u/m2orris

In this day and age, all over the internet, we have seen an increase in the number of scams and their sophistication. We want to remind members of the r/SunPower community to be vigilant.

SunPower’s bankruptcy has increased the burden on all of us. Many of us purchased a SunPower system because while we wanted solar, we did not have the time and/or desire to become a solar expert. As a result of the bankruptcy, we no longer have a trusted partner to turn to when we need help and support. Unfortunately, the need for help and support and the uncertainty surrounding it have increased the opportunities to be scammed by promises of help and support.

To make r/SunPower community safer, we have:

1. Prohibited businesses from posting advertisements for goods and services on r/SunPower (rule #1).
2. Discouraged businesses from replying to requests for help with “I can help, dm me”. This is exactly what a scammer would do. Instead, we encourage businesses to put more effort into their responses. To demonstrate a professional understanding of the problem and a plan to resolve it. A potential customer on Reddit doesn’t need to be told how to reach out. They want to know:
   1. Are you a legitimate business?
   2. Do you understand their issue?
   3. Are you capable of resolving it?
3. Encourage businesses to build out their Reddit profiles. To help potential customers get a better sense of who they are potentially working with while looking at their Reddit profile. We encourage businesses to do more than just fill out their Reddit profile description. Businesses should have pinned posts with relevant information about their business, detailed contact information, goods and services offered, service areas, issues they have resolved, success stories, referrals, etc.
4. Encourage the r/SunPower community to continue to post issues they are having with their SunPower systems. Also post a follow-up with their success story.  Include how the problem was resolved, which business resolved the problem, and their experience with the business.