Local woman says solar panel offer was a bust, cost her thousands of dollars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Michelle Thompson and her husband were looking for more options to save money during the pandemic. They found a flier on their front door promising big savings on their electric bill and called the company for more information.

“They sent someone out,” she said.

That salesman made all sorts of promises, she said.

“That our energy bill would be really, really low, and there would be tax credits and, I guess, rebates at the end of the year,” said Thompson about the promise of reducing her monthly electric bill by installing solar panels. “It made it seem like we would, it was a win, win all around.”

Thompson said the salesman told her the company would install the panels but would cover the cost for the first year by paying $15 per month. Thompson thought when it was time to start paying after that year, the cost would remain at $15 per month. She wasn’t concerned about the small additional cost because she said she expected her electric bill to drop significantly once the solar panels were installed. But she said that never happened.