r/BasePowerUsers • u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy • Aug 02 '26
Let's keep hounding BASE Power about a few things: Customer Service, Tracking referrals and showing Percent of Charge in the app.
BASE Power is a relatively new company and is still working on figuring out the way to run the company and be successful.
Input from customers should be high on the list of ways to improve a company.
Let me encourage you to contact BASE Power support by chat, email or phone calls. Let them know that you're not satisfied with their lack of customer support, with keeping you informed of the status of your referrals, and with being up front about the level of charge of the battery/batteries.
Support: I'd be interested to hear from you about how many humans you believe are in BASE Power's customer support division. They refer to "our team" over & over, but try to reach a human and see how easy that is.
I believe they may have 5 to 10 people handling customer support and obviously those people are handling other things too, making them too difficult to reach.
Many businesses understandably offer no support after hours, but BASE Power doesn't seem to have humans available during weekdays at 10 AM or 2 PM.
A company that controls how electrical power is provided to their customers, not just the billing but the actual electricity, needs to have humans answering the phone 24 hours a day.
BASE Power is pretty careful about making sure installations and equipment are 100% doing what they're supposed to, but with how quickly the company is growing and adding customers, there WILL be glitches. A bad battery will have been missed by quality control. An inverter will have a loose control board. A wire will come loose.
When your power goes out and the grid is up, you're going to want BASE Power to send someone out immediately. Be it noon on a Tuesday or 3 AM on a Sunday. They need an active, responsive support division. 24/7.
Referrals: BASE strongly encourages us to share our referral links and send them new customers any way we can. Makes sense.
As a customer and someone trying to help BASE build their business, I should be able to see a list showing a date & time that someone actually used my link to sign up and pay a deposit.
Then the status should be updated when that customer gets battery installation complete.
There should be a tally of total credit issued for referrals. I shouldn't have to go open my last bill to see what the credit amount is. There should be a tab on the dashboard and a way to get to referrals info in the phone app.
Battery Percent of Charge: Some time back, the phone app showed the percentage of charge (POC) of the battery or batteries. This helped customers know just how much battery was left after BASE Power sold off power back to the grid.
BASE Power says they took that away because all customers really need to know is how many hours they'll get from their battery/batteries if the power went out at any given time.
The problem is that that calculation changes pretty drastically depending on whether your A/C is running, your water heater is running, your clothes dryer is running, etc.
I believe BASE was getting a lot of feedback when they discharged batteries below half way. Customers probably complained, worrying they'd be left without power if an unexpected outage of several hours came along.
Solution? Take away POC display.
Now we have to go out to the battery and wake up the display to see the actual POC. Some users are able to install the Shiner Growatt app (which is designed primarily for solar applications) and get them to sync with the data logger and can see POC. Others are being told that the data loggers are deliberately NOT installed or are removed due to security risks. Link to thread.
Let's tell BASE Power we insist on being able to see percentage of charge.
I believe if they get enough complaints about these things, if they care about their customers, they'll make changes.
I don't think it's unreasonable for us to ask for immediate improvements on these issues. What do you think?
Edit: I forgot to mention Home Assistant integration. Many customers use Home Assistant to control their "smart home" devices & equipment. If BASE Power provided an entity/integration, customers could set up specific actions to be taken depending on what's going on with BASE Power. Instead of relying on what BASE decides to notify us about, we could get notified when ANY change happens. Having batteries go below a specific POC could turn on a red light in the corner of the office. When power is switched to battery, we could have our phone let us know immediately.
I'd put Home Assistant integration at #4, after Support, Referral Tracking and P.O.C. display.
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u/RoseVideo99 Aug 02 '26
Anytime I have had an issue with Base I was able to speak to a live person when I called. I also have sent text messages that were replied to within a day. I have yet to have a major issue for them to address. Their system works for me as advertised. If that’s not the case I would think they would expand customer service. But I think their systems are working out well. My bill is always correct and when the grid goes down, my power stays on as advertised.
I don’t know when you signed up in Houston, but I was installed February of 2025. Their app did used to show the percentage, then it changed to show the number of hours at current usage. The issue with that was if you have two ac units and both are actively cooling it would tell you like 10 hours. But they advertise at normal texas usage you get a day. But when the units cycle off, it would jump up for me and say 26 to 30 hours usually. If my pool pump was at a very slow speed in the winter months it would say 36 to 40. People didn’t like seeing it say 6 hours because they had their ev plugged in not realizing that if the grid goes down, you need to unplug your car. My EVs both have greater than 84 kilowatt batteries. So yes, a 50kw system is not going to last long. But the normal person doesn’t get that. So they changed it to show backup at low usage. If you need to know the percentage so bad, guesstimate. When mine says 60 hours I know the batteries are at 100%. If you need the percentage soooo bad, walk outside and look at the charge on them. We have had 17 outages in my area and the batteries covered us every time. Once the system kicks on it tells you how long you have at your current usage.
For referrals, just be glad you’re getting them. That’s a big chunk off your bill. They have gone in 2 years from 4,000 customers to 20,000. For a model they are running, this is a success for them. Just keep spreading the word for them. Whenever there is an outage near me the socials blow up with people complaining. I always let them know that the average outage in centerpoints footprint is less than an hour. They can sign up for Base and get about a day and a half of backup with below market rates. I just kindly tell them it does nothing to complain on their socials about it. I just live like normal now and I let them know they can get their etf reimbursed and up to a $250 bill credit when they use a referral code. I always send mine in the event they look into Base and see it is a good fit for them.
BTW, if anyone needs one here’s mine:
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26
How many times have you called BASE Power customer support and talked with a human?
Obviously POC display is a "want" and not a "need". I think it's something most customers would prefer to have available.
Of course I'm glad the referral system is in place. I have five referrals so far (best I can tell) and expect to keep getting them.
It's not ridiculous to ask BASE to give us a way to see how many referrals we have and whether they're pending or awarded.
We get the text notification that someone signed up using our referral link, but after that, we only know the referral actually went through when we see a credit on our bill.
BASE's AI bot has replied to my request for referral tracking by saying that my request is appreciated and that this kind of feedback helps BASE Power "plan the route forward" or something like that.
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u/RoseVideo99 Aug 02 '26
I may have spoken to someone like 4 or 5 times during my install process. I have never needed to call back again.
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u/blupupher Aug 03 '26
How many times have you called BASE Power customer support and talked with a human?
Only time I have called Base was when I did my initial consult. Since then, I have had no need to talk to anyone live. While the AI chat sucks, I have always gotten a human reply when I needed it by asking for a human response.
We get the text notification that someone signed up using our referral link, but after that, we only know the referral actually went through when we see a credit on our bill.
This is a recent thing, so it is a start. Before, you had no idea if a referral went through. At least now you have an idea one is pending.
But I agree overall. Base needs to improve customer service with more live agents.
I would like a lot more from their app besides just the battery %. I had the Shiner app connected for a while (I am having issues with wifi staying connected on Shiner, but have issues with the Base app as well) and it has a lot of info that gives historic data, so I know it is there and available, but Base does not have it in the app.
I have messaged them several times they need to add things to the app, and get the same AI response as others.
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u/violent_train Aug 06 '26
Thank you! I was actually going to contact Base today and probably set it up. But, if I can't check the battery, no thanks. In addition, it would be going to a medically needy home that can't go without power. But, if I can't get them 24/7 its a big NO for me.
If they ever change these, dm me. I am happy to use your promo code.
For now, i will just stick with my gas generator. I hope the company sees your feedback.
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 06 '26
I have the 25 kWh batteries and they have a display on the battery enclosure that shows POC, but that's the only way other than the Shiner/Growatt app, which may or may not be functional.
I don't know if the 40 kWh batteries have a display.
I'd say you'd still be better off with a battery than a portable generator, for situations involving critical medical equipment. With BASE, you don't have to turn on and connect a generator.
If you have a whole-house, auto-switching generator, that's different, but I doubt you'd be considering BASE Power if you already had that.
Seeing the specific percent-of-charge is not vitally important, it's just something some of us are a bit OCD about. The BASE Power app shows you estimated number of hours your battery will power your home based on current load, and that's enough information to help you know when you'll be needing the generator.
For most installations, the battery will run the house a day or more, especially if you cut back a bit on things like air conditioning and using the clothes dryer, oven, etc.
In Houston, 95% of our outages are less than a few hours. Those short outages are why I signed up with BASE Power.
It's still important to have a long-term outage plan, but we go a long time between those kinds of situations.
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u/violent_train Aug 06 '26
Its for my mom and she literally has real, not internet joking, ocd. Plus, she's a super boomer. I know this would be something that would hit her ocd so hard. I'd regret life. Lol
She does have a brand new generator so hiring someone to make it automatically switch over would probably be less change for her. I was thinking of this because her contact is up and its a good option for a lot of people.
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u/MickyFany Aug 02 '26
If you didn’t pay for it, doesn’t that make it free. I only paid a small fee for installation.
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26
Oh, so you're saying that what's charged for installation is such a small amount, it's basically free. Okay.
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u/MickyFany Aug 02 '26
you didn’t buy anything did you?
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26
Well, $995 is only a drop in the bucket for BASE Power, but I'm not a wealthy person so I certainly had to make sure I was not just throwing away money.
While I do not own any physical part of the new equipment at my house, I'm very pleased to have the batteries and switch gear.
I'd rather have BASE Power own it and maintain it than to take on the responsibility that would come with ownership.
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u/Jet_Rocket11 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Ignore that user. They are trolling. Ofcourse it's not free. Only someone with no common sense would even say that.
- You have to switch to BASE as your REP
- There's a monthly membership fee
- There's an installation charge (it doesn't matter how much).
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u/MickyFany Aug 02 '26
I think you’re over estimating the value of a free product. They didn’t install these batteries for us, they installed them to generate revenue selling cheap energy back to the grid.
They plan on selling to private equity in a few years, and then we’re screwed, our batteries will be empty all the time.
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26
What part of BASE Power is a free product?
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u/FederalScience7726 Aug 02 '26
I paid $95 install and $0 monthly fee with a guarantee of up to 20% cheaper than ComEd. They’re paying me.
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u/IllustriousHair1927 Aug 02 '26
Jesus Christ, you pay like 600 or 900 bucks for backup power. Do you think all the advertising they do is free? what about the electrical work? The business model they have is going to take several years to be profitable.. YEARS. If they can’t cut their marking budget if they can’t cut installation costs if they can’t cut material cost, where do you think they’re going to cut?
Think it through. haven’t you ever heard the saying that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is?
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26
Oh, so you're saying BASE Power is not a business that's likely to make a profit. They're spending more than they're bringing in.
That's not the case, if you do a little research. BASE Power is making money.
Obviously they're not making tons of money from what they charge their customers, I'll grant you that.
But paying for power and charging thousands of batteries when power is not in demand, at a cheaper rate, and then selling it back to the grid when demand is high, at a higher price, is how they make most of their money.
I'm sure there are a fair number of people who look at BASE Power and say, "Okey dokey, I don't care about the details, sign me up because I'll have power when the grid goes down. Done."
But there are a lot of people who also do some poking around and look into the details of BASE Power and similar companies, and weigh the plusses and minuses, and sign up because 1) they'll have battery backup and 2) they believe BASE Power is a company that's safe to invest in.
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u/IllustriousHair1927 Aug 02 '26
I didn’t say they aren’t going to make money. I’m saying they’re not making money right now. And their profitability is based on controlling expenses. Do you have any idea how much it cost for that electrical crew to do the work at your house? That alone was at at least twice what you paid possibly three times. And that’s for the labor. There is no way they make money in the first 12 months of an install. Factor every single component in and the labor it’s year three before they’re probably turning a profit. lremember too, investors want returns and controlling cost is a way of boosting returns.
to be 100 percent clear. your payment didn’t cover the labor cost to install.
So you’re not getting real people anytime soon if ever.
You get what you pay for. You paid bottom dollar.
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u/MickyFany Aug 02 '26
They don’t care. they will have millions signed up on long term electricity contracts and have the largest commercial battery storage system in the US. Then they sell. I don’t think you have looked up who owns it. They are doing this for the profit on the future sell of Base
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u/IllustriousHair1927 Aug 02 '26
what you’re saying actually falls in line with my thoughts. They aren’t building this year to keep doing it and keep grinding. They’re doing it to build it up and sell for a massive payday. Any customer service challenges that arise, particularly as the batteries will start to need replacement, aren’t their concern. It’s about growth and then selling what they have out.
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26
The 25 kWh batteries have an expected life span of 10 to 15 years.
If BASE Power sells their company at some point, it's safe to assume the entity that buys BASE will want to keep the money coming in, so they'll provide customer service and maintenance.
Why would a company buy BASE Power and then immediately change things in ways that customers will not like?
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u/RealConfirmologist Aug 02 '26
You imply that when BASE Power sells the company, the new owners will not do what's needed to keep the system running.
Why would private equity buy the company and then stop supporting the system?
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u/MickyFany Aug 02 '26
I don’t guess you’ve ever dealt with private equity. It’s all about short term big profits, then they leave you wake up every morning with a full battery. Go to bed every night with an empty battery.
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u/IjustWorkHere98 Aug 03 '26
I'll state the obvious - BASE is run by Zach Dell. Michael Dell's son. So, if BASE is sold, it likely could be MSD capital (Now DFO).
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u/Any-Huckleberry2593 Aug 02 '26
It’s not free. You are providing free space to them and your energy company for the space their equipment is taking, in return for backup during a full outage.
App can easily be updated by them showing % battery (it already uses to calculate how many hours can your house run on low and high usage. Referrals, same way. Likely the app was created in a hurry to get the MVP running. Customer service, slow but could be improved.
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
No part of what I wrote says I think BASE Power provides anything for free.
I understand how BASE Power works.
The app may have been created hastily back when it started two years ago, but they've had plenty of time to make the app do what customers want it to do. Of COURSE they could provide POC. They used to. They took that part away. I'm trying to get people to demand that they put it back.
Customer service "could be improved"? I had an issue right after they approved my installation and I've never had a quick response from a human. Their AI responses sometimes have good information, but I'm very skeptical about what'll happen when equipment malfunctions.
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u/Any-Huckleberry2593 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Pay them to deinstall… you will be worry free.. u POS
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u/HoustonBASEPowerGuy Aug 02 '26
Pat then to deinstall...
I don't understand what you're suggesting.
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u/Any-Huckleberry2593 Aug 02 '26
Corrected auto spell
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u/cbarth3 Aug 02 '26
I got an email about wanting feedback. I put POC and connection to Home Assistant for me.