PM Surya Ghar Complaint Against Vendor: How to File and What Happens

What Counts as a Vendor Complaint

The SOP is built for problems with the installer, not with the scheme itself. The violations MNRE lists include installations that miss the technical specifications for modules, inverters, mounting structures, junction boxes, distribution boxes and cables. They also include structural safety problems, missing earthing or surge protection, and poor installation practice.

It also covers paperwork and service failures: no warranty, certificate or consumer agreement, an incomplete installation after payment, delays after an advance was taken, and slow responses to maintenance complaints during the five-year service period.

A late subsidy or a net meter that has not arrived is a different problem. Those usually sit with the DISCOM or the portal workflow, so raise them there and with the scheme helpline rather than as a vendor violation.

How to File a Complaint, Step by Step

1. Collect your papers. Application number, the signed agreement, payment receipts, photos of the system, the module serial numbers and any messages with the vendor.
2. Write to the vendor. Send a short written complaint by email or WhatsApp that says what is wrong and what you want fixed. It gives you a dated record, and it starts the conversation the SOP expects.
3. File on the national portal. Raise a grievance against the vendor on the PM Surya Ghar national portal. This is the route the SOP treats as its first category of complaint, and it starts the vendor's clock.
4. Call the scheme helpline. The toll-free number is 15555. Keep your application number ready.
5. Escalate locally. If the problem involves the grid connection, feasibility or the net meter, write to your DISCOM or your state nodal agency.
6. Use the wider channels. The National Consumer Helpline takes complaints on 1915 or 1800-11-4000, on WhatsApp at 8800001915, and on consumerhelpline.gov.in. CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in is the central government's grievance portal, and MNRE links to it for public grievances.
7. Report fraud to the police. If you paid or took a loan and nothing was installed, file a police complaint too. In Jammu and Kashmir, 55 customers complained about one vendor after taking bank loans for systems that never arrived. The state power utility first moved to suspend the vendor on the portal and then went to the Crime Branch.

What Happens After You File: The Vendor's Clock

The SOP gives the vendor a short, fixed timeline from the day your complaint is logged.

Reports differ slightly on the reminder: one says it gives the vendor seven more days. The end points are the same. A show-cause notice by day 15, and a deactivation if the notice goes unanswered, all inside about 30 days.

The SOP sorts complaints into three groups by source. The first is a customer grievance on the portal or sent to the vendor management unit. The second is a defect found in a third-party inspection. The third covers other sources, such as references from public representatives or MNRE. Inspection findings can include mismatched module serial numbers, domestic content problems checked on the NISE portal, and a vendor blocking the inspectors.

MNRE has also said the names of deactivated vendors will be shown on the national portal, so you can check a vendor before you sign or while a dispute is open.

What a Deactivation Does and Does Not Do

The SOP's aim is that the vendor answers and fixes the problem. Deactivation is what happens when they do not. It hits the vendor's portal account, and a vendor who stays silent after deactivation can remain off the portal after a case-by-case review with MNRE.

It is not a refund. The SOP, as reported, does not promise money back, so keep asking for the repair or the refund in writing, and use the police or consumer routes above where money is lost.

Enforcement is real. In August, trade press reported that MNRE identified 66 vendors with large pending application backlogs for deactivation, after April to June figures.

If You Are the Vendor

Reply inside the 8 days, even if the fix will take longer, and say exactly what you are doing and by when. Keep the signed agreement, commissioning photos, serial numbers and warranty papers in one place. Our guide on how EPCs avoid blacklisting covers the full playbook.

Where Design Software Fits

Most complaints start with a gap between what was promised and what was installed. Design software like Reslink produces a 3D site design, shadow analysis, bill of materials and a proposal that includes the PM Surya Ghar subsidy calculation from the same design, so the promise and the install can be compared later. It does not replace the portal uploads and agreements the scheme requires.

See the full workflow → Book a demo

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Where do I file a complaint against a PM Surya Ghar vendor?

Start with a written complaint to the vendor, then file a grievance on the PM Surya Ghar national portal. If it is not resolved, call 15555, write to your DISCOM or state nodal agency, or use the National Consumer Helpline or CPGRAMS.

Q2. What is the PM Surya Ghar helpline number?

The scheme's toll-free helpline is 15555. For general consumer disputes, the National Consumer Helpline is 1915 or 1800-11-4000.

Q3. How long does the vendor have to reply?

Eight days to give an explanation. If there is still no reply, a reminder goes out, and by day 15 the vendor gets a show-cause notice. It then has another 15 days to answer before deactivation.

Q4. Will the vendor be blacklisted?

The SOP's step is a one-month deactivation of the vendor's portal account. A vendor that stays unresponsive or keeps giving unsatisfactory answers can remain deactivated after a case-by-case review with MNRE. The vendor can appeal within 30 days.

Q5. Can I get my money back through the portal?

The SOP, as reported, does not promise refunds. If you paid for work that was never done, a police complaint and a consumer complaint are the routes to look at, and a lawyer can tell you which forum fits your case.

Q6. Does a complaint affect my subsidy?

The SOP is about the vendor's conduct. Subsidy payment follows commissioning, inspection and the DISCOM's approval, so ask your DISCOM and the helpline where your file stands.

Final takeaway

Put the complaint in writing, file it on the portal so the vendor's 8-day clock starts, and keep every reply. If the vendor goes quiet, the SOP can switch off their portal account within about a month, and the helpline, DISCOM and consumer channels are there for anything the portal cannot fix.

You May Also Like

• PM Surya Ghar Is Blacklisting Bad Vendors: How EPCs Win
• PM Surya Ghar 2026: ₹78,000 Subsidy, Last Date and EPC Rules
• MNRE Solar Module Warranty SOP 2026: What EPCs Must Know

Sources

• MNRE, SOP to address vendor violations under PM Surya Ghar (June 2026), as reported by Energetica India (June 24, 2026), Saur Energy (June 24, 2026) and SolarQuarter (June 25, 2026)
• National Consumer Helpline, consumerhelpline.gov.in, for the helpline numbers and complaint routes
• CPGRAMS, pgportal.gov.in, the central public grievance portal linked from MNRE's website
• ETV Bharat, April 14, 2026, on the complaints against a vendor in Jammu and Kashmir

This guide reflects the SOP as reported and the grievance channels as of October 19, 2026. Portal menus and numbers can change, so confirm them on the PM Surya Ghar portal before you rely on them.