He's dished out tens of thousands of dollars for tech that should be saving him money, but instead, one Valley man says he's paying even more because of it.
Sam Seidito says the solar panels on his roof were installed in May by a local company, Priv-Energy Group. Seidito took a loan for more than $35,000 to pay for the project.
He signed a contract, hoping to see his electricity bills go down, but says they have been nothing but a headache since.
"It hasn’t worked since the day they put it on the house," said Seidito.
His latest issue -- the battery that stores the solar energy.
After it overheated, he called Priv-Energy, who said it needed replacing. Employees with the company came to his home in September and sent the part back to the manufacturer.
"I'm still waiting for the battery to come back five weeks later," he said.
ABC15 reached out to Priv-Energy Group, who acknowledged Seidito's issues, but added there's not much they can do other than wait for the part.
Seidito says he hired the company after a man claiming to be a company owner, knocked on his door in January, but he never did his own research on the company prior to signing a contract.
“It’s a lesson learned, yes it is," he said. "I wish I would have investigated the company first."
A simple Google search showed at least three bad reviews against the company, and Yelp showed at least a dozen more. The company's general manager, Fred Richie, says he's worked to resolve each and every complaint, citing Priv-Energy's A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau website.
Seidito says nonetheless, he's not happy with the way the company has handled the issue. He says on top of the technical issues, he's had trouble getting any information on progress being made.
He's hired an attorney to look into the issue and is considering taking legal action. Seidito has also filed several complaints with the Registrar of Contractors and sent messages to his fellow neighbors advising them to stay away from the company.
