Phoenix woman stuck with a $52,000 bill for broken solar panels
PHOENIX (AZFamily) —Susan Crotty agreed to install solar panels back in 2022, and although the panels are on, the solar system itself has never been connected. “So, here they are. Three years later and they’re (panels) still not operational. Never have been and never will be,” Crotty told On Your Side.
The wiring has been left exposed and weathered during all that time. “I mean, look. Everything is cracking,” she said as she showed us shredded wiring. “This is all their stuff.”
That stuff was installed by a company called Vision Solar. Crotty says a fast-talking salesman from Vision Solar knocked on her door three years ago and convinced her to go green. “We developed a conversation and one thing led to another,” Crotty said.
Crotty financed the entire solar system for more than $52,000 using a third party recommended by Vision Solar. But the solar company ran into huge legal issues. They were sued by several states, including Arizona, for violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Federal Telephone Solicitation Rule, and the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act, just to name a few.
That’s when Vision Solar filed for bankruptcy protection, leaving consumers like Crotty with what she calls “paperweight” solar panels on her roof and a system that has never worked. Don’t forget about that $52,000 she’s now being pursued for. “Now the finance company wants their money, regardless of the system working,” she said. “I’ve told them to come and take the panels off, and they told me it wasn’t their business.”
On Your Side got ahold of the finance company and told them about Crotty’s problem and they have now agreed to investigate. Apparently, the solar company gave the finance company a certificate of completion in order to get paid.
We’ll let you know what happens in a follow-up news report.
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