California Energy Research reviews

In 2013, Ida C., nearing retirement on a fixed income, answered a sweepstakes pitch hoping to cut future electric bills by going solar. She initially signed with Sungate, canceled within the three-day rescission period because she felt uneasy, then later agreed to proceed after a promotional IVD discount reduced the price to $18,599 (without the panel upgrade) and she was promised a $5,579 tax credit. The system went up that year, and three months after installation Sungate called offering more panels; she declined and chose to monitor performance first. Instead of seeing falling electricity costs, she watched bills climb — by 12/14/2015–2/12/2016 her two-month bill reached $1,035, an amount she cannot absorb in retirement. When she sought help, Sungate had already been absorbed by California Energy Research, and attempts to reach or log into the successor’s website hit redirects and error pages while unwanted sales calls continue. Ida has asked for direct contact from California Energy Research and is preparing complaints to the BBB, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and a local Crime Busters reporter — but the clearest takeaway for her is this concrete number: a $1,035 winter,

Gus K. had a solar system installed on his home just over a year ago and discovered he'd overpaid and wasn't happy with the performance. Yesterday a corporate Senior Director of Marketing called and offered to add three to four panels "for no capital" — which he and his wife understood as free. The next day their local representative, Jim, showed up and began talking about adding five or more panels. When he mentioned the corporate promise, Jim phoned someone who immediately said, "We don't do that!" and told Jim he'd "check the recorded tapes," a comment that implied he was mistaken or the corporate caller had been wrong. Frustrated, he refused to pay for additional panels. As Jim left, he offered $200 for a neighbor referral — an offer he found almost laughable after the contradictory promises. After more than a year of underwhelming results and what he sees as misleading commitments, he regrets choosing Sungate; the conflicting guarantees and the recorded-tape implication are the details he warns future buyers to watch for.

Leah had a $17,000 financed solar installation put on her home a year ago and discovered it has been nothing short of a nightmare. She and her husband reached out to the company repeatedly; the installer sent at least three different technicians to the house, but none fixed the problems. The most recent visitor, a man named Jim who came about two weeks ago, looked baffled by the workmanship and promised to escalate the issue to management — and then nothing happened, no follow-up calls or real solutions. Frustrated, Leah started researching how to file a complaint with the BBB and began warning friends, neighbors and coworkers not to work with the company. Financially, she ended up with far less than she was sold: after spending $17k, her electric bill dropped only about $20 a month instead of the promised $50 or less, and she’s still paying roughly $150–$200 a month. On top of the poor performance, the company keeps calling them with sales pitches and apparently doesn’t keep accurate customer records. Her clearest takeaway: after a year and thousands financed, the system barely reduced monthly bills and the company didn’t follow through when problems arose — a caution to anyone m=