Is it possible that the reviews at solarreviews.com are faked?

[charles2]

I hired the best and most frequently reviewed contractor to install my system, but he showed up without a ladder and with a crew that mostly stands around scratching their heads. The crew looks nothing like the picture on the contractor's website. He gave me a timetable for completing the work (3 days total), but after 2 days of work it looks like it will take a week to finish. Something smells fishy.

[J.P.M.]

Do ya' think ? Follow the money. What reason does anyone have to believe anything written by someone they do not know and have never met ? Trust ? Without verification using one's own mind, brain and due diligence, never. Everyone's on their own. Wake up and smell the coffee.

Cynical ? Yup. I didn't make the rules. Just know how the game is run.

[Gstachura]

My review is real. But...I used months of my own research, due diligence, this site, Yelp and the California Contractor's State License Board to to select a contractor and verified everything before I pulled the trigger.

[J.P.M.]

My review is real. But...I used months of my own research, due diligence, this site, Yelp and the California Contractor's State License Board to to select a contractor and verified everything before I pulled the trigger.

That your review is real and honest I have no doubt. The work and care you gave the project is a lot of what it often takes, and offer a few examples of what most users don't even know about, much less consider.

You are part of a minority. No guarantees, but the quality of your finished product and its long term performance and cost effectiveness will reflect the care taken.

I also have no doubt that some, maybe even most reviews are done by sincere users. Two of perhaps many problems with reviews: 1.) Which reviews are honest, which are not ? There's no vetting process. 2.) Even if well intentioned with no deception in mind, IMO, most users are clueless about solar and what they bought/leased, making their opinions for the most part irrelevant. Kind of like asking for my opinion about brazier comfort or bed linen quality to pick two of the millions of things I know nothing about.

[indie]

This is a review site that contacts installers, who then pay to have reviews put up. I have had plenty of calls from these jokers.

[J.P.M.]

This is a review site that contacts installers, who then pay to have reviews put up. I have had plenty of calls from these jokers.

Oh - that would never happen would it ?? Everyone is honest and always gives full disclosure - especially when $$ are involved - right ??

Make selling ads or site editing of reviews the 3d possible problem in my very incomplete list.

[solar pete]

Well what a bunch of ill informed nonsense. Yes reviews are vetted. Do we have people writing fake reviews well that is tried often and we have ways and staff to check them out. Installers can ask for a review to be checked and we contact the reviewer and ask more questions. Is it possible that people dont get the same result from the same installer, well yes.

[solar pete]

Oh by the way we have kicked out around 18 solar business,s in the last 18 months for attempting to write their own reviews and i know some of those do or did frequent this forum and i have banned a bunch of them so sour grapes much go figure

[J.P.M.]

Pete:

As may be evidenced by my hopefully helpful participation in this forum, I do believe it performs a public good ( which BTW, I hope may have been enhanced to some small degree by my participation). I also believe this forum is not done solely for charity or pro bono. I understand and appreciate how the game is run. The bills need to be paid. Solar Reviews probably pays most of those expenses. If I'm ill informed on that or any other particulars, please correct my ignorance.

However, my opinions are what they are. I believe they are well considered even if perhaps, in your opinion anyway, ill informed. You may consider them nonsense as is your right . I do not.

I do not doubt your sincerity or veracity. I do have trouble understanding how you can imply that your vetting process and due diligence are foolproof, or even semi-secure enough to allow folks to have unbridled faith in them. More Caveat Emptor might be a better choice in my book.

Additionally, if the solar ignorance that is, IMO anyway, apparent among solar users who post on this forum typical or perhaps superior to that of the general public, that in itself may well be enough to make a critically thinking person question the quality of the opinions seen on any solar review site that uses such opinions. Put another way, because someone owns a PV system does not necessarily guarantee an informed opinion. As a matter of opinion, my experience mostly points in the opposite direction.

Are review sites useful ? Probably to a certain extent. I'd suggest not much. On several occasions I've seen good reviews of companies I've dealt with from my HOA responsibilities that I'd not let on my property after seeing the quality of their work, and/or trying to get straight answers out of them, and/or seeing how they prey on users' ignorance and attempting to clean up the mess. That's happened often enough to reconfirm my skepticism of the probability of accuracy and thus the worth of most any published reviews.

I suspect part of what's going on is that folks are looking at review sites with good intentions but lazy motives - that is, as a substitute for due diligence at information gathering rather as an adjunct to it. Or, to back into a confirmation of an already predetermined choice. To the extent those things may be correct, most all review sites are in the same boat with those peddlers who make money off people's laziness and ignorance. It's just business.

To those such as you or solar vendors who are ethical, my apologies.

As usual, take what you want of the above. Scrap the rest.

[Drastyn]

A review is just a tip .. Doesn’t really matter if it’s honest or not, I mean is just an advice no one have to take it as the truth or like a bible . Could be a fake or could be write by someone in good faith but ignorant. You must always do your research, test the waters and see if the installer can be honest or not. However, I hope for the best for you!