Background:
In some situations where the homeowner’s payments are due before the system is operational, EB has implemented a pause payment plan. In these cases, the customer’s payments will be paused until their system is operational. Refer to the Excel sheet Homeowner Paused Payments.xlsx and make sure that they are indeed on the list:
Dear customer,
As you may recall, EverBright is the financing company for the solar system being installed at your home. We have been following the progress of your system installation by [org] and are aware of significant delays in getting your system operational.
Per your EverBright agreement, billing for your system is scheduled to begin 60 days after installation. Unfortunately, due to the installation delays, your monthly payments have now become due before your system is operational. We understand that this is frustrating, and this is not the experience we want for our customers. To ensure a better experience going forward, we will be pausing your billing, interest, and payments until your system is operational.
Your billing is automatically being paused and no payments will be due until after your system is operational. Your monthly payment amount and total number of payments will remain unchanged. However, if you do not want us to pause your payments, please contact us at 877-425-5201, option 1 to let us know.
We share in your disappointment with how long it is taking to complete the installation of your solar system. One of our trusted installers will be reaching out to provide assistance with the installation process as we are fully committed to getting your system operational. If you have any questions, please contact us at 877-425-5201, option 3 or support@myeverbright.com.
Stay sunny,
EverBright
FAQ’s
Have their ACH payments been stopped?
We have coordinated with our accounting team, and they have stopped all ACH payments on your account.
What about late fees/collections?
Account Servicing has stopped all collections and late fees on these accounts as of [date notification sent]
Why did they have a payment deducted?
It’s possible the withdrawal pre-dated the communication, however subsequent payments will be paused until they reach PTO
When will their billing restart?
After they reach PTO (system operational)
When will my system be operational?
We have been in communication with your installer regarding the delay and we are working on getting this resolved.
I have been making payments. What happens to those?
Any payments made were applied to your account per the terms of your contract.
When was the email notification sent out?
Check the spreadsheet and check under “Date of Letter”.
EBH Ticket Handling
Homeowner Ticket
Summary: Organization Name – [Homeowner Name]
Description: Homeowner Name and Job Address – and summary of their concern
Request Type: PTO/M3 Delay
Reporter: Anonymous (for inbound calls) or Homeowner’s email address (if follow-up communication is needed)
Organization: Installer name
Internal Comment: Homeowner’s Phone number and Email address (inbound calls only)
Inbound Calls
Refer to the Excel sheet Homeowner Paused Payments.xlsx and make sure that they are indeed on the list. Refer to the FAQ’s above to answer any of their questions. Notate all relevant information as an internal comment and close ticket.
Email Response
Thank you for contacting us regarding your concerns. We are pausing your monthly payments until your system is operational. This is effective as of [date of notification]. We have already coordinated with our accounting team on this so that you will not be drafted any further.
In regard to getting your system operational, we have been in communication with [org] regarding the delay and we are working on getting this resolved. We are looking forward to getting you an operational system. We will notify you of the date your payments will restart after your system is installed and operational.
Automated Buydown Email
If a customer that has paused payments contacts EverBright regarding the email they received stating “Your 18th month buydown is approaching”, please advise the customer that they are automated emails that cannot be turned off and they can disregard the email. Their buydown is extended for the same amount of time as their payment pause.
For example: if the customer payments were paused for 6 months, their buydown would be extended for 6 months.
Outbound Calls - Paused Payment - New Installer
Hello, am I speaking with [homeowner name]?
This is [agent name] calling from EverBright, the clean-energy solutions provider that is financing your solar system. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. We know you are experiencing significant delays in getting your solar system operational and we’re doing all we can to improve your experience and get your system working.
As part of our efforts to correct the situation, we’ve paused your payments and waived any late fees you may have been charged while your system is not in operation. You should have received prior emails outlining this as well. In order to provide a better experience going forward, we are assigning one of EverBright’s trusted installers, [installer], to complete the work. [Installer] should be contacting you soon, if they have not already, to get started.
Rest assured, we – in collaboration with [Installer] – are fully committed to getting your system operational.
Thank you again for taking the time to speak with us today! Have a great day!
Resuming Paused Payments
If Account Servicing reaches out to Support stating that a homeowner would like to resume their payments:
The agent should check Engine to see if M3 has been approved:
If M3 has been approved, the agent can advise Account Servicing to remove the contract status code, resume the customers payments, and defer the payments that were paused to the end of the customers contract term.
If M3 has not been approved, the agent can advise Account Servicing that until the system has been fully approved on our end, the payments cannot be resumed and should remain paused.