MC Solar Engineering…
Mike Clifton; owner, president and CEO of MC Solar Engineering:
You recently sent me a certified demand letter that indicated that I owe you a substantial sum of money. However, you are mistaken as I have paid for the system I received. You billed me for a 4000-watt system when, in fact, I received a 3200-watt solar system instead.
The AstroPower AP-100 solar modules you installed on my house are rated by the manufacturer to produce a peak output of 16.1 volts at 6.2 amps, or 99.82 watts of output power. Since there are 48 panels, the maximum power that can be produced by the system you installed is 4791 watts. The written proposal created by salesman David Sommers on May 29, 2001, conservatively estimated that the output power of the proposed system would be 4101 watts, a 15% loss factor due to impedance and other factors of inefficiency. These calculations were done using an Excel spreadsheet that you created for use on portable computers by your sales personnel while they visited customers’ homes.
I was so excited when the solar system was first installed that I spent approximately two weeks (from July 3, 2001 through July 20, 2001), gathering wattage, voltage, and amperage data several times an hour during available waking hours and recording the data in Excel spreadsheets.
A disturbing trend appeared.
Peak voltage as measured by the wall-mounted meter the MC Solar team installed was approximately 54 volts, and peak amperage as measured by the same meter rarely exceeded 60 amps. Multiplying volts times amps to get watts gives a measurement of 3240 watts of power. That is nowhere near the system’s potential of 4791 watts, or even David’s written estimation of 4101 watts. That equates to a loss of more than 32% of the manufacturer’s expectations, or more than 20% lower than your salesman’s own written estimate.
Time after time, I called and left messages for you about this issue during the first six months of 2002. You rarely returned my calls and then stopped returning them altogether. Even back in 2001, when we had just started speaking about the possibility of installing a photovoltaic system, your record of not returning calls was dismal. I should have seen the signs. Gradually, I gave up faith that you had any desire to communicate and remedy the problem, and so I also gave up calling. I considered us even since I had not paid approximately 20% of the final balance and you provided a system that produced about 20% less power than your contract specified.
One of the very few times that you did return my call in early 2002, you stated that recent studies had showed that losses of 30 to 35 percent were typical, contrary to the data you provided when you sold me the system and collected more than $42,000.
In response to a query I had made about the availability of the AstroPower AP-100 versus the AP-120 model, your own salesperson, David Sommers, sent me an email on March 21, 2001, that stated “watt per watt, the AP 100 is a better buy. They are in fact underrated to 100 watts and in fact they average much higher, but they can’t sell them as 110 if they are even out of spec by 1% output.” MC Solar sold me a system that was promised, both verbally and in writing, to produce in excess of 4000 watts, and you failed to deliver.
My installation has had a dreadful history, all the facts of which you are aware.
Your salesman misrepresented your products. You failed to fulfill the terms of the contract. You originally supplied products that did not confirm to the UL standard and that posed a potential safety hazard, which was eventually corrected. You repeatedly delayed the project to potentially delay my participation in the California Energy Commission buydown program. It took you more than a year to get the system functioning to the sub-contract level it is now.
Enclosed is a check for $105 for the invoice line item described as “Building Permit Fee”. The remainder of the balance indicated is excessive and will not be paid.
Rest assured that I will continue to withhold my endorsement of your business services.
I recently got an estimate from MC Solar Engineering and I’m considering having them install solar panels. Were you able to resolve your dispute with MC Solar? Thanks, Ryan
Mostly, yes. But mainly because they neglected to file their paperwork properly. If they had, it would have been a much more difficult battle. As it is, they still occasionally contact me about paying them, but I ignore the correspondence because they are powerless to collect since (1) they cannot file a lien and (2) they were on notice of accord and satisfaction because I printed “By cashing this check you agree that my entire bill is paid in full” on the back of the check along with the letter above. I still believe in solar technology, but would never do business with MC Solar again. - RDL