Review for Whidbey Sun & Wind

10/03/2019
Panzer Langley, WA

Cannot Recommend: The Bad Outweighs The Good

This is an updated review, which I submit after Kelly K's response to the review I left when this story just started. Kelly left out some details regarding the rest of the story. My land-based array was installed Sept. 2017. Adjustments that needed attention due to settling were promptly taken care of under warranty by an WSW employee, whom I called directly. On 9/26/19, I noticed a different problem, however. One of my modules was shattered. I saw no evidence of impact from any foreign object, and I assumed that the module was defective. A WSW employee came out the next day and agreed that there was no evidence of impact. It took over a week for Kelly to send another employee to take photos of the bad module on 10/7/19. That second employee also noted no evidence of impact. The photos were sent to John F., owner of Itek, for his approval of my warranty replacement for a defective module. ON 10/11/2019, I RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE FROM WSW THAT STATED MY WARRANTY HAD BEEN APPROVED. So, John Flanagan agreed that there was no evidence of impact, and he sent me a replacement for the defective module. On 10/22/19, the defective module was finally replaced with a new Itek module. ALMOST 2 WEEKS LATER, ON 11/5/19, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM KELLY SAYING THAT HE SUDDENLY HAD “EVIDENCE OF IMPACT” ON THE DEFECTIVE MODULE, AND HE WAS GOING TO SEND ME A BILL FOR TIME AND MATERIALS FOR THE REPLACEMENT. That is when I got upset and called the BBB and the WA State AG office. They were both interested in how Kelly would explain how he could charge me for a replacement that the manufacturer authorized under warranty and that he had replaced under warranty 2 weeks before. In trying to compel me to pay for the installed warranty replacement module, Kelly denied me my option to shop around for the best deal on a replacement. This was extortive behavior and a violation of my consumer rights. Kelly also had the replaced module in his possession for 13 days before he suddenly found "evidence of an impact.” This “evidence” was not seen by 2 WSW employees while the module was in my array; and, the manufacturer approved the warranty and sent the replacement based on photos of the module while it was in my array. After I stood up for my rights, Kelly backed down. Without any apology, Kelly said that WSW “will cover the cost of this replacement fully.” As far as the bad customer service during the month that it took to get the module replaced, Kelly has given his own excuses in his response. He conditionally apologized to me for his lousy customer service, and I accepted his half-hearted apology. The scene should have been over then, and I was ready to change my review to a positive one. Instead, Kelly came back and tried to charge me for a module weeks after my warranty was approved, and now he tries to make me look bad in his response to my review. Buyer beware.

Sales process
Price charged as quoted
On schedule
Installation quality
After sales support

Whidbey Sun & Wind reply 11/15/2019
Richard, we take customer service very seriously here at Whidbey Sun & Wind - and get great feedback from our customers for it. We are very sorry that your experience with us was not positive. We tried earnestly to satisfy you. <br /><br />When you initially contacted us, two of our project managers were on vacation, and I was away, taking my son to college for the first time, and had just returned from my father’s memorial. I agree that we were not able to initially respond to your concerns as quickly as we normally do. I apologize for that. Your initial contact with us regarding your damaged solar module was on 9/25/19. We sent people to evaluate the situation on both 9/27 and 10/7. We initiated the warranty claim with the module manufacturer on 10/3. We received the replacement module on 10/22, and we went to your site on the very same day to install it.<br /><br />There was some delay in shipping the replacement module because the manufacturer wanted photos of the damage, and due to the location of the module in your ground-mount PV system, it was difficult to get the close-up photos requested. The module manufacturer ended up sending us a replacement module even though the photos we provided were inconclusive. Upon removal and closer inspection of the damaged module, it was clear that the damage was the result of an impact, which is not covered under warranty. You were not home at the time, and we chose to install the new module because we knew how upset you were about the slight reduction in energy generation from your PV system.<br /><br />When we informed you of the impact damage and that it would not be covered under warranty, you became upset and threatened to report us to the State Attorney General’s office, the Better Business Bureau, the State Insurance Commissioner, and to talk us down in our community and online. Not wishing to perpetuate any more negative energy we agreed to cover the entire cost. <br /><br />We evaluated your solar production online and determined that the lost energy due to the damaged module was 3.1 kWh over the 28 days. Between the net-metering program and our state’s generous incentive program, this equates to $1.87 in lost revenue.<br /> <br />In hindsight, we should have not ordered the replacement module until the damaged module was removed and inspected.<br /><br />In summary, your 32-module ground-mount solar PV system is now completely healthy, operating exactly as expected, and you have not been charged for the non-warranty repair work we completed for you. I want you to know that in the future we will continue to offer you the excellent customer service that has earned us one of the best reputations in the industry, and I want to thank you for your commitment to renewable energy.<br /><br />Owner & Founder,<br />Kelly Keilwitz