ComplaintsforSunder Energy, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In April 2023, I worked with an employee of Sunder Energy, representing Freedom Forever Solar, to get solar panels on my house. With assurances from the representative, that the cost would cover everything and was competitive. The agreement was that costs would not accrue until the panels were active, which should be within 90 days (active on 4/28/23). The solar panels were installed on June 26, 2023. The installers were not able to complete all of the electrical work, and that someone would contact me soon to complete that. After about two weeks, I hadn't heard from anyone, so I contacted my representative at Sunder Energy and emailed Freedom Forever. **************** said he would also contact Freedom Forever. still nothing had happened, but I got a payment needed notice from ******, who I got my loan through. On 8/8/23 I contacted them and they reached out to Freedom Forever. I got a call from *********************************** (8/9/23) but nothing happened. on 8/14 & 17/23 I received an email from **************** listing what needed to be done & who to contact. On 8/18 I tried to reach ************** again but he never returned my call. It has now been 2 months since installation (over 120 since contract was active) and no response. I am now paying on the loan as well as for electricity from PGE. I have also learned that the cost they quoted is way above comparables in my area, so feel I was mislead there as well. I would like to not have to deal with this company, or get a substantially lower cost if the panels can not be removed.

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  ***********************,

  Thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns. We would like to reach out to you directly to resolve this matter. We talk all complaints very seriously, especially when there are accusations about being mislead. We would like to make the situation right as soon as possible. Please look for an email from our team to discuss this issue. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They ignore "No Solicitation" signs and do their door to door scams where they are legally prohibited.

  Business response

  08/14/2023

  **** - We take complaints and accusations of "legally prohibited" behavior very seriously. Our representatives are trained to observe and obey all laws and be respectful of homeowners requests. It appears this was not the case in your situation and we will review and address the situation directly with the representative in question and their manager. Any information you could provide - including a name or badge ID would be helpful in our review. Thanks for the bringing the issue to our attention.

• Initial Complaint

  03/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Signed contract on 9/22/22 with Sunder Energy/Freedom Forever to have a solar system installed on my home. Contract guaranteed completion date was 12/21/22. They told us they could probably get it done before Thanksgiving. They did the preliminary site audit, but then we heard nothing. Sunder sales rep Christopher ******* W****** did not answer or return calls. He would respond to text messages with vague promises to respond, but never did. it took over 2 months to get permits from the City of Fountain Valley due to what Mr. W****** characterized as "miscommunication between Sunder and the roofing subcontractor." They NEVER contacted me with any updates or informed me of anything. I had to contact them repeatedly and continually to get any information about status or progress. They have no project manager or customer service whatsoever. Partial re-roof was originally scheduled for 12/16/22, but roofing foreman showed up to the house the night before and informed us that they needed to add plywood sheathing and that was a change order, so they had to reschedule to January. This should have been done as part of the site audit prior to permitting. They finally removed roofing and added plywood on 1/13/23. City inspector signed off on plywood. New comp roofing added on 1/29/23. Solar installed by Freedom Forever on 1/31/23. Called for final City inspection and inspector failed them on 2/22/23 because he didnt see the roofing prior to panel installation. Panels were removed on 3/15/23 and reinspection scheduled for 3/29/23. City inspector cancelled due to rain. In the mean time, Mosaic financing has taken 2 payments, which under contract, was not due until after the system is operational. It appears Sunder or Freedom Forever obtained payment from the financing company before the project was completed. I have submitted 2 requests for payment reimbursement to Freedom Forever for February and March 2023 payments. I have not yet received reimbursement as of 3/29/23.

  Business response

  04/10/2023

  We will reach out to you directly to get the situation resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Working with *************** llc and sunder energy has been a nightmare for over a year. This has caused me so much stress. The rep was in my house March of 2022. They didn't install panels until June 3rd 2022. They didn't give me access through Centerpoint energy until 2 weeks ago. Still to this day I have no access to a ****** tesla battery that I got installed. Nobody has any management or any hierarchy if I ever want to speak to a manager Please please please help me.

  Business response

  04/11/2023

  We will reach out and work with you directly to get the situation resolved.

  Customer response

  04/12/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Fraud- we purchased solar from this company and the sales rep promised to buy out our current security provider HomePro for the free incentive with ******* we agreed to it and they cancel our HomePro but refused to pay HomePro which has now been sent to collection we have made over 50calls to both the sales rep and also directly to this company as well as sent multiple emails without responses. Please think carefully before purchasing from this company

  Business response

  08/11/2022

  Our team - including the sales rep involved in your purchase have been working to resolve this issue. As of 8/2/22 the last information we had from you was you were satisfied. Please let us know what else we can do to ensure your satisfaction with this resolution. Thank you!

  Customer response

  08/11/2022

   
  Complaint: 17660953
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I just called you again and left another message the bill from HomePro is still unpaid and still in collections we had to pay it to get it out of collections so please send the payment to us or response to our email or voicemail.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************

  Business response

  08/16/2022

  According to the sales manager who has been working to resolve this issue, he has been in communication with you and let you know that the rebate has been added to your SOW and that this issue will be resolved following your activation.  We see that PTO was achieved yesterday so you should have everything taken care of shortly. Please let us know what else we can do to ensure your satisfaction with this resolution. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This complaint has to do with solar installation on my home. I signed up to have them install solar, and finance the **** through mosaic solar. The installation was completed on 4/6, we signed up on 3/15. After the solar panels were installed, we heard nothing further on the progress. I reached out to the rep from the company regarding this, and he kept stating that they were waiting on the city to inspect the panels. Weeks go by, we still hear nothing about the progress. Fast forward to now, we finally have the inspection passing via the city and are still waiting on our permission to operate. The technician advised us to file for a refund of the monthly payments that we are paying for the last couple of months as we were not supposed to be billed until 45 days after our Permission to Operate was given. I've submitted a request for both August and July's bills, with no information from customer service other than it's processing, for July, and August needs to wait until August 1. We were also told that our **** would be the same for the solar financing each month, for the first 18 months after which the **** would go up if we didn't use the tax refund on the ****. We accepted that term. We've seen 2 bills, the first one as ******, financing at ****%, which is what we agreed to. August's **** is ******, with a new rate of ****%. We have done nothing to cause the interest rate to go up over the course of one month, and I'm concerned that this trend would continue.We are requesting July, August, and September's bills, at least, to be reimbursed, and the rate of financing to be what was agreed upon, at ****%. I believe that at this point that is a fair expectation given what we were told at the time of signing up for the solar installation from Sunder / Forever Solar instead of the first company we looked at. The two companies were close in comparison and at this point, I'm wondering if we should have gone with the other company.

  Business response

  08/11/2022

  *****, we will be reaching out to you, your sales rep, and Freedom Forever directly to resolve your concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  One of Sunder's door-to-door salesmen came to my house, disrespectfully ignoring my no soliciting sign, as he was instructed to do so for all houses in my area by his management. He then proceed to tell me about a program where they will install free solar panels on my house at no cost. When pressed for details, it turns out the program is not free, and is only a replacement for part of the cost of your current electric ****. Here's a generic example of what's being sold: Your $100/month electric **** can be cut in half for only $100/month through a 30/yr loan to buy solar panels from Sunder. So you'd pay $150/month for the same amount of power, but they're claiming the value of the solar panels will offset the difference by adding value to your house and by reducing your **** after the loan's paid off in 30 years. Maybe that actually works out to be a good deal for some people, but it's definitely not the same as the advertised "free solar panels".If there are any potential customers reading this, please be very careful doing business with Sunder Energy. Their misleading advertisements and disrespectful sales tactics are strong indicators of predatory and untrustworthy business practices.

  Business response

  03/16/2022

  ******** - Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Our reps are not trained to mislead potential customers in any way - including using the phrase "free solar panels". Like you said, for many people the outcome of the investment in solar is well worth the initial cost, however, this is no excuse to claim a product/service is "free". We would like to investigate this situation more fully to ensure this particular rep is not perpetuating any false information. Do you have the name of the individual you with whom you spoke? Please provide any additional details about this individual so we can address them specifically. 

  We can assure you this not representative of our organization as a whole and we will address this specific situation and ensure it does not happen moving forward. 

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company refuses to sell and install backup battery for solar panels already installed. Representatives fail to return calls timely or at all. Company has failed to provide promised necessary documentation for IRS purposes. Company has failed to provide promised information regarding electricity buyback utility company.

  Business response

  02/23/2022

  ******* - we are reaching out to you separately to ensure this concern is addressed properly. For many reasons we can be limited as to the products we can supply after solar panels are installed in a home. We do however want to ensure that Freedom Forever provides all the proper documentation you need for tax purposes. Please look for our communication to you directly.

  Customer response

  02/23/2022

   
  Complaint: 16693220
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Any number of other companies are able/willing to install the backup battery. Since my loan application with Mosaic is already approved for much more than I've already spent, it makes sense to ask your company to add the battery. Please provide information regarding the buy-back utility I was promised at purchase.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  03/08/2022

  ****** - I have reached out to your sales rep who has informed me he has now sent you the buyback information you requested. He also mentioned that you decided to go with another solar installation and assumed that company took care of the necessary paperwork when you decided to go with them. I apologize for any miscommunication. 

  Customer response

  03/10/2022

   
  Complaint: 16693220
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I'm *******, not ******. Repeated phone calls and voice mail messages to my sales rep requesting information and resolution went unanswered. This contributed to my decision to purchase battery from another vendor. When that process became too complicated matching battery to installed panels, I decided to seek resolution through original companies. I will now attempt contact with buyback utility. I'm informed that this summer it will become possible to purchase/install an add on battery - please inform me when that happens and we'll see if this complaint can be resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  03/10/2022

  ******* - very sorry about the name mixup. We will be in touch as soon as the battery-only add on option goes live this summer.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩