Consumer complaint received 2024-03-08
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: Sunnova Energy Corporation (CO)

In XX/XX/XXXX, I realized that payments made to Sunnova Energy in XXXX and XXXX of XXXX, had not been applied to our account balance. Payments were set up with our XXXX XXXX account to automatically be paid via ACH withdrawals ( beginning in XXXX when we purchased house with solar energy system ). 

Sunnova deducted the XXXX payment of {$69.00} and did not apply to balance owed, added that {$69.00} to the next XXXX bill due of {$21.00} and then deducted the total from our checking account for both months which doubled the {$69.00} payment from the prior month. 

The XXXX bill reflected the current month 's balance plus unpaid balances of XXXX and XXXX ( which had been withdrawn from our account ). We halted the ACH withdrawal, issued a payment for the correct XXXXonly amount and requested the account be reviewed and balances paid applied. We called customer service and they said they were not able to assist with the balance, but that we had to pay the amount they showed as owed. They said there was no manager in charge of billing. We followed up with emails, wrote notes on the mailed payments with no resolution. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, after paying every month by check, only the amount owed- not the incorrect balance being carried forth, we sent a letter to the CEO of Sunnova, XXXX XXXX XXXX, via certified mail ( only after numerous additonal phone calls to customer service and being told there was no accounting department manager that could look into our account errors ). In that letter, we provided the XXXX payment, the printouts of our balances and payments ( pulled from their own website ) and asked for help to resolve account. We received NO response to our letter. The XXXX payment never cleared our checking account. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, Sunnova had implemented a new access system and at that point we could not see what the monthly amount was for XXXX production in order to send them that payment. I sent an email explaining the entire problem, asking for access and was told by XXXX in customer service that she would look into the issue. We never received any further assistance. We stopped paying at that point because we had no way to see our billing. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, we received a collections notice from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and we began communicating directly with them. We provided all of the copies of emails, billings, payment records, proof of payment, letter to CEO, etc. with a request to please get Sunnova to correct our account and turn our solar energy system back on. 

The law firm wants us to " buy out '' our solar energy contract for {$7300.00} rather than getting Sunnova to fix our billing, credit us the money they owe us and resume our service with a corrected balance. We do not believe that is fair treatment and they are saying we breached our contract by not paying our bills. We need help. I've asked the law firm to help us with the billing issue that escalated into this or to refer us to arbitration or move into a court setting. We do not want to have to buy the solar contract.