First let me say, I am a solar advocate, Solar is the wave of the future and if you have the resources, I would highly suggest going solar. So here is the continuing saga of a bad powerwall and the lack of response from Tesla to fix the problem.
On Feb 21st we had the our solar system installed along with the second powerwall2 in Clark County(maybe Nevada). It took over a month to get approved by city and NV energy. Because this was the first powerwall install to be approved it took a little time for everyone to sign off, the process should be quicker now. I will say that NV Energy did their part to move things along and the people coming out to do the final inspections were professional and friendly, and were quick to approve the turn on, monitoring and email correspondence with their process. Thank You NV Energy.
The Install Crew for Tesla was top rate, they cared about doing their job with the highest value in their work and the look of the install. I do have to say I have never seen a crew who was so all in on the work as this one was working for Tesla Solar.
After turn on it was evident that the battery was only charging to 57%. The Tesla app allows for monitoring the energy usage and production very well. The Brains which control the system, work seamlessly, switching between charging the battery sending power to the grid, and our house.
The Powerwall2 is rated for 13.8 kwh storage. At the most our battery charges with 4 to 5kwh depending on the day. 3 days after the system was on I noticed that the battery was only charging to 55 or 57% (I gave it a couple of days) I called Tesla Customer Service. They could not connect me to a battery Specialist, because they were all busy, so they told me someone would CALL! I also sent an email outlining the problem. At the end of the first day, I had not heard anything so I called back. The customer service guy said he could not connect me and because it was the weekend, someone would contact me later.
48 hours later someone replied with a lame email response that did not address the issue. I chased this problem for a week and finally after several calls on my Part, (NONE from TESLA to me) I was finally able to get a hold of a Battery specialist, who said that they determined a couple of days before that the battery would need to be replaced, and they sent in a request. No time line was given. (they never bothered to call me to tell me this)
Around April 9th I sent an email again, and 48 hours later received a response the battery was supposed to be in the Las Vegas Warehouse within the week. Two weeks later after hearing Nothing, I called Tesla Customer Service. There was no battery, they did not have a time estimate, and could not provide any information, about when it might be replaced.(or when a battery would be available)
It is now 46 days since they were told about the defective Battery, and still Crickets. Never has Tesla called me, or sent me a email without me initiating a question.
This really is beyond, Ridiculous.
Again I had such High Hopes.
The system is working as it should, even during cloudy days. The panels are supplying power, the battery is working, just not to its full capacity.
So as far as my experience with Tesla Customer Service it is a Fail! Buyer beware on lack of Response after your system is installed.
3/18/18
So just got off the phone from Tesla Customer Service, they don’t have a timeline, their excuse is they are waiting for Gigafactory for timeline. I then went to Tesla Forum and found a thread it seems Installs for Powerwall are now delayed till 2019. So the hope of getting mine fixed is 2019 or never. If you keep up on the news Tesla Gigafactory is having issues with their car production, and some on the forum have suggested that the cars are more important so powerwalls may be last on the list. So if you have a Defective product, good luck getting it fixed. This goes with being the first with something. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get screwed. I would suggest sadly if the numbers work for you, solar panels do work, however with out the battery your usage during the day is trivial, and may not make a difference. We do have a battery, that at least works halfway, so we will be up a little. but only 55 to 65 percent fully covered with battery and solar. We would be 100 percent with a fully working battery. If you are waffling. I would say stay with NV Energy, until Tesla gets its act together or scout out other battery options. Mr. Musk seems to have to many pans in the fire, and Customer Service is failing. (not even relevant)
Final Words, BUYER BEWARE, Expect no customer service after purchase. I have no expectations for any response from Tesla till 2019 if the Tesla Forum is Correct.
SAD! That I had to find out this info on the forum. If Customer Service would have said this it would have been a better response, then WE DON”T KNOW.
Stay Tuned!
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