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  • Report:  #847637

Complaint Review: AcroEnergy and Sunrun - Pomona California

Reported By:
Eugene - Encino, California, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:

AcroEnergy and Sunrun
308 W. Monterey Avenue Pomona, 91768 California, United States of America
Phone:
(209) 847-2977
Web:
www.acroenergy.com
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
How I got ripped off by AcroEnergy and Sunrun......... It started after I met one of the Solar companies at WorldFest in Van Nuys on March 2010.

I was told how much money I could save with the Solar panels. So I started doing research and came up with 3 companies. Acroenergy, Solar City and Sungevity. I asked each one of them to design a system that would cover 100% of my needs and save me money at the same time. To make this paragraph very short and continue with the main story Solar City and Sungevity refused to cover 100% of my needs. Only one company AcroEnergy accepted my request and now I know why.

I GOT SCREWED!!!!!!! Because of their shear incompetence they designed and installed the system so inefficiently they had to use extra panels to cover the promissed output but because I am leasing these panels now it costs me more for electricity than without Solar panels.

What they did is install panels all over my house roofs and garage but majority of panels are either facing East or West and only 1/3rd positioned to face South.

The Main Story:
Disclaimer: I saved all of the emails for proof. I was contacted by several reps in the middle of October 2010 but the main rep who I was dealing with was Michael Pizzoli. I received c'mon emails from Acroenergy promissing $1000 as a bonus.

Direct quote from email: "I was also able to get you in a special promotion. Not only is your installation free but we will pay YOU $1000 at installation!! So not only are we saving you money but we are paying you to do it."

Hmmm, later on (not at installation but many months later sometimes after April of 2011) I was given $500 after a huge fight with them. The reason I was given only $500 because I negotiated Zero Escalator, annual increase due to some factors.

Notice the word WE. Later on in the same email I was told by Michael that he is paying it out of his pocket. Yeah, right!!!!! And in the email I got from another rep I was told that it supposed to be $175 and they needed CEO approval for $500.

I was also quoted as a c'mon that my DWP rates will go up 6.5% per year. THE BIG LIE!!!!! I pulled historical rates for the last 20 years and on average it is 2% per year. Also, I was told in the email by Michael that "Generally the Systems OVER Produce" and money goes right to you and in your pocket" Another LIE I found out later!!!! And one more "If you include the 10% City Utility tax that DWP charges we have reduced your bill by 30%!" THE BIGGEST LIE!!!!!

I was also told "If you decide to go Acro we will also pay all your electric bills until your System is installed up to $1000!" After many months of fighting with them I got $400 finally where I supposed to get close to $2000 because it took 9 months and more than one re-installation. But I will come back on that later.

I was also told in the email that it will take about a month to install and turn System ON. It took 9 months!!!!! So finally after all negotiations The System was installed on November 18th but NOT turned ON. Nightmare starts here: Numerous phone calls, emails as high as Doug Samuelson who is General Councel and Executive Vice President. I am talking about 100s of phone calls and all I got is WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!!!!!

I also got excuses that it is all fault of DWP (Department of Water and Power) which turned out to be another LIE. My neighbor after seing all that is going on decided to go with SolarCity and had his System installed and turned ON in 1 Month 2 months before my was turned ON. DWP fault? I don't think so.

They had to rewire the system after the initial installation to a larger gauge of wire, I was also told by the DWP that not all of the permits were paid so that is why where was a delay.

Few of their people came over during those 9 months of waiting to "inspect" and told few different stories why it took so long. Guy by the name Sergei told me that AcroEnegy's records were not computerized and they dropped the ball while putting all of their records in the computer.

Another guy told me that they had a merger with Sunrun but I found out later  that it was a partnership. And in one of the emails I got for approval of my $500 promised rebate it was required by the new management so I deduced that they had a change of management.

In any case my wait was 9 months while even according to Michael Pizzoli it supposed to be only 1 month!!!!! Also at the end they had to rewire the installation, change circuit breakers, reinstall main switch twice, install all new gate because my original gate was in the way of the main switch.

The new gate now is in such a position that the edge of it is very close to  the crawl space entrance and one of my friends actually fell inside because gate unexpectedly pushed him while he was walking by.

So why this installation  is wrong? Only 12 panels positioned South!!!!!! First two pictures.

Everyone who knows about solar also knows that the ultimate positioning is Sun being perpendicular to the panels. I know it is not always possible but in the first picture panels are installed on the North side of the house and tilted South.

Proof that this is WRONG:
The AcroEnergy rep Michael Pizzoli emailed this:

"Your AC rating is 11.2KW. So.. 11.2 x 5 hours in a day x 365 = 20,440 KWH   (This is the calculation for Kilo Watt Hours)  AC size x 5 Hours in a Day x 365 = KWH"So let's focus on this figure of 11.2KW. It supposed to be for 5 hours per day right? Wrong!!!!!! On Aug 23rd of 2011 (that is the middle of the summer here Sunny, 105 degrees) the day after System was turned on (even before I started all of the complaints about System inefficiency) I emailed Michael Pizzoli that maximum I was getting at the peak hour 9KW (the numbers were like 5.4KW and 3.6KW from the garage) from the house and garage combined. He replied that he will investigate production and get back to me.That was the last email I ever got from him!!!!!!!! So on Feb 25th (very Sunny day) I finally figure it out how to take pictures and proof at the same time that the System is installed Wrong!!!!

The figures I got and I have pictures to prove it were:

My cell phone has the time and date on it.
10am-House 4.6KW Forgot to take a picture of the Garage.
11am- House 5KW Garage 1.7KW Total 6.7KW
12am- House 5.4KW Garage 3KW Total 8.4KW
12:30-House 5.3KW Garage 3KW Total 8.3KW
1pm- House 5.2KW Garage 3KW  Total 8.2KW
2pm House 4.5KW Garage 2.6KW Total 7.1KW
3pm House 3.5KW Garage 2.1KW Total 5.6KW
4pm House 1kw Garage 1KW Total 2KW

So as you can see it has never reached calculated 11.2 KW. One might say "Wait a minute, this is in February" But take a look at the house peak numbers in February!!!! 5.4KW just exactly the same as on August 23rd. So time of the year does not make much of the difference really.  So my conclusion that 12 South directed panels doing most of the production!!!!!!!!

They could have installed 30 or less panels tilted them ALL to the South and that would be the same as 58 panels installed inefficiently. I am leasing this installation but my lease could have been much, much lower and installation would have been a lot less intense and my house would not look like crap with all of the panels on it.

Basically, they oversold twice as many panels to me to cover promised production with inefficient installation. If they first installed the panels and said here is out production sign a contract I would have never signed it. But it is not how it works!!!!! First you sign the contract and then THEY GOT YOU!!!!!  Sunrun says that they have Performance Guaranty!!!! If production is less they will pay the difference.

This Performance Guaranty is nothing more as useless because I am paying for it by not utilizing the full potential of the Solar panels. They could have installed 1000 panels facing North and still give the same Guaranty!!!!

The same neighbor of my got only 12 panels all facing South and paying much less lease per panel. In fact, he told me  he pays 1/2 per panel of what  I am paying. So I got screwed TWICE. As of right now I am barely breaking even with my energy cost paying to DWP and Sunrun.

But since the installation I cut my energy consumption myself through reducing my computer usage and actually replacing one of them with more efficient one and shutting down at night while before it was on 24 hours. Plus my other computers are going to sleep if not in use after 15 minutes.

I also have fish tanks and I lowered temperature by 2 degrees so heaters don't have to work as hard. I also replaced most lightbulbs with CFLs. I also installed motion sensor on one of my TV so if no one watches it, it turns itself off.

And some other energy facing measures but I be damned if I let Sunrun take credit for it. Yet I am still paying to DWP instead of OVERPRODUCTION  I was promised by AcroEnergy rep. Nowhere in my negotiations I ever mentioned that I want to go GREEN without saving money!!!

I am preparing lawsuit against everyone involved and I will update this blog as soon as I find out more. I was told to sue them every year in a small claims court until they get my attention. STAY AWAY FROM THESE TWO COMPANIES IF YOU DON"T WANT TO GET SCREWED!!!!!

The Full Report with pictures is here:
http://acroenergy-sunrun-ripoff.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-i-got-ripped-off-by-acroenergy-and.html



4 Updates & Rebuttals

Eugene Powers

Encino,
California,
United States of America
Sure you will!?!?!?!?

#2Author of original report

Wed, March 07, 2012

Before filing this report I emailed you many times and did not get a single reply.

Basically it is another lie.

Looks like going to court is the only way to get your attention.


Sunrun

Novato,
California,
United States of America
Sunrun Response to "AcroEnergy and Sunrun How I Got Screwed"

#3REBUTTAL Owner of company

Wed, March 07, 2012

As you request, Mr. Powers, we will continue to work to resolve your issues through email.


Eugene Powers

Encino,
California,
United States of America
More lies........

#4Author of original report

Wed, March 07, 2012

First of all I am not going to be talking with you on the phone because you lied to me on the phone.
Everything has to be in writing.

Email is good enough for me.

Now:
I actually sent you emails and not just to Sunrun rep Sierra Wallsmith but also Douglas Samuelson of AcroEnergy. NO RESPONSE.

I actually have few emails promising promotion of $1000.
I just emailed one to Sierra Wallsmith with the whole bunch of your lies.
And another email was sent to Sierra where I was promised to be paid HIGH electric bill until System is installed.

You said:
If you are able to provide documentation of this promise we can work to make sure it is upheld.  Per our research, Acro has never run such a promotion. As for the delays, we have documentation that they are due to LADWP's systemic delays in granting this approval, as well as inconsistent regulations. Sunrun has documented over 20 instances in which LADWP customers met with similar delays. You have already received $400 from Acro for these delays, and we have offered you additional compensation for this issue on multiple occasions an issue that comes from the utility company and not Sunrun.


More lies.
No one goes through 9 months of hell!!!!!!!
I made 100s of phone calls to you alone.
Plus many phone calls to DWP.
My wife also made many calls to DWP and DBS.
We were both told that permits were not paid in full.

So I and my wife called Amanda Batts and were assured that permits will be paid in full as soon as possible. But that was months after initial installation.

So it not the DWP fault. Acroenergy went through some kind of the merger (partnership) and you just simply DROPPED THE BALL.

And your guy Sergei who came to inspect something I have no idea what because nothing happened after that for months told me that AcroEnergy were computerizing all the records and nothing will be done until all records are done. If I have to I will request the lie detector test on him.

You fake documentations would not prove a thing.

My neighbor called Solar city and got his installed and turned on a month before my System was turned all. No problem with DWP at all.

And this is the reason I don't want to talk to you on the phone.
Phone conversations are meaningless.

I also have email from you about that it is supposed to be $175 and not $500 and it required CFO approval because:

It has been escalated to our CFO as your rebate was initially supposed to be $175 according to your electric bills, however the Sales Manager at the time of your sale approved a $500 refund without documenting it.  
 
So let me get it straight!!!! You even refused to pay what promised until I pushed!

And finally:
As I stated before I emailed Michael Pizzoli on August 23rd with the question why I am getting only 9KW out of 11.2KW panels on the Sunny day in the middle of the summer. And he just disappeared. I guess TRUTH HURTS.
Oh I know why!!!! Because AcroEnergy is incompetent.
They oversold me the System, lied about everything under the Sun.
Ruined my wall with many re-installations of the power switch.
Relocated my gate so it is unsafe now to walk by it. And so on and on......
And Sunrun protects AcroEnergy because  you are the Partners now!!!!!

So what makes you think I am ever going to trust you again after you SCREWED me like that?


Sunrun

Novato,
California,
United States of America
Sunrun Response to "AcroEnergy and Sunrun How I Got Screwed"

#5UPDATE Employee

Wed, March 07, 2012

Dear Eugene,

Sunrun is committed to customer satisfaction and we strive to keep our customers happy.  This is why over 90 percent of our customers say they would recommend us to a friend.  It is also why we have tried on numerous occasions to discuss this situation with you and have even offered to meet with you face to face. Our main goal is to come to a mutual resolution.  We again request that you work with us so we can help you: please return our phone calls or let us fly down to see you in
person.  Lets have a true discussion about this rather than resorting to Facebook and blogs.  We want whats best for you.

In the meantime, we hope the following responses to your four main concerns will help address your concerns:

1) You believe you were promised $1,000 at installation as part of a special promotion:

You state that you were promised $1,000 and only received $500. Although this was not a Sunrun promotion, Sunrun is happy to cover the difference.

2) You were told utility rates go up an average of 6.5% per year, but your research indicates the average increase in your area is 2% per year:

Changes to utility rates vary by location and we cannot address your claim without access to your specific data and research. The bottom line is that utility rates are volatile, but with Sunrun you have locked in a 0% escalator for 20 years.  This means any annual increase from your utility, even one to cover inflation, will result in savings for you.

3)  Your initial proposal stated you would save 30% in the first year. As of now, you have been paying about the same for electricity as you were before Sunrun:

Its impossible to accurately calculate your savings before a full year has passed. Your system has only been on for about five months. Since you are on a monthly payment schedule with us, you are paying the same amount in the winter as you are in the summer, yet the amount of energy
you will produce in the summer will likely be much larger.  So larger savings should be in the future
shortly. In addition, the proposal estimates savings based on your historical usage. As of now we only have access to your production, not your consumption. We would need to look at you total consumption (from us and from LADWP) to calculate savings.  At the end of the year if you have paid more by going solar, we will make you whole. Lastly, we have a production guaranty in place which we will honor if your system ever under produces. Please be assured Sunrun is committed to saving you money.

4)  You believe your sales representative promised to cover your bills until your system was installed, up to $1,000.  You also state that you only received $400 and it took nine months for your system to be activated:

If you are able to provide documentation of this promise we can work to make sure it is upheld.  Per
our research, Acro has never run such a promotion. As for the delays, we have documentation that they are due to LADWP's systemic delays in granting this approval, as well as inconsistent regulations. Sunrun has documented over 20 instances in which LADWP customers met with similar delays. You have already received $400 from Acro for these delays, and we have offered you additional compensation for this issue on multiple occasions an issue that comes from
the utility company and not Sunrun.

Once again, we ask you to let us help you and wed be happy to come meet with you in person if that would help.  When you are ready to discuss what sort of arrangement or compensation would bring you towards feeling whole, please call us at the phone number we have provided via email in our attempts to work on this with you proactively.

Sincerely,

Sunrun Customer Care

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