United Solar Co.

Posted an honest review about 3 years ago when they installed our solar setup but had some issues with them not honoring some things they expressly promised but left out of the contract that I asked be included and would not have cost them much if anything to complete (just to wire in a generator port to our Sol-Ark inverter that I even purchased myself!) So while I felt that Aki and his team did an excellent job of the installation (and one of two minor installation issues that I had to fight tooth and nail to get them to come out to resolve for me - the other I had to resolve for myself,) the owner Mark Landgrebe - while he seemed genuinely honest and had good points at the time - never showed in person and now doesn't return my calls. I hate posting even partially negative reviews, and I tried numerous times to resolve issues with Mark directly. But he refused to respond or complete what he apparently gave his word on (stupid me to not make sure that one sentence was in the contract,) and so I had no choice but to post partially negative HONEST reviews and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. THEN he responded - only to blackmail that he won't discuss things further unless I take down my reviews and rescind my BBB complaint. So in the name of good will, I took down the review and said I would take care of the BBB complaint after the last issues were resolved. I haven't heard from him once since. (CORRECTION: he left me a voicemail + 1 email once when he thought he had a chance to sell me an additional battery I asked for a quote on.) I have reached out several times since to try and make a truce in the event that I need future contractual service, to ask for help setting up the Solar Rebate process in our state that they promised to help us with, and even for quotes to expand our solar capacity - crickets! Kim in their office is wonderful, responsive and helpful in every way that she can be - but if it's something she cannot help with or Mark tells her not to reply to or address something... And so I filed a complaint with the Solar financing company that we used who Mark's people had us sign off on the last day of installation so they could get paid - but BEFORE they completed or resolved the last items promised. It went all yhe way up to and I spoke personally with the VP of the financing company, apparently to the point that it must have affected their business relationship, because I have never heard from Mark since. And while I have gained increasingly capable electrical skills and knowledge over the years, I refuse to tinker with my installation for fear that Mark will not honor their contractual support commitments (assuming they even would at this point.) Thay being said, I've had to call the equipment manufacturers numerous times myself directly and still have an issue with a known compatible BMS not communicating properly with my inverter (I think it's simply a poor crimp in the CAT5 ckmms cable. But again, I refuse to tinker with it even though I have all the proper tools + equipment etc.) And so, after several YEARS of no response, I am writing this follow-up review. While I still stand by the skills of the installation team and Foreman (Aki,) and am happy with the rock-solid quality Sol-Ark 15k inverter and Fortress eVault MAX battery that they installed for us (but again with faulty BMS communications,) they did LIE about the quoted American- or Canadian-made solar panels that were last minute swapped for quality but Chinese (and therefore eligible for less of a rebate) solar panels, and I am likely at a loss for any future customer support if needed. I CANNOT in good conscience recommend Mark Landgrebe, United Solar of Fairfield (or any of the other 4 towns in) NJ they are listed under to anyone, and I will make sure to spread this review throughout the internet ti ensure as few people make the same mistake that we did. (Sadly, Mark seemed the most honest of the 5 companies we got quotes from...) Sad... ====================== ORIGINAL REVIEW: ====================== Initially started out as a 5-Star company. We needed a complete solar install incl. battery and a full roof replacement. After going through five other solar companies, Mark Landgrebe was polite, professional, and direct with answers incl. technical questions. Honesty and pricing seemed to beat all other companies. Nick with financing is a bit bumbly, but you can work around him if necessary. The roofing crew was professional, fast and did a superb job in 2 days even in rough weather. Our only issue was the "cleanup" left around the house (I had requested a magnet sweep to protect my children and chickens, but keep finding old roofing nails, tacks + staples by the handful!) The solar installation crew was at first phenomenal! Aki and his crew are knowledgeable, efficient, and expertly skilled. All work was completed cleanly in a professional manner and passed inspections without any issues! THEN came the "after" part... 1) After speaking repeatedly with the equipment manufacturers, an apparent equipment installation issue is causing the info that I receive in my monitoring App to give incorrect readings. While this may seem trivial, it also calculates everything from how much energy we generate each day, how much we use from the "grid" and the amt of money the utility company owes ME (Net Metering) to the return on my investment, battery charge, etc. Upon notifying United Solar of the issue, I was told by Aki that they would set up a service call, but that it would be "QUITE SOME TIME" before they can come out to me (they had no issue getting to me when they were getting paid $80,000.+) Still unresolved... 2) One essential part of the project which I had insisted on from the very first conversation was to install a simple 50A receptable/port on my house to plug in my portable generator when needed. The Sol-Ark inverter is a superb piece of equipment and has a "GENerator" input built in - no need for transfer switches, sub-panels or anything complicated. Just a straight run of wire from the 50A receptable to the inverter. Mark consistently said "don't worry - we'll take care of it" (which I even have screenshots and other documentation of.) MY MISTAKE (in retrospect) is never getting it written into the contract. I trusted Mark and took a "Gentlemen's Agreement" on it, with him either not responding to requests about it or insisting all throughout the installation process "we'll take care of it." It NEVER got "taken care of." Recently our power went out and while our battery lasted only so long - $112,000. later we had no way to charge it or run my house off of generator... So what started out as a 5-star project has changed into a 2-star review, with the "2" being generous given the work done at the beginning was done well. I am thoroughly disappointed and can no longer recommend using United Solar Co. in NJ for anything requiring trustworthy service.

Initially started out as a 5-Star company. We needed a complete solar install incl. battery and a full roof replacement. After going through five other solar companies, Mark Landgrebe was polite, professional, and direct with answers incl. technical questions. Honesty and pricing seemed to beat all other companies. Nick with financing is a bit bumbly, but you can work around him if necessary. The roofing crew was professional, fast and did a superb job in 2 days even in rough weather. Our only issue was the "cleanup" left around the house (I had requested a magnet sweep to protect my children and chickens, but keep finding old roofing nails, tacks + staples by the handful!) The solar installation crew was at first phenomenal! Aki and his crew are knowledgeable, efficient, and expertly skilled. All work was completed cleanly in a professional manner and passed inspections without any issues! THEN came the "after" part... 1) After speaking repeatedly with the equipment manufacturers, an apparent equipment installation issue is causing the info that I receive in my monitoring App to give incorrect readings. While this may seem trivial, it also calculates everything from how much energy we generate each day, how much we use from the "grid" and the amt of money the utility company owes ME (Net Metering) to the return on my investment, battery charge, etc. Upon notifying United Solar of the issue, I was told by Aki that they would set up a service call, but that it would be "QUITE SOME TIME" before they can come out to me (they had no issue getting to me when they were getting paid $80,000.+) Still unresolved... 2) One essential part of the project which I had insisted on from the very first conversation was to install a simple 50A receptable/port on my house to plug in my portable generator when needed. The Sol-Ark inverter is a superb piece of equipment and has a "GENerator" input built in - no need for transfer switches, sub-panels or anything complicated. Just a straight run of wire from the 50A receptable to the inverter. Mark consistently said "don't worry - we'll take care of it" (which I even have screenshots and other documentation of.) MY MISTAKE (in retrospect) is never getting it written into the contract. I trusted Mark and took a "Gentlemen's Agreement" on it, with him either not responding to requests about it or insisting all throughout the installation process "we'll take care of it." It NEVER got "taken care of." Recently our power went out and while our battery lasted only so long - $112,000. later we had no way to charge it or run my house off of generator... So what started out as a 5-star project has changed into a 2-star review, with the "2" being generous given the work done at the beginning was done well. I am thoroughly disappointed and can no longer recommend using United Solar Co. in NJ for anything requiring trustworthy service.

I got a call from them about energy savings. They cam over showed my savings. I signed up my system has been on for 4 months and bill has been super low. I wish i did it sooner

I sat down with multiple companies but United Solar gave me the best price and the fastest turnaround time. It was a easy process and my rep Nick was awsome. I was installed in about 2 months other companies told me 4 months.