Buckeye homeowner cancels solar contract and gets $30K bill 15 months later - Arizona's Family

Buckeye homeowner cancels solar contract and gets $30K bill 15 months later

Solar company did same thing to Goodyear homeowner in October

BUCKEYE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A Buckeye homeowner said she tossed around the idea of going green but never went through with the deal so now she wants to know why she got a $30,000 bill for solar panels that were never installed.

Melissa Hamilton loves her exotic pets and has aquarium tanks in different rooms with all kinds of little creatures. “We have a 250-gallon brackish fish tank,” she told On Your Side as she gave us a tour of her home. “You can see his little head sticking up in the back,” she said about a little critter in one of her aquariums.

All of Hamilton’s tanks are lit and heated, which use electricity. So, she thought she might save some money by going solar. “What is it about solar that is appealing to you?” On Your Side’s Gary Harper asked. “To save money every month. That’s about it,” she replied.

So, when a door-to-door salesman from Freedom Forever Solar showed up, Hamilton and her husband listened to the sales pitch and signed up. But, just a few days later, Hamilton says she canceled because she realized going solar was a mistake. “It wasn’t going to save us money. We would have to have it like 30 years before we saw any savings. So, we were like, never mind,” she said.

Hamilton canceled the solar deal within her allotted time and never gave it a second thought. That is, until now, 15 months later, when she got this bill from Freedom Forever’s finance company called Mosaic. It demanded her first $208 monthly payment for solar panels totaling more than $30,000.

When Hamilton told Mosaic that she canceled back in 2022, the finance company claimed Freedom Forever denied her cancelation. “This is a lot of money,” Harper said. “Yeah, it’s just stressful,” Hamilton responded.

On Your Side got involved and discovered there was even bigger trouble. Apparently, the finance company had put a lien on Hamilton’s home.

So, Harper got a hold of Freedom Forever and asked them to look into Hamilton’s issue. They did, and in a matter of days, Freedom Forever Solar dismissed Hamilton’s bill and said their finance partner Mosaic would release the lien on her home.

Hamilton says without On Your Side, it never would have happened. “I’m so relieved,” she said. “No more emails, no more phone calls, no more stress. It’s amazing what you guys are able to do. Thank you again for everything you do.”

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