Consumer complaint received 2024-06-01
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Installment loan
Issue: Charged fees or interest you didn't expect — 
Company: Sunnova Energy Corporation (NJ)

In XX/XX/XXXX, I contracted and executed a contract agreement XXXX XXXX XXXX  installer company & Sunnova finance company for a residential solar panel system.

The company specified a XXXX sized system for the property. Upon a site inspection, they found that the " existing '' XXXX rated XXXX underground line between the house and detached garage building was insufficient to handle the load of the system before any prices were discussed. They optioned to have the system installed onto the house or the building.

With multiple phone and email discussions with XXXX XXXX and then her field crew, it was determined that there would be additional cost to install this transfer line of approximately XXXX feet between the house and garage " a new line '' for the panels. We discussed that we would agree to the cost increase that " could be financed into the package '' because we would later disconnect the original XXXX underground line, and connect the building sub panel to the newly installed XXXX capable underground line where it ties into the solar panel system on the garage building. 
It was understood that there would be additional cost to me as the " homeowner '' to hire an electrician at a later time to make this final wiring/TIE in of the new XXXX line on the outside of the building to the sub panel box inside the building. I spoke to an electrician directly not related to the project and the XXXX feet to distance inside the building to run and hook up to this new line would be approximately {$450.00} in supplies and {$1000.00} in labor and could be done in a few hours. If this was installed properly, with proper specified components XXXX amp sized transfer line components, this would be all thats needed to utilize the new line. 
On XX/XX/XXXX part of the installation was completed by the electricians and I noticed they were not using/installing the same parts and electrical components " AC disconnect boxes '' that were specified in our permit or discussed for the XXXX line. I sent an email on same date discussing the problem, before the electricians were finished to XXXX XXXX. They did not want to reply to much via email, but several phone calls including XXXX XXXX who did not disclose that he was at all an owner or had any stake in XXXX  XXXX other than that he was a site manager, purposely misleading me that he would assist resolve the situation with the installation hardware. One of their electricians and XXXX XXXX later had a conference call with me, assuring me that all components of the install. I recorded the call, later finding out a lot of discrepancies in their opinions and several false sets of information related to the technical and electrical aspects of our discussion, I am not an electrician.

They assumed that the hardware is correct and will operate correctly. Suddenly they came back and started to finish the installation two weeks later but did not change out the components and finished the installation with the wrong incorrect parts " XXXX amp disconnects ''.

Since this installation was completed, system activated, there were several times the system has malfunctioned. XXXX XXXX eventually had come out to make repairs/fixes and re-enable the system. 
Sunnova suddenly started emailing a late bill to my email address showing past due balances unpaid.

Sunnova had never previously XX/XX/XXXX responded back to my initial complaint about the installer XXXX  XXXX, prior to activating the {$99000.00} loan to me. 
This system rated by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX own electricians/engineers produces a maximum of XXXX amps of power transfer, which would have easily been under the XXXX existing transfer line. XXXX XXXX either mis-calculated the capacities and electrical specifications required, OR after they reduced the size of the XXXX system to XXXX, never made another calculation for the power transfer, and thus still forced the transfer line installation when it was no longer required. This additional line probably cost us XXXX XXXX XXXX in additional installation costs as even the original sales consultant for XXXX XXXX said it was going to add at least {$10000.00} in additional supplies cost plus all the installation/trenching labor. 
In the end, the line wasnt needed, we cant expand the panel system to the XXXX size at any future date, once XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX upgrades the transformer at the road, cant tie into the detached garage building the panels were installed on and installed far cheaper components for the power transfer line than specified on the documentation and permits.

The amount of loss involved in this complaint : {$99000.00} {$25000.00} of this is estimated to be related to the transfer line installation, we would need a licensed electrician to confirm that the existing XXXX underground line is sufficient to carry the XXXX maximum load of the actual installed solar panel system, and to confirm that the wrong/cheaper components were used. 
XXXX XXXX electrician at one point said that XXXX disconnects were not even available for purchase, which we later found out was not true. The Installed components are XXXX XXXX XXXX  and the correct parts would be XXXX XXXX XXXX, there are THREE of these parts, instead of changing the parts before the installation was completed, they decided they were not going to and finished anyway. 
Original XXXX system was downsized to XXXX system, which forced us to install the {$25000.00} estimated cost power transfer line/hardware and then installed improperly specified " much cheaper '' parts, different than the permit plans submitted to the township and agreed upon to utilize the XXXX transfer line. I notified Sunnova before XXXX XXXX completion, but they could not assist due to loan/contract not active yet. It was months later, we had not had any resolve with XXXX XXXXXXXX other than the ongoing repairs needed to be made to keep the system working fully.

The first invoice/bill received via email, was on XXXX from Sunnova for {$1600.00} which is THREE times the XXXX XXXX payment on the contract. Sunnova is also charging us a higher 4.99 % interest rate which was supposed to be 1.99 % as it was listed in several executed contracts prior. Sunnova emailed and demanded execution of several modified/altered contracts due to date of the installation, changes to the system size etc. but should have not affected the interest rate as the purpose of these solar loans was the low financing rates of .9 or 1.9 %, which we opted for the 1.9 % for a better discount on the installation.

I am disputing the payment due, the total amount of the contract and that the contract should NOT be in effect until the system has been installed correctly as per the agreed specifications, not only that they system was made active with XXXX XXXX XXXX power company. XXXX XXXX actually said they were complete with the install by the first week of XX/XX/XXXX, however it took until mid XXXX when I as the homeowner, was able to make contact with the utility company to enable the net meter that was installed in XX/XX/XXXX. 
We did not receive anything by mail ever from Sunnova. The first reception of any correspondence from Sunnova was XX/XX/XXXX with a balance of over three-months worth of payments showing due.

We have filed the same above with the NJ Consumer Affairs Office on XX/XX/XXXX after speaking with Sunnova representatives via phone on XX/XX/XXXX about the account.