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SunRun Deceptive Marketing Class Action Lawsuit
By Matt O’Donnell
SunRun Inc. has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the San-Francisco-based solar energy company deceived consumers into leasing SunRun solar panels by making misleading claims about their cost savings and about the increasing costs of electricity.
Plaintiff Shaw Reed alleges in the SunRun class action lawsuit that the company misled consumers into believing they could save money on “rising electricity costs” by using SunRun solar panels despite the fact that the energy prices at Southern California Edison began dipping or plateauing after 2008.
“The central premise of SunRun’s uniform marketing campaign is that increases in electricity prices will result in cost savings by installing the SunRun Solar system,” Reed says in the SunRun class action lawsuit. “But SunRun deceptively states with certainty something that is inherently unknowable.”
Reed further alleges in the SunRun class action lawsuit that the company was operating without a business license from 2007 to February 2012. The class action lawsuit is seeking a refund on customer fees from contracts entered into before 2012.
The SunRun class action lawsuit also claims company agents misleadingly told consumers they could terminate their SunRun contracts if they move.
The SunRun class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of all persons and entities in the state of California who entered into a solar power contract with SunRun prior to February 2012. It is also seeking to represent a subclass of all Class Members who were told by SunRun that they could terminate their contracts without further obligation if they moved.
The SunRun Class Action Lawsuit case is Shawn Reed v. SunRun Inc., Case No. BC498002, Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.
UPDATE 6/29/13: A federal judge has refused to dismiss the SunRun Deceptive Marketing Class Action Lawsuit, allowing it to move forward.
Updated June 29th, 2013
All class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Lawsuit News section of Top Class Actions
378 thoughts onSunRun Deceptive Marketing Class Action Lawsuit
Yes, have you heard anything from an attorney?
Irene, I know your comment has been almost two years but I was wondering if the attorney was able to get back to you? We want out of this contract. Thanks
If anyone figures a way to stick it to Sunrun let me know. Whether its turning the panels off one day a week or a way to get out of the contract all together.
I’m in the same boat as everyone else here. Lied to and deceived by the con artist salesman. Not saving any money with SunRun. Would love to get out of that contract and get these panels off my roof.
Just another story about being irritated and screwed over by Verengo/SunRun. My electric bills are routinely DOUBLE my original rates…. whether or not I am using the power. I pay $230 a month and it goes up each year. Verengo used a few oddball high months to determine the size of the system they installed in 2012… the year before my electric ran about $120 a month.I had my house for sale and lost two sales due to the lease. The best SunRun would offer me is to pre-pay the lease for my buyers, costing me an additional 25k+. I even tried to get the panels moved to my new house, and they could never tell me the price. They just didnt want to do it. I would join a class action suit in a flash. I was told rates were doubling soon, I was NOT told about the annual reconciliation fee (About $450 a year extra) and I wasnt told about the 3.9% raise each year. $230 a month isnt enough???? I want out.
I’ve been a customer of SunRun for 4 years know and just like all of you, I wasn’t told about the Reconciliation charge until it showed up in my True-up bill. Since I’m stuck with them for another 16 years I just let it go until a few weeks ago. I happened to surf the net and went to Sun Run’s website. Now they have it advertised that Sun Run has FREE overproduction charge. Of course I called customer service to see if this applies to me and her response was “Sorry but only to new accounts”!! I told customer service how unfair this new rule to old customer and all she kept saying was “I agree with you and I’m really sorry”! I think that we all should ban together to make Sun Run apply this new rule to old customers moving forward.
Thanks Jenny for that new information. Yes, it should go retroactive to prior customers. I hope they add that to this class action law suit. Also, I got an email from the attys in this filing above, Ive been automatically added to the class action for misrepresentation because I had my system installed in 2011. My rep told me that either a new buyer would assume the remaining years, or SIMPLY Sunrun would remove the system. I never heard that removing the system would mean that an entire buyout, around $23,000 would be on my head to pay. Sheesh! I saw that Solar City offers a third option, which is to move the panels to a new home, staying with that customer.. for a fee of course. I didnt find if Sunrun offered a move to a new home option.
sunrun rep lied too us as well. No savings, no maintenance even if your wiring from their install fails and melts wiring in the walls (which happened to us). No savings after 3 years (actually higher cost) and they are refusing to do any more cost analysis for us. No responses to problems. Every customer support call was responded to by a smug smartass who just wanted to hear only good stuff or they got snooty.
I hate this bunch of crooks and would be very happy to join a class action. The 20+ years I have spent in the US Navy has given me less grief than 3 years with sun run away with your money.
We have a complaint against them with the BBB.
We signed a contract with Sun Run to put at least a solar system on our roof with the guarantee our electric bill to be lower. A 5,471 kWhs for $100. Mt.
The system that they put on our roof has not meet the 5,471 kWhs on the contract and so they said that the system needs to be on the roof for one full year to get the whole picture. After one year later they are now saying they need two years and any kWhs the system is lacking they will pay us back .22 cent per watt which adds up to about $55. total. Meanwhile my total electric bill between Verengo and Edison is approximately $40. more per month times 12 months. Sun Run designed the system so that I would have a lower electricity bill each month like there radio ad states. I told them to add the 8 panels and change the 3,000 watt inverter to 5,000 watt inverter to bring the system to the 5,471 kWhs the contract states and they said that will take another contract.
We are asking them;
Put the system that I agree a 5,471 kWhs system. This system was sized by Sun Run to make my electric bill be lower the plans you drawn up and approved by Sun Run and I have no knowledge in how many panels I need on the roof or if the plans that were approved had enough panels. Sun Run used a 3,000 watt inverter 15 – 260watts panels and if you do the math 5,471 kWhs divided by 260 watts = 21 so Sun Run owes me 8 more panels and a 5,000 watt inverter for my system I signed up for and Sun Run claims that my electricity bill would be lower with their system on my roof.
I’m so glad that I found this site and I’m not the only one! We got or solar panals put on in December everything has been pretty much a lie, the amount they said it would be a month is over $50 more and when I called our rep was all ohhh it’s less when you get your taxes! Are you serious! Then me and my husband go to refi our house at Wells Fargo and they can’t even do a refi on our house while we have the solar on our house because it counts as a lein on our property until it gets paid off!! Are you serious the guy told us it was going on our property taxes! And when my husband had specifically asked that question he said no no it doesn’t affect anything like that at all it’s a program through the county that just adds onto your property taxes! I feel so cheated what a bunch of crooks!!
I have contacted Elaine T. Buszewski, attorney at law, she is the one who is currently taking the class action lawsuit against sunrun. Maybe if all of us try contancting her, she can start one for our group. Her number is 213-330-7149 email elaine@hbsslaw.com. I am still waiting for her reply, but I am hoping she will get back to me. I encourage all of you to contact her in hopes she can help all of us.