Reviews (23)
AEI my updated response. Yes I was not charged anything But only after calling 3 times to question the charge. AEI has records of my purchase date & warranty. I spoke all 3 times to Caitlyn who stated that this charge was in effect a long time but would not give a date.On my third call her tone & voice was very irritated that I dare question it again. She said this time only would the charge be waived & be prepared to pay next time. After I wrote first review in less than 24hrs Kayne called & asked if I would update or delete my review. He informed me that this practice started in 2018, 4 yrs after my purchase.Which means if I have issues before my warranty runs out I will NOT be charged this fee. I’m glad I didn’t have to pay this. But it left me with a bad feeling. If I didn’t pursue this I would be out $157 unnecessarily. I wonder if other clients paid when they shouldn’t have. PV system was purchased & installed by Alternate Energy & still under warranty. Had one panel replaced in a timely manner. What I don’t understand & agree with is the service charge of $150+tax. Received text explaining it’s for “technician travel time, cost of fleet of vehicles which includes purchases, fuel, insurance, maintenance & etc.” Shouldn’t this be part of doing business to maintain warranty?
Seven years ago we had three "different" Alternate Energy salespeople and three "different" Alternate Energy proposals before we had a 29-panel PV system installed on a newly constructed home. After the builder was finished with the home, our Closing and move-in, Alternate Energy failed to provide any instruction or customer support related to the PV System. Seven years later, we were informed the on-line Envoy performance reporting system had never been downloaded, was now overloaded with data (broken) and would have to be replaced at our cost. Had Alternate Energy bothered to check their initial installation and/or the actual performance for their System, Alternate Energy would have known there was a problem well "before" anything had to be replaced. Other than the Envoy problem, the PV System is working well. The Field and Technical staff are very competent, responsive and professional. However, our experience is the Owner, the Sales staff, Management and Administration are seriously lacking customer empathy and/or any interest in continuing customer support..
May 12, 2023. Update. I made contact with Radford. We had a great conversation and I received a lot of information. More updates to come.... May 15 update. I met with Radford and he was thorough and answered all of my questions. He compared the options available so I could make an informed decision on how to upgrade our PV system while taking advantage of any available inventives. More updates after the project is complete.
1/6/23) This is an update based on the response from Roy at Alternate Energy Inc. 1) If you had sent out a technician to speak with me personally about the design, there would have been less back and forth emails. I only made one request; to not place anything on the back wall by the surf racks. But if you recall, when your technicians were supposed to show up the first two appointments, they did not come at the designated time. 2) Your email about the confirmation was for the installation date and not for the plan review. My request for the updated plans was already sent. I even attached a specific photo with red outline of where the system should be placed. 3) Even if the email from the 20th was a mistake, why would you send it again so close to the installation of the system. Shouldn't this have been handled weeks in advance? 4) Of course I would want to cancel the installation of an incorrectly placed system. Anyone would want to do this. 5) The morning of the installation Chris called and also texted that everything was going to go through with the installation, and he explained the need for the bollard post to protect the system from damage by our car. My only request from Yuko is that the additional $250 charge be covered by the company and not by Chris' commissions. I asked her to confirm this with management. Here is the email thread for this: On Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 8:01 AM Brandon, As you suggested earlier we will go ahead and postpone or cancel the installation for today and tomorrow. Yuko On Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 7:51 AM Hi Yuko, Please get me a confirmation from your manager. Brandon ~sent from iPhone On Dec 21, 2022, at 7:49 AM If you are referring to the bollards charge Chris will work it out with the company. Yuko On Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 7:46 AM Hi Yuko, Please answer my question from the email. You seem to not respond clearly to communication. Brandon ~sent from iPhone On Dec 21, 2022, at 7:44 AM Brandon, Per Chris we
Details to come...
Having issues with replacing a micro inverter and after 3 months and repeated calls, now entire monitor system doesn’t work. Called several times and each time they tell me they will call me back and nothing. No call backs. Really disappointed. Updated on Sept 22 I’m updating my review because Teri called me back and arranged for my new enphase monitor which was installed today. Josh did a great job with the install and Teri was really honest to let me know that i had 15 years left on my existing warranty. Would have gave 5 stars but I am still a little irritated that i had to pay for the enphase replacement. The warranty should match the timeframe of entire system.
I had my A unit cleaned by Cory, two years in a row, and I got to say that you need more employees like him out in the field, he very courteous professional. The last person I had before him did not do a very good job. He did not even take a look at my unit outside to clean it or inspect it. Thank you Cory for a job well done.
Everything to process the paper work is quick but sloppy. Office guys don't know how the field guys does the work so the plans always changes. Field guys are good but only want to get the job done then bail; they don't care about their mess they leave behind etc. Getting assistance after will cost you. There are some great guys but over all for installation, they don't work as a team, rather as independent groups. 05/09 - response to owner I have no issues with working with Trevor and understand the whole internet setup - no grips about that. Just stating the fact that some after installation services are not included, for public knowledge. Trevor is one of the better knowledgeable technicians and has been super helpful, efficient, and responsive.
Melissa and her team were very professional handling my services and kind spoken during our conversations. Thank you for continuing your great customer service for me and my fam.
Current and future buyers beware. Quick to take your money, but when problems arise they don’t even call back. 5 calls already after they identified 2 panels were inoperable. Not one call back. Secretaries are nice and admit they have problems with management responding. Save yourself the headache and go somewhere else for your PV and solar
After shopping around for PV for months, a close family friend referred us to Alternate Energy and we’ve been loyal customers ever since! Roy Skaggs took care of us when we purchased our original system and continues to provide excellent service when we called to add battery backup capabilities to our system. The installation crew are always very professional, friendly, and neat, answered our questions, and followed up after the install as well. We’re very happy with our PV system and would highly recommend Alternate Energy to our family and friends! If they sold systems on the Big Island I would definitely go back to them for a PV system on our daughter’s house.
Feedback for Cory! He deserves special praise for his hard work for us, especially with fixing our air conditioners. Cory has been an outstanding employee for Alternate Energy! He is so courteous, kind, very competent and helped create for us, a plan for managing our systems including our air conditioner units associated with your system of solar panels. Cory was very careful to take the units apart, analyze the problems and resolved the issues thoroughly and professionally. We had a AC water breakdown, some months ago, and we were very fortunate to have Cory fix the first unit. He was so professional and caring and kind, I asked to have Cory come back to help us again!! He diagnosed the different problems of these two units on Friday and fixed them expertly! He is so caring, kind, expert and competent, I hope you will consider him for future promotions within your company! As a customer, Cory really represents the best of what I value in your company, products, and the personal caring professionalism of your services!
3 Months ago, 2 reps of this company told me they needed to dig a 6" wide trench through the front of my property to install a conduit from a HECO vault to my neighbor's home. The whole area from the street to my wall 6' - 10' from the street has been torn up for over 2 months. No work has been done in last month that I can see. A friend of mine was injured when she stepped on a plywood trench cover and fell through it. I had just spent close to $5,000 to landscape the area a year before. The front of my home looks like a Syrian bombing site! To make things worse, their lead electrician lied to me and said they were waiting for an inspection to cover their scheduling issue.
Electric bills are EXPENSIVE!!! Like holy moly. We run our A/C 24/7 since we have two fur children... so in the summer our bill would be over $400! We've always considered getting solar panels but never did the research and finally after being a home owner for 5 years... we decided to look into it because a friend who got it offered more information. To be honest, we didn't shop around for companies. Since my friend went through Alternate Energy and raved about the guy he worked with... I decided to give him a text. Enter RADFORD. Alternate Energy GODSEND. Let me explain... some people do their job. Some people do it and go an extra step. He goes an extra mile, no joke! I got a text back within the hour. He asked simple questions (what's our bill like and if we have a copy) and within a couple days I had proposals. I'm the type of person that asks a ton of questions. He answered all of them patiently and explained everything thoroughly. A meeting was set up where he came over to explain the different proposals (panels without a battery vs panels with a battery) and all the pros/cons/options/etc. I'm telling you... I'm blown away by this guy and his exceptional customer service. A time was set up for someone to inspect our roof, and finance options were explained along with state and federal tax credits (this is why you get PV too!) Once the loan was taken care of, everything else easily fell into place. The process is kinda humbug I'll be honest... but only because you have to wait on HECO to do this and that... and we have an association so they need paperwork too... but he and his team took care of everything. The guys who installed the panels were nice, professional, and efficient. He came by to check on the installation and answer any additional questions we had. I always received updates on the status of the project along the way which was greatly appreciated because it's definitely a long process. Fast forward a little less than a year later... my hubby noti
We installed a solar water heater (replacement of inoperable one and relocated from inside closet to outside storage), 18 PV panels and a Tesla battery. I had already signed contracts and started the process with Haleakala but I paid $1500 to cancel everything with Haleakala and switched to AE when Haleakala could not tell me what kind of PV panels were being installed. Alternate Energy installed Panasonic PV panels whereas Haleakala finally disclosed a China brand. Made the switch and with only 2-3 months left in 2019 they were able to expedite everything to ensure 2019 installation so I could capitalize on the last year of the 30% tax credits. I really appreciate the quick install as I was able to get back around $23k on my taxes. I waited to post my first review until I received my first electric bill, which I just got, $26.25! I'm only paying the admin fee and green energy fee. I sold my dishwasher since I don't use one, but I'm happy that I can wash all my dishes with hot water throughout the day. I didn't have any hiccups or issues with any process of my installation. From beginning to end everything went fluidly.
Alternate Energy Inc. was contracted for a solar related installation at our neighbors property back in January 2017, almost two years ago! They asked to dig a 6inch trench through our front yard and agreed to repair it. We had just grated the yard, landscaped and planted new grass. Today, we still have a 2foot by 30foot trench line with no grass growing, a yard full of small rocks, a huge pile of dirt next to a plywood covered hole. We have made requests that you fix it, we were fed lies about who is responsible and the project status. The bottom line is that you have shown your business ethics to be minimal if existent.
We had Alternate Energy put in our PV unit and AC for my home office last year. We were very impressed with their commitment to service and professionalism. They provided us with excellent advice regarding how big a system we needed and how to prepare our garage roof for the panels. This year we had to move our cable to reroof our home. We had gotten agreement from AE to move our cable before installing the new roof. We forgot to schedule their work, but when we called, they were at our house w/in 2 days to do the job. This was a great example of their commitment to service. D.R. Ching
Very pleased with the PV system. They were not the cheapest of several quotes but their referral rebate made them competitive. Jeff Lum was able to assist me in deciphering and navigating PUC and HECO programs to select the right system for me with the proper number of panel sizing. Very pleased with their quality of work and follow-up of Jeff to insure that I got what was promised.
I have changed my review from a 1 star to a 4 star. Alternate Energy explained that due to staff shortages and changes there was miscommunication which caused the delay in fixing my leaking solar water panel. Also how the manufacturer of the panel warranty works. They wanted Alternate Energy to open a panel that was not designed to be opened and change the tubes. Alternate Energy's manager Jim came out to my house and personally explained why the delay had occurred and to make sure the repairs to my solar water system was done to my satisfaction. I will continue to use Alternate Energy and refer them to my friends and neighbors.
Top notch quality and service. The project went smooth and on schedule to design and install a split system A/C unit. Working with consultant Jeff Lum was great; he handled all the details and delivered as promised! No hidden costs, overruns or delays. Would highly recommend Jeff and the crew at Alt Energy for anyone considering A/C or PV work