EL MIRAGE, AZ — The Valley couple who waited almost two years to get their broken solar equipment fixed finally saw results after reaching out to Let ABC15 Know for help.
Dave and Julie Jennings acquired their solar lease when they purchased their El Mirage home. When the system worked properly, their monthly electric bill was only $25 to $30, mostly consisting of fees.
"I love the idea of solar in Arizona," Dave said. "When solar was working, it was great. Our bill was maybe 25 – 30 dollars a month. Most of that was fees."
But the couple noticed problems in April 2024 when their system stopped producing energy.
We first noticed it wasn't producing in April 2024," Julie said.
Julie immediately called customer service for repairs, but the company kept delaying the fix.
"They just kept putting me off, and they kept saying it was the electrical panel that was burned and that it was our responsibility to fix it, but there was an error code on the inverter," Julie said.
The repeated calling became exhausting for the couple.
"I probably reached out monthly, I would call monthly and say it's not working, and they say ok we're going to put in a ticket and escalate it, and a supervisor will call back in 3-5 days, and no one would call back," Julie said.
Despite receiving no service or callbacks, the couple continued making their solar lease payments on time.
"It's frustrating in the fact that we're paying for a service that we're not getting," Julie said. "This has been going on for a year and a half now."
After exhausting all other options, Julie reached out to Let ABC15 Know.
"I feel like I have done everything I can do, and that's when I reached out to you," Julie said.
I sent an email to SunStrong Management on behalf of the Jennings family, writing: "I am reaching out again regarding a serious and ongoing issue involving one of your customers who has been without a functioning solar system for nearly two years, despite continuing to make her monthly lease payments to SunStrong."
I also asked how they would feel continuing to pay for something that doesn't work while experiencing costly electric bills, noting that these families are on fixed incomes and struggling.
SunStrong's director of operations responded, saying: "Thank you for reaching out and for continuing to advocate for the customer. We agree that Ms. Jennings' experience has gone on far too long, and SunStrong leadership is now personally overseeing her case."
Within two weeks, a service technician was scheduled; parts were ordered and delivered. This month, I received an email from the couple saying, "We have solar!"
SunStrong also gave them a "good faith" payment of more than $1,500.
"Thank you for everything that you have done," Julie said.
While Let ABC15 Know is glad we were able to help the Jennings family, I know there are many people trying to take on solar companies alone.
If you're having a problem with your solar installer, contact Solar United Neighbors. The non-profit organization offers a help desk to assist customers who need help with comparing options, questions before installation, and more.
You can also reach out to Let ABC15 Know, send us your solar issue at consumer@abc15.com or call us at 855-323-1515.
If you have a consumer problem, let ABC15 know.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
