CHARLOTTE — Many customers who hired Pink Energy (formerly PowerHome Solar), say their solar power systems didn’t work as well as promised. Pink Energy blamed one of its part suppliers, Generac, and eventually sued the vendor.
“These issues were traced back to a single component, the Generac SnapRS, which is a small electronic device hooked up to each solar panel,” CEO Jayson Waller said in a YouTube video. “We are publicly requesting that Generac initiate a national recall of these potentially dangerous SnapRS devices.”
Pink Energy went out of business in September and filed for bankruptcy.
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However, Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke found out Pink Energy isn’t the only one pointing a finger at that same vendor.
Another solar company, Solar Titan USA (not to be confused with Titan Solar Power), says issues with Generac products may force it to close too. “We have tried and tried to overcome the obstacles placed at our feet because of all of the product failures and tried many times to get Generac to help cover the cost, but their response has never been satisfactory,” the owner texted Stoogenke.
Solar Titan USA is also urging Generac to recall the SnapRS units.
In addition, multiple consumers, including Generac shareholders, have filed class action lawsuits against the company for the same issue.
Generac emailed Stoogenke:
“Generac is a leading manufacturer of solar + storage solutions, and we sell our products to a wide range of independent distributors and solar contractors.
“We are disappointed to hear of any instances where customers are not satisfied with the performance of their system. Proper sizing, system requirements, and installation in accordance with manufacturer guidelines is required for proper system performance and should be performed by qualified independent contractors.
“We stand by our products and warranty obligations. If any customer has product concerns or needs warranty support for Generac components of their solar systems, they can contact us at solarsupport@generac.com or 1-800-396-1281 for assistance. We will help pair such customers with a Generac-authorized warranty service provider.”
Many customers are caught in the middle, no matter who is at fault.
“We were sold a Lamborghini and we were delivered a broke(n) down Pinto,” said Pink Energy customer Becky Herrington. “The sleepless nights, the anxiety knowing that I’ve got more bills than I’ve got money and wondering if we’re going to lose everything because we tried to help the planet. We tried to do something good. And, in turn, we got raked over the coals.”
VIDEO: Carolina AGs ask to suspend loan payments for homeowners who bought Pink Energy equipment
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