A top rooftop solar company is facing complaints from customers about botched installations, broken panels, and unhelpful reps

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A top rooftop solar company is facing complaints from customers about botched installations, broken panels, and unhelpful reps
Jayson Waller, the CEO and cofounder of Powerhome Solar.Melissa Key/Charlotte Business Journal
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Powerhome Solar, which is among the nation's fastest-growing energy firms, is facing complaints from customers about performing sloppy installations and providing poor customer service that's left some of them stuck with expensive panels that they say don't work.

The allegations, made by 11 customers who spoke with Business Insider, follow our previous investigation into Powerhome. That story reported that the company appears to use misleading sales tactics to sell high-priced rooftop solar panels and was based on a review of legal records, interviews with a dozen current and former employees, and internal memos.

Read more: Fast-growing energy firm Powerhome Solar uses misleading tactics to lure customers into home solar deals that cost more than a car, insiders, legal claims, and leaked memos suggest

Customers we spoke with for this story say they experienced problems with Powerhome Solar that extend beyond the company's sales practices.

One customer said he thinks that a shoddy installation job was likely what sparked a fire that burned down his home. (The cause of the fire was undetermined, according to a county fire report.) Five customers said their panels didn't work at all for some period of time. Others said they saw careless and unprofessional behavior by the company's crews during installations, including catcalling, drinking, and damaging property.

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A former Powerhome installer who worked in Missouri told Business Insider that installation jobs were rushed, often at the expense of quality. The former employee requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. We have verified his identity.

Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Powerhome sells solar panels, roofs, and other energy-efficiency products. Its solar installations have roughly doubled every year since 2015, according to the research firm Wood Mackenzie, and it was one of just two energy firms on Inc.'s list of fastest-growing private companies last year.

Business Insider sent Powerhome an email detailing the specific claims made by customers in this article. Powerhome did not respond to them.

"POWERHOME SOLAR has more than 30,000 satisfied customers and 1,600 employees in 10 states and continues to grow," a company representative said in a statement.

The full story is available here exclusively for Business Insider subscribers.

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