Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Route 66 solar installed solar panels at my home. I was promised a ten percent refund by the federal government on my income tax refund. This is a lie and one that not only this company tells potential customers but other apparently do as well according to my CPA. I have the proof via text messages from the owner, ****** ******.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/21/2025

  At Route 66 Solar, we are proud to be a family-owned, values-driven solar company committed to delivering high-quality, code-compliant solar systems and clear, honest education to every homeowner we work with. We deeply regret when a customer is unhappy, but in this case, the complaint filed by Mr. ***** ****** is both inaccurate and misleading.

  Mr. ****** states that we “lied” about the existence of a federal tax credit—yet this credit, the Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D of the Internal Revenue Code), has been on the books since 2005. It is worth 30% of the project’s cost, not 10%, and has been extended and supported under Republican and Democratic administrations alike. It is a nonrefundable credit, which means it reduces your total tax liability—potentially resulting in a refund if your employer has withheld taxes throughout the year, as is the case with Mr. ******.

  In fact, millions of homeowners successfully used this credit in 2023 and 2024 alone, and we’ve guided thousands of customers—who confirmed receipt of the credit—with proper disclosures and transparency. While we are not legally allowed to provide tax advice, we do our part to explain the general mechanics of the credit, and we encourage all customers to consult their own trusted tax professional.

  In Mr. ******’s case, our team explained the credit multiple times, both over the phone and via text message. We even had his solar loan provider call him directly to clarify. That lender told us afterward that the conversation went well and that the customer understood the credit. However, within hours, Mr. ****** again claimed that we had “lied”—a pattern of baseless accusations and confrontational behavior that unfortunately defined his interactions with our team.

  We are also compelled to address Mr. ******’s history of inappropriate conduct:
  ***Immediately after installation he accused us of causing property damage and demanded compensation, but we produced time-stamped photos from our pre-installation site visit showing the damage existed well before our team ever arrived. His solar meter, which he claimed was involved, is on a completely different side of the home and nowhere near where the damage was located. 
  ***He berated our staff repeatedly, including the company owner’s daughter, for not responding to messages outside business hours. When she gently asserted that boundary, he responded with a barrage of abusive texts and threats to have her fired and report her to the BBB. 
  ***He has since threatened our company with the BBB, media outlets, a class-action lawsuit, the Illinois Attorney General, and claimed he was on the city council and would have us banned from the town—all over a federal tax credit that absolutely exists.

  We want future customers reading this to know that we take integrity seriously. We don’t use high-pressure sales tactics. We don’t make misleading promises. We don’t operate in gray areas. What we do is build solar systems that pass inspection, perform as designed, and qualify for all available incentives. And we treat our customers—and our team—with respect.

  In this case, we made every effort to address what we believed was a misunderstanding, but the pattern of verbal abuse and false accusations have continued unabated, leaving us to wonder if this behavior is why you said your previous solar company blocked communication with you. 

  To Mr. ******, we still urge you to get a second opinion from a qualified CPA who is experienced in renewable energy tax law. We believe you are entitled to your solar tax credit—and we hope you ultimately receive it. You are still entitled to file an amended tax return for last year.  

  To future customers: Route 66 Solar stands by our reputation. We invite you to speak to our many satisfied homeowners, review our inspection record, and ask questions about how solar—and the incentives that support it—work. We are here to do it right.

  Sincerely,
  ****** ******
  Owner, Route 66 Solar

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/30/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 3/30/23 we contacted ***** the owner of Route 66 Solar with concerns about the financing that was described. And what the bank actually informed us. ***** proceeded to raise his voice then start cussing at us because we had questions. He was very unprofessional and rude. We just wanted to get help with clear direction and clear up our confusion of what we were initially told at the time of sale. Instead were both cussed out and told he doesn't give a **** who we call.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2023

  Hi ****** *** *******. We're had a supervisor at the bank reach out to you directly. He left a vm on your cell phone on Friday. They've been onboarding a new larger call center team and what you described to us is not how your loan works. Since last week when you accused someone on our staff of being a liar, we've been working with management at the bank to pull the recording of your call with the bank to listen to it and know who gave you the incorrect information, but no one has been able to find any record of your call. We've had the bank search your phone number and ********, so I'm having a *******, a bank supervisor reach out directly to clarify your solar loan, apologize for the incorrect information someone gave you, and possibly discipline whoever told you incorrect information. If you can remember their name we will continue to push for management at the bank to take action on this. Regarding servicing and communication, we've been on the phone with you or ****** more than 3x a week since you were installed. Our repair tech was at your house 3x trying to fix the issue you described over 2 weeks. He sat on your roof for 3 hours one day while one hold with the manufacturer on a service call to troubleshoot the issue in the freezing cold. To recap the issue: you had 2 panels that did not check in after you were installed. We sent out the repair tech. Usually it's an issue with the microinverter. We immediately swapped the micro - free of charge. We didn't get a signal from the system and went back again when there was daylight. We swapped out the microinverter again and got the same result. We went back a third time and this time brought you a new panel to try. It turned out one of your panels was defective out of the box and had overheated both micros. This is not something we've seen before. It's highly unusual for the panel to be the issue. Our repair guy spent more than 10 hours at your house and we went through 2 microinverters and a panel to correctly diagnose and fix the issue for you. We repaired and replaced the equipment free of charge while we worked with the manufacturers to file warranty claims on the backend. We not only paid for it, we didn't make you wait for the manufacturer to issue the replacement equipment, which is the industry standard, which by the way we are still waiting on. We're sorry you feel like the service you have received was not good enough. We bought your replacement equipment ourselves and prioritized servicing your system while juggling fixing systems sent to us by the state that were incorrectly installed by other, usually out of state installers. Many of those customers have been non-functional for years and as a local company, we believe in helping stranded solar customers that other installers have left behind. We're glad your system is operational and we're proud of the work our staff have done. We again encourage you to reach out to ******* at the bank to understand how your loan works. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:  IN response to your statement of communicating more than 3x a week since install, that is incorrect, attached are photos of communication. Unfortunately i can not upload them all, so i will list. First message sent to ****** regarding the panel problem was on Jan. 13th, immediate reply, Jan 14th , immediate reply still troubleshooting, no follow up . Message sent Jan 21, immediate reply, told still troubleshooting. Message sent Feb 11th to find out an update, No reply. Feb 13th told a tech was coming that day. Feb 15th message sent, still not working, still troubleshooting after inverter replacement. Feb 18th Message sent for an update, NO reply. Feb 21, received a message that the problem is still being looked into. Feb 22, and 27th looking for an update, NO REPLY. NO other communication with ****** since then. I did call the Owner and left a VM, no reply, he had tech call me. I took a day off work to be available for the tech. Fortunately the day he arrive it was NOT freezing cold, and yes he did troubleshoot and wait on the manufacture. We never called anyone a liar, we just wanted to get clarification on what we were informed. But the response was being cursed at by the owner, then being told he didn't give a **** who we called. This is the biggest problem and issue i have right now, is the lack of respect from an owner of a company to treat a customer in such a manner. Myself NOR my Wife have ever cursed at *****, or any member of Route 66 Solar.  We are very happy with the decision to get solar, and are happy with the install, but there should be more discussion on loan terms and making sure the customer understands what the exact conditions are. that is where there is a miscommunication. Also if ANY customer reaches out to its provider for concerns, the mentality should be we are harassing them, that's what customer service is about, a little communication would have went a long way to avoid this scenario. We have spoke with the bank, and are continuing communication with them.