Our law firm is experienced in representing consumers in lawsuits involving residential solar power systems. Often companies involved in selling solar panels to consumers don’t treat their customers properly. Sometimes they damage people’s roofs while they’re installing the panels. Sometimes they sell the entire residential solar system to a company you’ve never heard of – and that company starts abusing the consumer. Sometimes they breach the warranty they promised they’d provide.
Our lawyers can handle any of these situations. We specialize in protecting consumers. And we know what to do if a solar power company is cheating their customers. If you’ve installed solar panels on your home and been victimized, we can help. Click Here to Submit Your Claim. We don’t charge for consultations and don’t charge anything for an initial evaluation.
We use laws like the California Unfair Competition Law, the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act to force companies to follow the rules. These laws ban deceptive or unfair business practices, regardless of industry. We also use state and federal warranty laws to ensure that the company lives up to its promises.
A few of the problems we’ve seen come up repeatedly in solar lawsuits are below.
Refusal to Repair or Maintain Home Solar Panels
Many companies that install solar panels promise they’ll maintain them or repair them, often for extremely long periods of time (up to twenty years). These companies generally own the panels themselves, but lease it to the consumer or charge them a monthly fee for the power the system generates. But twenty years is a long time. Sometimes companies change owners, or they sell the solar panels to a company you’ve never heard of. Some unscrupulous companies decide to just quit maintaining the solar system, letting it stop working or stop producing as much power as you were expecting.
You may have a warranty or a contract requiring them to maintain your residential solar panels in working order. Often, consumers have warranty rights even though they don’t know it. A company may say something to you that creates a warranty (either in the ads or in their contract). If a solar energy company has a duty to maintain your system, we can determine that and enforce your rights. They may owe you money for increased power costs or for power you paid for but wasn’t actually generated.
Damage to Roof from Residential Solar Panel Installation
Sometimes the company installing solar panels on the roof of your home damages the shingles or could even cause severe enough damage you need a re-roofing. This kind of negligence can cause huge damages to a homeowner. But we can help recover the costs of fixing it. Many solar installers have insurance policies and can be forced to pay for any repairs to your house from shoddy workmanship or simple carelessness.
Fraud By Solar Power Companies
Sometimes companies simply lie, and the solar industry is no exception. They make promises they don’t keep. They tell you the system will work a certain way, but it doesn’t. Their ads say things you find out aren’t true. We’ve even seen situations where companies are accused of simply making up the power statistics on the customer’s bill, or people whose solar panels caught on fire—but somehow they were still getting a bill for power the panels were supposedly generating.
If your solar panels aren’t working but you’re still getting billed for power every month, this may have happened to you. Every state has laws against fraud, and most states have consumer protection laws that prevent this kind of abuse. We can use those laws to recover your damages.
Debt Collection Violations By Solar Companies
Sometimes solar power companies try to collect debts that aren’t owed, or they use abusive practices like harassing calls or charging baseless late fees. Sometimes they will lie to get you to pay bills you shouldn’t owe, like promising to repair your malfunctioning system even though they don’t actually plan to do it.
A federal law called the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act restricts what companies can do to collect debts, and many states have their own laws that are even stronger. If you’ve experienced harassment from a debt collector on a solar power bill, or if you’ve been charged for something you don’t owe, we can review your case to see if the collector has violated any of the rules. The FDCPA lets consumers recover their damages, and even if there isn’t a specific amount, a consumer who wins their lawsuit can get $1,000 from a debt collector who violates the law.
Arbitrations Against Solar Companies
Many companies include arbitration clauses in their contracts, meaning that you can’t sue them in court, but have to go before a private arbitrator who will decide your lawsuit. But arbitration has complicated rules, and most consumers don’t win unless they have an attorney. Our attorneys have handled numerous consumer arbitrations, and you’re entitled to a lawyer in arbitration just like you would be in court. We can review your contract, and regardless of where your claim needs to be pursued, we can handle it.
We can help with any kind of lawsuit against a solar power company. Click Here to Submit Your Claim Details.