Beach Cities Solar

I am writing this review to make others aware of a terrible and frustrating situation I am currently involved in with Beach Cities Solar.
I am writing this review as a homeowner who wants to make others aware of a terrible and frustrating situation I am currently involved in with my solar panels. I was referred to Beach Cities Solar in San Pedro. I called the owner, ***, to explain to him the trouble I was having with my previously installed solar panels. He came to my house to look at the panels to determine the problem. I asked him how much his rate would be and asked him to draw up an initial contract. He told me a contract would not be necessary because it would be cheap, around $300 because my solar panels were still under factory warranty with Canadian Solar. A few weeks later, he asked for authorization to speak to Canadian Solar in regards to what information they would need to replace the solar panels under the warranty.

Around a month later I received an estimate/invoice from *** at Beach Cities Solar for how much it would cost to replace the malfunctioning panels which was $***. Included on this invoice/estimate was a total current due amount of $1,595 for "troubleshooting and arranging warranty panel replacement". I immediately called *** to find out why the bill was so high, since his initial quote was approximately $300 and he did not offer me a contract to sign or discuss any additional fees with me. *** stated that the bill was so high because there were more malfunctioning panels than he initially thought. I contacted Canadian Solar directly to find out more about the malfunctioning panels and the warranty and was told by Canadian Solar that *** had requested new replacement panels on my behalf and had them delivered directly to his house without my knowledge. I contacted *** to find out what was going on. He stated that he had everything sent to his home and if I wanted MY panels he would be more than happy to deliver them to me, demanding that I pay $*** (which I never authorized). He stated that nothing would be delivered to me until I paid the $***, basically holding my new replacement solar panels hostage so to speak.

At this point I figured I had no other option but to use him for service since he had my panels. I signed a contract with him stating he could do the work and paid the deposit. Two days prior to my installation, I received a letter in the mail stating that *** at Beach Cities Solar had put a California Preliminary Lien on my property. ***'s employees installed my replacement solar panels but the wiring was not fully completed. *** then sent me an email stating that the online installation process for my panels would be an additional fee.

I have not yet paid the remaining balance for the installation since the work has not been completed per the contract I signed with him. I want to let others know to be aware of his shady tactics and hidden costs. When you meet him originally, he portrays himself as a kind elderly gentleman that installs solar panels because he cares for the environment. Behind the scenes, though, he has held my solar panels hostage, put a preliminary lien on my property, and compiled a bill of hidden costs that were never discussed. Please be aware that *** at Beach Cities Solar cannot be trusted. I hope I can save someone the frustration that I have endured because of this man. Please feel free to contact me at*** and I would be more than happy to share the documentation and emails that I have exchanged with *** at Beach Cities Solar throughout this process.