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Original review updated by user Nov 13, 2021

UPDATE: The same exact issue of being billed for electricity when the solar system was not functional took place in 2021- from May to October. Vivint continued to bill us fraudulently.

Our system only functioned for 4 months in 2021. My PG&E true-up this year was $1700.

While working through the issues where Vivint prevented us from refinancing our home due to them filing multiple liens against our title, we discovered the solar system was actually inoperative since May 2020. This was while Vivint was trying to determine a fair market buyout price as a "goodwill" gesture, but in order to do that the solar system obviously has to be functioning as we had observed a 20% reduction in power production over a 5 year period. We brought this fact to their attention.

However, after realizing the solar system was dead, we discovered when the solar system goes down, Vivint continues to makes unauthorized and fraudulent charges against your credit card. They claim these are "estimated" charges, but this not true as in months with partial power production, Vivint chooses to bill at the much higher "estimated" full month production. I've gone over the contract with a fine tooth comb and nowhere is billing for "estimated" power production provided for in the contract. Vivint requires to sign up for auto-pay with a credit card.

Furthermore, in the months where the solar system is down, we must buy the power from PG&E (our utility) at a much higher rate than the Vivint contract rate.

You won't notice this until your year end "true-up" billing. At this point we had paid PG&E for power delivered from mid-May 2020 to January 2021 something like $2000 and Vivint fraudulently auto-charged our credit card over $800 for the same period during which they had produced no electricity. I know this sounds crazy but I am attaching photos of our power delivered and amounts billed by Vivint. You can clearly see in May production ceased mid -month.

Normally you will see upright bars running all the way from left to right. In June, you can see the zero power production and corresponding zero $ charges from Vivint as is appropriate. However, beginning in July you can clearly see that even though there is little or no power production, after noticing a zero income month for them, Vivint hides the system failure by inexplicably falsifying power production on our billing statements and fraudulently charging our credit card for non-existent electricity delivery. It is really quite a scam.

We contacted Vivint numerous times by phone and in writing demanding that they cease making these unauthorized and fraudulent charges against our credit card.

Vivint ignored every request and demand. We were tempted to cancel our credit card, however reading online reviews on other sites we heard about others doing this, however reading online reviews on other sites we heard about others cancelling their credit cards to stop the fraudulent charges, however Vivint continued the inappropriate billings for non-existent electricity production and started reporting the unpaid fraudulent amounts as past due debt! It is all unbelievable, yet true.

So putting aside the multiple liens that prevented us from refinancing our home, the attempts to extort us into signing an Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and "no-claims" settlement falsely portrayed as a "contract amendment", and the fraudulent and unauthorized charges made against our credit card- now we had to go through the excruciating system repair process. Needless to say this was another complete nightmare.

Vivint scheduled and no-showed for 3 appointments. Since the "Ethernet bridge" component suspected of being bad was located inside our home, I had to be present. This meant I took 3 days off work needlessly and Vivint never called r otherwise advised of the no-shows. After I started posting online we did get some actual technician visits, but it took another 3 visits to finally get the system operational (knock on wood).

The technician that finally was able to repair the system had to come all the way from San Jose. These guys were great and finally got it right, but the system had been totally inoperative for over 7 months while Vivint continued to charge our credit card as if the system was completely functional!

In summary, during the process of attempting to resolve the breach of contract multiple liens filed against our property and unethical conduct preventing us from refinancing our home, we discovered that solar system had ceased working, Vivint does no monitor the solar system as articulated in the contract, and Vivint makes unauthorized, fraudulent charges against your credit card not provided for in the contract.

I know this will seem quite unbelievable but documented proof is attached. Buyer Beware!

User's recommendation: Do not do business with Vivint and new parent company SunRun.

Monetary Loss: $5000.

Vivint Solar Cons: Fraudulently auto-charges credit card for zero electricity, Seven months to repair completely dead solar system, No-shows multiple scheduled appointments, Consumer complaint team stalls.

Location: 2510 Dean Lesher Drive, Concord, CA 94520

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