LA Solar Group

I ran into a few issues, both during the install, and a couple of years post-install. Eventually, everything worked out and they provided good service. There has been some communication issues in the past, but at least as of Mar 2025 they seemed to be putting effort into remedying their prior mistakes. The quote was the cheapest for me at the time I installed.

LA Solar has been the worst company I have ever dealt with. They promised to begin installation in 1 month but it ended up being 9 months. They harassed me late at night by phone, showed up unannounced and without any notice at my gate at 10:30 PM. Multiple times they randomly appeared at my gate to drop off materials after I told them not bring materials until it was time to install. When they finally set an installation date, the materials appeared with no crew to install. After the installation it took another 5 months to get the system approved by the power company. Then 3 months later I began having problems with microinverters. It's now been 6 months and they haven't fixed the problem. In fact, they have sent me to one person after another by email and text, but no one addresses the problem. I was finally told to buy some new panels, I politely said it would be nice to get the ones I have working. Last week they finally had an appointment set and at the end of the day they notified me they were not coming. This has been a horrible experience. I would not recommend this company to an enemy.

System size: 7 panels (installed different panels than contracted with permission since they weren't available) & Enphase mirco-inverters Install time: 10 months (contract to permission to operate) Location: North of San Francisco Pros: - Installation crew: when they showed up, they got the job done well in a day. They were friendly and helpful. Sub-panel crew was excellent as well. - Price: was great for good equipment. Cons: - Communication: Install crews scheduled quickly, but often with not much notice. I also never quite knew who to contact (text number, installation department representative, sales representative). - Poorly researched quote: They didn't know my city's regulations and didn't communicate with the building or inspectors well. The city mandated replacement of certain electrical panels but LA Solar didn't know that. I was assured I would not need to replace it during contracting, but after months of going back and forth was told the only way forward was to get a main panel upgrade for an additional 15k (or they could come and remove the panels). I reached out directly to the city and found out in 5 minutes that I could install a sub-panel. I was the first house in my area to work with them and I don't think they'd ever been out my direction for another job. - Change order to complete project: I was quoted several different prices for the sub-panel and eventually had to escalate the situation to a customer satisfaction representative in the company that did very little for me. I ended up having to pay an additional 2.5k for work that I was assured 3 separate time during contracting that I would not have to do. - Poor interdepartmental communication: Sales, installer and other departments don't work well together. Technicians showed up for first inspection with non-stamped plans that didn't reflect changes in the system (swapped in more panels to compensate for less energy output per panel since they didn't have the contracted panels in stock). - Did not follow contract: They did not follow the contracted language on payment (they charged different amounts at different times). They also installed the panels in a different place on my roof without asking me (I didn't mind, but it wasn't what the plans showed). UPDATE 8/7/23- I was contacted by the maintenance department and they offered to send me a check for the guaranteed production for the whole time of the delay beyond the initial 90-day installation estimate. Changed from 1 to 2 star because I have full trust in the company moving forward, I was just frustrated by the process, communication and false assurance regarding the electrical panel during contracting.

We highly recommend LA Solar. Their exceptional customer service, prompt communication, and commitment to keeping us informed throughout the process have made us extremely satisfied with our decision to choose them. The installation team went above and beyond, surpassing our expectations. LA Solar's expertise in managing the process with our HOA, utility, and county permitting authorities was commendable. We confidently endorse LA Solar as a top-tier company in the industry.

Overall I am pretty happy with the system. There were a couple of glitches in the financing process but we got them handled and the system is up and running. In direct sun with no shade the system hits 6k of output as advertised. As soon as one panel sees shade the numbers drop quickly. The daily output of 40K is a little lower than planned so we are getting a quote for three more panels. There is something very Kuhl about watching our meter with a negative number all day long, even when charging the KuhlToys Chevy Volt and running the hot tub. I think the addition of the three panels will cover the difference we need to hit our goal of net zero grid power. I know that isn't the most cost effective way to do it, but I figured I can therefore I should. We compared several other companies and Simon was the easiest to communicate with and called back quickly. Two other companies never called back. Our second choice was Tesla directly. The cost was higher and they didn't have any credits left for the battery installation, never mind it took a couple days to get a return call each time they are so busy. The only glitch during installation is that the crew called for final inspection before they started and one guy didn't show up so we delayed activation about a week. Otherwise everything went well. Earning four stars from me is tough, and so is earning my business, which they did. FIVE YEAR UPDATE - READ YOUR CONTRACT. As Solar Edge sunsets the 3G cellular monitoring, my inverter failed. This is a common problem. The tech said the new inverter would be online in a day or so and left. After two weeks I called LA SOLAR to receive an email asking me to buy a wifi or zigbee kit. Ironically I asked for the zigbee kit so I could use zigbee to shut off breakers in the event of a grid failure instead of getting a separate sub panel. The salesman said it couldn't be done so we skipped it. I don't recall anywhere that said I was responsible to provide and pay for the monitoring solution in order to comply with my "production guarantee". I was just told "We'll take care of it". So now I find out that isn't true after more than a month of zero production and another month plus of unmonitored production. Three different people have been responding to me via the same email or text accounts without signing them, so I never know who I am communicating with or what we have said.

I worked with Brandon Chavez and he was so great and easy to work with. Answered dozens and dozens of questions quickly and was available to me when I needed him. brandon@lasolargroup.com hit him up if you're looking into solar. Of the 5 companies I researched and talked to, they had the best value, set me up quickly and had transparency through the sales and installation process