The Reddit account of a homeowner who leased a rooftop system during the SolarCity era highlights growing service problems after Tesla’s acquisition. The poster and multiple commenters reported long phone hold times — up to three hours — and lengthy repair waits, including examples of an 18-month inversion repair delay and multiple inverter failures within a year. The outage left the homeowner paying much more to the utility while still bound to a long-term lease. Commenters advised documenting requests, using in-app support, and confirming service, warranty and repair timelines before signing a lease.
Homeowner Says Tesla Takeover Left SolarCity-Leased System Offline and Support Waiting Times Reached Hours
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A rooftop solar lease can promise years of lower electricity bills, but one member of Tesla's solar customer community says the deal’s value depends as much on service as on panels. In a Reddit thread, the original poster — who leased their array during the SolarCity era — said support used to be proactive and hands-on, and that has changed since Tesla’s acquisition.
"I leased my system from SolarCity years ago and customer service was great," the poster wrote, adding that SolarCity would call if monitors detected problems. The poster says the system is now nonfunctional and contacting support has involved very long wait times: "Our system is down for the count. My wife has been trying to get support and she will spend up to 3 hours on hold."
Replies suggested the experience is not unique, though specifics vary. Several commenters said most requests are routed through the Tesla app. One wrote:
"From what I understand, everything has to be done through the app now."
Others described long repair timelines. One person said they were connected quickly via the app chat but were told it would be more than a month and a half before a technician could visit (reported location: SoCal). Additional accounts included waiting 18 months for an inverter repair and another user reporting three inverter failures in less than 12 months.
Because rooftop leases commonly span decades, monthly payments are only part of the financial picture. Reliable monitoring, timely service and fast repairs are essential to realizing long-term savings. For the Reddit poster, the outage had an immediate cost: their household began paying "a boat load more money" to the utility while still bound by the lease.
Not all feedback was negative. One commenter said they were "pretty happy" with a Powerwall after five years of service, though they acknowledged a broader issue with vendor lock-in and customer service. Another noted outages aren’t always caused by panels — animal damage to wiring once knocked out their array.
Practical Advice for Prospective Lessees and Current Customers
- Before You Sign: Ask who performs service visits, how warranty claims are handled, whether support is phone- or app-based, and typical repair timelines in your region.
- Prepare For Outages: Confirm what happens if production stops for weeks or months and how that affects expected savings under your lease.
- If You Have An Outage: Try in-app support if phone wait times are long, document calls and messages, and, when it’s safe, visually inspect for obvious damage such as chewed or loose wiring.
- Troubleshooting: Basic checks can identify whether an issue is equipment-related, a connectivity problem, or caused by external factors — and may speed up a resolution.
For readers interested in broader patterns, related reporting has covered Tesla’s move to add artificial intelligence to customer service, a potential class-action lawsuit after some Powerwall units were remotely shut down, and disputes over solar installations blocked by homeowners associations.
"This is totally unacceptable!!" the original poster concluded — a sentiment echoed by several commenters who urged clearer service commitments for leased solar systems.
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