Vivint Solar

I was leary at first about who to choose in regards to solar. Pete Kuhl is extremely helpful & informative and I did a lot of research, then spoke with some referrals who have had their solar for at least a couple years, all to only hear very positive things.
So we had Vivint out & I was so impressed with their professional installation, they even sat in the driveway 2 different times waiting for the county permit man to come & inspect. It’s been 2 years now since we have had it installed & we have saved hundreds on a lease each year. We have not had any problems whatsoever.
Will refer out Vivant and Pete Kuhl again and again!

Changing my previous rating from 5 to (if I could less than) 1. What a NIGHTMARE! Short story — Vivint miscalculated our energy needs and I was not happy when I received a true-​up bill of over $ 800! Called, finally decided I would spend several thousand dollars to add a new power box to an out building (I was going to do that in a couple of years) for Vivint Solar to expand my service. After all, the initial experience with them wasn’t too bad.
This experience was AWFUL! After spending close to $ 7,000 (a 100 ft ditch with new line, a new circuit box, etc.) in Feb and Mar 2015, these jokers NEVER GOT THE SERVICE up running until the end of FEBRUARY 2016!!! This was after hours and hours on the phone with them «we are behind», «I PROMISE we’ll get this fixed», the promises and excuses went on and on and on. I’m not going to bore you with all the details (but am more than willing to if you ask), but when the City Inspector sends you letters saying there will be penalties as you are out of compliance as the permit has long expired with NO WORK, you know you went with the wrong company. When you have to get angry with them to get them to show up, it is just frustrating. So … I think it’s finally all done in December, only to find out they never turned the service ON!!! And my next true up was $ 1100.00.
OK, so I am pissed. Then I move in Mid March (that’s when we realized it was never turned on). And … I got an $ 80 +/​-​bill for a SERVICE NEVER TURNED ON! When I called they explained they «approximate the bill when they don’t know how much to charge». I never got an answer on how they can APPROXIMATE WHEN THE SERVICE WAS NEVER TURNED ON.
It gets worse. The title company sent the transfer documentation to VIVINT Solar when I sold the house on January 13^th. «They never got it» (so they claim, I have emails showing where the Title company sent at least three different times). Week after week, month after month I keep calling — fix this, please! Shall I tell you I just got charged ANOTHER FRICKING MONTH for May 2016???
These people, as nice as they may want to be, are inept. I am STILL PAYING for someone else’s electricity and am now getting ready to file a small claims suit against them. NO ONE THAT HAD PROMISED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM has effectively taken care of it.
Now I am looking to install solar in my new house … you can bet I WILL NOT BE USING VIVINT.
If VIVINT contacts you, run the other direction, BAD, BAD, BAD experience.

I’ve always wanted to go green. Going with Vivint Solar allowed me to do it for free and my energy bill is down by about 30%. The installation and process of changing over to Vivint was quick and easy. My salesman Jesse was friendly and very knowledgeable about the industry. I’ve recommended it to all of my friends and family.

I was initially turned on to Vivint Solar by a friend whose child went to school up in Windsor. The topic of solar came up and they mentioned the company had made a considerable donation to allow their kid, and all the others in that grade to attend their school science camp. I am a big supporter of local giving and was impressed by the companies generosity. I had a representative, Andy Harris, come to my home for a consultation. He was very knowledgable and I didn’t feel pressured at all. I also requested quotes/​bids from several other companies. I was surprised that most of the others wanted to do everything over the phone or email and were very hesitant to do a site visit. The quotes and designs varied dramatically and made me a little suspicious of the the design done «using Google» aerial photos. In the end I couldn’t find a reason not to choose Vivint.
I had Vivint Solar install the solar panels at my home a little over a year ago. I just received my final annual statement from PG&E and I can say that everything has gone as outlined by my sales associate Andy. The process of installation was smooth and timely. The process following was a little longer than I had hoped but I was grateful it was their money sitting on my roof not working for the several weeks following installation and not mine. I received a call from the main headquarters several months ago about the solar meter not working and wasn’t clear on what that meant. Immediately called my local rep and was able to trouble shoot the issue over the phone (just needed to hit the reset button on the meter following a brief power outage.)
Nothing but good things to say about the company and particularity the local support. They did a great job making a complicated process very easy.

Beware of deceptive sales pitch. We thought we would get credit for what electricity we produced and apply it toward usage. Instead they charge you for what you produce and then bill you. Obviously the more you produce, the more you pay Vivint. especially when you produce more then you use which was in our case. When our house was destroyed in the Valley Fire including the solar panels, they still charged us an estimated fee for producing electricity. We finally had to file a dispute against them.

I just got my first bill for a solar system with Vivint. I’m so glad I checked in with them, a friend recommended Pete to me. Everyone there has a passion for helping families go green.
I’d already talked to some other company that wears the green costumes and hangs out the big box stores. They told me I had to spend MORE money each month on electricity in order to qualify for solar power! What?! They pitched me a lease of some sort, but the payment was a full $ 25 more than I spend now, and we still would pay PG&E for 20% of our power.
We also talked to some folks we found via the county fair. Their main option was to add the cost of our solar to our property tax bill. A mortgage broker friend said don’t! That county property tax will trap your equity until you pay off the solar in full. You can’t refinance or sell your house and you’re paying 7% interest on your electric making the true cost way over $ 50,000! This option also had us buying about 30% of our power from PG&E! No way!
My Vivint system will produce 100% of my power, all of which I get cheaper than PG&E! I’m going green without spending any money, only saving money on my electric, which we are using anyway! What a no brainer! We saved about 25% on our already small electric bill.

They make you sign 20 year contract. So you have no chance to come out of it. They are good at taking money from you but when you have trouble shoot and call them for service they give you 3 hours time span and most of the time they don’t show up. So wasted all my time and can’t even cancel because it’s a 20 year contract. I wish I had not done business with this company.

Having Vivint Solar for almost 2 years now I have NOT grown fond with the service. For a number of reasons. I wouldnt even put their solar on my dog house!
After a few weeks and multiple times trying to contact a sales rep/​customer service personel to handle problems I have been having, all I get is a runaround. Asking for a supervisor over and over trying to handle this issue is a task its self! I make another effort, finally they say the issue will be adressed and I would be getting a call back. It’s been nearly three days since then and no word. Patience is something I dont have anymore. As a coustomer I feel like there is no urgency on their part. Far as I’m concerend I wouldn’t mind the solar being removed off my home immediately! I dont usually post online, however I am runing out of options. Hoping this saves other homeowners from the trouble and frusteration this has caused me and my family!

Actually, Vivint Solar is Rated as A+ on the Better Business Bureaus website. Nice try sir.

TS you should get your facts straight! Actually, Kevin is correct about the «F» that was given by the Better Business Bureau! I’ve seen it myself. The company changed their name after multiple complaints to the BBB as well as legal troubles due to a massive amount of customer complaints. They also install alarm systems and that’s where they seemed to have failed the most and got into so much trouble so they had to change their name. T S, do you work for Vivint Solar? Sure sounds like it! Anyway I heard Solar City purchased the company that provides all of the equipment needed for solar installation so I’d go with Solar City instead. I feel this company is poorly managed.

Just had the Vivint guys show up and install my solar. Andy Harris was the Rep, and he and the install team were very professional and easy to work with.
Now, if only the sun would come out!

You can look at other solar companies like we did but you will not find any better than Vivint. They did exactly what was promised. Set up solar on time, no hassles, and NO up front costs! Started saving money with the first bill from PGE since I don’t go out of the first tier with them any more!!! What is not to love about that???
Don’t understand the negative posting here. None of what he says rings true !!
The Vivint sales staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and never pushy or tried to force a deal!!!
Why would you pay for something (from another solar company) that they provide without cost? And while you do agree to their service for 20 years. Aren’t you doing the same for PGE ?? I like that I can produce my own electric and NOT have to rely on PGE!!!
Thanks Vivint!

Hey Kevin C — can’t believe you. 1. They don’t have an F with the BBB site, just checked as you asked. 2. I am okay with buying the power my system produces, even when I am not home. When done right, as Vivint does, you won’t be producing/​buying more than you need and it is discounted from our local electric company. I have had my system 7 months and already saving money. 3. I did miss a payment due to the change of my expiration on my credit card and no charging of my system, no late fee. Just a friendly call. 4. Maybe when you search Vivent Solar you may find something else. But the outstanding company is called Vivint Solar! Get your facts straight and maybe if you were actually a customer (living in SF and commenting on a Santa Rosa company) would your comment be credible.
I too like JoAnna interviewed other companies. After meeting with Dan Harris and speaking to a very large circle of friends who were already customers, I signed the day I met with him. He answered all of our questions and walked us through the process every step of the way. They were all very friendly and kept us informed. I have since referred Dan and Vivint to others in my area. It was a no brainer for our family and do not have one regret, okay maybe one… wish we would have done it sooner. Thanks Dan and Vivint for helping our family and being such an awesome company and a part of of our community.

We looked at several solar companies before choosing to work with Vivint Solar. They did everything from applying for permits with the city to reviewing our PG & E bill and explaining how they could save us money while helping us be environmentally friendly by getting solar. We didn’t have to pay anything or do anything beyond being there for installation.
Every person I talked to in the company was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Andrew Harris was our sales person. Andrew was very informative and patient with us and explained the whole application process and the cancellation process in full detail. He came to our house repeatedly at each stage to make sure everything went well. After it was all installed he came and reviewed with us how it all works and how to read the meter that tells how much the system is generating.
They are very involved in our local community and give back. If you didn’t catch the article in the newspaper earlier this year they donated $ 15,000 to the Windsor Middle School 6^th grade Science camp for the kids to attend the camp that had been canceled due to a lack of funds. They also had a booth at the human race to help raise money for the Santa Rosa Parks department and 100% of the proceeds went directly to the parks.
If you want to have a Solar System without installing yourself or paying thousands for a lease take a look at this company as they are excellent. Ask yourself why wouldn’t you get a solar system if it doesn’t cost you anything? Think about those hot days when you want to run the A/​C but worry about what the increase in your electricity bill will be. With zero money down, no IRS paperwork, best environmental impact, 100% risk free (no loopholes in the fine print) and best cost saving Vivint Solar won our business. We have referred all of our family and friends to Vivint Solar and will continue to refer Vivint Solar to anyone who is looking to get solar.

Be very careful dealing with this company for these reasons:
1. They have an F rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Check the BBB website yourself. (UPDATE: THE REVIEWER BELOW ME WAS USING BBB FROM UTAH — NOT THIS AREA — check out all the complaints on the UTAH site as well).
other complaints:
2. In the contract they pressure you to sign is that you have to buy ALL the power your system produces — meaning if you go away for a week or two you still have to buy the power it produces even though you are not home. (see additional terms and conditions #10 on contract)
3. If you miss just one payment, they can charge you for the FULL price of the system (possibly over $ 20,000+)!! (see additional terms and condions #13 on contract)
4. They have the lowest Unilocal rating of all solar companies based on all combined reviews across U.S. You can find this by searching «Vivent Solar Reviews Unilocal»
Another issue I have with this company is the door to door sales people come to your house and an pitch their solar business — and only after 20-​min they wanted me to sign a paper (which is actually a 20-​year contract) — which they say would allow them to do a analysis of your home and what solar system to set up. They said I could cancel anytime up to instillation of panels. There was a high pressure pitch to sign the contract even though the it had lots of pages of small type.
DON“T SIGN THIS PAPER without reading it fully or having a lawyer look over it – it is a 20-​year contract!