Precis Solar

The panels provided by this installer are good if you use SunPower, and pay more; however, their cost is on the high side. The two star is for the terrible communication by operations and specially sales manager.

I spoke with reps from 6 solar companies. Précis did it for me! From the sales rep (Devon) to the install to the final inspection and touch-​up guy (Ernie), I was happy all the way through the process. Ernie was there with enough time to get everything completed properly and turn it on. I even learned during the final inspection that Précis hides the conduit the best, others don’t. Can’t go wrong with these guys!

I had an excellent experience with Précis Solar/​SunPower. From initial call, to meeting with salesperson to installation everything was done as promised and on time. The salesperson — Devon Lee — was particularly good and is the primary reason I went with this company. Everything he said would happen happened and I am completely satisfied with the results. This experience couldn’t have been better.

We live in the Palm Springs, Ca area. We called Précis last summer. Our average light bill at that time was $ 368. a month. Gary and Kathy Newton were at our house the next day, very polite and professional. After a few minutes they told us they could get us a $ 198 rate, hard to believe it could be so much lower. We signed the papers and within a few weeks our system was completely installed, no problems at all and it looked great.
Our panels were turned on just before Xmas, this is June now and every month my electric bill has been a negative, from $ 368 a month to $ 198 with ZERO out of pocket, A NO BRAINER!!!
Thank you Kathy and Gary Newton and thank you Précis Solar, the monthly savings bought me a new car!!!

These guys rock! They, answer their phone which seems obvious but any of these companies do not. Beautiful experience so far. More posts later.

We been thinking about getting solar panels for awhile now, but after sitting down with Nicholas Martisofski and talking about the benefits I couldn’t feel any more comfortable. Nic was very informative and really took the time to explain how everything works which can be a little intimidating understanding the numbers. Never did I ever feel pressured or felt like I wasn’t being provided with enough info because nic will re assure you of any questions you may have so don’t be afraid to ask. Customer service is top notch you won’t be disappointed.

I ended up purchasing a top-​of-​the-​line 10Kw «Sunpower» system from them for my home. $ 53,000 (before tax credit). –From the first in-​home sales visit to the completion of installation/​inspection, dealing with this company has been nothing short of a miserable experience. The ONLY positive was that the install crews seemed competent & friendly.
«Ryan», my original sales rep, dropped more balls that Eli Manning! He had to cancel/​reschedule once on our original in-​home sales call, for which I had to rearrange my schedule (should’ve be a red flag). When we finally did meet a few weeks later, he gave me a fairly weak presentation. but didn’t really matter; I was already sold on the tech and specifically SunPower. (also the tax credit of course). He assured me that they take care of everything start-​to-​finish; HOA approval, inspections, permits, etc. He also assured me verbally that the project would be completed by ¹²⁄₃₁ and it also reflected on the purchase agreement, which was signed on 9÷29÷15. Long story short; my project was finally completed on 2÷18÷16! Yep– took almost 5 months!
About a month went by and I had heard NOTHING from Ryan, so I called him for an update. Several days later, he returns my call saying he’d «check on it». More days go by, I call him back. He said that the permits are being processed by the city, etc. Another month goes by– NOTHING, no communication from Ryan. I’m obviously less-​than-​impressed with this rep and this company at this point. Finally, in first week of December– I tell Ryan I need him to make me a priority; 3 weeks left in the tax year (and until contractual completion date) and all I had is the «roughed in» electrical panel and several holes in my garage for weeks. I told him he really needs to step up his communication w/​me.
Finally– after another almost week goes by w/​no follow-​up, I decide I need to go over his head as he is either incompetent or overwhelmed. perhaps both. I needed some answers; heck just some basic customer service! I begin speaking with «Debra» at the sales office and quickly learned that she had input the incorrect tel# for me in her computer records and was calling a wrong # with updates!!! My palm promptly hit my forehead. At this point, they convey that they will not meet their contractual deadline of ¹²⁄₃₁. It will probably go well into feb. I then threaten to cancel the contract. I promptly received a text message from Ryan (the sales rep who has been MIA the entire time), imploring me to not cancel because «he doesn’t want to lose the $ he outlayed for the electrical». I’m not making this up, folks. He really said it.err. texted it. At that point, I asked for a sales manager to call me and was informed that «Tim» (some sort of regional sales Mgr) would be calling. When he didn’t call, I asked for the VP of the company; «Matt». He called and I informed him that I need some compensation or will cancel… and by the way – my experience with your company has been miserable. He asked me what I wanted; and I said «at least make me whole for the difference in what I’m still paying for conventional electricity (for 2 more months vs net metering)». Around $ 875. He agreed. but I had to wait until final completion for the $$. About 5 minutes later, I check my email and was informed by my HOA that i must «cease and desist» install, as I never submitted an application to the architectural review committee. I called Matt back and told him. He said he’d get right on it. Ryan called and said «you have an HOA».? Face palm once again. Unbelievable.
–Long story short– that little ball-​drop (of about 5 major balls dropped to that point) cost about 20 more days. Ryan and some others even asked me if I could help getting neighbors signatures for them; wow! (as in doing their job for them after they failed to do it themselves and cost me another 20 days).
–I informed Précis that I do not want to see or interact with Ryan again. Once the HOA finally signed off, they slowly began work and took another month to complete the project. The whole while, I had holes in my garage wall/​panels and equipment stored and had to coordinate someone being home (wife & I both work). I was also informed that I would need to wait another 2 weeks for the «monitoring equipment», as someone dropped the ball on ordering or delivering that. When the job was FINALLY done, I requested that «Tim» bring me my manuals. He did and attempted to apologize for my experience. I had to tell him that my case is a textbook example of «the opposite of how you should treat a customer… one buying $ 53,000 panels no less». He agreed. I also reminded him (and had reminded Ryan 3 times) that my referral (work colleague who referred me) needs his $ 500. He assured me he would follow-​up and did not.
–Buy your panels elsewhere, folks.

Updated review:
We finally got our system turned on a little over a week ago. Although I wasn’t terribly impressed with the communication throughout the entire process and feel this is something that could definitely be improved upon, they were pretty good about taking care of any issues that came up. For example, we had to get some repair/​patching done on the ceiling in our kitchen when they were up in our attic running wires and such, and a junction box fell through my kitchen ceiling (eeek) – they were great about patching the hole, getting a paint sample to ensure the colors matched, and painting it (even coming back on a different day to apply another coat of paint to ensure a good coat/​finish). Later, during one of our recent rains, we discovered a leak in the ceiling in my daughter’s room, called them and they came out within a reasonable amount of time to fix the roof issue. My husband has been monitoring our power usage through SDG&E’s website and we are very pleased to see such a dramatic decrease in our energy usage.
So what did I learn from this experience, and hope that Précis learned? That in a nutshell, customer service is EVERYTHING. I get it, I’m not your only customer, but the idea is to make each customer feel like they are the only one and your sole focus. It’s clear you have people working for you who are friendly and knowledgeable. It sucked having to wait nearly 6 months to from start to finish, that’s something I could live with, but being left in the dark for much of that was just not good. All it takes is a simple phone call from the office or email from the sales rep just to let the customer know you’re still waiting on X, Y, or Z. A quick 1 or 2-​minute follow-​up/​update phone call can often mean the difference between a good Unilocal review and… a not-​so-​good one. :)

After meeting with several solar companies, Précis Solar was the one to beat ! With the great deal to fit what we were looking for and the excellent customer service given by Devon Lee and Tim Marquez we couldn’t have made a better decision to go with Précis!!! I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to install solar.

Reached out to several companies but only Précis provided a well-​thought, informative presentation. Others promised to get back at me several times but never did but it would not have mattered as Devon Lee and the installers (BIlly (sp?) and Luis) did a fantastic job explaining what I’m getting and walked me through the entire process. Their admin team (Arianna, etc.) also did an awesome job, calling me and updating me throughout the installation process.
What I’m impressed about as well is how the installation came out clean. No conduits running around my house. All wires were installed within the walls. The inverter is actually installed inside the garage. I’ve seen others where conduits are all over the place and the inverter is outside. Mine was installed cleanly.
To potential buyers — if you are looking to install solar, I suggest to pay attention how they engage with you the first time. Anything less than going above and beyond with their customer service, I won’t even bother. Précis will get bigger as long as they continue what they’re doing.

I just wanted say I installed a 6.0k system, it is functioning great, the install went off smooth, they we’re fast and work was high quality. Tonight I finally got my manual that was dropped off by Tim he was very professional and took time to explain all questions I had about how system works and efficiencies are calculated. Great experience highly recommend

I waited until my final meeting with Wrede Whitney, the Sales Specialist whom I first met with, before I submitted my review. I will have to say this, my experience was SOLID from the initial meeting, until my last discussion with Wrede. I work for a large corporation, and expected a LOT from this experience. I got just that, with a flare of home town goodness from a local company.
I had 5 different quotes and meetings with different solar specialists from around the San Diego area. I can tell you that Wrede was the only one who sold what I wanted and needed, at the highest degree of satisfaction. He sold ONLY what I needed, which was a 4.83KW System, with the best SunPower X21−345 Panels, and configured them very neatly on my rooftop, with no exposed electrical tubing or extra racking. Along with that, the installation of the inverter in my garage was professionally done by Colton, and closed out by Luis. These guys were truly incredible installers, and wonderful polite people. No leftover messes, all holes were patched to my satisfaction, and all equipment was tested, and performs wonderfully.
Lastly, Maegan and Ariana are true pros at what they do in the office. They wanted to make sure I was taken care of from start to finish. Kudos to the people I did not meet in person, but were delightful to work with over the phone.
I would have to say this company has been a pleasure to work with, and gets my grade of A+ overall. I would highly recommend Précis for Solar, and happy to get on the phone with anyone in regards to my recommendation.

Précis Solar is a very good, family owned company! Their Canvassing Team is extremely knowledgeable and easy to talk to, you can tell they’re genuine about their job and solar. I liked the fact that they break down the prices and costs from start to finish!

Don’t even know where to start… From the get go Steve Johnson is a man of his word. We turly appreciate his help every step of the way and we are so happy with our Solar. Also Ernie R. came over to do all the final touches. Very professional and did a pristine job. It was such a pleasure doing business with such a great company. We really appreciate the work they did for us. I’m telling everyone about Précis Solar. Thank you Steve and Ernie!!!

I interviewed 4 different solar companies and the only one stand out was Précis Solar. The determine factor was Kim Nguyen, he came and explain thoroughly what will be done, how many panels and especially the costs, how much it will be while other companies just brush through.
The installation is very swift and professionals. The crews clean up everything like they promised they will. Very happy with their work. My friend use another solar company before me and until now, he’s not turn on yet. I can see his frustration with that company. He wishes he went with Précis.
I am referring this Company to all my friends from now on. No hassle, no headaches just straight to the point and done.
Thank you Kim Nguyen for making my life easier.

Awesome place to get your solar panels!!! Very professional, and Kathy Courtney helped us immensely!!! I have recommended Précis Solar to all my friends…
Thanks again Kathy
The Sparrows

Awesome! Is the word to describe this company. My husband and I were going to go with Solar City, however it soon became apparent that they were not trustworthy.
A coworker for my husband recommended Précis and I’m so happy he did. My husband called them immediately, and they came out that day.
They were extremely professional and knowledgeable. They showed us the comparison of the solar panels Solar City wanted to install to the ones they offered by bringing the panels our home.
The installation is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Everything is inside of the garage there are no pipes that you can seen going down the side of the home nor on the roof. This is because all the piping goes through the walls.
There is only one box on the exterior of the home, while the most bulky and important components are all inside of the garage. Our neighbors have commented on how they did not even know we had solar.
Précis followed up with us and kept us informed as to the various inspection appointments and sdg&e arrival. Sdg&e came out less than two weeks after installation.
I recommend Précis to all of my friends and family. I wish there were more companies that were this professional.
Thanks again Précis!!!

The install crew was great. They did everything as expected, and when they ran into hiccups and had to come back, they always scheduled a time, and arrived on time. All of the drywalling and other work was clean. They even gave us pictures of our roof so we could see the work.
Kathy in sales was excellent. She didn’t pressure us, and gave us true numbers. We took our time to think about the system, and when we were ready, she had the system up and running within a few weeks.
I highly recommend this company.

Let me start by saying that these guys are for real. I was turned away by other solar companies and it seemed like all of them were trying to up sale me. I didn’t feel pressured and I like how they were able to explain how it works. Tim was my sales person and was very knowledgeable and professional. I highly recommend that you deal with a Précis Professional. They even work with my roofer when everybody else wanted to use their own. They hooked me up though the HERO program but gave me multiple option to use. I definitely feel I got a great deal with them. Thanks Tim

We started out kinda rough, mainly from an inexperienced sales rep or two.
The install crew is top notch. Great quality workmanship and good personalities to match. I went with 125 watt panels that were highly recommended. I was told they were so good they would over produce for the first few years. I have 34 of them equaling 5.1KW. I have never gotten more than 4.2KW out of them at one time. I wasn’t expecting a 20% down slope right after install. They told me to make sure the panels were clean, I went to the roof and scrubbed ever panel spotless. Still the same results. I still haven’t gotten what I was told by my original sales rep and that’s disappointing. The upper management doesn’t seem to care about what I was told I was getting compared to what I got. I assume since they were already paid in full, it makes no sense to give the customer anything else. The 3 stars I gave were for Précis sales reps, the install crew gets 5 Stars from me. Mainly Billy and Luis. Turned in a referral slip about 5 weeks ago from a buddy of mine and haven’t heard back from them. Called a few minutes ago and was told I will be getting a call back. Overall I am satisfied with the job that was done. I still need five more of these panels just to get the power that I was promised. That’s the disappointing part.
Edit… Referral check was there. Maybe issues with my phone and receiving voicemails. I have had this issue with my phone before. Everything else is being looked into by the company. Hoping for a great outcome.
Edit II 7÷24÷2015. So after having them out to recheck the entire system. They have come to the conclusion that everything is working fine.
Please read all the small print about the solar panels you are buying. Just because they say 150 watts don’t mean that’s what you getting. Those 150 watts are under laboratory condition and not real life numbers. The 112 watts I get «Real Numbers» are about 75% of the potential. Although while the technician was here, I saw a spike to almost 4900 watts. I would also like to give out credit to the tech. He explained everything in detail. I think that the sales rep could learn from him. Great customer service and an explanation of details is mandatory in today’s market. I can’t change my rating yet, but they are working with me to fix some issues with my previous sales rep. I see an effort to resolve my issue. That’s a great starting point.