The Solar Store

These are great people.  Best service in town.

So the salesman Kevin promises everything and delivers on nothing.  The owner is his wife so she could care less.  We signed up, got the system and had it for 3 months before it was actually on line and producing power we could use.  Kevin kept throwing the blame at the power company when in fact his company failed to submit the plans properly, not once, but twice.  Now for the topper: we were told we would not need to make any payments on the loan until the system was Live and we were receiving power from our new solar panels.  On the day Kevin's crew completed their portion of the installation I was told by Kevin that we needed to tell the finance company the work was complete.  The finance company asked if the unit was fully functional....well my mistake I told them the work was complete.  It is NOT COMPLETE until the meter is running.  So for 3 months now, I am paying my full electric bill plus the monthly payment for the panels.  I would highly recommend using another vendor for Solar.

The Solar Store installed my system 6 years ago, I've had some problems over the years but the Solar Store has always responded quickly to my requests for help, the people answering the phone and scheduling service have always been polite and helpful, and the service people sent to my home have always been friendly and respectful. Katherine, President of the company came to my home to evaluate the best way to solve my problems and came to a wonderful solution. I appreciate a company that works with me to solve problems.

Solar Store installed my solar system and they did a decent job. My system is being monitored by another system and it stopped working. I called Solar Store to inform them that it wasn't working and the person I on phone confirmed to had stopped working. They sent a tech. out to see what the issue was. When he arrived he had no clue where the monitoring system was located and how to reset the system. I had to show him where everything was and I figured out what the issue was. After he completed the reset I had to sign the paperwork and he left. I received a bill from the Solar Store for 145.00 for repairs. When calling them with the issue I was no informed that there would be any charges for the services. No that I know how to reset the system I will not have them out again.

I have used this business for years, they installed 4 solar tubes for me and they are wonderful, such beautiful lighting, however this summer, the tubes started leaking rain, and I called the company and told them the problem had been diagnosed with no flashing or skirting, they got right on it and did all the work , gratis, very friendly workers, and they explained everything clearly to me. I would highly recommend this company for your solar needs.

From the time we said go the permit was obtained quickly.
The tech showed up the day before installing a new electrical box for the house. Made sure he would have everything required the following day.
Adam showed up promptly at 7:00. TEP was on site ready to get started.
What could have been a very long day was completed earlier than expected and without a hitch.
No comebacks required.
Highly recommended.

I like the fact that it is a local company with local jobs.  We started by looking for a company to possibly install solar on our house.  I had three companies come out and give their pitch.  The Solar store had the best product set-up for what we were looking for.  During the install everything went smoothly, had a few hiccups with them just showing up.  We asked for a day's notice since we have dogs and they tend to freak out with them up on the roof.   Installation went smoothly, system up and running.  After it was all installed I did a little more searching for information on the system. I found out that there is an add on that will monitor what is produced and what is used.  I called the store owner and inquired about this.  She told me that no one had ever asked for this.  Really, you have a $20,000 system installed and you don't want to know if you are making enough energy to justify the install of the system?  She said she would get back to me later in the week, never happened.   Since then I have done research again on my own and have found an aftermarket product that will give me the data I was asking for.  I would have been much more convenient to have it installed as part of the system as one package and not have to run two applications!  Follow up is lacking here.

Poor quality installation, installed used parts instead of new, billed for extras that were supposed to be covered in original contract, poor customer service. Really, the Solar Store the complete package when it comes to places to AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.

I read reviews Of The Solar Store on my neighborhood Facebook page, all of which were negative. As a result, I was going to avoid The Solar Store. But it turns out, it is the only place that could do an urgent solar water heater replacement in Tucson.
So I gave them a call. The customer service, scheduling, repair and repairmen were great.
I wondered why there were all those negative Facebook reviews. Then the invoice came.
The entire great experience was ruined over dishonest accounting practices. The estimate and invoice was extremely shady and dishonest. Speaking with Sarah over the phone about the charges quickly turned snarky and rude.
Long story short-my estimate included labor and parts for a repair that may not need to happen but they put it on, just in case. The repair did not happen so when the invoice came including those charges, I asked for them to be removed. Sarah removed the charges but then she increased my labor charges from 3 hours to 10 hours (completion certificate from the repairman showed 4 hours) and then sent me a back dated invoice. When I asked about the new charges, she said I had asked for an updated invoice, so she created an updated invoice. Bottom line, they were going to charge me that amount and change the invoice any way they wanted to ensure I paid the original amount instead of paying for work that was actually done.
Hopefully others in need of a new water heater will have better luck finding a repair place other than The Solar Store. I would give zero stars if I could.

Finding a reliable company to maintain a solar water heating system seems to be a challenge in Tucson. We have used about five companies during the past 15 years here, and they all have gone out of business. A plumber working on another project for us said he had heard good things about The Solar Store. Overall they were prompt, reasonably efficient, and did get the job done properly though took four trips and six weeks. Our solar water heater is now working better than ever, so I would have to recommend The Solar Store. They stuck with the project until they got it right.

Cold hearted crooks, avoid these clowns at all costs. They will lie a deceive at every turn

Installed new tankless hot water. Love it!

the tech was on time with his mask on, professional, knowledgeable and friendly. their price was the best i could find.

We have loved our Solar Tubes for the last 10 years! They make a huge difference in the mood of our 108 year old house. Now, we love something else about The Solar Store: incredible service! We recently had our house reroofed, and the roofers knocked one of the tubes loose and it fell down into our kitchen. We discovered the damage at night and I called The Solar Store, thinking I would leave a message and someone would call me back sooner or later. But the owner of the store answered right away! She had a repair person out first thing in the morning. They worked with the roofers, and fixed the damage. Not only that, but The Solar Store workers left our kitchen counters cleaner than we left them! Five stars!

We always come here to buy our Solar Water Heater heat transfer fluid because we haven't been able to find another distributor in Tucson. The fluid comes in a milk jug that has the fluids hazardous information on it. If you bring your own jug in the price is $32. However, if you buy their jug the price is $38. Why a $6 difference I have no idea. I find it rather rediculous when the company has to transfer the fluid into your jugs.

The customer service is friendly.  The gentleman carried my three jugs to my car for me. Make sure you do not stop here if you are in a hurry. The wait can be long depending on how many people are being helped and what is going on there. I have never had a speedy trip here.

Where to begin. We had a challenge in lighting an area without installing high voltage from the panel to the light location. Looking at the cost of over 400 feet of underground high voltage versus a battery powered system with solar panels. So happy with the sales process, follow up and installation.

While we feel the cost of the maintenance agreement is a bit steep, we are willing to pay for the service since we live in Phoenix and the technicians have to drive up from Tucson. On the day of service, the techs arrived earlier than expected which was good for them since it had been so crazy hot this summer. They were both wearing masks when they came to the door, which was greatly appreciated. They got the panels nice & clean, checked all the equipment, and made any necessary repairs. GO SOLAR!

We were having trouble with our RV solar controller so we took it in to the solar store for testing or advise.  We spent quite awhile with Katharinegoing over everything and she was so delightful to work with.  Very professional and really knows her stuff.  I will definitely be going back for any further solar needs.  Thanks again Katharine!

I just returned from installing a new controller at my place out of state. 20 years ago I purchased a system from these wonderful people for this remote high altitude location that would have enough power to run the place and then some. the solar store designed the whole thing and walked us through the installation. everything installed easily as they said it would. and worked exactly as they said it would. we updated the controller and put in a new battery (the 2nd in 20 years). the kind and gracious owner Katheryn suggested and pre adjusted the new one before we drove the long rugged drive. She did not want us to get there and find the tiny switches to be a problem. what a nice lady! the whole experience with them was wonderful---from making sure we bought the correct items 20 years ago and the how to's on installation  of same as well as the 2 batteries and updated controller,every aspect was professional, accurate, and helpful. they made it sooooo easy.it still functions flawlessly today. I recommend with neither hesitation nor reservation these people and their fine business. jkj

For those who don't like to read long reviews, I'll be brief.  DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!  We ordered a solar heater for our pool in early February.   The salesman said parts will be in within 2 weeks, it would take one day to install and our pool would be at a comfortable temperature by mid March.

After waiting 4 weeks we called to get an update and we're told they were having trouble with one of their suppliers and didn't know when they would have the parts.  Next week they called and said they would come out and install everything but the panels to reduce the delay.   The next week they installed the panels and told us the pool would be up to temp within 2 days.

The system did not work and we were left with workmanship that looked like it was installed by a 3rd grader.  After numerous calls for help and countless unreturned messages we were told the owner and lead technician would be out the next day.  They never showed.  We again called the owner and never got a reply.  We finally filed a complaint with the BBB.   Within a week the owner and the tech came out to look at the system.  The tech came out later that week and completed everything as it should have been done.  It is now May and it took from February to get things resolved.  They have complaints on the BBB website all very similar to ours.  Recommend you go elsewhere.

Replaced an old solar water heater.  Crew was on time and performed the work with care. Very friendly crew. Will use again.

We purchased Eternal tankless hot water heaters from the Solar Store in May of 2012.  We were very impressed by the helpfulness of the company, which included creating a spreadsheet showing us installation costs (including a refund from Tucson) and the future cost savings.  The installation went well and everything was good!

Within a few months, the heaters started to malfunction.  The manufacturer of the hot water heaters told us that the warranty was voided because of the mineral content in Tucson's water (Tucson has very hard water) and that this system never should have been installed in the first place without also installing (very expensive) water softeners.

The Solar Store basically swindled us into buying tankless water heaters by misrepresenting the actual cost of the system.  The numbers looks great until you find out that you need to install expensive water softeners, too.  We have now been forced to spend thousands of dollars more than the Solar Store's original budget.  

This is a classic bait and switch and shame on the Solar Store for engaging in such unethical business practices.  BEFORE YOU USE THIS COMPANY DO THE RESEARCH AND REMEMBER THAT IT MAY END UP COSTING YOU MUCH MORE THAN THEY TELL YOU!!!

TL;DR They lied to us & kept $10,000 having done no work.

This company took a deposit from us, did no work nor even scheduled any work to be done for us, lied about a offering a refund on our deposit while pretending to be compassionate about a death in our family.

Chris Tippet, on behalf of Kevin Krause & Katherine Kent, promised a refund - then months after delaying a refund told us today to sue them if we want it back.

As the project was never scheduled - they had done zero work on our contracted project, and had ordered zero supplies for our project per Chris Tippet. We were offered a refund minus costs for preparing the quote on our project.

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My wife & I agreed to terms and signed with Chris Tippet to begin a solar battery project.

Within a few weeks of signing we had an unexpected death in our family. This required all our free time & money. I reached out immediately via voice and chat, and they offered a refund, saying we could reschedule as the work start date hadn't even been agreed too. He said the price would likely be higher in the future when we resigned. We agreed & thanked them for the compassion.

Now more than 6 months has passed and we have yet to get a dime back on our ~$10,000 deposit.

When I called last week they assured it was an oversight & that they would get the refund processed - subtracting $800 for the sales contracting costs incurred. As previously offered & agreed to.

Today they called and told me that they won't refund anything - that our only recourse is to sue them.

Their lack of compassion and willingness to take advantage of people at a truly difficult time is disgusting.

Our only recourse now is to take all the transcripts & documentation of our communications via voice, text and email to court. Which we will, on principle alone of a company operating in such bad faith and defrauding their customers.

As a business owner myself, more over as a god fearing man, I would be ashamed to operate in such a bad faith fashion as they have.

As my wife is an attorney, we are in a fortunate position to take this to court. Many others won't be. We will willingly incur much greater than $10,000 in costs hiring a contract attorney to adjudicate this matter - in hopes of preventing this company from taking advantage of anyone else in the future.

Hopefully they will learn that contradicting a written contract with later written & verbal assurances made in bad faith in an attempt to defraud, may make the original contract an instrument of little legal certainty.