Vivint Solar

Horrible, horrible company that will go to any length to sign up new customers and then leave you hanging when you need your system fixed. I can’t tell you the upteen times I’ve called these people for one thing or another. Totally unprofessional people who are extremely unorganized. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and they don’t have enough staff on hand to handle all of the customers they sign up. Something they’ve admitted to.
Their first lie I encountered is you do NOT save more money then if you were still with HECO. They are out to make money so they will put as much solar panels on your house as possible to let them make as much money as they can off of you. Once those panels are up, they can NEVER, repeat NEVER be reconfigured to be less panels, yet if you need more energy needs, they’re more than happy to put up more panels for you (only works one way and that is to THEIR advantage). So whatever your family dynamics are when you sign your contract, they expect it to remain the same for the next 20 years. So if you had 5 people living in your house when you signed up and used «x» amount of power, that’s what your going to be expected to be producing/​using for the next 20 years regardless if any of those people have moved or if it’s only 2 people left in the house. Too bad for you guys.
If your system goes offline, they try to make you fix it and if you can’t, they say they’ll send someone as soon as they can line up a tech and in the mean time, they bill you by estimating how much they think your system used when they did your initial study. I’ve been waiting for a tech to come out for SIX MONTHS NOW, yet they still keep signing on new customers. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Their creepy, shady as hell looking electrician they used for my installation, put my electrical box on the outside in the most inaccessible place possible, so now if its raining and the power goes out or the breaker needs checked, we’re going to be outside in the pouring raining exposed to the elements trying to do it. Who does that? Idiots like this company.
Another serious issue with this company is also the fact that they have no offices here in Hawaii. When you call, you automatically get sent to their main offices in Utah.
Save yourselves the headache people and please, please, please go with another company. If I could rate these guys BELOW ZERO stars I would because they deserve ZERO.

I only review businesses if I really like them or if I feel it necessary to warn people away. I had Vivint solar install panels on 5 of my properties on North Shore last year. Overall everything went as they said it would except that on two of the properties their installers totally missed the beams and put unsightly lag bolts through at the wrong spots which then had to be redone. One one of the properties they caused serious leaks which caused the plaster on my ceiling to fall down and I had to have the house re-​roofed. They did cover the cost of the re-​roofing, but they still have not arranged a reputable vendor to come and repair the interior ceiling. In fact, they made me find the roofing company to fix the leak they created. So, more than 1 year later my ceiling/​roof is still not what it was before the installation and they never respond timely to my inquires about what is going on.
On the flip side, if you do not have a lot of $$$ to buy a solar system and then get a tax credit (most people don’t) then their 20 year energy option isn’t the worst… especially for someone like me with oceanfront rentals. The salt air in Hawaii wreaks havoc on solar systems so I never wanted to actually buy and pay for maintenance of a system. With Vivint I paid no money up-​front and this year I already saved over $ 20,000 on my electric bill from 2014 for all my rental properties. The savings is the only positive thing I can say about the experience. The rest of it… their customer service and their lack of professional vendors is a serious problem so buyer beware. If I had to do it over again I probably would have just paid the additional $ 20k this year and saved myself all the leaks.

I’m a resident on the Big Island and had been lightly shopping around for a home solar system. Being new to the solar game and not sure if I was going to sell my home sometime down the road or live in it until the day I die, I knew purchasing or financing an entire system was not for me at this time. Plus, I was concerned about maintenance and potential repairs, should I own a system I would think that those burdens would rest on my shoulders which was also why I was leaning toward not outright owning a system. The rates per kilowatt also varied from company to company which played a role in my final decision.
My Helco bill was easily over $ 250 a month and during the holidays it was breaking $ 300. My Vivint Solar bill is no more than $ 90 on a crystal clear, sunny month when my panels are operating at full capacity and drinking in the sunshine. Do I use every last drop of the power my panels produce every month? Nope. On months when our usage is lower than normal the excess power gets stored which is great for months when my power usage is higher than normal like now, during Christmas with our holiday décor and lights on all night. Another great fact about my saved power: it carries over. Unlike my cell phone data which I either use or lose, my excess power carries over.
The process was simple and painless. I did not pay one cent until I had received my first Vivint Solar bill. No money down. The slowest part of the process was waiting for Helco to inspect and approve the panels. That was it. And now, should I sell my home, should the panels get struck by lightening, should a hurricane cause damage to the panels, anything really, Vivint dispatches a repair crew and takes care of everything. If my panels are not functioning properly, I do not receive a bill. Simple. And my home is still linked into Helco so they’re my back up ensuring that I always have electricity.
Like I mentioned earlier, my system is capable of producing no more than $ 90 of power for the month. How did I decide on that size? My Vivint Solar rep, Jeff, looked at my past year of Helco bills and added 15% more just for cushion. What do I mean when I say my system is capable of producing, you ask? Let me explain. If the weather was perfectly clear and sunny every single minute of every single day for a month then my panels would drink up every drop of ray and produce power that would cost me a total of $ 90. Here in Hilo, the wettest part of the island, we can count on an overcast sky for at least ten minutes everyday. So my bills have been averaging about $ 70 a month.
It’s really simple and I highly recommend Vivint Solar. If you’re window shopping, as I was too, I highly recommend these points to consider when making your final decision:
— Is it possible that you will ever move?
— Never, ever plan on moving, so you’ve decided to just buy the panels, then are you prepared for potential repairs and maintenance?
— How much per kilowatt is the solar company charging?
— Do you need to shell out any money for the installation process or for anything at all other than your monthly solar bill?
Call the rep I worked with, Jeff, and let him know my Unilocal review attracted you. Once you’ve decided Vivint Solar is for you too then you’ll receive a discounted monthly bill for referrals too!

I had a pushy sales representative come to my house on a Friday night. The guy was making comments like «using energy from the sun is a no brainer» and «all your neighbors are doing it». He also tried to tie the work PG&E was doing near our house to Vivint and how PG&E wants more solar energy to be used in California. He also kept saying that first our home would have to «qualify» for solar power. I asked if Vivint had a website where I can get information, but he said the website does not provide much info — what?. Anyway, he kept trying to make me feel like I was «missing out» on this great company and solar power. Just a heads up for others, when you get a pushy salesman and you see terrible reviews from Unilocalers, just avoid the company.

Please all take my advice and do not use vivint solar or security, they have the worst customer service and never follow up with you about anything but they are quick to call if you disconnect the Internet and they can’t track if your system is off or on because they seem to loose track of your usage. I called back in July about my account and issues I am having and requested to cancel and they put all the responsibility on me and after I called and called and called they said they would get back to me about my issue it is now almost November and I have not got a call back, I am still being charged for a service that I am unable to use and they pretty much tricked me into a contract that I didn’t know was set up for longer than I wanted. Now I hope that all of you at least consider my experience before signing anything with the vivint company.

This company has come on my property and rang my doorbell multiple times regardless of the No Soliciting signs posted. When I asked if they saw the No Soliciting signs they said yes and proceeded with their sales pitch. I asked them not to return as they frequently disregard the No Soliciting sign. The Vivint sales people replied with angry remarks and then left. Who would want to do business with a company that is so rude and clearly does not respect their potential clients form the start. Not me!

This company is the worst. Negative 5 stars

I recently moved to the Island and was bombarded with door-​to-​door sales people wanting me to buy their alarm systems, solar panels, vacuums etc. The information being provided was overwhelming. I was approached by a rep from Vivint for an alarm, never a solar system, but it appears that this site also deals with the alarm side. They were one of three companies that we talked to. Even after making our decision and having another alarm system installed, I still answered my ringing doorbell to a Vivint salesperson (same person who initially talked to us). I guess they didn’t see the «NO SOLICITING» sign that is attached to the doorbell. When I opened the door, I was quickly informed that although they saw the signs from the company that we went with in the windows and in the flower bed, I could still have it taken out if I was in the 3-​day grace period. Um, no. I just sat at home having people drill into my walls. Not gonna take it out now. I just logged into Unilocal to write a review for the alarm company that we went with and decided to check out this company as well (yes, they had that much of an impact on me). I wasn’t going to write a review because I never used their services BUT after reading the reviews, I am glad I didn’t. It seems that others have had issues with Customer Service. Did you see that it took almost a year for their C.S. rep to reply to a review? I feel confident in the decision we made.

OMG! My husband just slammed our door because of one of your sales representatives that would not take no for an answer. Not only does your company push people into buying products they don’t need, They don’t ltake no for an answer. Is this your sales tactics as a company to scare people and upset them. your company makes me sick I would never buy anything from your pushy salesmen. Next time I will call the cops. I’m on Maui so you know in Wailuku. Tell your reps to back off when someone says they are not interested!

I initially signed up with Vivant solar because they promise cheaper energy and «outstanding customer service». However, since signing a contract with them back in Oct 2014, all I can say is everything they promise their consumers is anything but. Below is a list of problems I have encountered that many other consumers may want to consider before even thinking about choosing this company.
1^st– it took 5+ installation dates OVER THE COURSE OF 8 MONTHS! (which is a lot more then they say it will take when signing up with them).
2^nd– Now that I am activated with them– there wifi signal is terrible between the meter and system — and after over a month still has yet to be rectified. This is BAD for the customer because when their wifi signal is down they «estimate» system production in which they over charge the consumers!!! 2A — -and this «consumer maintenance free» system they «brag» about is also anything but as they initially tried having me work and solve the issue to a system I know nothing about. After my first attempt failed I have only been ignored in my emails and phone calls. My systems wifi has been down since June 22 with only 1 person have been in contact with me since. I keep getting promises they will call back but never do. 3^rd– opposite what my sales rep told me… the KwH overage your system produces DOES NOT get credited in KwH with your utility provider for «bad months»…in fact it is quite the opposite. I am paying 10.5 cents per KwH… and in my months since being a customer I average about 500 unused KwH per month that I am paying for but am not using… HOWEVER, instead of those 500 KwH being stored on my utility account for when the system has a bad month due to weather, I end up getting a monetary credit of only 1.6 cents per KWH… that’s right– I’m paying 10.5 cents for unused kilowatts and only getting 1.6 cents per in return… add that up with my monthly average of 500 and I’m loosing over $ 40 per month!
UPDATE
Vivint over the past few months has been very helpful. They fully 100% reimburse me on a month to month basis on energy I paid for that I am not using. So if I am paying 10 cents per Kwh and only getting reimbursed 2 cents by National Grid, they reimburse me the addition 8 cents per KwH. They have promised to continue this until new legislature comes into effect in which local suppliers the energy is going to has to reimburse the full rate (i.e National Grid, Nstar etc.).
Kuddos to Jeanette Jensen for all the assistance!

Vivint Solar has been (and continues to be) one of the most frustrating experiences EVER!!! I’ve found them to be one of the most unethical companies I have ever has the displeasure of dealing with. Without going into detail, there is no possible way I could ever, in good conscience, recommend, refer, suggest, encourage, promote, the use of Vivint Solar. BEYOND DISAPPOINTED! HORRIBLE!!! WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!! :(

A joke!!! These guys talked my mother in law into their solar SCAM. Now 9 months later still unfinished. The electrical box has no stucco around it yet.6 months after they made a hole in the wall to install it. They show up whoever they can get help from out in front of the Home Depot. Seriously considering legal action now!

Awful, horrible, no good customer service!!!

Don’t be fooled by thier salesman. They will take your tax credit away from you. Put you on contract for 20 years and whatever thier solar panels make you have to pay regardless if you use up all thier electricity or not. And you can’t cancle your contract unless you purchase thier solar system. major ripoff read fine prints and thier are other solar companies to chose from do not do business with them! Also read about thier vivint security horible things can happen

We were undecided about how to switch to clean energy when Jamaine visited us. After a thorough discussion and some thought, we decided to proceed with Vivint. The preparation and installation went smoothly and quickly and we were operating much sooner than we anticipated. We’ve received our first notices and we are saving money although how much is hard to tell because we ran the air conditioner more than usual. We are happy with our decision. It suits our situation well; we are in our retirement home and hope to be around for twenty years enjoying clean energy.

I am very happy with the service, really cut my bill down, I don’t normally write reviews but I had to after seeing some of these. Of course not every rep is equally as great, but below I read some things about some saying dont be tricked into a lease. Although it clearly states on the top of the agreement it’s a Power Purchase Agreement not a lease. Which is great because you pay on whats produced, not used. They designed close to my usage, but at anytime if I build up credits with the electric company, since I paid vivint for the energy, it’s my electricity and if I use less than produce the electric company will credit me or buy it from me if I want. Also I read through the agreement after reading these reviews, lol the 500 $ is not to cancel I don’t know why people got that idea, it is to remove the panels for reroofing. And what’s great, I say this because the guy who was talking about the «lease» lol is that after the 20years the system is fully depreciated and I can claim ownership for like nothing, and go off the grid and own them myself. As far as selling the house, you can buy out the panels for 2.74 $ a watt off the depreciated value of the system (5%) per year. Or the way easier way, if you think the guy buying your home may be a little iffy, just have your realtor include the agreement in your disclosure upon selling the house, that way everyone knows when they buy your home Vivint is the utility provider.
People read your agreements like I did and you won’t be writing these uneducated reviews based off emotion not facts.

Vivint’s service was very professional and thorough. Our system was installed in less than two weeks time– to include licensing from the state. Our representative, James, was extremely helpful and always available throughout the entire process.
Truth be told, I was a bit skeptical upon first meeting with Vivint to discuss solar options; however, my attitude completely changed due to the commitment from their associates and the ease by which the process was completed. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in venturing into alternative energy.

Don’t get suckered into this type of payment system. I mean «Leasing». If you Lease your solar with vivint, you don’t own the solar, they take your tax credits, you pay them for electricity (about the same amount you’d pay HECO), you get suckered into a 20 year contract that you can’t get out of with out paying $ 500 cancel fee (and then some).If you try to sell your house you have to transfer your vivint account to the new owners but if they don’t want it you pay the full amount of the panels, and you have to take them off the roof yourself.
Beware, and read the fine print.

Here’s an update. We are finally finished with this company. In the sales pitch, the guy told us that if we didn’t want the panels anymore then we could pay the $ 500 penalty fee and cancel our contract. I called them to cancel after all this drama. Their management told me the only way to get the panels off was to either transfer them to the new homeowners (i was selling my house), or to buy them. I spent the next month arguing but nothing worked. My realtor told me that we should just buy them at market value, with military discount, and sell them to the new owners.
We received the quote and was happy until the withdrawl happened. Vivint charged me another $ 1000 on top of the price because they forgot to include hawaii regulation state taxes. Yay, more money from me. Nothing i could do but just finish the transaction.
Once purchased, the new owners wanted to make sure the panels are still under warranty. Vivint said they have no other obligations to me, and that I have to work through the manufacture company in China… They had a rep in San Jose, so it was easier to deal with them. Their customer service was awesome. He explained the warranty process and it helped streamlined our house deal.
Nightmare over…

Whole process of getting the solar panels up and running took about a month and we’ve received our first bill and that’s when we had an issue. We were assured savings which is not happening after talking to two of their customer service reps.
What’s good–
No charge for the solar panels
Fast installation
Their rate is cheaper than HECO (but they will probably still make you pay more per month)
What’s bad–
You pay for how much electricity their solar panels produce no matter how much you actually use. This is bad for my family because we are paying at least 40 more dollars a month than when we were with HECO. With the same amount of people and no change in daily routine.
They refuse to take down any amount of solar panels but are happy to add on. Reason why is less panels they have on your roof the less money they make from you.
Early termination of contract means you buy their solar panels from them. The only option if you want to get out of the contract is you buy the solar panels from them which for us we were told would be 39 thousand dollars for about 20 panels. Buying new solar panels are cheaper cause the government will help you out.
They are as bad as the home security company vivint! Google that and read the horror stories and bs they will tell you for your money.
Update 10/​19/​2013
After communicating back and forth for 3 months the Vivint Solar Account Coordinator who only suggestion to my issue of having SOME of the panels removed to better reflect our energy needs replied «The bottom line: if you keep your usage higher than your production you won’t have to worry about over paying Vivint Solar.» which means if you are paying more than you electrical needs then use MORE electricity! Great solution right?
After about a month or two more of communicating I get a response from their Director of Account Management basically stating that they will not remove ANY panels because of their investment so far and design of their panels. oh they offered a 1 time credit for compensation of my issue… yea that is awesome. So i’m stuck with them because for 20 years which is my own fault but I hope to at least provide my own personal experience with them and if others have complaints they can file a complaint to Hawaii’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) and they will accept it. Also for more local reviews of this company check out the forum post