ComplaintsforSolar Farms Massachusetts / Solar Farms NY

• Initial Complaint

  04/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I continue to get bills that don’t make any sense. I have written to them, emailed them and placed a phone call. I don’t seem to get any satisfactory assistance. They continue to send me bills that are 2-3 months behind. My monthly payments are not credited to my account. They continue to send me monthly electric bills of over $1,000.00. I spoke to a representative Nicole and she said they would take care of it, but nothing seems to happen. These bills still keep coming and the amount on the bill does not mak sense. I would like to get reimbursed for all the money that I have paid to this company!!

  

  Business response

  04/05/2023

  Contrary to this customer’s complaint, we have diligently responded to all Contact Forms, emails, and phone calls from this customer as the following will show.
  
  The customer emailed us twice with concerns about how many credits we were billing for. The first email was sent on Jan. 17th, 2023, and was responded to by phone call on January 25th, at which time Nicole W****** one of our Customer Care Representatives, apologized for the late response to the Contact Us form the customer had filled out.
  
  Nicole explained how our billing works and that our invoices are generally 2-3 months behind the service period for which they are applied. This means that customers will get the credits and reduction on their ***** bills before they are charged by Solar Farms NY. Nicole also explained that if ***** does estimated meter reads that are higher than a customer’s actual usage, the customer would receive an adjustment from *****, and then receive a refund (if appropriate) from Solar Farms NY. The customer was satisfied with this response at that time.
  
  The customer’s second Contact Us form was filled out on March 26th at 7:35 PM. Our business hours are M-F 8:30 AM-6:00 PM. Nicole tried calling the customer the next day, on March 27th and left a voicemail.
  
  I think it is clear that Nicole went above and beyond by reaching out to our contact at ***** to see if we could get any more information about the customer’s high usage. Even though Solar Farms NY has no control over our customers’ usage or charges from *****, we wanted to do everything we could to make sure the customer’s account and billing were accurate.
  
  We did not hear back from the voicemail we left the customer so Nicole put together a very detailed email, including the response we received from ***** on the customer’s account, and sent that to the customer on March 28th at 10:14 AM. We did not get a reply to the email, or a returned phone call.
  
  Solar Farms NY can only create invoices according to what ***** reports as the number of solar credits they applied to our customers’ bills during a service period. If customers feel like our invoices are wrong and can provide a copy of the ***** bill for the service period in question we would certainly look at them right away and correct any errors.
  
  Our invoices have a 14-21 day window between the new creation date and the payment due date. This means any member who pays by check will almost always have a new invoice created with an outstanding balance since we did not receive payment before the new invoice was created. We understand how frustrating that can be. However, we do include verbiage on our invoices that state:
  
  "NOTE: If you made a payment towards
  the amount shown as past due in this statement, on
  or after (invoice creation date), then please disregard the
  past due amount"
  
  The customer’s account balance is currently past due $858.59. This includes their past due amount from January of $350.77 and their most recent March invoice of $507.52. As a reminder, our invoices specifically reference the service period we are billing for to
  
  align with our customers’ ***** billing periods. In this case the customer’s most recent charges from Solar Farms are for credits that reduced their ***** charges from 12/6/22-01/05/23.
  
  We forwarded the customer copies of all of their communications, in case they misplaced them

  Customer response

  04/05/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did not receive an email or maybe it got deleted accidentally because I get so much junk mail. I have contacted ***** AND THEY SAY THEY CANT HELP ME. I have talked to Solar Farms and they say they are waiting for credits from *****. Which is it? I don’t believe they are crediting my account correctly. I think they are forcing me to enroll in automatic withdrawals by sending me bills that are way behind. I have paid my bills monthly but when I receive the next monthly bill my payment is not reflected on the statement. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *********

  

  Business response

  04/06/2023

  All of our emails are tracked for reporting purposes. We know when an email has bounced, delivered successfully, or has been opened along with the dates and times of each open. I have included a screenshot showing ******* has opened our email from March 28th a total of 10 times with the last open date of April 5th at 8:12 PM.
  

  April 6th, 2023:Nicole reached out via a phone call and spoke to ******* and helped her understand that we are not overcharging her. We are simply charging for credits that reduced her ***** charges, and because our billing period is 2-3 months behind her utility billing cycle it can be hard to understand what service period she is getting invoiced for.

  She does not wish to cancel out of the program, she is just frustrated with the misinformation and high usage meter reads from her utility. We assured her if she has an adjustment from ***** Solar Farms will credit her account back anything she is owed.
  

  We encouraged her to make a payment towards her past due amount to Solar Farms so there would be no disruptions in her allocations. She stated she mailed a check for $300 towards the balance owed.
  

  As for her check payment, we reiterated why her new invoices include a past due amount and offered to set up auto-pay so her payment would be received on the due date. She also has the option to pay online or by phone at no charge.
  

  From our understanding, ******* is satisfied with our response.

• Initial Complaint

  09/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I received an email from Solar Farms New York on 8/31/22 stating that I owed $57.14. I discontinued their service in December 2020 and would have paid my last bill to them in February 2021. I emailed Solar Farms New York today and asked why I am being billed nearly 2 years later. I am waiting for them to respond.

  

  Business response

  09/09/2022

  Dear ******,
  
  Solar Farms New York works to resolve all issues when they arise for our consumers. Please note that your account was managed by a different service provider in 2020. When your account was transferred to our management in July, there was an outstanding balance dating back to October 2020.
  
  We communicated with you via email on September 7th, 2022, stating we would forgive these charges since you were not made aware of an unpaid balance in a timely manner. Your account has been closed and you will not receive another invoice from Solar Farms New York.
  
  Thank you,
  Solar Farms New York

  Customer response

  09/12/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  04/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The automatic billing system does not seem to follow any set schedule, and as a result it pulls money from my account at seemingly-random intervals. As I have to live paycheck-to-paycheck, this makes budgeting very difficult, and currently my bank account is overdrawn due to a charge from them. The arrival of bills also seems random, I didn't receive the statement regarding today's automatic charge until yesterday, and I get home from work after their offices close so I was unable to contact them. Furthermore, the statement says my account would be charged tomorrow, so it doesn't even match up in that regard either. When I tried to email their customer service, using the address on their web site, I received an error saying they had blocked my email address. Their phone number doesn't match what the web site says either, but I was able to get their new number and cancel automatic payments. Furthermore, their billing cycles do not match *******, making it difficult to work out whether their promised discount is actually being applied. I want restitution in the form of a $35 payment by check to cover the overdraft fee. A credit is not acceptable, I have other bills to pay.

  

  Business response

  05/09/2022

  Dear ********,

  
  Our top priority at Solar Farms New York is customer satisfaction. In order for us to invoice you, we rely on information sent from the utility company to know how many credits were applied during that service period. Unfortunately, because of this back and forth communication, it results in our invoices being 2-3 billing cycles behind ******* billing period. As you know, your Solar Farms New York invoice will reflect the amount of solar credits applied to your ***** bill minus the 5% savings. 
  
  We do provide you with an e-bill and a physical bill every month. The email address we have on file is [email protected].  I have confirmed with our email host that you are not a blocked contact. I apologize for the error message you received; however, we will respond to all emails within 24-48 hours. Our phone number is correctly listed on the website which is *************
  
  Our statements will show the amount due, the payment method on file, and the date the autopay will occur. Unfortunately, there was an error processing April's autopay, and the system auto-drafted payments on 4/20/2022 instead of 4/21/2022. We apologize for this error and any inconvenience this has caused. We will issue you a check in the amount of $35 for our mistake. Please allow 12-15 business days for it to arrive.
  
  Thank you for your patience and for being a valued customer. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us, or call *************

  
  

  Customer response

  05/14/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  In the first place, ***** also bases my bill on meter reads and they manage to bill me on the same day each month, and only once a month.

  In the second place, bills from Solar Farms take two weeks or more past their billing date to arrive, even by email, and sometimes arrive only a day or two before they charge my account.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ******

  

  Business response

  05/20/2022

  Dear ********,

   

  We understand that ***** sends you their bill the same day they read your meter. Keep in mind that community solar is different. For us to invoice you, we rely on information sent from the utility company to know how many credits were applied during that service period. Unfortunately, because of this back-and-forth communication, results in our invoices being 2-3 billing cycles behind ******* billing period.

  
  The bills from Solar Farms New York are sent in a timely manner. Once we release them to ****, we do not have control over the delivery date. You do receive an e-bill every month. The e-bills provide you with all the information like the ***** period, the number of solar credits applied to your ***** bill, the savings, and how much you pay after the savings. You can create an online account to track your bills. Customer portal URL online.solarfarmsny.com/user/login. 

  
  Thank you for your patience and for being a valued customer. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us back, or call *************

  Customer response

  05/24/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  E-bills sometimes arrive with gaps of a week or more from the ***** statement date, much more than 2-3 days. Also the customer service number on your web site doesn't work. Just cancel my account if this is how you operate.
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ******

  

  Business response

  05/27/2022

  We are unable to provide you with our bills the same way that ***** sends their bills because we rely on the utility. There will always be a gap between our billing simply because we must wait for NYSEG to provide us with the credit report for each customer. 
   
  We sincerely apologize for the delay. We strongly recommend enrolling in paperless billing. Furthermore, all our e-bills has a link that directs you to the customer portal where you can access your invoices, update payment information, and more. We apologize for any inconvenience; we can reach out via email or phone using the contact information on file to further assist you with any questions you may have regarding your account. 
  
  You can give us a call on our billing line: ************

• Initial Complaint

  09/15/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 7/321 I requested that I be taken off the Solar Farms NY program I had joined. I received the following email: Good morning *******, Thank you for reaching out to Solar Farms New York. We are happy to help. I have cancelled your account. You will receive a confirmation email within the next 24-48 hours. If you have any questions, please let me know. Kind regards, Michelle V******** Membership Services Representative Solar Farms New York ** ***** ****** ******* ** ***** ** ************ Yesterday I received a bill for the month of August from the company so obviously they did not withdraw me from the program.

  

  Business response

  09/16/2021

  Dear Mr. ************, 
  

  At Solar Farms New York our top priority is customer satisfaction. Your account was cancelled per your emailed request on July 13th, 2021. Please note the following when cancelling an account with Solar Farms NY; we adhere to a delayed billing schedule, typically 60-90 days behind your ***** invoice. Solar Farms New York is not able to invoice you for any solar energy generation until ***** relays to us the value of those applied credits. Your invoice from Solar Farms New York will specifically reference the service period we are billing for to align to your ***** billing adjustment. The invoice that you received was for ***** service period 05/03/2021- 05/31/2021, this ***** period is before you requested the cancellation. You will continue to receive an invoice up through your cancellation date at a savings of 5%.  We are happy to help with any questions you may have.
  
  
  Member Services Team
  Solar Farms New York.

• Initial Complaint

  08/12/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I notified them over a month, maybe two that I wanted to cancel and keep receiving bills. They are an unscrupulous company that should be shut down. Please send me information as well on how to file a complaint with the attorney general of **

  

  Business response

  08/18/2021

  Dear Mr. *******, 
  

  At Solar Farms New York our top priority is customer satisfaction. Your account was cancelled per your emailed request on May 27, 2021. Please note the following when cancelling an account with Solar Farms NY, ***** the utility provider requires up to 90 days to stop applying solar energy credits to your utility bills upon receiving a cancellation notice. Payment is requested by Solar Farms New York for adjustments made to your utility bill during this time. This is done because you are still receiving solar credits to offset your utility bill at a savings of 5%. Solar Farms New York is not able to invoice you for any solar energy generation until ***** relays to us the value of those applied credits.  We adhere to a delayed billing schedule, typically 60-90 days behind your ***** invoice. Your invoice from Solar Farms New York will specifically reference the service period we are billing for to align to your ***** billing adjustment. We are happy to help with any questions you may have.
  If you have any follow up questions or concerns let us know.
  
  Member Services Team
  Solar Farms New York.

• Initial Complaint

  06/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for the SOLAR FARMS NY program around April 2020. I left the program in December of 2020 because I didn't think the savings were worth the hassle. The information I received said it would take 60 days for the outstanding credit charges to catch up and for them to stop billing me. It is June 2021 and they are still billing my credit card. I have written to their support email address repeatedly to stop. They keep giving me lame excuses like they are behind and it's taking longer and so forth. They have been billing me for literally longer than I was a customer. ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ***** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ***** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ****** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ****** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ****** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ****** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ****** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ****** ********** ***** ***** ** ********** ** ******

  

  Business response

  07/28/2021

  Mr. ********,
  
  Here at Solar Farms New York customer satisfaction is our top priority, we understand how frustrated you must be. There are a couple of important items to note regarding the cancellation process, the main one being that utilities need roughly 90 days to stop applying solar energy credits to your utility bills upon receiving a cancellation notice. Payment is requested by Solar Farms New York for adjustments made to your utility bill during this time. This is done because you are still receiving solar credits to help off set your bill at a savings of 5%. As Solar Farms New York is not able to invoice you for any solar energy generation until NYSEG relays to us the value of applied credits, we must adhere to a delayed billing schedule for adjustments made during a specific service period. Your account was cancelled on 12/30/2020. NYSEG removed you from the program in February 2021, which is the 60-day window that was mentioned previously. The last generated bill that was charged to your credit card was in May 2021 NYSEG production period February 2021.
  
  If you have any follow up questions or concerns let us know.
  
  Member Services Team
  Solar Farms New York

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩