Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In November of 2023, my husband and I noticed a crack and bubble in our dining room ceiling, which within a few hours became a 2' x 5' hole, causing wet insulation to fall on the floor as well as some water. Fortunately we were home to avoid any damage to furniture and quickly put up a protection to prevent any damage from the moisture. We called solar fit in ************* who had installed solar panels in 2008 and then moved them in 2020 due to a previous leak. They came to investigate and did not respond to the problem. We had our insurance company come who determined that the damage was done by inadequately sealed nail punctures and the age of the roof, and they decided it was not something they would cover. I sent this information on to solar fit, so that they could see what the insurance engineers determined, and they didn't feel it was their responsibility to pay for any damage done due to the age of the roof. They did not take into consideration that it was just in the area of the solar panels. I had asked if they would consider paying for the repair of the interior ceiling which they did not offer to do. I am very disappointed in a company who is local and wants to maintain a good image in the community. It took them much time to come to that decision and I had to call to find out what their decision was. They did not call me. I feel that better business bureau needs to know what kind of company they are and discourage people from using their services.

  Business response

  02/06/2024

  Solar-Fit installed a solar pool heating system for this customer on 3/3/****. The system has offered a heating solution for the last 20 years, which many would say is excellent. Since the system has been on the roof since ****, we can assume that the roof is at least 20 years old as well (or was until recently). On November 21, 2023 we conducted a service call to assess the leak and take pictures. The service fee is usually $169 minimum,but we waived that fee for them. On December 19, 2023 we went out to the home again in order to remove the panels so that they could replace the roof. For the removal & haul away of the system we typically charge $1,279 but we also waived that fee. That means that Solar-Fit has already absorbed over 1/3 of the initial system cost, and we did that as a good faith effort to make the customer happy. We really try to be as fair as possible, but the warranty on the system is a "full (12) year warranty plus lifetime limited warranty with freeze protection". Since we are in year 20, it is likely that the condition of the roof is a great contributor to any damage. There really is no way for any company to take on this type of claim, as it would imply that the warranty is forever. In **** the system cost to the consumer was $3,000.Dividing that investment out over 20 years, that means it cost them $150 per year to heat their pool. With the discounts they have been provided, that amount got cut in half. It is Solar-Fit's position that while we sympathize with the customer, we feel we have been more than fair in trying to come to a reasonable resolution. Solar-Fit has attached a copy of the system warranty for BBB as they review the claim.

  Customer response

  02/07/2024

  My husband and I will no longer pursue solar fit's financial responsibility however it is interesting that they did not mention that they moved the panels in 2020 due to leaking. While we appreciate their waiving their "normal" fees for removing the panels and not charging us for their visits to determine the damage, which I feel WAS their responsibility, I still feel that the leak was caused by the inadequate sealing of the screws in the installation, or why else would the leak happen right there where the panels were located. Thank you, BBB,  for your assistance in dealing with this. 

  Customer response

  02/07/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me, but would like solar fit to know that they did come out in 2020 to move the panels due to another leak.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 18, Solar Fit came to my house and reinstalled the solar panels on my roof after having my roof replaced. Before disconnecting the solar panels from the pool, everything was working normally. Additionally, my pool pump was only one year old, so there's no reason for it to stop working. And Solar Fit never mentioned any issues when they disconnected the solar panels from my pool. After reinstalling the solar panels, the Solar Fit installers said they smelled smoke before everything stopped working. After writing the check for reinstalling the panels, the supervisor informed me that my pool pump was broken and my pool system was no longer functional.Additionally, the lead technician told me they wouldn't cash the check until this was resolved and was going to get his manager involved. The supervising installer also mentioned that they had the same pump in stock to replace the broken one. However, they immediately cashed my check and won't return any phone calls. It cannot be a coincidence that everything worked fine until Solar Fit reinstalled my solar pool panels. I've had to pay $1,769 to replace the pump and $342 for a new solar controller. Additionally, I had to find another company to replace the pool pump. I want Solar Fit to claim responsibility and reimburse us for the $2111.

  Business response

  01/12/2023

  Contact Name and Title: *******************, Vice Pres.
  Contact Phone: **********
  Contact Email: ******************************
  11/18/22 Reinstallation done by ******* and ******* At that time. ******* let Mrs. ******** know that there was an issue with the *** pump, as he smelled smoke when he started it back up after the reinstallation. ******* noticed that the *** looked like it had been replaced recently, and he advised the family to call Pinch a ***** who did the install as it should still be under warranty.
  
  12/9 ****** spoke w/ Mr. ******** and asked him if *** was able to resolve the issue. He said that they did not contact PAP, as he had issues with them and fired them as their pool maintenance company. ****** gave him the contact # for Pentair (the pump manufacturer) to see if they could refer anyone to assist. Mr. also asked for a copy of the receipt from the work that we did, which was sent.
  
  We apologize that the timing of this issue coincides with the reinstallation of their solar, but unfortunately, we did not cause the issue. The pool solar has been installed since 2010. All we did was remove and reinstall the same panels so that the ******** could have the roof replaced.

• Initial Complaint

  04/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Solar electric system installed, power company approved and instructed me to turn system on over a month ago. Solar Fit refusing to commission system with manufacturer so I can monitor its function.

  Business response

  06/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/05/06) */ Please see attachment for response details. As many contractors have, we have been experiencing supply chain issues, staffing issues, and have been trying to communicate and perform for our customers through these challenges. The Solar System is producing energy and providing power to home. The issue is with the monitoring (being able to "see" the system production outside of the power meter), and we have opened a service ticket with Sunpower (the manufacturer of the app/product) in order to get assistance with reducing line noise so that the monitoring can take place. Solar-Fit has been to the customer's home twice to attempt to get the communication to the app working but cannot successfully complete until the line noise is reduced. SunPower recommended something to try next, so we are scheduled to go out again next week. Our singular goal is to clear up this issue as soon as possible so that everyone can benefit. Again, the system itself is producing power and the monitoring function has nothing to do with whether the system is working-it is to break that production down to a simplistic graph that is easily understandable for the end user and "looks pretty".

*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. ↩