Sungevity: Read 1,994 User Reviews From Real Homeowners

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Dennis Keever San Diego, CA

After selecting Horizon, the original installation was scheduled and completed in a record time. I was very pleased with the efficiency of that process, however their engineering dept completely dropped the ball in completing all of the requirements to get the solar turned on with SDG&E. It was well over 3 months before I could reap the benefits of solar and then after less than a month the system quit producing because of micro inverter failures and mis-engineered electrical installation causing between solar panels and enphase power device that caused ckt breakers to open. Two weeks after reporting the issue, a tech came out and bypassed a breaker on the roof claiming that would fix the issue. the following week it was back to the same issue and 2 weeks later someone was sheduled to come out but do to lack of personnel, it was postponed another week. Finally after about a month & half with minimal solar power, the new tech said it was wire insufficiently to the roof and added additional wire and I finally was fully operational. Unfortunately I talked my daughter into using Horizon and she as well had multiple problems in many of the same areas.

7 years ago

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Kelly Sacramento, CA

The customer support has been somewhat limited. I don't think they responded well to emails and phone calls. We put a negative review on Yelp, and finally they responded and helped us with problems we had. When we call in, we go straight to voicemail or automatic ticketing/email results with no follow up or feedback. The installation process was good and reasonable. It was timely when they put up the roof, and they did a great job. We are very happy with the installation. The solar panel is a good mix of inverted hardware and panel technology. The system we have seems capable of generating more than 7.6 kilowatts, but that is the limit of the size of the inverted solar panels we installed.

7 years ago

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George Gajdos San Juan Capistrano, CA

In my geographical area (Southern CA) Solar Spectrum merged with Horizon Solar based in San Diego. After going through a quick and painless initial sign up process with Solar Spec the project was turned over to Horizon. Their review/inspection process required 3 trips due to gathering insufficient information and instrument failure. After 3 weeks the house was approved for the number of panels I wanted. Installation was scheduled in 10 days or so. City inspection was to happen same day as installation. It didn't. Horizon did not bring all the parts needed to connect system to local utility. 2nd inspection -2 weeks later- failed due to location of solar box. 3rd inspection failed - another 3 weeks - because Horizon never fixed the problem noted in inspection trip #2. Third scheduled inspection - about a month out - the Horizon employee showed up early to 'wait for the inspector'. He knew nothing about the past failed inspections. After checking he determined the problem had not been corrected and he did not have the parts to fix is issue. He did run to the hardware store and was in the process of making the required changes when the city inspector showed up (same inspector each time). Inspector agreed to return before 5pm. He did and passed the install. All in all about 2 1/2 months after installed.

7 years ago

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Anonymous Highland, CA

The installation process was very slow, extremely slow. We got our panels done in may and we didn't have them turned on until late August and then we went for almost two full weeks after being told that we were up and running by Sungevity and that we weren't generating electricity. I had to persistently call Sungevity before they found out it was a manufacture defect. It currently doesn't work, and they weren't able to tell for two weeks that it wasn't working, and I wasn't credited for those two weeks.

7 years ago

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Kevin Lakeside, CA

It took four inspections to pass inspection. The same problem existed in every inspection that we failed and it took more than 7 months to install a single residential solar panel system. The company does not seem to communicate well with any zone company and it took an unusually long time to do one single residential installation.

7 years ago

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Tommy La Habra, CA

There were multiple times where we requested to be called back at a specific phone number, but they kept calling the wrong one. Because of that, we often didn't know when the workers were coming. After it was installed we couldn't get answers to question on upkeep and use because they wouldn't answer or call us back on the correct line.

7 years ago

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Brynn Lacey & Hesham Ibrahim

We rarely get called back when we want to connect to someone in customer service. We have to wait a long time, and I'm unhappy with how things are going. The installation process was good, but we're still waiting for our service to get up and running.

7 years ago

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Anonymous Millville, MA

I decided to go Solar with them after I did my own research and talking to several representatives from different companies. I was satisfied with the service when it was first on, but after I had an issue I can't say I'm fully satisfied.

8 years ago

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Pompeyo Tabarez Heber, CA

The consultants are great but the solar panels and the saving... we don't feel a difference. This summer the most we paid $398, so I didn't see any savings. We would rather be with a better system. We still pay light light bills and I don't know why, we're hardly home, there's no savings

8 years ago

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Donald Jones Florida, NY

They were the most professional in presentation and what they had to offer. But overall, it's probably disappointing. I don't think that it was working in the long run, I don't seen the value or the benefit yet. They promise a lot of things and they don't follow through.

8 years ago

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Kevin Wacaster Atlanta, GA

the third party company they sent to install. put a hole in my roof and i have used roofing nails everywhere. Whats holding my shingles on ??Cant get a return phone call from them.

5 years ago

Reply from Sungevity

Hello Kevin,
I am sorry to hear that you have concerns with your roof and trash left behind. I will reach out to you directly and will also immediately follow up with our team to help get this addressed right away for you.

Blake Hazelrigg
Senior Manager
Blake.Hazelrigg@Sungevity.com

Sep. 1st, 2020

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Verified Customer

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Alesia

The customer service is courteous and the set up is nice, it looks professional. Everything is good except they didn't fix my, electrical box that they said they were going to and my power shuts off all the time.

7 years ago

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Benson Lancaster, CA

The customer service doesn't communicate with you and there is a lack of customer service. The product seems to fade over the course of twelve months. They don't produce as much energy as they did in the beginning.

7 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Annette Burns

I think I have more power than I need so currently I am paying more than I would have without solar. My project manager had no clue that my roof was damaged. It has taken months to get my 1st year of solar reimbursed

7 years ago

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Steven Gastelum Hemet, CA

I decided to get it after talking to the agent. They have terrible program management. It took 4 to 5 months to do the installation. Right now I'm waiting for everything to be transferred to California for me.

7 years ago

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yousef bouno Chula Vista, CA

the salesman said 20 years warranty, the contract only says 10 years. they never followed up , nobody even showed up to explain how the system works, what maintenance it needs.

8 years ago

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bryant Chester, NJ

I have been with Sungevity for just over a year. Although they boast about the size of their company, I suspect there are very few employees. The work on our system was contracted out to a 3rd party. When I inquired why the solar generation is less then their guarantee they informed me that some parts were recalled (they never notified me prior to my inquire) and set a team over to replace the defects. This year the production is even worse. I have invested over $70,000 with this company to become more eco-conscious but I believe I chose the wrong company. I have emailed the company 3 times asking for help regarding the poor solar production. My emails have gone unanswered. My hope is that there is a problem with email system so I have felt forced to employ social media to ask for a response from the company. Not happy - production is off 30% from expected

5 years ago

Reply from Sungevity

Hello Bryant,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. I am very sorry to hear you have had trouble getting in touch with the team and I really want to get resolution for you. Will you please email me at my email address listed below with the details of what has taken place as well as the property address where you have solar installed? I will take action on this for you right away.

Blake Hazelrigg
Senior Manager
Blake.Hazelrigg@Sungevity.com

Aug. 26th, 2020

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Danielle Juarez Antioch, CA

I wanted to go with Sungevity but unfortunately I can not go with a company full of LIARS. I was told if I make an appointment and attend a session (about an hour long) I would receive an Amazon gift card. I love how they broke down the costs and savings for me. My partner and I were saving so that we could pay all cash. I then received a call from the manager who was upset that I did not return his phone call and was not available to answer his calls as he kept calling when I was at work. Then he mentioned that I would get my gift card within a few weeks. It’s been about 4 months and I have not received my gift card. Thankfully I realized how shaddy they are before getting my solar panels with them.

5 years ago

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Right Brain

I tried to work with this company for a 7Kw installation, the salesman was so inept, both at selling and basic building knowledge I gave up. His "design team" (sic) didn't have access to different size panels to fit my roof. As an architect I was surprised at their lack of construction knowledge or even layout abilities. I offered them house plans but they preferred to use Google Earth which is silly. I even explained that I was willing to do the layout myself to expand the quantity of panels but was told "we've been doing this ten years." If so, badly. They "designed" a $37,000 system would remove 31% of electricity bill. Ridiculous. They are used to bullying homeowners and not working with building professionals.

6 years ago

Reply from Sungevity

Hello Right Brain,
I am sorry to hear that you had a poor experience and that our team was not able to deliver the exact design you were looking for. If there is anything I can do to help improve your solar experience, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Blake Hazelrigg
Senior Manager

Nov. 5th, 2019

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Michelle R Alcantara Corona, CA

Went with this company but I have had many issues with leaking roof, lack of communication, no follow up, and no permit pulled. After a couple of years, (yes If I wasn't calling it wasn't dealt with because I have better things to do on a daily basis) and no help from Olivia really, I FINALLY got results with Sherril T ( I give her 5 stars) I got my permit pulled!! I want to make sure Sherril gets her credit but as far as the company, I will not recommend. My panels do not produce enough energy. Now I pay 1/2 my normal electrical bill prior to panels to Edison and the other half to Sunrun. And They are leased panels not owed by me so now I will have issues when I sell next year. Over all, there are sooo many Solar companies out there, you can literally compare and pick better than I did!

6 years ago

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Phyllis K Bonfield Sicklerville, NJ

We had a problem with initial communication when asked to send electric bill...we emailed it, but they didn't receive it. Sungevity didn't call us to say it had not been received. Then, twice, planned telephone appointments did not occur. We waited, but no call until we text to ask when Sungevity would call. Unlike other companies with home appointments, Sungevity does everything via phone. Agents must be paid on commission so it appears they are on the phone constantly and book too many appointments in too short a period of time. Sungevity's buy outright or via loan purchase is not an appropriate for people our age with a six year ROI. We didn't learn about Sungevity's financing options until the end of the presentation. We wasted their time and ours.

6 years ago

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Darlene Floriano Madera, CA

Where to start. Two weeks after we signed the contracts they filed bankruptcy, changed the companies name, and all of the sudden we could not contact anyone. We contacted the leasing company to find out what was going on. It took several emails, and umpteen phone calls to finally find someone. Finally the ball starts rolling. The electrician can out and traded out the electrical panel and box. However he took without asking our original box which was only a few years old. I tried contacting him and was able to reach his wife. He was going to bring it back. That was a year ago and nothing back. We then tried to use the mobile app to monitor our usage. That was not working. We called Sungevity to find out. Again several emails and phone calls later after threatening fraud they responded. No one bothered to tell us that we now dealt with the materials vendor and not Sungevity. They are just a broker so to speak. Come to find out during the BK they lost their license for use of the app. That took another week to fix. Would I recommend them? No never....

7 years ago

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Tracy Helendale, CA

Everyone out in the field does a great job, and seem straight forward and on the ball. HOWEVER, the office workers are incompetent, dishonest, and communication is a joke. No one ever answers the phone! Only one time out of the dozens of times I have called them, did someone actually answer the phone. Some of the girls pass the buck, others lie, and the customer service in that office is really nonexistent. In fact it's HORRIBLE! If they would hire someone to ONLY answer phones and take messages, that would be a start. It is weird to call such a large business and ALWAYS get a machine where you have to leave a message, which usually goes ignored. The ironic thing is, when they wanted to get my installation going, they were calling me constantly! My system was just booted up today, so we'll see how it goes from here.

7 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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John ODonnell Castaic, CA

The initial sign up was very fast and easy. The financing through Mosaic was the best part of the experience. The problems I had with SolarSpectrum are: 1) When they showed up at my house it was in a dirty beat up truck with a different companies name on it and the person couldn't communicate very well. 2) The initial design was incorrect and the amount of power provided wouldn't come any where near what I needed. When I called to question their calculations the person was not happy and made me feel like it was my fault. In the end they admitted their calculations we're wrong and went about switching out the panels that would be used. 3) The emails they went were very confusing. One email said I needed to be home when they first showed up but it didn't have a date. I tried to call and get the date and was only able to leave a message. Then one day my wife called me at work and said they were here. I left work, drove 1 hour home, and found that they had already started and didn't really need me there. 4) After the installation no one explained the system to me or told me how to turn it on. I was left to read the manual and figure it out myself. It just seems like when you spend >30K for a system that it would warrant a little explanation. No one has called since to see how it's going either.

7 years ago

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Pedro L Escalona Pomona, CA

I signed my purchase deal on Nov 29, 2016. Site survey completed within a day Design emailed within a few days then everything stopped. No activity the rest of Dec. Called on 1-15-17 for status, checked with permitting authority. Permit only applied for on 1-30-17 with 14 days process. Permit issued 2-14-17, installation scheduled 2-27 but completed 2-25. Final permit signed 3-9-17. No PTO from SCE as of 4-17-17 called SCE, no record of request. Called Sungevity said permit card damaged. One hour later SCE notified me by email of my pending application, 4-18-17 PTO email received from SCE and confirmation system could be turned on received from Sungevity. 4-18-17 system activated 4-19 thru 4-21 system generated enough power to put account in negative SCE usage, a good thing. 4-24 SCE site showed positive power usage. Checked system that stopped working, Fault error. Tried to contact Customer, referred to email due to staffing issues (Chapter 11 layoffs). Assured response in 2 business days..nothing. Solar loan payments begin 5-7 which should have offset what was paid to SCE, now will pay both. If you are a PENDING customer I STRONGLY recommend following up on your project on a regular basis. Refer to my timelines and results from contacts. Confused why there is such a Solar push without Consumer Protection. I chose Sungevity based on Reviews in Nov 2016. They were rated 8+ and #2 in CA. Reminds me of Bond Rating Scandal.

8 years ago

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George Vanek

The installation team was very good. The initial engineering did NOT provide for a stubby was that was right in front of where all of the electrical hardware was to be installed. First, the electrical conduits had to be repositioned so we could put our trash bins in their storage location W/O hitting the conduits! Second, it took a long time for a crew to come out to remove the wall so that the system could pass final inspection! Then it took even longer for a crew to come out to begin re-building the wall; then the bricks that they wanted to use were not the right ones. Third, Horizon refused to re-build the wall, therefore we had to hire our own mason to build the wall that Horizon only partially paid for! Fourth, one micro inverter was not working so Horizon had to replace it. A two-man team replaced the inverter and install a MODEM for monitoring that should have been installed initially. After nearly a year since the initial order, the system is still NOT operating right. Then the finance company (Mosaic) that Horizon recommended hassles me every month for a payment. ALSO, our bi-monthly power bill went UP 182% with solar as compared to a similar time of the previous year!!! Also again, when I e-mail Horizon to ask a question, it takes ONE WEEK for them to respond after sending them THREE E-MAILS!!! NOT A VERY RESPONSIBLE COMPANY. The only good thing I can say about them is that their INSTALLATION TEAM DOES NICE WORK GV in Van Nuys, Ca. 91405

8 years ago

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Rebekah Borup

First, I want to praise Tony M, who performed our final inspection. Tony was courteous, efficient, and professional. He did an excellent job finalizing our solar installation and preparing us for inspection by the city. He even kept his cool when I accidentally let my 3 rambunctious, very barky, but friendly dogs out. They seemed to like him as much as I did. I still put them back in the room (didn't want them to knock him off his ladder or something). Tony deserves high marks! (He's certainly a 10) Regarding Horizon in general- there's been a few unfortunate hiccups. We have an open-beam ceiling, and the solar installation crew drilled holes through our ceiling, The roofers put some nails through it too. The solar installation team returned soon after we complained about the damage. They filled the holes with wood putty, but didn't finish the job. They didn't sand it, didn't stain it, and it took over a month before we were finally able to get someone back to finish the repairs. We were frustrated by the delays. On top of all that, activation of our solar system was delayed because of the repairs, so we ended up stuck in what felt like an eternal holding pattern. Still, there have been some good people helping us out- Remmy, our sales guy, was courteous and helpful (I'd rank him a 10). His manager, Roni, was also very helpful (He's a 10 also). Brita, our contact through Horizon was always courteous, despite our frustration being directed at her since she was the "face" of customer service (I'd put Brita at a 8, mostly just because of the delay in getting our repairs taken care of- not entirely her fault- but there were times she didn't get back to us promptly, though mostly her service was excellent). So I guess you could say over-all that this is a mixed review. The install could have been better. The repairs could have been made quicker. But we have our solar now. Hopefully, we'll be happy with it.

8 years ago

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Charles Taylor Long Beach, CA

I'm extremely frustrated with the referral program. I received a "gift card" for my thousand dollar commission to find that I can only take out $150 per day. It can NOT be cashed at my Federal Credit Union. They insist I can only use it at an ATM which charges two dollars for each withdrawal costing a minimum of at least $14.00. This was not the understanding I had when I promoted their product to neighbors. Apparently others have complained, and their policy is changing but not for me! Like a recording, they read "Starting July 1 we issue checks for referrals after July 1. I've spent the last four days going to my credit union five times, dealing with other banks, talking to Sungevity in Oakland and Kansas City. Everyone passes the buck. I will NOT be referring Sungevity unless this is made right!

10 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Beth Donnelly Hampton Bays, NY

They did a great job being competitively priced but their customer service stinks! I've called them four times in the past ten days and not received one return phone call.

7 years ago

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Ronald Yorba Linda, CA

We chose Horizon Solar because we liked their proposal and the savings we offered. Overall, my experience with them wasn't the best; they have a very poor follow up.

8 years ago

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Marc Nielsen Chester, CA

Company sells solar panels and guarantees power yields. Outsourced work and near bankruptcy reorganization with mass layoff of workforce in 2017 makes one wary of quality of work provided, the guarantee used to promote their product and the unusually high price of their systems. High pressure sale with threat of revoking a $2,000 discount if contract not signed the same day as presented not appreciated.

6 years ago

Reply from Sungevity

Hello Marc,
We are sorry to hear you felt we had a high pressure approach. That is certainly not the way we typically train our sales staff. Please know we plan to review the interactions that were held with you and create a learning experience from this as we are always working to improve. If there is anything that can be done to help improve your solar experience, please reach out to me directly using my email address listed below. Thank you.

Blake Hazelrigg
Senior Manager

Jul. 16th, 2019

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Dan San Jose, CA

Initial Sungevity rating would have been good, but nobody let's you know that they were bought out by Solar Spectrum, and THEIR customer ratings, track record, and attentiveness to customers attempting to get their attention for warranty-related issues is atrocious. Do your homework on "both" companies. I promptly cancelled my contract, and they harrassed me by phone for days, until I finally blocked all their numbers. If you're smart, you'll look elsewhere.

7 years ago

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Debbie Rose San Clemente, CA

Company was timely on returning emails but process was impersonal. Ultimately decided to go with another company because they visited our home immediately, educated us on best choices for installing solar and had our roof inspected prior to discussing options. A much faster process all around and more personal. Not prepared to make a big decision such as this one via email ):

7 years ago

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Brenda Waters Sacramento, CA

We had our solar panels installed before the bankruptcy. We had roof leaks from nails that were removed when the panels were installed and not patched. We just replaced our floor. In doing so, the magnet for this company was thrown in the garbage while packing for the new floor installation this month. I had no idea this company still exists. My husband signed the contract, but I dealt with the company regarding the leaks twice. I got tired of hearing drips on my laminate floor at 5 am.

7 years ago

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Anyhony Franklin Elk Grove, CA

My contact at solar spectrum was with a Gentleman named Pete. He was very responsive but had no clue on his job. My contract was cancelled twice do to a errors on their part, Like another customer had the same name as me and cancelled but they canceled my contract. Or when Pete added my rebate with solar spectrum to receive it when I was supposed to. I'm not sure about them or maybe it was experience with one salesman.

7 years ago

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Raman 90807

They seemed like they were flying by the seat of their pants. The person who answered the phone was constantly checking over his shoulder to someone about answers. When I told him the type of material for my roof he paused for 10 seconds then said they could not help me. I ended up with another solution so I know my roof supports pannels.

8 years ago

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Susan M 91311

I did not choose them. I decided to go with sunrun. I was not impressed with there fast talking salesman. He gave me wrong information and did not listen to what I was telling him. I found a comperable system for thousands of dollars less.

8 years ago

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Sarah M Gardner Highland, NY

I leased my system in 2012. After a lightning strike in 2014, I lost a whole summer of generating while Sungevity tried to get me a new converter. In 2015 I had another long outage. The performance guarantee is BS. It's pro-rated in such a way that when things go south, they don't have to pay.

9 years ago

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Verified Customer

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D X Butler

Months ago someone from your firm said they would send someone to check our system. No contact since

6 years ago

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Anonymous Hanford, CA

they gave me the run around then said they don't serve my area. 2 people took all my info then made an appointment, then called and canceled because of my location. Learn to read maps

8 years ago

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al Covina, CA

I was told my garage didn't meet their specks for weight so I spent $3500 reinforcing it and told it was not enough. You are dealing with a co. that is in san francisco. They did refund my down payment.

9 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Rodney C. Drew, Sr.

I’ve not been previously contacted as to whether or not my system is running, maintenance,...

5 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

Reply from Sungevity

Hello Rodney,
I am very sorry to hear this! I have reached out to you directly and will ensure our team works with you to help go over any questions or concerns you may have. I look forward to turning your experience around.

Blake Hazelrigg
Senior Manager
Blake.Hazelrigg@Sungevity.com

Sep. 4th, 2020

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wallace 93560

confident, but, did not continue buying because representative did not send an email explaining the process of how the panels were attached to the roof.

8 years ago

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Stanley Bilinski Herkimer, NY

We still have high electric bills, we believe that there were not enough panels installed on our garage to effect any real savings from the solar installation.

8 years ago

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Ludwig San Diego, CA

Slow process, no follow up with homeowner, installer, utilities

5 years ago

Reply from Sungevity

Hello Ludwig,
I am sorry to hear you have had a poor experience. I recognize that communication is extremely important and I am sorry to hear we dropped the ball there. I have sent you a private message to get more details for you and to see how we can turn your experience around.

Blake Hazelrigg
Senior Manager
Blake.Hazelrigg@Sungevity.com

Sep. 1st, 2020

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Verified Customer

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Alan

The product is up to date and the installation was fairly easy.

7 years ago

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Verified Customer

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Wendy Allen Fallbrook, CA

No savings, we don't benefit, may actually cost us more then used to pay..

7 years ago

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Anonymous

I found him to be very impersonal. I'll contact was only over the phone. Price of kilowatt hour was much higher than competitors.

7 years ago

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Micky Curry Massapequa Park, NY

They were wrong on the number of panels allowed by code. When I pointed this out they swore they were right but alas, they were wrong.

7 years ago

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Pushed Away from Solar 93637

Nice people at the beginning, BUT they got very pushy for an immediate decision. Way over priced and over whelming pressure to buy now.

8 years ago

Sungevity Reviews

Summary of Reviews