2.6.1 Big installers do not necessarily have better warranty service

Common intuition says a big company will be more reliable. The reality is the opposite. The larger the company, the slower it gets — across every dimension.

Big installers don't maintain a local install-and-service crew in every city. They subcontract. That creates communication friction, and the longer the chain, the less anyone is rewarded for finishing your project quickly or penalized for dragging it to the deadline.

Add financial leverage on top: inventory turnover at large installers operates on a procurement cycle. Replacing one part can take a long time. Online forums are full of complaints like "the unit failed six months ago, they still can't replace it because of inventory, my system has been down for half a year."

We had one SunPower customer whose inverter failed and went seven months without a replacement. Then SunPower went bankrupt and no one was left to take responsibility. They called us and we replaced it out-of-pocket in two weeks.