There’s a warning for consumers in Texas about solar panel scams. Ann Baddour is the director of the Fair Financial Services Project. It is part of Texas Appleseed, a nonprofit public interest justice center. She says that some solar companies go door to door making misleading claims and lies. “Sometimes people didn’t even know that they were buying a solar panel system. They thought they were just signing something to get a credit check, and turns out, they end up with this $60,000 loan.”
Baddour says these scammers often target the elderly or non-native English speakers. Based on the findings from her agency’s recent report, discovered that the number of consumer complaints related to solar panels skyrocketed from 2018 to 2023. And according to a recent report from Texas Public Radio, the Texas Appleseed study also found that 45% of Texans noted issues with misleading statements, while 37% had unsatisfactory service.
Those complaints, submitted to the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), increased by 818% and 576% respectively. These complaints are widespread, coming from 141 of the 254 Texas Counties. According to the report, the rate of complaints is similar across a broad swath of the state, covering urban and rural counties alike.
These complaints appear to be systemic and are consistent with those identified in other areas of the country. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has seen a 746% increase in solar-related consumer complaints from 2018 to 2023.
