A Texas homeowner says a Tesla Powerwall 2 safety recall has turned into a drawn-out service headache, with Sunrun routing the case to a partner company that then scheduled a visit with a $450 "battery troubleshooting" charge.
Here's what to know
According to the post in r/Powerwall, a recall notice appeared in the Tesla app at the end of August, and the homeowner said it directed them to work through Sunrun, the company that installed the system.
The homeowner said a technician came out on Sept. 8, determined that the Powerwall needed replacement, and said the submission had been made. After that, the case was marked as resolved.
The homeowner said a manager later mentioned another site visit, but the installer then transferred the job to a partner company. The appointment was eventually moved, and the partner listed the fee for "battery troubleshooting."
The poster said they would not pay because they viewed the work as part of a recall and warranty issue.
Similar accounts appeared elsewhere in the thread. After calling the manufacturer directly, one commenter said the installer had initially tried to charge $500 and that "it was a recall and they no longer needed to charge me the $500 service call fee."
More background
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What can be done?
One commenter said the installer stopped pursuing a $500 service-call fee after the manufacturer said the work fell under the recall.
Another commenter advised building a fuller paper trail, including the August recall notice in the app, the Sept. 8 technician note, the email tied to the "issue resolved" glitch, and any partner-company estimate that lists a diagnostic fee.
That same commenter said the homeowner should ask both companies to confirm in writing that the appointment is for a recall replacement and carries a "$0" cost.
As for the original poster, the timing was less than ideal. "With the storms in Texas this week, I really wish I had it too."
Where can I learn more?
For more on the kinds of home battery and solar service issues raised here, these stories look at surprise fees, stalled fixes, and other homeowner frustrations.
• A solar customer said botched installation and closed tickets left critical problems unresolved.
• In one home, a strange installer policy left the resident staring at a $6,000 bill.
• A solar owner blasted ridiculous charges from a utility after an already costly setup.
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