Debunking Solar Myth: “Solar is a commodity!”
Why choosing your solar customer care support team matters!
Our previous blogs explained why solar should not be treated as a commodity. Unlike buying oil or potatoes, so much goes into the decision-making of installing a solar system in your home. In this third entry of our debunking solar myth series, we want to emphasize how choosing a solar company will make a difference in your overall solar experience.
When you break it down, there several aspects for an excellent solar experience:
- The equipment (choosing long-lasting, durable solar equipment to produce your energy)
- Mounting hardware (to prevent roof leaks hence giving you the ultimate peace of mind long-term)
- Customer care support- see discussion below
What is unique about Solar Bill Review’s business model?
To better explain what sets the Solar Bill Review apart from other solar companies, take this example:
Customer A, Customer B, and Customer C decided to get solar. Customer A chose the Solar Bill Review Team because she read about their five-star reviews on Google and was referred to her by her friend. Meanwhile, Customer B decided to go for Company X because they sold him the lowest price. Customer C went for the popular Company Y. Look at their experience below:
| Customer A with Solar Bill Review Team | Customer B with Mom and Pops Company X | Customer C with Corporation Y |
| Gets installed within 4-8 weeks with the help of her dedicated consultant, public relations liaison, and administrative support team constantly eyeing and updating the project and the customer week-to-week. | Gets installed within 4-12 weeks. | Must wait for 2-4 months. |
| 100% more return after being guided by her Solar Consultant on how to utilize her rate plan. | No time for a Bill Review post-installation because the seller has no time and got their hands full with closing more deals and processing paperwork- | There’s no customised customer care. Every customer is treated the same – conveyor belt experience. Post-install communication is with a general customer care service representative servicing the whole United States. Any communication regarding local utility rate plans is non-existent. You will be told to call the local utilities directly. |
| Sells products with a 25-year product and performance warranty (perfect if you’re considering selling your house down the line!) with customer service always ready to assist. Stability is a strength of our team. You get both the mom and pops TLC with the stability of one big worldwide corporation whose been in business for over 35 years. | Sells products with 10-25 year manufacturer’s warranty but may not be around to service later. They are also relying on 4-5 manufacturers staying in business for the long-haul. | Sells products with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty. However, it’s just you and the 1-800 number. With most bigger corporations, the installer that you signed up with will still need to coordinate with manufacturers to service your warranty. It is very important to understand that you may have 4-5 different manufacturers that may or may not be still in business 10-25 years down the road. |
| Encountered a problem (e.g., monitoring issue due to changed modem): called Solar Bill Review and got action within 24 hours. | Encountered a problem (e.g., leaking roof): waiting for days to get a reply. | Encountered a problem (e.g., leaking roof): spent hours on the phone waiting to be picked up. |
| Proactive company which lets the customers know about the changes and/or updates regarding solar in california. | – | – |
To sum it up, when you focus on the lowest price, you are giving up many aspects of an excellent solar experience. You can strip away customer care. You can settle for cheaper mounting hardware. You can accept equipment that degrades faster from year to year. You can even hire the most inexpensive labor. Each one of these choices will identify the consequences down the road.
Let us have another example. Should you choose to sell your house down the road, which one of the scenarios will make you feel better?
Scenario A:
Imagine yourself in Year 15 with Solar Bill Review TEAM for SUNPOWER. You will have ten years remaining on your warranty with an expected 25-year productive system that your realtor will be presenting to potential buyers of your house.
Scenario B:
You chose the cheapest product, and in Year 15, when you go sell your house, the labor, panel, and inverter warranty is expired. The appraiser also finds a small leak in your roof.
Put yourself in a new homebuyer’s shoes 15 years from now; between the two possible scenarios above, do you think it is worth an extra one year on the ROI to be positioned in Scenario A? That is the difference of how much you need to pay for the best vs. the cheapest. As the percentage of families with solar continues to grow, solar shoppers are becoming more educated than they have ever been. Consider these questions before making your decision.
Check out your solar options: