I started our solar panel project in mid-August by asking friends about great vendors/installers. At least one of these solar companies told me they would not be able to complete installation by the end of the year so I continued to look around and found EnergySage where I requested quotes for about a 10 kW system. I didn’t expect much but the next morning I had received five quotes from various California companies. I reached out to all and immediately heard back from three local Bay Area installers. The sales guy at RA solar, Renato, was very friendly and extremely patient with my numerous questions which included inquires related to some challenging reviews the company had had at the end of 2019. Renato made himself available at any time and explained why things had been tough for Ra Solar, he also explained their warranties, pricing, timelines, and suggested that I would be as happy with Panasonic panels as I would be with LG which I initially had decided to go for.

After a few discussions including details about our existing electrical panels and reviewing additional online reviews I eventually asked him to provide us a quote, which we received the same evening. There were a few details in the contract that I didn’t like including the language where they guaranteed to have the installation completed before the end of the year. At this point I also came in contact with the owner Varney Johnson and the office manager Shauna who both were outstanding in there customer service and quickly made all the requested changes to the contract. I was very impressed with the interaction and we signed the contract for 28 Panasonic panels and Enphase micro-inverters on Oct. 7th. Later the same day I received a detailed email with “What to Expect” over the next 8-10 weeks as well as a separate email confirming installation had been scheduled for Oct. 27th. From this point Ra Solar delivered on all fronts, including changing the contract and layout from 28 to 30 panels, moving the panels to the exact locations we wanted them, and providing details for the most esthetic mounting. Installations, permits, and final inspection all happened as planned and passed without any issues. We received the email from PG&E that confirmed contract and generation of solar power on Oct. 29th just 22 days after we initially signed the contract with Ra Solar - significantly faster than the 8-10 weeks discussed!

I have already without hesitation recommended Ra Solar to multiple friends and neighbors and give the company and all of their employees (Varney, Shauna, Renato, Dylan, and the installation crew) 5 stars for their professional work every step of the way! It is a truly great company and group of people!

I had my solar panels installed 2 years ago and was pretty happy. Last Oct, I called in for a minor service request. I was told that Varney will get back to me. It has never happened. All of my follow up attempts since then were not responded to. I tried everything email, phone calls.

[Follow up] Fast forward 3 months, I got contacted by Varney who told me the company made personnel changes to address the delayed responses. Varney takes up things quickly from here and I'm convinced that he's committed to making things right. That's why I've decided to give the company top stars now.

RA Solar is a scam. They were pleasant enough during installation but after that it took posting a bad review to get them to answer repeated phone calls and text messages to come look a the system that wasn't functioning properly. We got a bunch of flack for posting a bad review but evidently it is the only way to get this companies attention. To make matters worse, we moved from the house where the solar panels were installed and they emailed me again. I asked them to take me off of their mailing list as I didn't live in the home anymore to which I got a very snarky email back. See below for email chain below:

Me: Please remove us from your email list. We have sold the house that these solar panels were installed on. Thank you

Response: Thanks for letting us know. We tried on so many occasions to get you to have your husband sign his part of your add-on contract, we texted and left you messages about that, but all we got was a negative review that cost us dearly. Attached, please find the incomplete contract that's still waiting for your husband's signatures. "Owner" showed up at your home in the middle of covid to make sure your inverter was back online. We will take you off the mailing list. Thanks for being a customer.

Me: Yeah well, you were supposed to send the contract to ME not my husband. He travels a lot with work so I am always the one that handles all that kind of stuff. We had the same problem when you initially installed the solar panels the first time. If you had followed directions you would have had more business. Not my fault you sent the contract to the wrong person.

Customer service is lacking. Cordial communication is lacking. Not a company that should still be in business.