Stitt Energy Systems

Solar Panels

Very well!

It?s a little embarrassing to discuss our experience with Sitt Energy Systems Incorporated of Rogers, Arkansas, because we feel as if they took advantage of us. However, we feel obligated to warn others about the dangers of cost-plus contracts and arbitration clauses. We also would not recommend Sitt Energy Systems Incorporated (SESI) for any home construction project, because of our problems and they way the chose to address them. So if you are considering building an energy efficient home, our recommendation would be to avoid Stitt Energy Systems. Their contract clearly states they are not homebuilders, so they depend on local contractors or subcontractors, which was another problem for us. Stitt?s sales pitch said that cost-plus billing methods ?shares the risk;? but we have trouble understanding who shared the risk on our project, besides us and our lender. Cost-plus contracts provide very little incentive to control costs, because their profit is directly dependent on how much they spend on the project. In fact, a lot of their administrative costs were difficult to understand or verify. Then to add insult to injury, the Stitt contract made it impractical and expensive for us to seek resolution because it contained a binding arbitration clause, which would force us to travel to Arkansas. We had a terrible time communicating with their employees and tremendous difficulty getting project updates or construction schedule information. A lot of the administrative costs were for project management, yet the main job of monitoring the project progress and getting materials delivered in a timely way were the big problem and the cause of many of the project delays. Throughout the construction process, we had trouble determining the construction schedule, struggled with work stoppages because materials were not available, and failed to get clear and timely written updates on project costs. Bottom Line: Don?t make the same mistake we did! Get firm pricing and a construction schedule in writing before signing any contract. Avoid signing a cost-plus contract for home construction; since homeowner bears the risks (even if the contractor?s estimate is wrong!) and the contractor has very little incentive to operate efficiently. Also avoid signing a contract that includes a binding arbitration clause, because you loose your right to take the contractor to court if something goes wrong.

It went absolutely perfectly. They were clean, neat and performed the work on time. If anything was wrong they came back to fix it perfectly. They were very nice to work with. They were the best contractors I've ever worked with.