RGS Energy

I would not recommend REAL GOODS SOLAR dbs RGS Energy for any solar job. RGS Engergy does not stand behind its products nor work and use substandard materials. More shameful, is that my other responsive posts have been deleted.

In October, 2015, RGS installed three solar panels on my roof, in addition to 18 the company had installed in 2013.
On December 16^th, RGS informed me that a new meter would have to be installed to register the panels with SRECTrade and complete the project, at an additional cost to me of $ 487.50. It seems unethical and, I’d think, illegal for RGS to raise the cost of the project by 12% above what was contractually agreed upon.
I tried to resolve the issue with RGS’s «Customer Service» Manager. He acknowledged that the need for a second meter «came as news to RGS» after the contract was drawn up and signed. Because the meter was therefore not included in the contract, he said RGS is not obligated to pay for it! Of course, RGS should pay for the meter since it is a necessary part of the project and the failure to include it in the contract was RGS’s responsibility.
Unless you enjoy being treated the way I – and many others — have described, I suggest you steer clear of RGS.

We had our Solar installed by ReGrid (now Real Goods Solar — RGS) in 2009. The installation and follow up were exceptional. In the past two years, service has been terrible. It took a year of repeated phone calls and email messages to get a response to an issue we were having with the system. We had also been interested in adding solar panels to the roof. It took months to hear back from them at which time they stated they would send a quote, and it has been several months since then with no follow up.
I am posting this Unilocal Review today in response to an on-​line solicitation I received from RGS to recommend potential subscribers to their system. This is the most direct method I have to advise anyone looking to install solar to look somewhere else other than RGS.

The customer service is horrible.
Shortly after installation, we had an issue where our electrical conduit (connecting the solar array to the house) was dug up by outside work. Granted, in the contract it said damage caused by outside work is not covered by their warranty, HOWEVER, we were EXPLICITLY told the electrical conduit was buried at least 18 inches underground (California code dictates this), the damage occurred because RGS only buried conduit 12 inches down instead of the required 18.
Thus we attempted to contact RGS to resolve this, and that’s when the real nightmare began. Their customer service phone line is a permanent voicemail, thus you have to wait and pray for someone from RGS to call you back. We managed to get through to the sales department (thank you Amy), but the only thing they could do is let customer service know we called. We saw a brief glimpse of hope when we heard from Helio power, RGS’s contractor who we are told are handling repairs. They said they will write up a quote and send it to RGS, but we never heard from them again. Finally, after 5 months of sending frequent voice mails and emails to their customer service, we heard from their manager, Matt S., who promptly informs us that according to the contract, damage by outside work is not covered under warranty. We then alerted him to the fact that the conduit was installed incorrectly (only 12 inches down) and his response was «I wouldn’t say it was installed incorrectly.»
So, it took you 5 months to tell us «no», after making us jump through numerous hoops. Based on all the 1-​star Unilocal reviews, I see that negative customer service is the norm, not the exception. Buyers beware!

I signed a contract with RGS four months ago, and have yet to get an install date scheduled, despite the fact that my system was supposed to be up and running last month. They originally said they would start the install in early March. March came, and I hadn’t heard from them, so I reached out to see what was going on, and they said they now expected a late March install. March ended, and I still hadn’t heard anything. So, I reached out again, and they said they would be installing early April. April came, and I still didn’t have an install date, so I reached out again, and they said it is now on track for a late April install. Here we are now on April 24, and I still don’t have an install date scheduled. Furthermore, over the past week, nobody at the company will even return emails or calls to let me know what is going on. Not that I would believe anything they say at this point, because all that has happened so far is they miss their installation date, and then wait for me to chase them down to find out what happened and when the new expected date is. Their customer service is completely unacceptable.

Just a follow up. spoke with their CEO and they did not want to take responsibility to their pricing practices. They will not honor their pricing nor address customer service as a priority. Hopefully they fix their processes internally as there is a lot of other companies out there that offer better service (Freedom Solar, ProVoltz to name a few). Avoid RGS like the plague. They are horrible business people.

Their rep came to me to discuss my interest in going solar. He made a brief presentation of what my needs would be. He asked for a $ 250.00 deposit to be cashed if and only in the event of a formal visitation by the companies’ technician to firm up any proposal. I gave him the check and decided a few days later to decline follow up work. To my surprise they deposited the check anyway. Weeks later I am still trying to get my deposit check back as they promised. Do not give them a deposit check. There are lots of companies that would like to help get your business without baiting you with a deposit check. I am wondering if they are going to honor their promise and return my money?

In June 2014 I signed my contract with RGS’s rep named Michael because he offered «sign and save» promotion. The promotion was for a refund check I would receive 30 to 45 days after installation. I would save almost $ 400 a month if I were to install the solar system.
So if they were to take 3 months to install I should get almost $ 1200 refund back.
We finished installation on Sept 2014.
As of today, it has been 5 months since the they finished with installation. I am still waiting for this check. I talked to Michael several times with no result. I finally have to talk to Michael’s sales manager Igor to get this check. I send all the corresponding e-​mails as supporting documents including a copy of the contract itself with «sign and save» promotion written on it signed by both Michael and me. I did not hear from him for the next 5 days. Then I e-​mailed him mentioning that this was a breach of contract.
Finally 2 weeks ago he said that the check had been approved by top management. I waited for the check to arrive by mail but no check came. 3 days ago I emailed him about the status of the check. Then he said it would be forwarded to accounting for processing and he would let me know the status in 24 hours. I said I would pick the check up in San Jose office. I have not heard from him since. There is NO check. The company has no intention in fulfilling their obligation. It worries me about their warranty service. What happen if I need repair under warranty? Will they come?
I wondered how many customers signed the contract because of this promotion (which was yet to be fulfilled).
I was lucky I had the promotion written in my contract and all my conversations in e-​mails so I had proves of what were said.
It is a shame that a publicly traded company would do this.

We decided to purchase our solar system with RGS Solar. SInce the day we signed the contract, we only have had a site engineer out to determine how the system will be configured.
About 2 weeks ago our rep emails us that he is not going to be with RGS solar and there is a new person. We don’t hear from him so I contact him myself and set up a time to meet with him. He did not show up… no email or phone. I emailed him with my disappointment but still heard nothing.
The project manager for our install emailed me today (¹¹⁄₂₄) to say they would start on ¹¹⁄₂₆. 2 days notice and around the holidays does not work for me. I emailed that person and have not heard back.
I guess customer service is not your long suit.

(beware) i had rgs come to my home to give me a quote on a solar system for my home. they gave me a quote for a system that was much bigger than i needed to give me the offset of 100% that i was asking for! there quote was just over $ 45,000. i have had no less that 10 other solar companies out and none of them told me that it would take the number of solar panels that rgs said would be needed in order to get me the amount of energy i was seeking. the average price i have been quoted is about $ 15,000 less than rgs. and the bottom line is they try to sell you more that you need! they are great talkers but check around there are many other solar companies that offer the same or better solar panels for much less…

My wife and I have decided to go forward with solar and are now looking for the right company to purchase from. I contacted Real Good Solar asking a couple of specific questions on Monday and, three days later, still haven’t been contacted with a response. I did get an update from a rep saying he’s not received a response yet from HQ, but I dare say if it takes this long to answer some basic questions, I’m not optimistic of the level of support I’ll receive when I have an actual problem.

Justin Chinn at RGS does an awesome job of providing information, educating the potential client and has excellent follow up skills. Even though in the end I selected a different provider, I wanted to recognize Justin for the great service and patience demonstrated to my many questions. To tell the truth, Justin’s involvement made my choosing very difficult. I wish Justin all the best.

I am writing this review to hopefully spawn some changes in Real Goods Solar customer service department and also as advice for anyone thinking about using them. Our 12kW system was installed (purchased outright) 6 years ago and has completely offset our electrical demand. There were a few hiccups in the install, but eventually all was worked out and everything running fine… until… both inverters died sometime in the summer. Even though our system was supposed to be monitored, the only way I found out that something was wrong was when the ultra-​high PGE bill arrived. That’s when I investigated and discovered the failed inverters. After contacting Real Goods via email, a response was received a few days later and eventually a service tech came to visit. Turns out a surge our maybe lightening damaged the inverter. Then the tech went on vacation. This is when we entered a period of unacceptable customer service, trying to find out when it would be fixed. After several unanswered attempts to inquire about status, Real Goods finally responded to say that the inverter company was looking for installation documentation and records in order to approve replacement. What?! You guys have that at your fingertips. Then, more waiting, another service tech goes on vacation, no information,… I call and ask for someone to call me within 24hrs… that comes and goes… Almost 6 weeks after my initial contact, there is still no information about when this will be fixed. From my perspective, there is absolutely no sense of urgency or attention to customers. If you are considering Real Goods as your contractor, get a written commitment on how they will handle service issues.

We’ve been doing a lot of home improvement this year and found some great companies and contractors and some real duds. Real Goods Solar was one of the best. Their staff are professional and a pleasure to work with, both the office personell and the folks in the field. They were on time with their timing estimates. They worked with us on doing the best pre-​install since we ended up also putting on a new roof and upgrading our electrical. We were very impressed with their technical knowledge and thoroughness. Highly recommend!

I have used Real Goods Solar for my solar panels and today I called them to see about adding more. Josh, the man who came out to give me an estimate, was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and went out of his way for us. He made some suggestions about clearing plants that were shading the panels already on our roof and our solar output increased. I highly recommend this company and plan to continue with them as I upgrade my system.

So we got an electric plug-​in hybrid car which, although great for the environment and less on gas, turned out to jump our electric bill over $ 100/​mo (mostly due to us using up more of the Tier ¾ costs than ever before). So we thought we would find out the benefits of solar. We were actually going to go with Clean Solar due to their high reviews, and really only had RGS come out to make sure CS’s bid was about par with competition (had them quote the exact same size solar system with similar manufacturers), but ended up being more impressed with RGS because of their impressive professionalism, quote and customer service.
Although Clean Solar offers a longer warranty (15 years over the standard 10), RGS has been around longer than CS (they haven’t even been around for as long as their warranty– at least not as a solar company). Our sales rep, Matt Ledna was very straight forward and understanding, made us feel comfortable asking questions and even adjusting our quote to bridge the difference from competition as best as they could. Even though there was a hiccup with communication to the lead project man between signing and install, Matt made sure to clear that up right away and we were given what we expected according to timeline (even a few weeks earlier) and now, 3 months from signing, we have solar power up and running.
The other company did not mention we would have to trim any trees back to maximize power, but RGS did say to increase by a certain percentage we would have to trim a few trees down (they could have made the sell look better by saying no further work/​costs for us, but they didn’t– they were honest and up front), we were able to negotiate the costs so that the tree trimming was negligible overall.
We would highly recommend RGS if you are considering solar– now we only have to pay $ 8/​month for a connection fee to PGE and all electricity bill is pretty much zeroed out. We paid cash for the system but it should pay itself off in about 6 years with the amount of electric bills we save. The process with RGS was pretty much hassle free and worth it especially if you plan on using more electricity over the years and want to save on electric bills.

I recently completed a solar installation with Real Goods, taking advantage of their lease program in conjunction with Sun Power, who make the most efficient panels on the market.
I was really happy with every step of the process, but in particular, I want to commend the salesperson who was my primary contact. Jet went way above and beyond to make this project work for me. Sun Power made a significant change to their initial lease price due to an error in their system regarding the size of the rebate amount. Despite having a signed contract, they refused to eat the discrepant amount, and instead insisted on a significantly higher price. Jet didn’t give up, though, and found a way to make it work for me.
I was further impressed by their planning and installation folks. Despite some uncertainties on my end in getting the formal Homeowners association approval which was necessary for the permitting process, they kept me active in the work queue so that as soon as the HoA approval came through, they were immediately ready to go, and I had the work starting on my roof just a short time after. The permitting process was flawless (other than sending the necessary documents, I didn’t have to do anything), and the installation crew was prompt, neat, and communicated very clearly what their plans were and then followed through on every detail to the letter.
I am so happy with my new 12 panel system. It has a very compact footprint, and the energy generation is amazing considering how small the system is. Sun Power really is a great solar panel producer, and having their product deliver by the professional, courteous, and service-​oriented team at Real-​Goods has made me into an absolutely delighted customer.
Thank you!
PS If you live in Santa Clara, the rebate offered by Silicon Valley Power is about 8x that offered by PGE, which make the economics of doing a system REALLY attractive. I not only went green, but I am actually paying even less per KwHr than I was, which is amazing given the way below market rates charged by SVP.

If their customer service is anything like their driving, beware. These people are totally rude on the road! If I knew specifically which of their yellow Priuses this was who came roaring up on my bumper and then leaned on the horn when I SIGNALED and slowed to make my turn, I’d be making a formal complaint with the company.
Confucius say «man with company name on side of vehicle should not drive like jerk.»

The sales process was patient and thorough. I was in consideration for more than 12 months. The price seemed fair and I paid cash for my system. I mainly chose them because most other companies would not install on my lightweight asphalt roof tiles.
Installation went smoothly, but they did not try to match the stucco where they punched in the new conduit. I knocked out their uneven grey stucco and re-​patched it with my matching color stucco. Sad that an ad man did a better job with the stucco.
I did not want Chinese-​made panels and so they sold me Sharp panels made in Los Angeles with an Austrian Aurora inverter. I have a swimming pool, a 1500 sf house, with 4 people, 4 computers and 4 TVs. I was using about 1000 kw a month with a $ 275 a month electric bill. The bill has dropped to well below $ 100, so I am a satisfied solar user.
Their system does not have a web interface, so you can only monitor the generation by standing outside and reading the bi-​di meter.
After the installation, I found them kind of sloppy and inattentive. I withheld final payment until they came out and did a walkthough and trained me how to understand and use the system. I gave the walkthrough manager my check, which they lost. They contacted me weeks later and asked me to send another one. I did. 3 months later they also cashed the first check, which was annoying to say the least. They said they would issue me a refund by wire transfer, but instead they sent a check which was delivered while I was away on holiday. In my book, if we agree to a wire, then you either do it that way or contact me and get my agreement to change the process. That’s what I mean by sloppy and inattentive.
They sent me a welcome kit 4 months after the install was complete.

UPDATE 7÷2012− ELECTRIC BILL $ 22.50 for two MONTHS! Seriously, each month is…$ 11.25 WOW! THANKS REAL GOODS SOLAR!!!
We just signed with Real Goods Solar and We are excited. Our sales rep Sean Henry was the reason we signed with them and if it wasn’t for him we would not have committed to this project. He is not only informative and knows his stuff he really is good at hand-​holding and helping us skitish customers to understand that we are in fact going GREEN. its going to be great!!! CUSTOMER SERVICE will create repeat business. Though we are scheduled for the install — I am very excited– I am very sure after it is done this 4 star rating will turn into 5. Looking forward to all the things in store.
UPDATE 4÷14÷11
FIVE STARS
There was a little communication issues with field not communicating with the client during the install phase about not working during rain delays. However, does not detract whatsoever with the high caliber work performed by their installers.
There were issues with LADWP taking their sweet time approving and turning on the solar panels. The project was done in December 2010 and because LADWP took their time to turn it on it wasn’t powered up until April 2011. So it was not really good for our pocket or the environment. So this obviously not Real Goods Solar’s fault but LADWP’s fault and one more reason to get off the grid.
Though there were bumps and growing pains…
Going forward, What really matters is the end result and the positive green initiatives being implemented on the roof. It does feel good to save the environment as well as money. Also, fun to watch the sun generate power and monitor it on the internet… very high tech.
MOST OF ALL We still very much Appreciate and RECOMMEND that you work with Sean Henry who went above and beyond. He kept in touch with us while we waited (4 months) for LADWP to turn it on. You are Awesome Sean. Thank you too Mary Carlson. This company is cutting edge!
UPDATE 10÷5÷11: We have seen our BILLS CUT in half. This solar system will pay for itself in no time and we will have saved a lot of money in the long run. We love seeing the meter go backwards.
I cant wait to see the credits! Also, we monitor our energy via smart phone and the IPAD, It is a very HIGH TECH and innovative!