High Definition Solar

Looks like the reviews of this company greatly vary from person to person. My experience with them was great though.
I’ve had my system for a couple of months so far so I cannot comment on the total amount saved per year. It is late spring so there is a good amount of sun and I can check it on our PG&E statement that it is producing enough power. (We will see how we do in the winter months).
I got referred by a friend and I already had an open mind about solar so the sales part was relatively painless.
There was a slight drop in the communication between the sales team and the inspection team on when I wanted the inspection to occur. I told the sales person the day I wanted the inspection to occur and on the day of the inspection I called the main office and they said they were not aware of my date. They quickly remedied the situation by sending someone out in the next hour, so my date of inspection requirement was still met.
The inspection went well and I had panels up within ~2 weeks of my sales visit, which was a lot quicker than I expected the project to go.
I really appreciated the visit after the fact to explain the system and how it all works with PG&E.
Other than their slight hiccup for their internal communication I would say they were very accommodating on how I liked to communicate (text, email), and my crazy schedule.
I’m happy with the service and the panels provided, I’ll try to update this review in a year on my savings and how accurate the initial quote was.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THES PEOPLE! LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN! IGNORE DIAMOND CERTIFICATION.
These people did a pre-​inspection of my home and did not tell me that my roof needed to be replaced. They only told me to cut a tree back to get the best sun. Here’s the horrible result.
I put my home up for sale less than 6 months later. The inspection report came back that my roof needed to be replaced and the worst part of the roof on the report happens to be where the panels were put on. There are moisture issues that put my home at risk for fungus problems. I was told by three roofing specialists that they absolutely should have informed me of the poor condition of my roof before I agreed to have panels installed. The roof should have been the first priority.
The likelihood of these people damaging my roof upon installation is also high.
This entire situation has marginalized the sale of my home (new owners potentially taking on a huge problem that I would not have known about unless there were an inspection — if this had gone unnoticed, the gradual damage to my home could be greater than it is right now). Either way, I’m losing at least $ 20,000 as a result of an investment that should have saved me money.
They also told me that solar installments appreciate near entire investment cost. Wrong. Very untrue.
Finally, the unprofessionalism of the Operations Manager, Janae, was shocking. She was condescending, dishonest (she told me that the roof was fine because the city signed off, but this means nothing as far as whether or not damage is done to your home upon installation and they weren’t inspecting the roof). She did not respond promptly and when I called her to inform her of an email I sent letting her know about the recommendations of attorneys and roofers — a time sensitive email that would impact the sale of my home, she was resistant, defensive, and tried to turn the situation around onto me. I was flabbergasted.
In addition, they require you to sign an arbitration agreement. NEVER DO THIS, EVER!!!
Attorney’s an business owners know damn well that this only serves them. You will spend more on time and money for an attorney who will go to bat for you in arbitration than is worth it. You lose a lot in that process. It places you in a catch 22 situation in which it’s better to take the entire loss. In other words, arbitration agreements only protect the business owner, not the consumer. It’s a cost benefit analysis that’s nearly always in their favor.
These people are totally unprofessional scam artists. Do not so business with them. They’re absolutely horrible.

I just had a salesman come to my home to give me a quote. I’ve talked to a few companies and I questioned a lot of things. I’m the buyer right?! I paused at the end of his quote and said I needed to think this over. Instead of having the good sense to back off and let me decide about a substantial purchase, he pressed further. «What’s there to think about? We’ll give you $ 1000 off if you decide today but it’s only good today.» I said I need to do a little research about your company. Do you have a card or letterhead of some sort. He said, «Didn’t you research us before you let a complete stranger into your home?!» All I meant was researching his offer. All I had were scribbles on a legal pad. I thought $ 8500 was a bit high to insulate a 1500 sf home and $ 20 k for 6 panels didn’t sound right. And 8.9% over 25 years? YIKES. I didn’t have to share my thoughts with him. I knew it wasn’t a fair price. So, I half serious said don’t worry about me; I’m scrappy. He said, «What?!» I said you know… crazy. I’ll bite an ear off if I’m forced to. He said, How do you know that I’m not?! All I could think of was «Well if you want my business you better not be!» It was all attitude from then on out. How the heck would he know?! I proceeded to tell him that I wasn’t going to be swayed by $ 1000 (we’re talking a $ 30 k agreement) because that didn’t matter to me as much as making the right decision. I will not be pressured into buying anything. Imagine that! A woman that thinks for herself! He pressed on and said, «Well a thousand dollars is a lot of money to me!» I said I didn’t care. I needed more time. He said ok. This offer is good for 1 year. Guess what High Definition? I will never EVER do business with you. They may be diamond certified but it doesn’t mean they won’t try to sell you solar at an exaggerated price. Don’t sign on the line until you’ve done the research.

We set an appointment two weeks ahead for Saturday afternoon. They called one day prior to that appointment saying that time slot is no longer available and can I reschedule for a weekday? Evidently this is a pattern with them (see other reviews). I work during the week, so I told them not to bother. We have already received multiple quotes from other companies who are more responsive.

This company doesn’t even deserve 1 star! A door to door rep talked me into a consultation that I agreed to. Set an appointment for 10am that following Saturday. I get a call a day prior to that appointment from HDS saying 10am is no longer available so I rescheduled for the next Saturday for the same time. That next Saturday NO ONE SHOWED UP!!! NO SHOW, NO CALL, NO EMAIL! Very unprofessional and from the looks of the reviews on Unilocal I’m glad I didn’t go with them!

We used High Definition for our Solar panels, There has been great communication with
all facets of our project. Installers did a great job, Sales was not pushy and had a very
well laid out presentation. My experience has been excellent.

Nice salesman came to home tring to make appointment for an estimate in the future with another salesman. I set up appointment a month in advance. Salesman shows up and refuses to present any information unless my husband is present at the same time. No husband, no info. I say no info, no deal. Very insulting. What a waste of my time! At this point, you couldn’t pay me to do business with these people. Their loss. I should have read the reviews ahead of time. There is something to be said for reading Unilocal BEFORE you meet with a salesman.

Hello
High Definition Solar was recommended by a friend that works in Solar manufacturing. that was in reality the real mistake. here is my feedback on a single call with HDS.
I’ve received a call today from HDS, they started to explain me their processes and how they want to conduct their business. I tried to explain what I wanted. I already got in contact with multiple companies and got few estimates. My «ask» was simple. I want to buy a full 7K Solar system, no lease or else. I’ve explained to the lady I wanted all questions collected by Phone then they would be welcome to visit me with a organised proposal. Many other companies were fine with my plan. HDS was not a fun conversation, they were just pushing their method, we need to come visit and explain our business values, need 2 hours, etc etc. I could not place a word so I got tired of it, While the operations manager was still speaking I told her Bye and hangup, I was just done with them.
Ultimately, I did not have any bad call experience with any other vendors, HDS did not really care to listen about my needs (The Customer), it was a pain from the start, I already have good estimates and will decide on my solar system very soon, I know it will not be HDS.
My advice, be more flexible with new customers, you guys are rolling your method, it is exactly why people walk away. It felt people are at the office following a single old script.

Do not trust these guys. I have a system its not what I expected at all. I was forced into getting the system, they would not let me cancel my order and said they would put a lien on my house if I tried to cancel. They never get back to me when they say, wasting my time on numerous accounts. They had bad reviews under other name and then change to the current one. Shady people.

Door-​to-​door salesman seemed nice. I signed for the in-​home presentation. The man who made the presentation had less knowledge than I do about solar and other alternatives. His presentation was too long. The bid was EXTREMELY high, over $ 16,000 for 6 panels. Then about 4 days later a salesman called to say I had gotten a very good bid during the in-​home presentation, but not he would be able to offer a lower price if I signed up now because of the number of other installations they were doing in my neighborhood. This is high pressure sales. There are lots of shady solar companies in a big market and this is one of them.

A bunch of amateurs. They came to the door to offer bids, and since I have been planning solar for the past year, I said sure. Then they insisted on getting «my husband’s name and information» because, you know, I am a woman and all. I told them I had a wife, which happens to be the case. And that I’ve owned the building myself for 30 years, not my wife. They refused to do the bid, unless my husband, umm er, my wife was present at the time. Even though I own the building myself, not my wife, really? I asked – and they asked if I was sure my husband wasn’t available! Oh my goodness. In San Francisco I have to hear this. Oy vey.
The poor kid kept pressing me on this, and I found it so offensive – not sure it was discriminatory, but it sure was stupid and ignorant – that it made me know that I don’t want this company coming NEAR my Victorian. Have a nice day, dumbbells…
Frankly, I feel sorry for them at this point. Coming door to door, like it’s the 1930s… And their guy clearly knew nothing… And they want this kid to be their first impression! Amateurs. Wish I hadn’t been nice to them.

Don’t do it! I have their solar on my roof for more than a year now. I’m a victim of their lies.
Do your math very well. Include your APRs on your loan or loans (they might make you do two loans, combo loans) It’s not worth it. Also, PG&E will send you a lump sum bill for the year, so don’t spend the money you thought your saving.
Don’t fall into their tax credit pitch. Their Vice President called me himself today. He said they are not tax experts. The question is why are their sales employees using the tax credit as their pitch if they don’t know your tax.
I filed a complaint and I’ll keep you guys posted.

The sales person was very informative and helpful, but the proposal was extremely high compared to their competition. Pressure to sign quickly is a red flag for me. Get a few quotes before choosing High Definition Solar.

We purchased solar panels from them over a year ago. After assessing our savings, which by our calculations was only $ 300+ for the year, we called to express how unsatisfied were. In the sales presentation, the guy completely mislead us into believing we would be able to recover our $ 13,000+ investment in about 10 years. When confronted with this information, the salesperson allegedly had «written everything down» and denied ever telling us this. The VP of the company called us and all they said was that they were sorry that WE misunderstood them. They offered no way to remedy the situation and simply said that they would be in touch. Wow! Thanks for nothing.
IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT SOLAR, DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!

Seems like the reviews for this company are all over the map, good and bad. So I’m going to document everything about our personal experience and you can compare/​contrast with others’ experiences:
— Door to door salesman: We didn’t hear about HD Solar this way, so I can’t comment on their door-​to-​door tactics specifically. They were recommended by a different energy company, and we contacted them. However, over the past year we have been in contact with several different solar panel companies by door-​to-​door salesman and in-​store salesman. Like all the other comments here, all my experiences have been with pushy salesman. I’m just going to assume that HD Solar door-​to-​door salesman might be similar, but that’s just my experience with door-​to-​door people. (Literally had someone a few months ago try to sell me freeze dried salmon, with said salmon in hand. Yeah, all door-​to-​door people are pushy.)
— In-​house salesman: Friendly, informative. This was an approximately one hour presentation about solar and energy in general, the company, the installers, etc. Some people on Unilocal are saying that their salesman used scare tactics to drive the sale. Guess what? Just because a salesman says something scary in their presentation, doesn’t make it not true. Among the «scary» things our salesman said were: energy prices continue to rise, government rebates may not last forever, we could get a better price if we signed on the same day. All those things are undeniably true. Energy prices always rise. Government rebates don’t last forever. You can always negotiate a better price by paying cash and paying now. Of course, lots of other things were discussed and all of it was useful. The salesman never dodged a question.
— Project manager: Friendly, good communication, and good coordination. Within a week of the signed documents, we were contacted by the project manager. He was the one surveying our roof, designing the layout, and coordinating with the team of installers. He called us, emailed us, and texted us so that we were always in the loop. He gave us options when necessary, and in the end helped us get the layout that worked best for us. By the way, the layout does not just include the panels. The panels need to tie into the electric box, so there are pipes, wires, boxes, etc. that need to go somewhere. This was all part of his explanation and we could tell he was trying to make things look good with the layout of our house.
— Installers: Good. Ok, that’s not very descriptive, but I’m not sure what else to say here. They showed up on time, were friendly, finished on time, and cleaned up after themselves. There wasn’t much contact other than that, but there also wasn’t a need for it. In the past, I’ve had lots of contractors leave a mess. The HD Solar installers left with no sign that they were there in the first place. (Except for the panels. Those are still here, thank goodness.)
— Inspector: Friendly. A few days after the installation an HD Solar inspector showed up to coordinate an inspection with the county inspector. The inspection passed, and everyone was happy.
— Post-​installation Follow Up: Friendly, informative. A week after the inspection we coordinated a time with an HD Solar customer service representative. He came to our house and showed us how to track our solar usage, explained some information about our gas/​electric bill, and asked us about our experience with their company. He was super friendly, and I honestly couldn’t think of anything negative about any of our interactions with them.
So, overall I feel that HD Solar was a great company to work with. We are very happy with our panels and the price we paid for them.

I would not recommend them. Sales guy was here 2.5 hrs. What disappointed me is that most of the time was spent not on what is important (electrical condition of house, exact parameter of roof, performance of panels etc) but in scaring us into buying solar NOW. This was followed by numbers wizardry about how we will save a ton of money, followed by financing models. Notice the price of the system was not mentioned yet (almost 2 hrs in.). Then when I noticed the financing illustration was 3200/​year for 25 YEARS, I knew something was wrong ($ 80,000???). They wanted for a 10 panel system (around 3.1kW, micro inverter based, certainly newer tech) — $ 29,000– Of course, 15% or so off if we decide TODAY.
Classic door to door sales push– not worth it even if they are also a roofing company (not that the roofing comes at a great discount).
Went to a very reputable local Berkeley solar company– same type of newer tech, 3.66kW system, for around $ 7000 less even after the «super» discount. Exact same warranty (10 years work, 25 year equipment). Whatever technology they install cannot possibly be worth it– once you go Enphase micro inverter based– the panels themselves will not make a ton of difference. Suspect bigger companies might be even cheaper (maybe tech and installation not as high end). Experience with local company was fantastic — technology and installation focussed. And it was the company owner — not a sales rep working on commission.

This review is for their door-​to-​door sales team. I don’t like having strangers come to my door to sell me stuff. It’s an intrusion on my time and privacy, and it’s a hassle because we have two dogs that I need to hold back. I immediately indicated that, while interested in solar, «I’m not a fan of door-​to-​door sales.» I asked Jonathan S. to simply give me something with the company name so I could take a look at them online, and he continued to talk and talk. I attempted at least twice to put an end to the exchange in a polite way, and then finally said, «You two have a good afternoon.» Jonathan raised his eyebrows in a «Well aren’t you rude!» kind of way. His partner asked me how I would suggest they get the word out about their product. That’s not my area of expertise. I shouldn’t need to solve everybody’s sales/​marketing problems to get sales people to stop coming to my door. And so I said, «I don’t know, but that is not my problem to solve.» Definitely changed my mind about checking them out online.

High pressure door to door sales tactics, and their sales people are extremely rude when you decline to move forward as a sales lead. Totally unprofessional.

This autumn I had 6 solar panels installed on my roof. High Definition Solar was very professional and honest throughout the whole process. Each person I dealt with was friendly, on-​time, and knew their stuff. I do wish I had known before my in-​home sales consultation that I would receive a discount for signing up that day. But I appreciated being able to take advantage of the discount. :-) The install process went smoothly. The company followed up with me to make sure I was getting full use of their charting software and to make sure I was 100% satisfied with my experience. Over and over again it was evident to me that this company places a high priority on customer satisfaction and honesty. I would happily use them again.

Love them! I like the fact they made this process so easy and really explain everything.
They have double the amount of insurance required by law.
They are roofers and certified as such.