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Project Solar

7.0

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User Reviews

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Star Rating

3.9

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89 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

53%

4 grade

20%

3 grade

7%

2 grade

6%

1 grade

15%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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Nate Genung Covina, CA

The price was appealing. Customer service and communication was horrible through the design, delivery, installation and permitting process. Project Solar either didn’t listen to my requests, or didn’t communicate them internally between their teams. If Project Solar could improve their project management and communication, they would be a great option. My requested equipment placement was repeatedly ignored. They permitted the equipment in a location I didn’t agree with, then tried to charge me an additional fee for design changes. After confirming an installation date, the equipment was not delivered. There was no availability to reschedule the install for about two weeks. We had to change our family vacation plans and reschedule flights to get home for dates that they had availability to install the system. Project Solar refused to reimburse the cost. They frequently blamed the installer for communication issues, though a majority of the miscommunication issues through the project seemed to be Project Solar’s responsibility. We started this process in June 2022. It’s March 2023 and the project has not been completed. The system was functional for a while but has been non-operational for over a month. I’ve contacted Project Solar about six times in the last month and they did not respond to the first five attempts. They responded to the most recent call but have not yet scheduled repairs. Two failed inspections so far - because there was no attempt to fix the items that failed the first inspection before the second inspection. They told me they were scheduling a third inspection and I reminded the Inspections Team that they needed to address the issues that failed previously.

4 days ago

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Henry Smolinski Paramount, CA

Worst mistake I made in deciding to go with project solar in 2022 my electric bills cost me more then ever buyers remorse.

4 days ago

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Laura Gomes Oroville, CA

Absolutely terrible experience spanning seven months. Delay after delay, excuse after excuse. Terrible communication resulting in multiple errors and missteps, so many inspections the county told us to stop wasting their time, people showing up with no notice and no knowledge of the deficiencies called out by the county (despite numerous emails, voice calls, voicemails and texts from us), multiple promises the issues would be taken care of, then the exact same outcome. Told the electrical service was fine, then told the main panel had to be replaced, siding was “repaired” with wide swathes of goop so unsightly we’re paying a contractor to repair it, the loan rate was about to expire because of their many errors so they told the lender the job was complete (so we now get to pay interest on a system that wasn’t even working). If we had it to do over again we’d insist they remove their equipment from our roof and choose a more professional, reliable company. The worst experience we’ve ever had with a contractor. Cannot advise you strongly enough to look literally anywhere else.

1 week ago

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Alan Hofmeister Belvedere Tiburon, CA

Contract signed on May 28, 2021. Incompleted Installation March 2022 Completed Installation February 2023 Still waiting for PTO..... This has been the worst experience EVER. If I ran my business like this I would be bankrupt. The major problem is that no one comes to your house to spec the system. They base it off Google Maps and the photos you submit. When the installer arrived they couldn't complete the job because it wasn't spec'd correctly. The installer quits their contract with ProjectSolar because this is an ongoing problem with mutiple customers. ProjectSolar now takes months to find a new installer to complete the job. When the new installer arrives they realize it hasn't been spec'd correctly. Hence delaying the installation another few months. Finally after 10 months from the initial installation the system is correctly installed. Now I am being told by ProjectSolar that the PTO is at the mercy of PG&E. While PG&E states a PTO takes 5 - 10 days from application submission. Based on ProjectSolar's track record I am suspecting that the application has not been submitted yet as it has been almost a month since the install was completed. They may be great for some customers, but they completely dropped the ball with this customer.

3 weeks ago

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Neil Martin Sebastopol, CA

Excellent communication, no surprises, very good prices, friendly staff. Overall a great experience.

1 month ago

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Amber Beauchamp

I paid 15,000 for my system and they installed it and failed multiple inspections and even after my system was installed my electric bill was still $175 and now project solar is completely ignoring all of my emails and calls for the last month. This is absolutely ridiculous and unprofessional.

1 month ago

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PhillipB Los Angeles, CA

I cannot actually explain how bad my experience has been. Discussions in June of 2022, contact signed July 1 with a promised install of two weeks. Install finally began October 7th. Failed inspections through December 2022, and here we are in January 2023 and still haven't submitted the paperwork to enable the system. There has been zero communication beyond their initial lies regarding the install schedule. This has been an absolute nightmare.

2 months ago

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Marie Smith Shreveport, LA

I I've had solo panels installed since June 12th and there's not running or working yet I'm making monthly payments

3 months ago

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Lupe Gonzalez Los Angeles, CA

-So far my experience has been sloppy and uncoordinated. I wrote to the company last week & they're just barely getting back to me this week. -Had a male knock on my door one random morning & state they were there to install the solar. I had no idea of this appointment - I was just out of the shower. Happened to be off, luckily I was there. Talked to someone on the phone from Proj Solar after the fact, that confirmed the install appt. -Then, a couple of weeks later, once again, a random visit by someone who said they were going to inspect the solar panels installation. My entire household had covid, very inconvenient once again. I would've liked to have been informed, I would have postponed the visit to when we were cleared so that I can also participate in the inspection & have my questions and concerns answered. -Male who came out to do the inspection sat in front of my house, apparently waiting for another guy. When the second gentleman arrived they both just helped themselves to my backyard. (Leaving the gate open when we have a dog who likes to run out, by the way.) -I asked for a rep to come out and go through the system with me, & answer any questions or concerns I have. -Now, I'm being told the following by Project Solar: -"Unfortunately our installer will not come out to just explain how everything works. It's frustrating, but because they run such a tight schedule, they base their day to day events around installs where they will get paid rather than visiting customers' homes to answer questions. Even with every other job, they do not do this even with the customer being out there at time of installation. Contractors have less of a friendly mindset and are focused on just showing up and getting the job done." " It sounds like Jared did not update you adequately in regards to the dates of installation and inspection. I apologize on his behalf. I understand that can be extremely frustrating." -I'm being pressured to sign off on the contract by the finance company (& rightly so, they just handle money) but I'm not comfortable doing so when I know nothing about what's going on w/the solar panels. -I had to ask for paperwork from the inspection & it lists the previous owner. I've owned the home for 7 mo. And no one caught it from Project Solar? * Their website listed a $500 referral bonus. I also noticed once I clicked to another screen, the referral bonus dropped to $300. (Yes, I know, I'm complaining about customer service & debating referring. BUT I love solar, drive an EV, & their price is good. I was willing to give them a chance, hoping their cust service would have improved. In a previous conversation, one of the Proj Solar employees told me they'd be making changes to improve response) -I screenshot the website & sent the link to my representative. This was their response: I just spoke with my manager. We appreciate you pointing out that mistake on our website. I have notified management to update that so it is accurate! We are so glad that your experience was good enough to want to refer a friend! I was under the impression that you had a bad experience based on what you had expressed to me and the review you left. Because this review reflects poorly on Project Solar, we wanted to ask and see if you would be willing to change or delete the review if we give you the $500.00 referral bonus even though we typically only offer $300.00 to customers for referrals? We definitely appreciate your support and business. * Seems they are trying to buy my review. * Next, I noticed I was quoted & charged for 21 panels. Noticed I only had 18. Sent an email 9/9/22 asking about the discrepancy. No response. Sent another email on 9/14/22, no response. Finally, sent an email on 11/21/22 and got a response today. They're telling me I was notified in 2021 that the solar panels' SIZE CHANGED (not the quantity). (Can confirm receipt of email stating the SIZE had changed, not the quantity. * In the last 3 years, they have 15 BBB complaints! * Good price, seems like a good product, REALLY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE! Beware of that!

4 months ago

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Gabe and Becca

They get more than one star because they were cheaper than what I've been able to find. That being said, be careful. It seems that others had a good experience, but not me. By the looks of it, it appears others are experiencing the same thing as me. Which is the following: you wait for six months for "permitting". I've finished my basement and pulled many permits. It is usually approved immediately in my justification. When speaking with project solar, you finally get to the bottom of it, they don't really have people to install. Finally, they switch out the equipment on you without saying anything. They quote you on the good stuff, then change it when it comes to final billing. When I pointed it out, they corrected it and sent be the invoice with the original equipment. I paid and then shortly after, the product was delivered. I was impressed with how quickly it came after paying. But that was premature. One pallet contained the inferior panels, the other the ones I was quoted on. I guess they were hoping i wouldn't notice (and i wouldn't have if they had had the permits actually completed). The installer they contacted was unable to install the system because they were unable to complete the permits! Now I have pallets of panels in my garage that have been sitting there for a couple of weeks with no end in sight of when they will actually be able to get their act together. They have no motivation now though as they've been paid. I will be filling a law suit locally soon if they don't fix things very soon. I've contacted them through email and they do not respond. The only person you can actually reach by phone is their billing department. I guess they want to ensure they are able to take payment!

4 months ago

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slim shadisky Bethesda, MD

project solar's horrible customer service and incompetent staff ended up costing me countless hours over the course of five months. from the outset, it was the most painful experience. My own boarding specialist had only a cursory knowledge of design and permitting standards in my jurisdiction, and formed project solar that I wanted to maximize solar productivity by putting as many panels on my roof as possible the first design presented to me, was that of a 6 kW system. Huge spaces on my roof were devoid of panels after waiting a week I was told building code, required fire setbacks in the areas where no panels were placed after pulling the code and reading it myself it was clear the design team was confused. But with no direct contacts everything had to go through my on boarding specialist so I was forced to convey my concerns to the on boarding specialist, who then intern spoke with the design team and then got back with me. It took three or four days to answer simple questions. The second array design was an 8 kW system yet still much of my roof was unused and for no apparent reason on multiple occasions, I was told by the on boarding specialist the design team did not feel comfortable. What a bizarre standard to use in designing a solar array … one would think Either it complies with building code, or it doesn't yet that seem to be the mantra, we don't feel comfortable. I even offered to place money in escrow to cover any cost related to the resubmission a plan to my local permitting division should the original plans be returned. after explaining to my own boarding specialist how simple the requirements are in the code. I finally received a 10 kW system design yet large amounts of empty space remained. I was then told the design team I was questioning whether or not my home was permitted properly. What was meant by this I still have no idea. I was then informed by my on boarding specialist that additional panels could not be placed in the empty areas because the melting system protruded beyond that of the pails of cells and thus required additional space. I asked for images and specs of the mounting system that was to be used so I could see for myself, and never received anything. Doing my own research, I found this not to be the case, and in fact the mounting system to be used. I actually created additional space on my roof… The opposite of what I was told. at this point, I was told take it or leave it without any other explanation other than the design is what the design team feels comfortable with. So after five months and easily over 100 hours I'm forced to walk away. It appears that the project seller does have some happy customers but it's difficult for me to believe.

4 months ago

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Brian Lee Los Angeles, CA

Buyer beware. My experience with Project Solar has been pretty dismal so far and wanted to let the community know what they may encounter when dealing with this company. Their pricing is what led me to go with them as they were cheaper than the local installers, but the pros end there. My system was originally designed around 395W panels, which was indicated in the purchase agreement that I approved and signed. However, it wasn’t until much later on that I discovered that all of the engineering and permitting was submitted with 390W panels, all without informing me of the change. This dropped my expected system size and output, which of course changes your energy generation and payback period. When I inquired into the change and asked to send me another purchase agreement to reflect the reduced system size (and therefore reduced pricing), they simply sent me the same agreement that I had originally signed, asking me to sign again, which feels like bait and switch. I had to firmly state that the reduced wattage panels and output needed to be reflected in the new pricing and agreement, to which they finally sent after claiming it was a “system error” that needed manager oversight. This doesn’t even address the very lengthy project approval time that I experienced with Project Solar. I signed the original agreement in April, and it is now October and am just starting the install process. Many of my immediate neighbors (subject to the exact same approval process as myself), who went with local installers, started their projects at the same time, but theirs were all completed in 2-3 months. After the purchase agreement issue was resolved, which included many ignored emails on their part and failure to adhere to their own timelines on getting back to me with resolutions, they finally scheduled the install date and sent me the initial invoice for the equipment. However, they tried to get me to pay for the sales tax twice, adding it to the total when the sales tax was already a line item. Again, they claimed it was a system error and fixed it only after I pointed it out. The equipment was delivered as scheduled, only not all of it made it. I found this out when the installers arrived and informed me that the Smart Panel was missing and they were unable to proceed with the installation that day. They also let me know that the roofing installation materials were incorrect and were too thick for my roof tile, even though I sent Project Solar the exact specifications of the roofing, down to the tiling brochure which detailed the specifications of my exact tile. I am now waiting for the installation crew to return to hopefully finish in a timely manner. Again, my experience so far with Project Solar has been very poor, and had I known that it would take this long with this many negative experiences along the way, I would’ve gone with a local installer, even if the pricing is higher, because they seem to be much better at coordinating projects. The communication has been absolutely horrific, and the continued failures to meet deadlines, attempts to overcharge, and just plain sloppy oversight has left me with little confidence in Project Solar. Update 10/6/22: Project solar sent the wrong installation materials again, even after the installers sent the exact specifications, and now the project is delayed another week. Update 12/9/22: The project remains unfinished and the Project Solar team is becoming increasingly difficult to get updates from.

5 months ago

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SF Bay Area Customer Walnut Creek, CA

First off they were about 1/2 the cost of Costco SunRun, Semper Solaris, and SunPower for equivalent power. Once all the documentation was collected the install process was quick and professional. The system has been online for 8 months and has generated 7.8MwH. The home has consumed 3.3MwH in that time with AC running for weeks with temps over 90 and going over 100 degrees. And our Oven and Dryer are electric. (Gas Heat and Hot Water). We got monthly email notices from PGE that our bill will be $500 for the month. Then the bill comes and gas and electric are less than $50. Last month it was $10, August was $14. (PGE must capture consumption and only net the energy sold back to them at the end of the month). Question: would you pay $10,000 (6KwH system) to never have another electric bill? PGE electricity costs have more than doubled in the 20 years we’ve lived here making this an easy investment. This is our 3rd with solar and the lowest cost to install. We expect a 4-5yr breakeven. One way they save money is avoiding multiple trips to inspect the site. That’s on you to take pictures, fill out a couple forms, and keep the project moving forward. Start to finish (after doing cost and reference checks with all the suppliers, and several design reciews) was about 3 months.

5 months ago

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J W Fort Bragg, CA

Terrible communication and months of delays after I had already paid for permitting and done everything on my end. I still don't have my panels and am fighting with them too get a refund so I can take my business elsewhere.

6 months ago

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David Mead Denver, CO

Great price, horrible customer service. Delays due to incompetence over and over again. Swapped panels at install without knowledge, roof leak after install, microinverters not working at PTO. Unable to get replies back from the company to get my problems fixed. The day of this review a manager that could actually assist reached out. Compensated me financially and was able to get the job done shortly after. Project Solar stepped up with permits, and signage when the installer wouldn't respond. Reaching a manager that would actually respond didn't happen until my review. The product is good, getting to this point was painful. Happy to be done and happy that the panels are working as they should be at this time.

7 months ago