Who called from 4082642646

408-264-2832: 10/22/14 - lists as out of area (but I'm in the area code).  No message.   Previous experience suggests that blocking 408-264-#### would be best, but I'm just blocking the specific number for now.  If it's the same Solar Energy scam, I also have some of those from area code 317 as well.  I will block all 408-264 and 1-408-264 numbers if need be.

I have been relentlessly telemarketed by these poorly trained idiots. They attempt to harass me, and have tried to coerce the contact information of my family members to harass them instead.

Do a general google search for "California Green Energy Center" and you will find hundreds of others being harassed like this. Several people have been called "stupid", "idiot", employees have gloated about their fat paychecks, and there was even one reported call where an employee threatened to f**k the customer's wife.

Every time I received a call, I'd ask to be removed from their call list and that has clearly not been acknowledged. Constant hangups, the calls are not returnable, and despite their best efforts to hide behind really bad websites, I've found all this information about them.

ASKING THE TELEMARKETERS TO TAKE YOU OFF THE LIST WILL NOT HELP, but you can complain to "California Green Energy Center" directly and they will do so from the management level.

These people are knowingly telemarketing and caller ID spoofing. They are aware that their profits from doing so outweigh the fines they can expect from anyone that goes through the trouble of suing them and reporting them. There are many reviews and complaints out there from people whose elderly inlaws have been scammed into buying thousands of dollars of malfunctioning solar equipment. F*** these people. If you have the resources to, then take them to court. You will win. Give them hell!

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Green Energy Center phone: 855-269-4661 or 818-453-4145
Green Energy Center manager direct line: 818-666-3522 - her name is Karen
Telemarketer Kristopher Cherry - 818-574-7332 or 818-985-1132
Call center seems to be 15025 Oxnard St, Suite 200, Van Nuys CA 91411

Their parent company is Top Design Inc.
Top Design Inc Address: 16134 Hart St, Van Nuys CA 91406
Top Design Inc Phone: 818-497-2919 or 818-514-6243

When I called Top Design, they denied any connection to Solar Power until I claimed that I was already working with someone from the Green Energy Center. There's also a youtube video out there called "At work California green energy center 2014" and its description says "Top design, California green energy center".

Others have claimed the party responsible is Go Green Energy Center in North Hollywood. I doubt this, but their numbers are 818-358-2851 or 877-593-2995.

There are confirmed connections to A1 Solar Power Inc, Go Green Education, National Renewable Energy Center, California Energy Initiative, and California Solar Initiative.

Here is the contact info for A1 Solar and others in the group:

Corporate Office
15025 Oxnard Street
Suite 200
Van Nuys, CA 91411
[email protected]
Phone/Fax (855) 410-4700

San Diego
8515 Arjons Drive
Suite G
San Diego, CA 92126
Phone (877) 536-6145
Fax (760) 233-9920

San Francisco
755 Baywood Drive
Suite 170A
Petaluma, CA 94954
Phone (707) 559-5683
Fax (707) 559-5684

Orange County
150 Paularino Avenue
Building D, Suite 179
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone/Fax (855) 410-4700

Concord
2280 Diamond Boulevard
Suite 140
Concord, CA 95420
Phone/Fax (855) 410-4700

Carpinteria
4915 Carpinteria Ave.
Carpinteria, CA 93013
Phone/Fax (855) 410-4700

A few other falsified numbers and names being Used:
619-216-0675    Krystal Wolf
408-264-3328    Kerber Toby
408-264-2442    San Jose, CA
408-264-3106    Emata Shelley
408-264-3227    Miller Diane
408-264-3036    Shenk Martha
858-362-7899    San Diego, CA
408-618-5136    Go Green Education

You can file a BBB complaint here:
http://www.bbb.org/losangelessiliconvalley/bu ... ys-ca-100109406
http://www.bbb.org/losangelessiliconvalley/bu ... ywood-ca-351813

You can file an FCC complaint here: http://www.fcc.gov/complaints

You can file an FTC / DNC complaint here: https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx

You can file a complaint with the Contractors State Licensing Board with their License Number, 966819, here: http://www.cslb.ca.gov/

You can report them to the State Attorney here: 800-952-5225

GOOD LUCK!

they call me 6 times a day.
i just let it ring.

Just forward all 264 prefix numbers to Dianne Feinstein. Works for me

This is a long review.  But if you are having problems with these guys, you will want to read through what I've found out.

These calls are coming from National Renewable Energy Center (NREC)wcich is a telemarketing firm that has been contracted by various solar equipment installers in California to try to sell you solar equipment.  They use VOiP and an autodialer program and they disguise their caller ID by spoofing it.  In my area, that spoofed number is some variant of 408-264-xxxx.  The last four numbers change frequently and they call repeatedly every business day between 9:00AM and 4:00PM.  I have received as many as 18 calls/hangups from them in one day.  

Because they are using an autdialer program, you will most likely be hung up on when you answer. If you google autodialer, you can read about how autodialers work to help you understand what is going on.

They were calling me on my cell phone, which is against the law.  See http://www.fcc.gov/guides/truth-about-wireles ... o-not-call-list and this site which helpfully references specific law:  http://www.impactdialing.com/2012/05/how-to-sue-a-telemarketer/.  Note that the second website is a telemarketing advocacy site, so no reason not to believe what is stated there.  I was getting call/hangups from NREC so often that I was looking into changing my cell phone number, which would have been very inconvenient.  Fortunately, I finally got to speak to one of their representatives.

"Janna" (no last name) was on the line this time when I answered the call.  This was on December 26, 2014 at 3:44 PM.  She began working through her sales script and I stopped her and asked her who she worked for.  She said that she worked for National Renewable Energy Center ( http://nationalrenewableenergycenter.com/ ).  I relayed to her the experience that I had been having and I told her that the calls had become such a nuisance that I was in conversations with my carrier about changing my phone number.  She was apologetic and polite.  She explained that they are calling via VOIP and use an autodialer and that the representatives don't have any control over the frequency of the calls, hang ups or the spoofed caller IDs.  I asked her if she was aware that my number is a cell phone.  She said she was not.  I told her that my cell phone number is on the Federal Do Not Call Registry.  I told her that I do not want NREC to call me anymore.  She added my number to NREC's internal do not call list and said that the calls would cease immediately.  Because her caller ID was a spoofed phone number, I asked her for an actual working call back number.  She gave me NREC's main number: 877-593-2995.  I asked her for NREC's call policy.  This is something that telemarketers are required by law to provide you if you ask.  She told me that she did not have it and referred me to GoSolarCalifornia.ca.gov to obtain call policy information, inferring that NREC had some kind of alignment with the California Energy Comission (CEC).  We ended the call.  Note: both she and I remained polite and professional throughout the whole call.  I advise you to do the same..believe me, I know how aggravating this is, but yelling at the representative will not accomplish anything.  Best case, they will just hang up on you.  Worst, you'll get someone who doesn't like being yelled at and will yell back at you.  And the calls will continue. Also make note of the date and time of the call.  

Since she put me on their do not call list, I have, so far not received anymore calls from them.  However, there are still some larger problems that I think need to be addressed.

I went to gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov.  This is a legitimate California government run website promoting solar energy.  It is managed by the California Energy Comission (CEC).  I contacted the consumer affairs group at the CEC and relayed what I had been told by "Janna" regarding an implied affiliation.  The person at the CEC said, in no uncertain terms, that the CEC and by extension, gosloarcalifornia.ca.gov, has NO relationship with National Renewable Energy Center.  The CEC is aware that NREC is misrepresenting themselves in this regard and are "taking steps" stop this.  

Also problematic is NREC's ignoring the National Do Not Call Registry (www.donotcall.gov).  If your phone numbers are not already registered with them, you need to do that and you need to redo it once per year to insure that it doesn't fall off.  If you are registering for the first time, it takes 31 days for it to take effect.  If you are already registered and the 31 days have elapsed and they call, report them to the FTC at the same website noted above.  

The CEC, referred me to the Department of Consumer Affairs (800-952-5210) and the State Attorney General's Office (800-952-5225).  Consumers being effected by NREC's telemarketing pracitces should submit formal complaints to both of those organizations.

But, before you do that, do the following and write it all down:

1.)  Answer their call until you get a Sales Representative on the line.  POLITELY interrupt their sales script.  Treat them like you would like to be treated.  Remember that they are folks trying to make a living.  They don't establish NREC's policies they just follow them.
2.)  Ask for the Sales Representative's name and the name of the company they work for.  Make sure that you get their employer's name, that is,  the name of the telemarketing company, NOT companies like A1 Solar or any other solar provider they may be working with.  It is important that you confirm who you are actually talking to.
3.)  Tell the Sales Representative that you know their caller ID has been spoofed and that you would like a legitimate call back number for them.
4.)  Ask the Sales Representative for their company's call policy.  They are required to mail a copy of this to you on request.  
4.)  If your phone number is already on the National Do Not Call Registry, inform the Sales Representative of that fact.
5.)  If they are calling you on a cell phone, inform the Sales Representative of that fact.
6.)  Tell the Sales Representative that you want their company to cease calling your number.  Tell him/her that you want them to put your phone number on the company's internal do not call list.  Politely insist that they complete that while you have them on the phone.

The law, as I understand it, allows them to call you one more time after you have told them to stop.  If you get that second call, once again, get the caller's name, who they work for, etc, and inform them that you have instructed their company to cease calling you.  Tell them again to put your number on their internal do not call list.  If the calls continue after this point submit a formal complaint to each of the departments listed below.  Provide them with all of the information that you have documented in your conversations.

Department of Consumer Affairs--800-952-5210
State Attorney General's Office--800-952-5225
National Do Not Call Registry--https://www.donotcall.gov/

Finally, since I asked NREC to stop calling me once I finally got someone on the phone to talk to, they have, at least so far, stopped calling.  And remember, as angry as telemarketers make you, be polite and professional when you go through this with them.  Take the high ground, you will be helping yourself by doing so.

Thanks for reading, I hope this helps.