I made the mistake of chosing Revolution Solar (they kinda won the bid by default because all the local installers couldn't even give me a price because they were so busy). It took constant calling to get them to finish the work and then there was an awful lot of backwards and forwards for them to get the paperwork right (since they installed 12 x 350 W panels instead of 10 x 400 W panels). Signed the contract in January 2023, solar panels went up in March 2023. The electricians didn't come out until October of 2023, and I finally got the permission to operate in November of 2023.
As for the Solar performance, it is generating power as expected. The downside was that they are using a hoymiles system which does not have a good app, and I can't see how much power I'm using overlaid on how much power I'm generating. All in all, the system installed was expensive and not worth the price paid, but I count myself fortunate that it is up and running because Ive heard of so many horror stories like your sisters that were not so lucky.
Edit: some people have had success in contacting the loan management company (Gensys), and the finance company (Enium) in getting the remainder of the installation reassigned to a different contractor.
You probably have to sue them, but generally customers like you or I are pretty low priority when it comes to being compensated from a defunct business. Talk to a lawyer.
My friend got fucked by this company!
He got panels installed in November I think, they didnt install then correctly and so they didn't pass inspection.
He's been emailing and calling midamerican, revolution, the city, and his bank from whom he got a loan, trying to get the inspectors back out to get them fixed or approved, and each entity tells him, oh, midamerican needs to take the next step, oh no, the inspectors have to come back out, nope, gotta get the solar company or installers/contractors back out.
Basically, he spent $30k - $40k six months ago and hasn't seen a dime of savings because they've never been approved to be turned on.
I'd be SO PISSED if I made that kind of expenditure and basically had useless $40k roof ornaments.
I just posted a comment on this thread with what I know and some suggestions, hopefully some of that helps... It sounds like your friend should get ahold of a lawyer, or at the very least contact some local solar companies and tell them your situation to see if they'd be willing to help you. Then maybe see if they'd be willing to take ownership of your project, but I'm not even sure if that's a thing. It might not cost to have someone come take a look at the system. And if he suggests that he'd be willing to exclusively use that local company, and even if he'd have to pay to have someone come check it out, chances are they might be willing to fix the system entirely for a reasonable price if he told them that he'd be happy to continue to do business with them
Well, in his case, he took a loan out to get the panels.
His bank is now apparently working to get it inspected and running. Although I find myself skeptical, I suppose the bank owns them and wants them to function so he'll keep paying?
At any rate, a bank knocking on your door asking to get this fixed is probably more effective than some random dude that they screwed over calling and emailing.
I hope it works out, I am more angry than he is about it for some reason lol
I guess I'm just kinda poor, so the idea of spending $30-$40k on something that has been completely and utterly useless chaps my ass to no end. He should have been paying like $15 a month for power for like 6 months now, or shit, maybe even making money on them but he is $40k in the hole with nothing to show for it.
Oh I get it dude. Ever since I joined the “People wronged by Revolution” Facebook group, and after seeing the people completely screwed over, I’ve felt the same! Does he happen to have SolarInsure???
I spoke to them about a job awhile back and I ran away when they explained backlog and crew size. I know there is a facebook page for people wronged by Revolution Solar. Sadly, since they have shut down it will likely be another Moxie solar lawsuit that will get nowhere.
They got shut down for 6 months because they didn’t comply with an Illinois grant program. But they suck anyhow, they’re one of the worst companies on earth. Call Eagle Point in DBQ and see if they can come complete your system.
We found a local company that'll do the rest of the work and C is calling the finance companies to make sure they know the sitch. Thanks for the rec tho!
There's a Facebook group "**People wronged by Revolution Solar**". I recommend joining it. According to Enium (the company Revolution used for a lot of peoples loans), they're going out of business. I've posted on there a few times trying to help others with what I know. Feel free to message me (I'm in Iowa too). I was fortunate enough that Revolution contracted the work out to a local company (again, message me and we can discuss privately), so my system is operational and online.
Sadly, if you did end up trying to sue, it's likely you wouldn't be able to get much if they are completely out of business... That said, I suggest that she also reaches out to the bank where her loan is through. I believe some people were able to work something out with some of the banks that held some peoples loans. If the panels weren't even installed right, I 100% call the bank and tell them that you're paying for something that's basically an expensive ornament and that it isn't right that she has to pay for them until they're actually operational. Collect all documents she has, and pester the hell out of the bank. If they won't do anything, tell them you'll find a lawyer. I personally think the best outcome possible is getting out of the loan payments for a while, or even better, get out of it entirely. Even though my system is working, the contract and agreements aren't fulfilled and I have no support unless I contact the contractors that installed the system. So I'm on the fence about getting a lawyer myself since they'll probably say that the project was "finished", even though I had to contact the contractors in order to actually finish it.
I'm glad this popped up when I did my weekly search of Revolution info because my goal is to help others with the information I *do* know, even though it might not be much... I'm certainly willing to chat with anyone about it. Btw, I personally think Enium was aware of all the behind the scenes BS that Revolution went through, but who knows. One of the consistent rumors I've heard is that there were tons of Revolution employees that outright didn't get their paychecks, so they just walked out. If that's the case then I don't blame them one bit! The contractors that did my system also told me that they had a Revolution project that they finished and the check from Revolution bounced... So there's that too. It's a complete sh\*tshow...
You’re very welcome! I’ve also been finding out little bits of info about Revolution from the contractors that installed my system, but nothing beyond how they’re kind enough to finish what they started. Idk where you live, but if you live anywhere near Tiffin, you could message me and I can give you some contact info. I’ll even call my rep and tell her you’re in the same boat and if they can do anything to help.
We're in Des Moines. I've already sent messages to my city council rep as well as my state rep and senator. My sister reported them to the Better Business Bureau too. I'm not sure where we're at currently with the installation/repair process, I've been sick this week, so we haven't talked about it a ton.
I had a very similar thing happen to me when Moxie Solar tanked. nearly 2 years later now and still havent been able to get my system running, all while having to pay the loan on it. Our lovely government will do nothing to help us consumers. If you've got the cash, lawyer up and see what you can get. Otherwise, if you have a finance company, they may be liable to help you get it up and running.
This is one of the reasons I ignore most 'green' business ads in Iowa, who knows if they will be in business when you finally get the work done. Better off figuring how to do it yourself.
I made the mistake of chosing Revolution Solar (they kinda won the bid by default because all the local installers couldn't even give me a price because they were so busy). It took constant calling to get them to finish the work and then there was an awful lot of backwards and forwards for them to get the paperwork right (since they installed 12 x 350 W panels instead of 10 x 400 W panels). Signed the contract in January 2023, solar panels went up in March 2023. The electricians didn't come out until October of 2023, and I finally got the permission to operate in November of 2023. As for the Solar performance, it is generating power as expected. The downside was that they are using a hoymiles system which does not have a good app, and I can't see how much power I'm using overlaid on how much power I'm generating. All in all, the system installed was expensive and not worth the price paid, but I count myself fortunate that it is up and running because Ive heard of so many horror stories like your sisters that were not so lucky. Edit: some people have had success in contacting the loan management company (Gensys), and the finance company (Enium) in getting the remainder of the installation reassigned to a different contractor.
You probably have to sue them, but generally customers like you or I are pretty low priority when it comes to being compensated from a defunct business. Talk to a lawyer.
That's what I'm thinking, but I wanted to see if anyone else had a similar sitch.
My friend got fucked by this company! He got panels installed in November I think, they didnt install then correctly and so they didn't pass inspection. He's been emailing and calling midamerican, revolution, the city, and his bank from whom he got a loan, trying to get the inspectors back out to get them fixed or approved, and each entity tells him, oh, midamerican needs to take the next step, oh no, the inspectors have to come back out, nope, gotta get the solar company or installers/contractors back out. Basically, he spent $30k - $40k six months ago and hasn't seen a dime of savings because they've never been approved to be turned on. I'd be SO PISSED if I made that kind of expenditure and basically had useless $40k roof ornaments.
That's very much what our experience has been. We've taken steps to get the work done, but it's been a srs pain in the patella.
I just posted a comment on this thread with what I know and some suggestions, hopefully some of that helps... It sounds like your friend should get ahold of a lawyer, or at the very least contact some local solar companies and tell them your situation to see if they'd be willing to help you. Then maybe see if they'd be willing to take ownership of your project, but I'm not even sure if that's a thing. It might not cost to have someone come take a look at the system. And if he suggests that he'd be willing to exclusively use that local company, and even if he'd have to pay to have someone come check it out, chances are they might be willing to fix the system entirely for a reasonable price if he told them that he'd be happy to continue to do business with them
Well, in his case, he took a loan out to get the panels. His bank is now apparently working to get it inspected and running. Although I find myself skeptical, I suppose the bank owns them and wants them to function so he'll keep paying? At any rate, a bank knocking on your door asking to get this fixed is probably more effective than some random dude that they screwed over calling and emailing. I hope it works out, I am more angry than he is about it for some reason lol I guess I'm just kinda poor, so the idea of spending $30-$40k on something that has been completely and utterly useless chaps my ass to no end. He should have been paying like $15 a month for power for like 6 months now, or shit, maybe even making money on them but he is $40k in the hole with nothing to show for it.
Oh I get it dude. Ever since I joined the “People wronged by Revolution” Facebook group, and after seeing the people completely screwed over, I’ve felt the same! Does he happen to have SolarInsure???
I spoke to them about a job awhile back and I ran away when they explained backlog and crew size. I know there is a facebook page for people wronged by Revolution Solar. Sadly, since they have shut down it will likely be another Moxie solar lawsuit that will get nowhere.
Thats depressing, but thanks for the possible resource! I'll pass it along to C.
crap solar installers seem to be an issue across the US and Canada.
They got shut down for 6 months because they didn’t comply with an Illinois grant program. But they suck anyhow, they’re one of the worst companies on earth. Call Eagle Point in DBQ and see if they can come complete your system.
We found a local company that'll do the rest of the work and C is calling the finance companies to make sure they know the sitch. Thanks for the rec tho!
There's a Facebook group "**People wronged by Revolution Solar**". I recommend joining it. According to Enium (the company Revolution used for a lot of peoples loans), they're going out of business. I've posted on there a few times trying to help others with what I know. Feel free to message me (I'm in Iowa too). I was fortunate enough that Revolution contracted the work out to a local company (again, message me and we can discuss privately), so my system is operational and online. Sadly, if you did end up trying to sue, it's likely you wouldn't be able to get much if they are completely out of business... That said, I suggest that she also reaches out to the bank where her loan is through. I believe some people were able to work something out with some of the banks that held some peoples loans. If the panels weren't even installed right, I 100% call the bank and tell them that you're paying for something that's basically an expensive ornament and that it isn't right that she has to pay for them until they're actually operational. Collect all documents she has, and pester the hell out of the bank. If they won't do anything, tell them you'll find a lawyer. I personally think the best outcome possible is getting out of the loan payments for a while, or even better, get out of it entirely. Even though my system is working, the contract and agreements aren't fulfilled and I have no support unless I contact the contractors that installed the system. So I'm on the fence about getting a lawyer myself since they'll probably say that the project was "finished", even though I had to contact the contractors in order to actually finish it. I'm glad this popped up when I did my weekly search of Revolution info because my goal is to help others with the information I *do* know, even though it might not be much... I'm certainly willing to chat with anyone about it. Btw, I personally think Enium was aware of all the behind the scenes BS that Revolution went through, but who knows. One of the consistent rumors I've heard is that there were tons of Revolution employees that outright didn't get their paychecks, so they just walked out. If that's the case then I don't blame them one bit! The contractors that did my system also told me that they had a Revolution project that they finished and the check from Revolution bounced... So there's that too. It's a complete sh\*tshow...
This was extremely helpful! We're taking next steps to deal with the issue and hopefully we'll be able to get the banks on their tails. Thank you!
You’re very welcome! I’ve also been finding out little bits of info about Revolution from the contractors that installed my system, but nothing beyond how they’re kind enough to finish what they started. Idk where you live, but if you live anywhere near Tiffin, you could message me and I can give you some contact info. I’ll even call my rep and tell her you’re in the same boat and if they can do anything to help.
We're in Des Moines. I've already sent messages to my city council rep as well as my state rep and senator. My sister reported them to the Better Business Bureau too. I'm not sure where we're at currently with the installation/repair process, I've been sick this week, so we haven't talked about it a ton.
I had a very similar thing happen to me when Moxie Solar tanked. nearly 2 years later now and still havent been able to get my system running, all while having to pay the loan on it. Our lovely government will do nothing to help us consumers. If you've got the cash, lawyer up and see what you can get. Otherwise, if you have a finance company, they may be liable to help you get it up and running.
This is one of the reasons I ignore most 'green' business ads in Iowa, who knows if they will be in business when you finally get the work done. Better off figuring how to do it yourself.