Freedom Forever - Austin

this company has horrible customer service and follow up. i started the process of getting solar panels in april of 2021, it is jan of 2022 and they are still not operational. i’m paying mid sept) the finance company and my power bill still… they eventual get around to reimbursing the loan payment since the panels aren’t operational… but that’s not the point. trouble started with the install, they were ground mounts.. it took three attempts and several months of follow up calls to get them to come back or reschedule the install. after the installed panels “were done” i learned that the master chips and antennas needed to make them work wasn’t completed ( you can see in the pics the antennas are missing and so is a panel).. they eventually came out and finished that… then the process of getting them to get my power company the correct interconnect paperwork started (mid sept). i had to be the liaison between the 2 because forever freedom would not follow up with my power company’s request for the correct paperwork. finally my power company said they got the right paperwork and they came out to inspect the set and approve to operate. not to my surprise, the paperwork didn’t match what was installed at my house… the power company has sent them what is needed, i’ve called 3 times since and NO ONE has returned my calls, i have no idea when they will be back out here to correct the electrical work so it will pass inspection… worse company i’ve ever dealt with… STAY AWAY!!! i have a huge array that provides shade for my dogs…. update.. march 2022 - i finally had to drive about 100 miles to speak to someone because they wouldn’t return my call.. once there they finally agreed to get some one out there to fix the electrical work. they also had a customer relationship rep contact me. he was helpful.. after the work was done, i was asked to update or remove this post… my response, i’m not confident this has been resolved. i’m glad i didn’t… power company came out to inspect… still wrong! now i have to try to get someone to come fix it AGAIN…. unbelievable!! UPDATE- April 2022: so the came out to install/add the meter needed by the power company so i could get the Authority to Operate… the guys were great, but it started to rain that day… and they said for safety reason they could not finish… which i agreed, live electrical wires and rain-not a good combination. so the left the parts and left… that was 3 weeks ago and i haven’t seen or heard back from anyone!! this month marks 1 year that i started the process to go solar… and still, they are nothing but shade for my dogs!! 4/11/2022: FINALLY after a YEAR of messing with installs, inspections, rewiring, more inspections, and approval to operate.. we have solar panels operational! 5/21/2022: checked mail today and low and behold, freedom forever sent a check for project delays… it was a decent amount too, caught me by complete surprise!! they at least made an effort 😃

I had a very negative experience with Freedom Forever and wouldn't recommend to anyone. I initially told them I had a better quote elsewhere, so I was moving forward with that company. They offered to match, so I agreed to do the project with them. One day before installation, they called and said that my panels were not available so they would use others. Their proposal was to use a much inferior panel, so I declined and said I would wait. A month after, they confirmed that they were ready for installation. Everything looked well until I realized that they used a lower inverter model without my consent. I asked them to change it and honor our agreement but they declined. In addition, my panels are still not operational. I still hope Freedom Forever to make things right and change the inverters. As of now, this has been one of the most unprofessional companies I've ever worked with. Edit 10/05: I received a call from a support specialist. His goal was to get a better review but not to solve the problem. They will not honor the agreement because they decided that I should have an inferior inverter instead of what was negotiated. I regret doing business with them.

Edit: very happy to get a quick response after review. The branch manager called me directly and addressed all of my concerns. A team was sent sent over the next morning to fix the inspection failures. Happy to say they took my concerns seriously and are communicating and acting promptly to get everything taken care of. My install was performed 2 months ago and I have still not had them turned on because of failed inspections by Austin energy. Apparently they installed things not up to code. I have called numerous times to get a response and have been placated endlessly with “we will call you back” promises that are never followed through with. It doesn’t help that there is no direct line to call the Austin branch. I am worried that the project will not be completed and pass inspection by end of year thus missing out on the federal rebate before it goes down and having to wait another year before getting the tax credits. I was sold on the project to get the rebate before it went down, and that’s at risk. Talk about feeling duped. I’m frustrated and have spoken politely and patiently and have not been met with the same level of respect. I would really appreciate someone calling my in Austin to reassure it will get done.

Apollo and his crew did an amazing job! The work was done very quickly but done with great attention to detail. At the time of completion, Apollo explained how the system worked and demonstrated the processes of turning the system on and off, reading power usage, downloading the app, etc. overall a very pleasant experience!

Shady salesman from the start who lie and ghost after the contract is signed. Secondly the customer service reps are disrespectful and consistently lied. I would call about the same thing and get told two completely different things. Their own contract guarantees the system will be operational within 60 days, that’s not true. Try 126 and several angry calls with the customer service managers talking to you like you’re a child and 2 payments for a system that doesn’t work. Now let’s see how long it takes me to get reimbursed for these payments I’m owed according to your companies own contract. Me and my neighbor went through freedom forever, our other neighbor signed with Wells solar, more than a month after us, got installed and was operational before us and laughed at us when he heard their customer service line. The installers were great and they are the best part of this whole process. Also I’ll give credit to the production manager, A. Suarez. From the beginning (site inspection) he was a straight shooter and was the only consistent part of this process. I have to give him credit for always coming through and cleaning up the mess made by the incompetent staff employed by this company.