It's advice that nobody wants to hear, but in this case, the Reddit community was pretty sure of it. A homeowner who had gotten put in a pickle by a solar installer had no choice but to bite the bullet and lawyer up.
The Redditor shared their conundrum in a post on the r/Solar subreddit. When they hired a "reputable" solar contractor to install a rooftop solar system and electric vehicle charger, they didn't anticipate the complications that would arise.
"Come to find out they installed my system (44 panels) without first submitting plans and getting interconnection approval from the electric utility," they wrote.
The issue became evident when Puget Sound Energy informed the homeowner that a transformer upgrade would be necessary. This unexpected requirement added $9,000 to the project's costs.
While the original poster would be expected to pay this in general, they cast doubt on whether they would've green-lit the project in general if they'd known about the additional cost. Now, they were adamant they shouldn't be on the hook for it.
They called the contractor's hasty handling in breach of the contract and in violation of Washington state law. Fortunately, they hadn't paid anything to the contractor just yet.
The OP asked: "They should be on the hook for this, right? Am I going to have to take them to court?"
They said that they'd love to handle the matter without a lawyer after deploying ChatGPT to summarize the case and their legal standing.
While commenters were on the OP's side, they quickly advised contacting a lawyer to ensure compensation and resolution. Some of them were sharply critical of what they called "AI slop" from ChatGPT.
"Unless the contractor is willing to pay for all fees and costs, you need a lawyer," a Redditor identifying as a lawyer said. "It's not your fault, but it is now your problem."
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
"Here's the thing about lawyers, it signals you're serious," another user explained. "... Now you can hope that when you say 'hey this is breach of contract' they take you seriously, but they probably won't."
|
Which of these savings plans for rooftop solar panels would be most appealing for you?
Click your choice to see results and earn rewards to spend on home upgrades. |
Save $1,000 this year 💸 
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
