We decided to purchase Solar Panels on Feb 8th 2021, choosing Avolta as our installer. This turned out to be the worst mistake we have ever made.
To begin with, they did price match a smaller company which was over $15,000 cheaper than their original quote. We were ecstatic that they were willing to do this, but the fact that they were charging so much more for the same product, should have been a red flag. They reassured us that going with a smaller company was a bad idea. We were told customer service and serviceability of the panels would not be as readily available to us compared to using a larger, more established, company. In short, they were able to take care of us better then a local company, and respond quicker if an issue with the panels should arise.
After almost five months of waiting, on June 24th 2021, Avolta finally sent a crew out to install the panels. During the install, one of the workers fell through our ceiling into our living room. After we had recovered from the sight of the now large hole in our ceiling, the installer went back up to continue working. Moments later, he fell through again. We now had two large man sized holes in our living room ceiling.
To add to this, the panels installed on our roof were done with little care. They were uneven, full of hand prints and dirt, and the support bars used were not cut to the same lengths. This was a glaring eye sore on top of our home, and not one we expected after investing so much money into the project. We also have family next door that watches our children during the day. They came by to check on the workers, and said shingles were being throw off the house with no regard to potential damages they could of caused to the surrounding. They also commented on how unprofessional the language the workers were using was.
After we had reported this to Avolta, a project manager was sent out the following day. He reassured us that this was not normal practice, and that repairs would be done ASAP. We had to go out of town the following week, but we were told it would all be corrected by the time we returned.
What we got next was a nightmare. Due to some kind of delay, or lack of communication on their part, four different repair dates were given to us. As each date approached, we were told they were going to have to reschedule. Needless to say we returned home with the same cardboard covered ceilings. This went on for two weeks. Each day that went by, we stared at the cardboard covering the holes in our ceiling, wondering if they would ever be repaired. Finally, after weeks of living with a cardboard covered ceiling, someone came out. Unfortunately, this was not the repair we were hoping for.
Our home is a newer home, and we have had no issue with anything prior to this. We told them a quick patch job would not just magically blend in, that full panels of drywall need replaced. Once again, we were reassured that the people doing the patch would make it look like new. After the work was completed, we were left with two giant patches in the ceiling that were a step above the cardboard we had before.
We were then given the phone number to a gentleman name Shayne. He was the COO at the time, and we were told to express our concerns with him. We had told him everything that had happened, and provided him with multiple picture our living room and ceiling. After he reviewed the pictures, he told us the patch job was, “good enough”. He then went on to complain about how much all this was going to cost them. With some help of the project manager assisting us, Shayne finally agreed to get a different crew to fix the issues.
On August 13th 2021 they finally sent Mud Master’s to come out and fix the horrible patch work. They did an amazing job, and we would recommend them to anyone needing a ceiling patched. However, they were only told to patch the ceiling, and not paint it. It was yet another five months of waiting on our part before they finally sent someone out to paint the ceiling. Even then, they were told not to paint the entirety of the room, just to try and blend the patched areas. This entire process only happened because we did our due diligence, and kept in contact with them. We had to go as far as letting Brad, the new COO, know we were going to contact the Attorney General’s office. Only after this warning, did a painter magically show up.
We haven’t had the panels long enough to give a proper review on the value they have added to our lives. Most of the issues were fixed, but were are now left wondering about the quality of the work completed. Is a panel going to fall off? Is our roof going to leak? Will we notice the paint differences in our ceiling?
If you are considering getting solar panels, do yourself a favor. Go with any company other than Avolta. They have been by far the worst company we have ever had to deal with, and have made us regret not going with someone else.
