09/04/2015
Anonymous
I recently got a 4.5 kw system installed by Sungevity. They were amazingly responsive during the sales process and after I signed it was almost impossible to get ahold of them (until it was time to make a payment). <br /><br />I got quotes to purchase a system from 5 different companies and Sungevity was the lowest by a small margin. They also let me pay with my credit card which let me get points, and they offered me a $500 Visa gift card for referring three friends just to get a quote. My system in total cost about $15,500.<br /><br />Their payment plan is infuriatingly one-sided. They ask for half the payment just for applying for a permit. After they had applied for a permit, they informed me that I might have to replace my underground cabling, which they would not cover the cost of, and which could cost me upwards of $5,000 extra. According to their contract, if I wanted to cancel at that point I would just have to give them $7,500 for the trouble of them getting a $200 permit from the city. They could have told me this during their initial home inspection but chose not to so that I would be locked in.<br /><br />Their second payment of $7,500 was due "upon substantial completion". To me, that meant when everything was complete. To them, it means they won't let you hook up your system to the grid until you pay them in full, at which point they have little incentive to prioritize you at all.<br /><br />They don't install the system themselves. The guy that came to my house to do the initial inspection was incredibly rude, disrespectful, and needlessly made me late for work. The owner of the subcontracting company called me to apologize after I filed a complaint.<br /><br />They also constantly gave me install/approval dates that they did not keep. They told me my install would be finished "early August at the latest". They didn't even start until August 31st.<br /><br />I just got the system, so I cant speak to the quality of it. All in all, working with Sungevity was really frustrating. However, I'm pleased with the system they provided.