Garland woman charged $97K by solar panel company-but never got them installed
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ค. 2024
- Imagine being charged tens of thousands of dollars for something you never wanted or even received. It’s a complaint the CBS News Texas I-Team received from a garland woman who considered purchasing solar panels.
Boycott Mosaic. Now sue them for false business practices!
Slam dunk in court. She should sue big time.
Would like to know if she found THEM advertising on Facebook❓
She better!!! Because it’s definitely a way her lawyer can get all information from this company so I hope she can get it back
How long do you have to live in a home to recoup $97,000 from your electric bill? Thats insane.
The salesman and maybe the whole company needs jail time.
They absolutely do, but it won't happen. Worse, the salesperson is likely out there right now scamming people. Maybe even for the same company, though more likely they've moved on. Many door-to-door salespeople are transient. Can't trust any of them. Sadly, some people are naive or too trusting. She's lucky they never installed anything and was able to get out of it. Hope she follows up with her credit reports, since they're likely still trashed unless the loan and collection tradelines were removed completely. Get a feeling they weren't.
Except the solar company provided a letter saying they sale was canceled
This sort of thing has actually been going on for quite long time. I remember when, back in the 1980's a window salesman tried to pull a similar scam on my grandmother, but I could see right through him!
@@niyablake then where's the money 💰
@@sandasturner9529 Mosaic is simply the finance company. I'm saying they are the ones committing the fraud
Extortion. The owners should be jailed.
This sort of thing has actually been going on for quite long time. I remember when, back in the 1980's a window salesman tried to pull a similar scam on my grandmother, but I could see right through him!
She got scammed…
This sort of thing has actually been going on for quite a long time. I remember when, back in the 1980's a window salesman tried to pull a similar scam on my grandmother, but I could see right through him!
Har har. 😂
They didn't even need a signature. The seller can just mark an "X" without talking to anyone
SUe them for 10X the value they are trying to collect from you, take them to court, make them prove they installed the panels on "your home", take plenary of photos of your home showing there are no panels. Get a good lawyer!
Wow. You don’t need to sign anything to get a cost quote.
She signed her name on a signature line that didn't even have the name of the company on it? No receipt showing anything regarding a contract? What a nightmare!
And be careful with "offers" that must be signed today or you wont be eligible, it's all a lie
This sort of thing has actually been going on for quite long time. I remember when, back in the 1980's a window salesman tried to pull a similar scam on my grandmother, but I could see right through him!
Someone within the company is pulling a scam...
Probably a part of the company’s normal dealings.
The place needs to be audited!
Who in the hell is going to pay 97,000 for solar panels! Do you know how many years of electricity that will buy!
Unless you wanted to buy so many panels, you could sell the power back to the power company for a profit. 🤷🏻♂️
@@neilkurzman4907 not unless you got your solar panels before net metering 3 in california
Solar Panels are expensive but depending on who is your power supplier you can actually sell your power back to them. PG&E in California has raised their rates 40% in two years. Yes, I said FORTY percent. Also some people have very high loads of electricity and panels are a great idea.
@@neilkurzman4907 You sell it back to the power company at wholesale. So you have to generate a whole lot of electricy. In our area, any overage goes to the utility free!
@@neilkurzman4907how long would it take, even in the most favorable market, to save + sell $97,000 worth of electricity at the rate she could produce?
Zero chance in hell I would sign a digital signature on a page that just says "credit check". No telling what that is actually linked to.
Never sign anything if you are not sure about your decision! Even they said you can always cancel later.
Mosaic can be simple about it. She obviously never received anything. They can just not charge her and take it off 🙄 but no they wanted to be complicated about it.
Someone is getting sued for damages to her credit….and the collections calling harassment…
Could she file a police report?
The problem is it's easy for someone to ruin your credit by saying you are behind or that you haven't paid but when you try and get it to be fixed it takes forever, or never.
💯
sue company for $200k for shoddy workmanship and failure to adhear to contract
This what the State Attorney Generals Office is for. Salesman was probably on a commission
Texas, AG is probably on the scam.
My Nextdoor neighbor (hispanic, speak some English) also got scam. She's struggle ,barely got by and yet somehow, they managed to sold her their scam. panels on the roof and wires hang on the side of the house. Very sad!
Tesla is the only good company for solar.
She could buy three Subarus for 97,000 bucks 😂
Homeowners seem to have little protection from construction and repair scams, installation scams, squatter scams etc etc with local agencies approving any fake documents anyone provides for any action.
Sue them
This is the correct answer. They are negatively impacting her credit. She can sue for damages.
That would be costly, and the company likely wouldn't pay the judgement. Small claims court is likely not suitable for this type of case. Suing isn't the panacea many make it out to be. Rarely do people prevail let alone collect much. Courts don't collect judgements; the plaintiff needs to. That's not easy and in some jurisdictions can get expensive.
@@ronbennett7885 It does not matter if its superior court or small claims court , collection will be an issues. The Real difference is small claims court can not remove a lean
@ronbennett7885 are you from those companies? 97k is small? Of course, all lawyers fee and court fee will be included
@@x-men69-96 The loan was cancelled, so there's no $97K in damages to sue for. The comment was in regard to her credit reports and some suggesting suing for dealing with that.
Crooks!😮
This sort of thing has actually been going on for quite long time. I remember when, back in the 1980's a window salesman tried to pull a similar scam on my grandmother, but I could see right through him!
Things have now become so corrupt in America, that I just assume *everything* is a scam.
Report Mosaic to the Attorney General’s Office
It’s definitely a big scam that woman didn’t want solar panels, they are too expensive ! She should never got charged $97K in the first place since she never gotten Solar panels installed on her home.
$5 short of 98k and I'm sure they were hitting her with lots of extra fees.
Unfortunately these solar panel issues are a scam. I've seen this countless times. I just got my issue resolved last week. The difference with me is I went down to the office and stormed into the GM's office closed the door and had a heart to heart with him. My account is all good now!
Class action lawsuit. Put them out of business.
Can someone explain to me how spending tens of thousands of dollars for panels, will save you energy costs over time??? You're going to have to replace the panels more than once. There's no way this offsets the cost of your monthly utility bill
She got scammed. They used a copy of her electronic signature to forge documents for the liens.
$97K?
That's outrageous!
People, leave the Energy generation to the Utility companies and investors who build Solar farms. Texas awh Texas, even if you have solar panels nothing is FREE. You still have to pay the utility it’s Transmission and Distribution charges, either the Bank or company you bought he panels gets your monthly loan payment, then you tax break upon filling income tax is based on head of household, jointly $36K, single $26K. You more than likely Do Not qualify for the 40% energy break. Those salespersons pushing the contracts won’t tell you that. Save yourself lawyer fees and a big headache. Decline any Solar home installation. Google Solar farms, you think you can compete with that? those investors?
This is criminal why is the local DA not involved?
Lock them up!
Your question is easy: “never sign a box!” Especially a blank box!
Mosaic wants to get sued and pay her money! Just take it to court and sue! Sue ! sue!
maybe they used the signature for credit check to auto fill the forms.
every single solar company seems like a scam
Someone, sales person or sales manager, turned it in as a sale for a commission.
SUE THEM FOR FRAUD
The state’s attorney needs to investigate that sales person. This sounds like fraud on his part to get paid his commission.
Did you get the Attorney General's office involved?
Is there any solar panel company that is reputable? Wow.
I'm going to choke saying this but Elon musk solar company. It's one of the few that allows to cancel afterwards
All are scams.
Solar is a scam itself. If it wasn't so subsidized it would cost more than you would ever get back out of them
No there isn’t. And I always wonder. If you did have a solar system installed, what’s gonna happen if you need a new roof?
@@pukaseek Solar makes no sense in Florida if you want home owners insurance.They want you to have a new roof ever 10 years
Why is it so easy to place a lien on someone’s home?
Sounds like the salesman booked the sale and collected the commission.
This is typical of the "solar" industry.
the contracts also have added costs which they dont explain
we cancelled ours because they added $5k and couldnt tell is what it was for.
Put 7 huge signs on your door that says "NO SOLICITATION". if they sell gold bars for $1 dont buy from people knocking on your door
Again, where is the Texas AG?! If he stopped bullying, harassing, and trying to control pregnant women, maybe he would have time to help the people who need it.
Confusion = fraud
Had a kid try to sell us on these as well. Told him no thanks and it took a few minutes to get him to stop and leave. The next week another kid showed up and said right off the bat “ I want to know why you said no last week”. I laughed and said “The only thing you need to know… is what NO means”. He was aggressive and rude. Had a tablet, dressed in regular clothes and no business cards. I finally told him he better get movin down the road and never come back. He left in a huff.
Never sign anything. Don't trust anyone on a blank page.
If only people knew the dirty truth of solar
You mean that it’s so reliable that it powers satellites out in space with zero maintenance for decades?
@solarwind907 No the opposite. Solar takes a lean out on you're house. Then screws you. This will happen to you soon
@@user-uu8bs8tg1k”Solar” is a piece of technology. It doesn’t put a lien on anything. That’s like saying gas put a lien on your house. If you buy the panels yourself and install them yourself , it’s impossible to get scammed.
@@user-uu8bs8tg1k ”Solar” is a piece of technology. It doesn’t put a lien on anything. That’s like saying gas put a lien on your house. If you buy the panels yourself and install them yourself , it’s impossible to get scammed.
@@user-uu8bs8tg1k not sure what company you’re dealing with but either you’re not paying your bills, or you need a lawyer.
Not a problem with photovoltaics.
Best of luck to you,
“Oh just sign here for a credit check” NEVER sign anything when they just say oh just sign here……….
This is still happening today. Don't trust ether company. According to complaints it sounds like a scam all the way around.
In a word, *F-R-A-U-D.* It sounds like this is something that the state's Attorney General should be looking into.
Perfect example of Andy Elliott 😅
Let me guess, they were left in the dark???
Any business that does this should automatically be shut down & the folks in charge shouldn't be allowed to start another company.
Moral of this story....do not talk to solar reps., do not give them any of your personal info (unless you want to purchase) and call your state rep. and file a complaint with the Texas State AG's office.
I had a similar situation. I spoke to the first solar company, let them run a credit check, then did sign a contract for installation. The price was in the range if $22,000. Later that day, I read the contract in detail and discovered the total cost (with interest) to be $97,000.
The next day, I consulted an attorney, who pointed out the cancelation clause. I followed the clause, which told who and how to contact for cancelation. By writing the letter and sending it by post and by email, and receiving an acknowledgement, I verified cancelation.
I noticed a couple of similarities with this story. First, they ask you to sign to allow them to check your credit. Second, the amount of the contract was the same. But one difference was that they required a signed contract to do an analysis of the site.
I think door to door salespeople are mostly scammers. You don't have to buy solar from a solar company. You could buy your own panels and equipment with a battery then hire an electrician to install them. You won't get the utilities tiny discount or the tax credit but the awful truth is few people owe enough taxes to get one.
😮😮😮
Never even talk to them.
So crazy. I don’t trust most companies these days, and now I’ll be even more suspicious of sales people and companies like this.
That reporter is very good. Really nice natural personality.
Never buy from door-to-door salespeople. Most are scammers. Better to not even talk with them. Likewise with telemarketers. Compounding matters is the solar panel business overall is shady. Many don't realize that the touted warranties are only as good as the installation company. They tend to come and go. Manufacturer warranty is very limited and often won't cover much. Labor usually not covered and various components excluded. Buyer beware. Best to own the system and figure it will require extensive maintenance after several years. For many, solar doesn't pay.
I'm just glad Andrea Lucia finds it so humorous.
How many cases is the same salesmans name on?
97K?!?! What kind of solar panels are they installing. Are they powering the whole community? Most large system solar installs are like 30K.
If they went with Tesla, they would have gotten a better deal with no BS. The news story also fails to mention of that cost includes interest.
I had something similar. We ended up not going through with solar but I found out about a year later when we went to refinance that they had a lean on our house! Luckily they took it off pretty quickly and we were able to refinance.
Never sign a blank anything. If they want a credit check, you can run your own right there on your phone for free and show them the score.
Attorney General asap!!!!!
Damn, I guess anyone can just file a lean against your home. Why even bother selling stuff. Just look up privately owned homes and file a claim
Because of stories like this, I dont want solar panels.....
I was in mortgage for 20 yrs. Title liens are NOT easy to get rid of
Who the hell pays $97k for solar panels? If they saved you $200 a month it would take 40 years to pay them off.
This is another reason why I just tell them no when they show up. since we have bought our home a year ago we have been bombarded with sales for them, and we just refuse them every time now.
Signing without thought... Especially electronically/digital "contract". They counted on people not taking time to read anything and everything these days.
Sounds like you got scammed by the salesperson. Getting all the information to run the credit check, then after homeowner backing out seeing all those numbers, salesperson decided to give themselves an easy payday and run for the hills.
Solar is so shady (ironic). It's difficult to know when you're dealing with a legit company.
Tesla is the only place to go if you want the best price on solar, no middle men, no games.
Mosaic are Monsters trying to steal a women's home!!!
I do not like the idea of a signature on an electronic device since it is so easy for a bad actor to change. Also there is no reason to check someone's credit before they agree to buy.
This sounds like something that I would take to the United States Secret Service Financial Crimes Division. They specialize in fraud and similar crimes. Just the thought of being investigated by them usually solves any issues quick. I know of a case where a guy broke up with his girlfriend and stole her checkbook. Normally this kind of crime is prosecuted at the state level because it is not a huge amount of money but in this case the girlfriend's older brother is a Secret Service fraud investigator. He took the situation to his supervisor who authorized the prosecution at the federal level because of the family connection. Imagine the look on ex boyfriend's face when 3 blacked out Chevy Suburbans drove up to the bank where he worked and 9 guys in suits got out and arrested him for the theft of the checkbook. What would have resulted in a jail sentence of 12 to 36 months in state prison became a 10 year sentence in the Federal Prison System. In the state system he would have been eligible for early release in as little as a year but as the prosecution was at the Federal level the minimum sentence is 10 years and there is no early release for good time. He has to serve all 10 years. Federal fraud charges in a case like this would be punishable by 10 or more years in a Federal prison and depending on how many cases there are the sentence could be as high as 50 years. MOSAIC would be crapping gold bars at the thought of being convicted in a case like this one.
That sucks. To be fair, one what planet does it make sense to spend $100k on freaking solar panels??? That investment will NEVER pay for itself. She made the right decision not going forward with that. Likely just an extortion scam. Not just a mistake. Like, she would have got a call from the loan finance company confirming the approval of pay. They don't pay the installer/contractor UNTIL that.
Yea...don't sign shii...cuz this is shady
No paying for anything until services are rendered
I doubt they even pulled a permit with the county/ city, and if they didn't even more of an extortion case against Mosaic. I would believe this to be extortion, not bad business, not oops were sorry,.
That’s why I haven’t done anything because of the price and can’t get a final price, but can’t get a true answer. I just got a new home a few years ago, glad I didn’t.
Tesla, Tesla, Tesla. That is the only way to go for solar, no games, no BS, you can get a quote on their site. Keep in mind, it will recommend more than you need, and you will have to adjust it down.
So she noticed that his IPad it was blank and still put her signature on it and found out she was duped aka Flim/Flamed by a scammer who she claimed to be a salesman for a company that was selling Solar Panels
First of all you don’t put your signature on a damn thing if they’re not anything to read about what you’re signing for 🤷🏽♀️.
That’s crazy!! Obviously she hadn’t seen the promo on tv & or internet about the solar panels being given away in certain states 🤷🏽♀️. She deserved all of what she got for being too gullible. I say that because she saw it wasn’t anything on the iPad but decided to sign it anyway 🤷🏽♀️.
🤔. Who does that 🤷🏽♀️ oh that’s right
HER 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Thats why i dont let them near my house
Kind of like when my parents got panels from a company now called Tesla Solar. The majority of the credit wasn't going to my parents. It went to the company. When they found out the company told them, "You never told us not to." When Elon Musk bought the company my parents were hoping the problem would be fixed but they still get a bill from Tesla Solar. Now, the panels haven't been used for 7 years plus my parents aren't allowed to remove them.
Bad
She’s lucky to be younger and inquisitive. These scammy companies usually target seniors or people with fixed income that don’t have the time, energy or resources to fight this and steal their homes from underneath their feet legally with the liens.
She got scammed on hail catchers.
I can't think of any company out there where you would sign something simply do have them run your credit. Sounds like she didn't sign anything. She had her credit run so she could find out what her terms might be "if" she decided to make the purchase. That company knew she had not purchased those panels. They scammed her then tried to play dumb after the fact. Amazing how many companies do this shady stuff then only make things right when either attorneys and or a local news station get involved.
Wow, one look at their Google reviews and I have to wonder how they are even still in business. It seems they have a serious issues with telling the truth. I don't believe a single owner response in those reviews are genuine. There are far too many people complaining that they have been dealing with customer service issues for months so having a shill post the same boilerplate response doesn't give me the warm fuzzies.
got to sue them.
Such greed! Omg 😳
Sign nothing.