Are Online Solar Kits a Scam? A Mystery Shopper Review of ShopSolar.com
ShopSolar.com is widely known for its vast selection of portable power kits and traditional, all-in-one solar kit solutions. They've gained a solid reputation, and many solar enthusiasts, including us, frequently recommend them.
Not only have we personally ordered from them on many occasions, we’ve shared their discount codes with our followers both in our video descriptions, and at the end of our articles. Long-time viewers might have even picked up on the fact that we’ve mentioned them directly in some of our videos. But, like you, we had one burning question: Is Shop Solar actually good as they seem, or is it just another online scammer with overinflated prices, poor customer support, and little else?
To find out, we decided to go fully undercover. We didn’t want them to know it was us and go above and beyond their standard level of service, so we used fake names and addresses, disguised our phone number, and even came up with fictional reasons for calling.
From there, we contacted both the sales and customer service departments at Shop Solar. The goal? To experience first-hand what it's like to be one of their customers, and see if Shop Solar actually lives up to the hype.
important Note:
Before we dive into our review and the details of our mystery shopping experience, it’s important to note that this video was not sponsored by Shop Solar or any of their competitors. As with all of our product reviews, we wanted to be totally unbiased.
Shop Solar had no idea who we were when we called, and we did not receive any type of payment for this review. If you're curious about how the calls went, we encourage you to watch the video where we showcase the actual conversations.
Spoiler Alert: The Shop Solar representatives we spoke with were actually great. They were non-judgmental and surprisingly helpful. Check it out for yourself!
All About ShopSolar.com
Even if you’re already familiar with ShopSolar.com, it’s worth taking a moment to provide a little bit of background about the company. Not only is it always a good idea to know a little bit about the company you’re buying from, especially when you’re placing an expensive order, it’s actually a pretty interesting story.
Shop Solar started in 2018 in Canada and quickly expanded into the United States. They claim to have a team of over 50 people and openly boast about serving over 50,000 American customers right at the top of their website. While this nice round number is impressive in its own right, it does seem suspiciously similar to the claims made by many other companies in the solar industry, so it could be a bit exaggerated. Really, it’s difficult to say, but either way, they’re evidently fairly experienced with selling solar equipment.
The company markets itself as the easiest way to go solar by making it both simple and affordable. They do this by packaging equipment into easy-to-install, all-in-one solar kits. The kits feature products from different brands, so you’re not just buying bundles put together by individual manufacturers.
Their offerings include traditional solar kits with panels, inverters, and batteries, as well as portable power station kits that pair popular power stations with solar panels and whatnot. They also offer free system designs, setup instructions, lifetime customer support, and free shipping on all solar kits.
Notably, they tend to bundle their portable power stations and other equipment with more affordable solar panels, offering a more cost-effective solution compared to purchasing pricey branded panels separately.
Right on pretty much every page on their website you’ll see their main call to action, which is a free quote. To get a quote, you’ll need to input some basic contact information, as well as a few descriptors of your needs. This is where our mystery shopping journey began.
Mystery Shopping Experience: The Sales Calls
Our first call was to the sales department. We each made up a scenario that required a new solar power system and called in, playing a bit dumb to see how the salesperson would handle the situation.
Robbie’s Sales Call:
To gauge the sales representative’s pushiness and overall reaction, I pretended to be setting up a cabin that would use about 3,000 watts a day, where guests would stay for 2 to 3 days at a time. I said I wanted the system to charge fully within a day.
Unfortunately, when I did call in with this scenario in mind, I was immediately put into a hold line for about 8 minutes and 45 seconds, during which I had to endure some not-so-great hold music.
Once connected, the salesperson really took the lead. He verified the appliances I had and the voltages I would be using, explained the type of components a system that could meet those needs would use in detail. He even took the time to break down the importance of peak sun hours when running a solar power system.
Again, I played pretty dumb during the call, and despite my “limited” solar knowledge, he patiently explained everything as if I was completely new to solar and knew absolutely nothing. This was actually really helpful, and he was able to explain the basics in a way that didn’t make me feel dumb, or like he was being condescending.
He recommended a solar kit that seemed perfect for my needs, and when I attempted to steer the conversation towards portable power stations, he quickly provided another suitable option from that category. The call ended with him sending me a well-organized quote, which included wiring diagrams—a nice touch that not every company offers. Throughout the call, he never tried to push for a sale, which was hugely refreshing.
Basically, he provided me with the information I needed, explained why his recommendations would be useful, and then just allowed me to take my time and come to my own conclusions. Honestly, pretty much the perfect sales call experience.
Tiny Baby’s Sales Call:
For the Tiny Baby’s call, we decided he would play the role of someone with a freshly built hunting cabin in Kentucky. He explained how he needed a solar power system capable of providing about 6 kilowatts per day, and one that could store about three days of power. Like the first call, he stressed that he wanted the batteries to be capable of being fully solar charged in just one day.
After just 30 seconds on hold, the salesperson picked up and immediately began asking qualifying questions to better understand the needs. The attention to detail was really impressive, as it allowed him to pinpoint exactly what would work best, even correcting some of the initial assumptions to better nail down what would work best for our needs.
The call mirrored the first experience, with the salesperson offering a well-suited kit that was within budget, despite the initial assumptions being slightly off. The added bonus was no mind-numbing hold music this time.
During this second call, the sales rep also explained how Shop Solar handles warranties, providing support and replacements if something goes wrong. This, along with the overall helpfulness and product knowledge displayed, left us both with a high level of confidence in Shop Solar.
They seem to really know their stuff when it comes to matching customers with the right solar kits and equipment, but they manage to make recommendations in a way that doesn't seem aggressively salesy.
Technical Support Call: A Slightly Different Experience
While our sales experience with Shop Solar was overwhelmingly positive, the same just can’t be said for the technical support side of things.
When we called with a made-up technical issue regarding an EG4 inverter, the conversation quickly hit a roadblock. The representative was unwilling to assist without an order number. Despite trying to work around this by providing other details, the rep remained firm on needing the order information, which was pretty frustrating.
On another call we made about a fairly well-known solar input issue on the Anker F3800, the rep was more helpful, providing some useful technical advice in a quick and accurate way. However, this assistance only came after pretending to be a potential buyer, rather than someone who already bought the unit from them, which isn’t ideal. The experience revealed that while their tech support team is knowledgeable, they are less inclined to help without a valid order number.
Word to the wise, if you buy from Shop Solar, keep your order number in a safe place!
The Final Grades: How Did Shop Solar Do?
After numerous calls and the decision to wrap up our undercover investigation, we decided we would grade Shop Solar on three criteria: their willingness to help, product knowledge, and how confident we felt about the experience after the call.
Willingness to Help: 6/10
The sales team was incredibly helpful and eager to answer every question in detail, but the technical support left a lot to be desired. We assume the experience would have been different if we had a valid order number, but the fact of the matter is they were pretty blunt and unhelpful without one.
Product Knowledge: 9/10
Both the sales reps and the customer support reps were well-informed, providing detailed explanations and excellent product recommendations and knowledge. They also seemed to know everything off the top of their heads. With some companies, you feel like they’re just reading off a sheet, or looking things up mid-discussion.
Post-Call Confidence Level: 9/10
Both of us felt confident in placing an order after speaking with the sales team. We also felt that you’d be well taken care of post-sale if you could present an order number.
Our Final Words
Shop Solar impressed us with its knowledgeable and patient sales team, offering products that met our needs without pressuring us to make a purchase. However, their technical support left something to be desired, particularly when we couldn’t present them with an order number. Had they just offered to help us anyways, they’d have hit some pretty sky-high grades.
Overall, we believe Shop Solar is a legitimate and trustworthy option for purchasing solar kits and equipment online. Their product knowledge, as well as their product offerings, are both really top-notch, making them a solid choice for anyone looking to go solar.
For those interested in hearing the actual conversations, be sure to watch the full video to see how the calls went down!
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