Consolidated Solar Technologies, LLC

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Consolidated Solar Technologies made a bona fide offer to remove and replace the solar panels and roof for a fixed and firm price I accepted that offer and then CST switched the price to something substantially higher after I accepted the offer and requested that we formalize our agreement.CST has the option of honoring its price or reimbursing me the difference between the offered price and switched price Regards, [redacted] ***[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the responseIf the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

Good Morning,Thank you for providing us with information regarding the complaint of Mr [redacted] ***We are glad to provide further information regarding this situation, and look forward to finding a satisfactory solution.Mr [redacted] is not our customer and he did not purchase the solar array from CSTInstead, [redacted] was our customer and, indeed, we designed an off-grid solar array for [redacted] specific to their consumption needsLiving off-grid is tricky, and requires specific lifestyle modifications even when the system is custom designed to power the specified energy needsThe array we designed and installed for [redacted] was never intended to power an entire household and system size was based on their requested specificationsThis customer had experience living off-grid, and thus, they knew how to properly gauge their energy consumption to ensure proper system function[redacted] sold the property and off-grid solar array to Mr***, who may not have understood the system load capacity and attempted to run his entire household on the system, so subsequent problems and system damage occurredThough he is not our customer and we have done all we can to help him under the warranties and provisions of our contract (which was with [redacted] , not Mr***), we are willing to come out and conduct a site assessment to see if we can come to a satisfactory solutionI will contact Mr [redacted] to schedule an appointment.Please let me know if you require additional information or explanationThank you for your time and assistance, and have a wonderful day.Sincerely, Tom S*General Manager

Good Afternoon,I appreciate the update on the claim submitted by Ms [redacted] The solar installations we complete at CST are done by Journeyman Electricians and specially trained engineers with extensive experience and education in properly sizing panels based on generalities in home sizing and electric consumptionThe amp panel is indeed adequate for most residential homes sized between to square feet, and would be adequate to power a sized electric furnace and water heater designed for a residence of this size and level of electric consumptionMs [redacted] 's single-occupied home is only square feet, so a amp panel was determined to be unnecessary for her needsWe properly sized the panel based on her home size and projected electric consumption, to include that of an appropriately sized furnace/water heater, and she was informed as such at the time of installation.Now, a year later, Ms [redacted] is moving forward with the installation of an electric furnace and water heater, which her current amp panel can indeed power as long as the furnace and water heater are sized appropriately for her home size and consumption needsHowever, she is looking to install a furnace/water heater system of an unusually large size, much beyond what is generally required in such a situationTherefore, the request to increase her panel size is between Ms [redacted] and her current electrician, who are working to install a furnace/water heater sized beyond her originally projected needsHad we at CST been appropriately informed of plans to install a furnace/water heater system of such an unusual size at the beginning of the solar project, we would have installed a panel sufficient for those needs - but we were not informed, and her decision to install such a large furnace/water heater came a year after the installation of her solar arrayTherefore, we do not feel that we are responsible for her panel upgrade as we could not foresee nor we were informed of (at time of solar design and installation) her decision to install an unusually large furnace/water heater.I appreciate your time and assistance.Respectfully, Tom S*General Manager

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: The electrician is concerned that the panel is not large enough & need more then the amps is not enoughHe says I need more then amps CST did not inform me of this on installation so now I have to pay for addition to panel Regards, [redacted] [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the responseIf the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Good Morning,Thank you for your responseWe acknowledge your dissatisfaction with the solar array you purchased through *** *** ***; however, as previously described, there is likely a disparity between the system size and allowed production we originally sold to *** *** *** and what *** *** *** told Mr*** was the allowed system productionIn order to fulfill your request that we correct the system, we have to come out to inspect the system to ascertain the difference between what we projected the system to produce for the original buyer, *** *** ***, and Mr***' actual consumptionWe have already called Mr*** to schedule an inspection, and he has not returned our callSimply replacing the batteries will not work because Mr*** is likely exceeding allowed consumption for the system size, nor will new batteries address his claims of code incompliance. Furthermore, all of our systems are inspected and code-compliant based on original design - and we would like to ensure that this remains the case for this systemIf electrical alterations were made to the system after our initial installation with *** *** ***, or if electricity demand exceeds what the system can produce therefore causing problems with the batteries, these will need to be correctedThus, we cannot fix anything without first inspecting the systemPlease return our call to schedule the appointment.Respectfully,Tom S*General Manager

To Whom it May Concern,We appreciate the opportunity to resolve the matter concerning *** ***'s solar array and battery systemOur install team has indeed made several trips to Mr***'s property to review the problems he described in his letter and have worked to address the issuesBut
as Mr*** described, he modified the system and its wiring, thus rendering our warranties null and voidIn his correspondence, Mr*** stated that he was able to get his system functioning by purchasing eight golf cart batteriesTherefore, we are more than happy to reimburse Mr*** for the cost of those new batteriesPlease provide us with a receipt for the golf cart battery purchase and we will gladly pay Mr*** the amount.Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions you may have, and to provide me with the requested receiptThank you for your time and consideration. Respectfully, Tom S*CST General Manager

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: Two journeymen electricians say my panel needs to be biggerThey are not CST employees In order to get heat in my house I am paying for the expansion and pray that all CST salesmen explaoin to new customers what will have to be done to do what they expect to get from solar installation
Regards,
*** *** [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the responseIf the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Good afternoon and thank you for writing.Unfortunately, Mr*** has misunderstood a few things regarding this complaint:CST does not hold the warranty for his solar panelsThe warranty is provided by SunPower CorporationCST is not the only company that can remove and replace his solar
panels to maintain the warranty; this service can be provided by any SunPower dealer, of which New Mexico has twoMr*** is welcome to request this service from SunPower by *** *** *** if he would like, and his solar panel warranty with SunPower would be maintained. Mr*** did request a quote for panel removal and replacementWe shared that we can provide roofing services as well, and he then allowed us to bid the roof project alsoThese services are separate and therefore require different feesThey were itemized and detailed on the quote we provided and sent to him via email (attached)It seems he just misunderstood the conversation, but the quote details our offer.The quote is not a contract, and it was not accepted or signed by Mr***; it was simply a proposalFurther, CST reserves the right to refuse service and based on this individual's history of complaints, we do not wish to engage in further business with himHe is welcome to have another SunPower dealer remove and replace his solar panels, and is welcome to seek roofing services from a different company of his choosing.I appreciate your time and wish you well

The biggest delay with this project was due to the utility company denying the installation of solar because of the size limitations of the transformer owned by the ***' It took some time to resolve this issue I met with the ***' in my office on the 11th of November We
discussed their project at length and the possibility of adding more panels than what they originally contracted On the 15th of November, the ***' agreed to more panels and we were scheduled for the 23rd of November for installation to begin We in fact did begin install on the 23rd of November and I have confirmed that our installation completed on the 28th We will now coordinate the inspection with the local jurisdiction and await the utility company to turn on their system When I met with the ***' they were nice and friendly and did not express any frustrations to me about their dissatisfaction I believe they are satisfied at this juncture If they were not, I don't believe they would have added more solar panels to their project

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:Well it's nice that CST continues (for nearly a year now) to say they will call or come out but it is completely unhelpful that they don't follow throughThey have come out twice, once drunk and the other time with two very nice fellows who identified some problems and said they would come back in about a week to fix it but then they never came back or calledWhen I got in touch with CST they said, oh sorry the tech who was familiar with your system is no longer working hereSooo, you just had the one guy that knew about solar? I hope you can recruit some good help soon because from what we've seen it's been nearly a year and your still unable to fix the install you did that does NOT meet code standardsI am shocked and awed that you are so large a businessI guess there's a sucker born every minute because we are sure you don't have any repeat customers.Sorry if we get snippy, but seriously our first (of many) calls to you was on December 3rd of last year and you still are unable to come out and correct the issues that YOU identifiedMaybe court is the next stepIt can't be legal to do installs that aren't inspected and have clear fire hazards
Regards,
*** *** [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the responseIf the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Complaint: ***
I am NOT rejecting this response:
We have had good communications with CST since their last response we received through Revdex.com and they even sent out three technicians to review our caseI am not clicking on accept through this Revdex.com site at this time only because the case isn't closed yetThere is no offer/resolution to accept or rejectThank you
Regards,
*** *** [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the responseIf the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Consolidated Solar Technologies made a bona fide offer to remove and replace the solar panels and roof for a fixed and firm price.  I accepted that offer and then CST switched the price to something substantially higher after I accepted the offer and requested that we formalize our agreement.CST has the option of honoring its price or reimbursing me the difference between the offered price and switched price.
Regards,
[redacted][To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

We are truly sorry for the delay and that the client has had to resort to filing a complaint with the Revdex.com to get action.  The system was installed back in 2012.  The client is correct in that when the system had shortfalls in solar production, CST did in fact write a check to reimburse the...

client.  This particular instance, the shortfall was determined and a check was issued.  Ownership did not want to sign the check and wants to pursue the option of adding more solar to the existing system to see if these shortfalls can be mitigated.  We apologize for the lack of communication in this regard.  CST has experienced a lot of growth the past year and continues to refine processes.  Obviously this is an area yet needed improvement.  We will reach out to the client to check the the possibility of adding more solar and coming to a satisfactory resolution.

Good Afternoon,I appreciate the update on the claim submitted by Ms. [redacted]. The solar installations we complete at CST are done by Journeyman Electricians and specially trained engineers with extensive experience and education in properly sizing panels based on generalities in home sizing and electric consumption. The 200 amp panel is indeed adequate for most residential homes sized between 1000 to 3000 square feet, and would be adequate to power a normal sized electric furnace and water heater designed for a residence of this size and level of electric consumption. Ms. [redacted]'s single-occupied home is only 1200 square feet, so a 300 amp panel was determined to be unnecessary for her needs. We properly sized the panel based on her home size and projected electric consumption, to include that of an appropriately sized furnace/water heater, and she was informed as such at the time of installation.Now, a year later, Ms. [redacted] is moving forward with the installation of an electric furnace and water heater, which her current 200 amp panel can indeed power as long as the furnace and water heater are sized appropriately for her home size and consumption needs. However, she is looking to install a furnace/water heater system of an unusually large size, much beyond what is generally required in such a situation. Therefore, the request to increase her panel size is between Ms. [redacted] and her current electrician, who are working to install a furnace/water heater sized beyond her originally projected needs. Had we at CST been appropriately informed of plans to install a furnace/water heater system of such an unusual size at the beginning of the solar project, we would have installed a panel sufficient for those needs - but we were not informed, and her decision to install such a large furnace/water heater came a year after the installation of her solar array. Therefore, we do not feel that we are responsible for her panel upgrade as we could not foresee nor we were informed of (at time of solar design and installation) her decision to install an unusually large furnace/water heater.I appreciate your time and assistance.Respectfully, Tom S[redacted]General Manager

Good Morning,Thank you for providing us with information regarding the complaint of Mr. [redacted]. We are glad to provide further information regarding this situation, and look forward to finding a satisfactory solution.Mr. [redacted] is not our customer and he did not purchase the solar array from...

CST. Instead, [redacted] was our customer and, indeed, we designed an off-grid solar array for [redacted] specific to their consumption needs. Living off-grid is tricky, and requires specific lifestyle modifications even when the system is custom designed to power the specified energy needs. The array we designed and installed for [redacted] was never intended to power an entire household and system size was based on their requested specifications. This customer had experience living off-grid, and thus, they knew how to properly gauge their energy consumption to ensure proper system function.[redacted] sold the property and off-grid solar array to Mr. [redacted], who may not have understood the system load capacity and attempted to run his entire household on the system, so subsequent problems and system damage occurred. Though he is not our customer and we have done all we can to help him under the warranties and provisions of our contract (which was with [redacted], not Mr. [redacted]), we are willing to come out and conduct a site assessment to see if we can come to a satisfactory solution. I will contact Mr. [redacted] to schedule an appointment.Please let me know if you require additional information or explanation. Thank you for your time and assistance, and have a wonderful day.Sincerely, Tom S[redacted]General Manager

Greetings,Thank you for your correspondence regarding the complaint filed by Ms. [redacted]; I apologize for the delay in my response and thank you for your patience. On December 3rd, I contacted Ms. [redacted] to address the issues she expressed in her filing with the Revdex.com. She explained that...

she was having problems with her electrician not wanting to connect her electric heater. To err on the side of caution, we sent one out of our service technicians to ensure that Ms. [redacted]'s solar array was working properly and also inspected her electric panel to confirm that our electric work was properly connected and functioning correctly. We were able to confirm that her CST solar array and corresponding electrical work were set up correctly and are functioning properly. I explained to Ms. [redacted] that we would do all we could to help her, but that this problem is really with her electrician and furnass provider. I did contact her electrician and furnass provider to share all applicable information with them to try and help Ms. [redacted] get this issue taken care of. I'm glad that it turns out the problem is not with CST or her solar array, and we have done all we can on our end to help her. I believe this issue to be resolved.Please let me know if you have additional questions or require further information. We are happy to help Ms. [redacted] in any way that we can. I appreciate your time, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to continuously improve our business and customer service. Have a terrific day!Respectfully, Tom S[redacted]General Manager

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  The electrician is concerned that the panel is not large enough & need more then the 200 amps is not enough. He says I need more then 300 amps.  CST did not inform me of this on installation so now I have to pay for addition to panel
Regards,
[redacted] [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]