Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a complete solar generating and battery storage system installed on June 5, 2023. The cost of installation was $48,746.00. All business dealings were with Capital City Solar, contractor license *******. All materials used were manufactured by ********. Capital City Solar made claim they would provide all warranty services for the system during the warranty service period. Approximately mid July 2024, the system monitoring module became inoperative. I contacted Capital City Solar but did not receive a response. Shortly after, I received an email from Capital City in forming me of ********* bankruptcy and they were waiting for further information. Since then I have received several other emails updating the bankruptcy status and Capital Citys sorrow for the inconvenience but no assistance for repairing my monitoring module. Capital City has made no effort to resolve the issue other than claiming the parts warranties are still in effect.

  

  Business response

  10/16/2024

  I am responding to the complaint about SunPower system bought by the **********. 

  We are aware of the issues at this site- and have been on-site- see some of the notes from our office- When we did the cleaning the system was working. Our monitoring platform shows the issue happened on 8/31/2024.

  7/29/2024 NS he called in wanting to use a pre-paid cleaning, added to the service list
  7/31/2024 ** Inspect and clean see case notes
  8/2/2024 NS went back to site to pick us cleaning brush that was left behind
  
  We did a cleaning but nothing was wrong at that time. July it was working. Issue happened on 8/31/2024
  

  When we realized issue on-site we contacted SunPower- they hold the system component warranties. They very unfortunately have filed bankruptcy, all tech support and products have ceased. The components on this property are proprietary to ********. The ********** and hundreds of thousands of customers are in the same dilemma as we are. We have spent a lot of time informing customers and trying to find solutions to the systems that are not producing but some of the solutions have yet to be worked out with manufactures that can step in to help find solutions. Our warranty does not extend past what a manufacture offers- we just do not have the resources or availability of options- no ones does yet. The ********* has software that is no longer supported-we do not have the means at this time to re-commission the unit without the software support. As options become available we will be reaching out to customers with the options and at that time be able to make a recommendation. We are beyond at a loss of words to explain this to the many people affected by this bankruptcy.  We have strived over the years to do our best, provide the best and take care of our customers whom we value and appreciate. We will continue to keep in contact with customers and the ********** are welcome to call us at anytime for an update as well. As for the warranty we are very affected negatively by this as well- as we have performed a lot of service work and are owed close to 100K from ******** that we do not expect to be able to collect. We have compassion for those affected and are offering discounted services to customers as we find solutions.  Some manufactures are stepping up and bridging some of the gaps and as we get this information we are passing on. 

  Customer response

  10/18/2024

  I am rejecting this response because: The first issue I have with Capital City Solars response is that when I contracted to have my solar system installed, I contracted with Capital City Solar not ********. My decision to select Capital City for the installation was based on their representation by **** ****** as a local business that they would be handling all warranty labor and parts issues and my stated preference not to deal with a national installer or supplier. It seems that Capital City made a bad faith representation in this matter. I also question their response in verifying the system was operational the date they performed the system inspection. Electronic equipment works until it doesnt.  Yes the equipment works on one day; then the next it doesnt because the parts fail. So the date the monitoring system failed is not the issue; the issue is that once the system failure was known, no other action was taken, not even a site visit to determine what part or module of the system was causing the malfunction. As to the lack of software or parts, I must take issue.  First, the web based and app based software is still operational, and in a perfect world where my system did not have a malfunction, I would still be able to monitor system performance. But to imply that the available parts have mysteriously vanished from the world somewhat defies belief.  Either the existing Sunpower business or new asset owners could source those assets.  To date, however, no offers or suggestions to find a resolution have been offered. In spite of Capital Citys argument resting on the letter of the contract holding ******** as solely responsible for all warranty issues, I still hold that Capital City retains at least a portion as they were the primary agency involved.
  

  

  Business response

  10/23/2024

  We understand your concerns and would like to address them directly. We will call you later today as this is more complicated than an email response lends itself. 
  Responsibility for Warranty: I acknowledge your point regarding your initial agreement with Capital City Solar and your decision to choose us based on the representation of handling all warranty-related issues locally. We certainly value transparency in our customer communications, and I regret that our representation led to any misunderstanding. While ******** is responsible for certain aspects under the warranty, we should have ensured that you were fully aware of how our partnership with them might affect service for parts and labor, especially with your stated preference for a local business.We hold the workmanship warranty.  We are unable to source parts, we need SunPower to be able to recommission the batteries- we do not have the software or ability- and they have fired everyone that can assist us.
  System Verification: Can you please send us a **** ****. We can look at to see if your systems solar is working. We also can recommend the Enphase upgrade that they are offering to ******** customers affected by the bankruptcy. It is heavily subsidized by Enphase but they have a charge. They can be reached at ************. Again because of the battery this option may not be the best fit.  As for the battery we are still trying to figure out what the best recommendation is.We do not have enough information to make a recommendation at this point.  While we confirm that the system was functional on the inspection date, we acknowledge that equipment failures can occur unpredictably. We feel your frustration, but we do not have a resource right now that can assist us. We do not manufacture any of the parts so we have no ability to fix with like for like monitoring or batteries. We have to rely on manufactures to provide us resources. The modules are covered now by ****** and we sent information to you about how to register them. You should also be getting information directly from ******** on this situation as well. They also may have sent you information on how to make a claim with them in the bankruptcy court.
  We deeply value your business and regret any frustration this situation has caused. We have a list of active sites with issues and as soon as we have answers we will reach out. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  5/24/24 Capital City Solar charged us $320 for a diagnostic visit. Said they needed another appointment for a roof inspection. We were told this would cost $300/hr, were unsure of how long it would take, and that someone would call within a couple of weeks to schedule. They never did.6/7/24 We called to ask about repairs and were told the scheduler would call us. They never did.6/10/24 We called to ask about repairs and were told we were in a queue to come out for a second diagnostic visit (not a repair visit) and they would contact us a few days prior to the day they would come out. We asked if we would be waiting a week, a month, or 6 months. They said that they didnt know how long and that the company does not set appointments ahead of time.6/20/24 Capital City Solar called saying they would be out to diagnose the suspected issues on the roof on 6/24/24. At this point, with no clue on how long we would be waiting, we had contacted another company who diagnosed our problem immediately (dead inverter only, no roof issues) and we had an appointment to do the repair.6/23/24 We requested a refund of the $320 we paid for the diagnostic appointment due to the fact they took our money and would not communicate with us on when they could finish the full diagnosis or begin repairs. We were told the owner would call. They never did.7/8/24 We emailed ********************************* who denied our refund request and said that her office advised us it would be a couple of weeks wait time. That time frame came and went with no communication. ***** did not respond to my last email.We were willing to pay for the second diagnosis and any repairs needed and wait the couple of weeks we were told. We followed up to get an appointment scheduled, twice. We were stuck waiting an undetermined amount of time at the mercy of a company who had collected $320 from us and did not communicate with us for a month. We would like the $320 refunded as we did everything we could to work with this company.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  ****** called our office with a inverter that was not working. ****** was communicating with our office. We scheduled the trouble shoot appointment and explained our fees. Customer accepted. We went to the site with a seasoned solar employee with over 10 years in solar and 20 in electrical. He determined that there a possible cause on the roof that was causing the inverter failure. He said he saw that someone else had been on roof before to try to fix. He determined that he would have to come back with a helper to lift some panels to find the issue. Our office told the ******* that we would reschedule but we did not have an exact date and it would be a week or so. The customer took that as an infinite amount of time? When we called to reschedule they said they had the inverter swapped out and wanted a credit for the service visit. Our initial visit would have been applied to the purchase but they went a different route. Our office agreed to waive our truck charge which is $95.00 in good faith but they are still not seeing the value of our trouble shoot time with an electrician. We have been doing service work in solar for 23 years and some issues are not black and white. We do a though job and our service employees are paid by the hour and have no vested interest in going back for un-necessary visits.  The customer should have called us and said "I am not comfortable waiting any longer"- is there a way to get a refund and we would have shared our policy and been happy to figure something out. 

  As a reputable company we are very impacted this time of year and also servicing a lot more customers with several large ********************** companies recently closing. We feel that we handled this customer and situation within the reasonable time frame with our resources. She would have never waited 6 months!  We did offer her a refund of our truck charge and she said she would not accept she wants a full refund. ******* the wife only contacted us for a refund- never actually talked with any of our office staff regarding any scheduling or status updates. 

  Attached is our service form- again our tech feels like there is an issue on the roof that should further be investigated. We do not offer free service calls as what we do is dangerous and takes highly paid trained employees and not all service is the same especially when we are working with a customer that we did not originally install with no pictures or data on the system. I would be happy to talk to anyone about this in further detail. 

  Customer response

  08/02/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:

  Capital City Solar states in their response that they needed to reschedule in a week or so. After waiting two ************************ (the husband)reached out on 6/7/24 and ******* (the wife) reached out on 6/10/24. Both attempts to receive more information on how long we were going to be waiting for an appointment were met with uncertainty. We were both told during two separate phone calls that they did not know how long it would be to get to us. They would not give us any indication on how long it might be. This was concerning because the original time frame they gave us came and went with no communication. We were not contacted about an appointment until 4 weeks after our original appointment.

  Capital City Solar states that the customer should have called us. We did call, twice (6/7 and 6/10) asking for an appointment date.We were told the company does not schedule appointments in advance and did not know how long we would be waiting.
  

  Capital City Solar states that ******* (the wife) never talked to office staff about scheduling or status updates. This is untrue.******* called on 6/10/24 asking if we could schedule an appointment and was told the company does not do that. ******* asked how long we should expect to wait and was told they didnt know. ******* asked if we would be waiting one week, a month, or 6 months, and they said they didnt know. We had no clue how long we would be waiting as we had no appointment date and the time frame they gave us had come and gone.
  

  Yes, we agreed to the additional service visit with a second person. That was never the issue. We tried twice to get that second visit scheduled. Our complaint is telling us someone would contact us and not doing so within the time frame they gave.Our complaint is when we reached out after that time frame about scheduling the appointment, the only response we were given is we dont know when we will be able to get to you. When ******* asked if we would be waiting 6 months and the office staff said they didnt know, we had no choice but to assume Capital City Solar was not going to be able to provide the service they said they would.

  
  

  

  Business response

  08/05/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:
  Capital City Solar states in their response that they needed to reschedule in a week or so. After waiting two ************************ (the husband) reached out on 6/7/24 and ******* (the wife) reached out on 6/10/24. Both attempts to receive more information on how long we were going to be waiting for an appointment were met with uncertainty. We were both told during two separate phone calls that they did not know how long it would be to get to us. They would not give us any indication on how long it might be. This was concerning because the original time frame they gave us came and went with no communication. We were not contacted about an appointment until 4 weeks after our original appointment.
  Capital City Solar states that the customer should have called us. We did call, twice (6/7 and 6/10) asking for an appointment date. We were told the company does not schedule appointments in advance and did not know how long we would be waiting.
  
  Capital City Solar states that ******* (the wife) never talked to office staff about scheduling or status updates. This is untrue. ******* called on 6/10/24 asking if we could schedule an appointment and was told the company does not do that. ******* asked how long we should expect to wait and was told they didnt know. ******* asked if we would be waiting one week, a month, or 6 months, and they said they didnt know. We had no clue how long we would be waiting as we had no appointment date and the time frame they gave us had come and gone.
  
  Yes, we agreed to the additional service visit with a second person. That was never the issue. We tried twice to get that second visit scheduled. Our complaint is telling us someone would contact us and not doing so within the time frame they gave. Our complaint is when we reached out after that time frame about scheduling the appointment, the only response we were given is we dont know when we will be able to get to you. When ******* asked if we would be waiting 6 months and the office staff said they didnt know, we had no choice but to assume Capital City Solar was not going to be able to provide the service they said they would.
  
  

  Customer response

  08/09/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  

  I appreciate the apology for not following through like we were told and we were expecting. While I still believe a full refund is in order due to all the reasons listed previously, I wish to move on and settle for the $195 refund being offered.

  I understand being busy, but communication and scheduling an appointment (even if it was farther out than we were told) would have gone a long way and not left us wondering.

  Please mail the check to *************************; ******************************* Rocklin, CA 95765.

   

  Thank you.

  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩