guarantee, but they actually subcontract that to another company that does not actually reimburse you for the cost of electricity and you have to sign a separate contract. Solar Hollar does not tell you any of this beforehand. Their CEO attempted to restrict my communication with his company related to issues with products and services stating they would only address certain questions; violating the service contract and tried to bully me by accusing me of being rude while his company was actually being aggressive towards me.

  Business response

  12/23/2022

  To Whom it May Concern: 
  Thank you for notifying us regarding this complaint, and we look forward to resolving this complaint with the customer. Due to the extensive issues outlined by the customer, we believe it will be most helpful to address them one by one. 
  1. “Solar Holler has performed in a substandard manner while undertaking unethical business practices. Specifically Solar Holler attempted to increase the contract by roughly $1,800 for an electrical service upgrade. They have lied multiple times about the services they perform. When questioned about what this upgrade was/did they were unable to provide any explanation. No electrical work was needed.” 
  Upon review of field technicians’ photos by our master electricians, it was initially thought there may be a requirement for a service upgrade. When this happens and is required, the customer is billed at cost. A subsequent review found an upgrade wasn’t required and *** ******* was not billed. In a conversation prior to this determination *** ******* was 
  told by the Operations Director that he would not be charged even if the upgrade was required. 
  2. “While performing installation the contractor repeatedly damaged my property and never notified me of any damage (unethical behavior). They left burnout marks on my driveway, removed attic insulation, and installed components sub-standardly resulting in a leaking roof. They did send a crew to attempt to fix the leaks, but never addressed the water damage.” 
  *** ******* was offered a free additional panel for the unintended driveway scuffs (we use heavy-duty work vehicles), to which he accepted.
  It was required for some insulation to be moved as part of the installation, so that we could access the attic. No insulation was removed. Solar Holler returned, at *** *******’s request, to re-level the insulation. When *** ******* was still disappointed, he offered to bill us for the insulation work. We promptly agreed, and then he withdrew his offer. 
  Penetrations to the roof are required for installation. We incur roof leaks at an extremely low rate, but not zero. We promptly address any such leaks, as we did with *** *******. We told *** ******* afterward that we were able to patch the area successfully and asked him to tell us if there were any further issues. *** ******* did not inform Solar Holler or ******** of any further issues. As is our normal practice, had there been remaining damage, we would have called in a subcontractor. 
  3. “They sent multiple teams during installation that were unable to install wi-fi connectivity; then blamed me for the issues thus requiring me to research and fix their wi-fi failures.” 
  Solar Holler did have issues connecting to *** *******’s network while on site, because *** ******* repeatedly changed his network name and password to “Solar Holler Sucks”, which disabled previously entered network information. *** ******* was asked to contact his provider to ensure there were no firewalls and the Service Director sent him our re-connection directions as well, as is standard. *** ******* was informed that we could also send the crew back on site to troubleshoot if neither of those solutions worked. *** ******* was not asked to research and fix his own issues, as that is something we do not expect of our customers. 
  4. “They failed the electrical inspection and failed to notify me.” 
  That may be true, but his inspection failure was due to his existing electrical service not being up to code when we arrived, and not being properly grounded. The solar installation itself passed inspection the first time around. Solar Holler then re-grounded his existing service at no cost to *** *******. 
  5. “Damaged my shingles with excessive wear.” 
  There was no damage reported. Also, as crews are working on the roof, there is some small degree of wear to be expected. There is no special case or specific damage associated with *** ******’s installation. 
  6. “After ******** Electric Power finished their work Solar Holler waited days after notification to fully activate the system costing me days of solar production.”
  *** *******’s system was offline; as a result we were unable to remotely activate it until he made his gateway cloud-connected. It is our opinion that changing the WiFi networks/passwords back and forth to “Solar Holler Sucks” in an effort to disparage our crew served no purpose other than creating connection issues. 
  7. “After being notified that I wanted prior knowledge before any workers could be at my home, they still sent technicians unannounced.” 
  Regrettably, this did happen in an effort of expediency, and once they arrived on site, in speaking with *** *******, we offered to reschedule. 
  8. “I requested multiple documents from Solar Holler which were promised but never delivered.” 
  *** ******* requested a permit, which was not pulled in his area because it is not required. He was told this. He also requested engineering plans. We make no promise of sharing our planning/design documents anywhere in our contract, and we consider this information proprietary and highly technical, we do not share this level of information with our customers. *** ******* was also informed of this. 
  9. “They tout a solar production guarantee, but they actually subcontract that to another company that does not actually reimburse you for the cost of electricity and you have to sign a separate contract. Solar Holler does not tell you any of this beforehand.” 
  ******** is actually mentioned specifically in the proposal. They reimburse at a set $/kWh that is outlined clearly in their contract. Our customers are privy to a long onboarding/proposal process before they need to sign anything. *** ******* signed our Solar Holler contract, and then proceeded with clarifying questions. Even so, because he felt misled, *** ******* was actually offered an alternative production guarantee with Solar Holler directly. He refused to sign, however, and signed with ********. 
  10. “The CEO attempted to restrict my communication with his company related to issues with products and services stating that they would only address certain questions” violating the service contract and tried to bully me by accusing me of being rude while his company was actually being aggressive towards me.” 
  After months of rude and abusive behavior toward multiple members of Solar Holler’s staff, including asking if our employees have “not been trained, lazy, or are they just incompetent”, *** ****** was made aware of *** *******’s behavior.
  On 9/27/22 *** ****** responded to *** *******’s final email titled “Wifi signal and some thoughts on why Solar Holler sucks!” with “We will be attentive to any issues that may arise around quality, per our workmanship warranty. We will choose whether to respond to any 
  other questions at our discretion.” and followed up with “We will address any legitimate service questions, if you treat our team with respect. We are under no obligation to engage with abusive, harassing, or degrading emails or phone calls.” 
  Furthermore, *** ******* wrote an extortionary letter on 10/23/2022 to which he demanded an arbitrary $3000 refund in exchange for not disparaging our name on social media while at the same time offering to remove the detrimental comments he had already made online if we paid. At that point, we sought legal counsel, and our attorneys issued a cease and desist on 11/17/22, while warning that future abusive calls and emails would result in Solar Holler requesting a restraining order to protect our staff. 
  As he is currently (as he has agreed) under ********’s purview, they will act as the monitoring service to let us know if any field dispatch is required. We also are proud that *** *******’s system has been producing as modeled, despite it being an uncomfortable installation experience. 
  

  Sincerely, 
  Dan C***** 
  Founder & CEO

  Customer response

  12/23/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  Solar Hollar has done some creative writing of historical events to minimize the poor service they repeatedly provided.  The events as they describe them are not accurate and can be substantiated as most communications are in writing.   One small example to demonstrate the point.  I sent Solar Hollar a settlement email offer to move past the historical issues, but there response calls it an extortionary letter.  Drama for the unaware reader.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

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