Nevada State Contractors Board launches Solar Investigative Unit after spike in scams
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - They promise much cheaper power, big tax rebates, and easy credit terms, but often claims like these from solar contractors never come to fruition.
It’s a growing problem here in southern Nevada, so the State Contractors Board has created a special investigative unit to track down these increasingly prolific criminals.
Investigators tell FOX5, disreputable solar contractors frequently target low-income and elderly residents because they’re most often the clients most easily swayed by the illusion of a great deal. Sometimes the contractor doesn’t complete the installation at all. Other times they fail to disclose the full implications of the 25-year contract.
“I relied on his integrity when he told me that if I installed these solar panels I would get a $9,000 tax rebate when I filed my taxes.”
“Yeah, that’s how it started.”
William and Cecelia Scribner tell us, they’re still paying for the mistake they made hiring a solar contractor.
“We have a mortgage on our house. Our house is paid for, we didn’t have a mortgage. So now we have a 25-year mortgage at our age,” says Cecelia.
The couple admits they were lured in by promises of small power bills and a big tax rebate. They signed the deal on the spot.
“I signed a DocuSign on a cell phone. Two, three days later they were installing the panels,” shares William.
And the Scribners discovered the full consequences of their deal days later, only after the panels were on their roof.
“I had to go down to the state office building to get my title, my home title and found out I had a lien against my title, and the lien was for the solar panels,” William tells us. “I thought it was a loan obligation against my credit, not against my house.”
It turns out, the big tax rebate promised was a bust too.
“When tax time came, I found out from my tax preparer that I wasn’t eligible for nine thousand dollars because I don’t pay any taxes, we’re 88 years old, at the time we were 85, we didn’t have to pay taxes,” he says. “They did come out and talk to us about it…”
“And promised they would give us $2,000 for our troubles, but they went out of business,” interjects Cecelia.
Unfortunately, the Scribners are not alone.
“Unfortunately, it’s a very target-rich environment where people can come in and make quick money, significant dollar amounts. What we’ve seen is they’ll come in and they’ll make a lot of false promises to homeowners – promise them rebates or discounts, or government is going to give them dollars back in return for signing up for solar.”
David Behar is a Deputy Executive Officer with the Nevada State Contractors Board’s new Solar Investigative Unit. The unit’s goal is to crack down on Shady Contractors and educate the public about their schemes.
Behar warns -- we’re entering the season for solar scams.
“We’re in a very warm climate. This time of the year in particular is when we see an increase in this type of activity because everyone’s starting to get a much larger power bill and they’re trying to find ways, how can I reduce that so,” he says.
His first and best piece of advice -- do your homework before signing anything
“Take some time to research who you’re dealing with and make sure they haven’t had prior discipline with anybody. And before you’re going to make such a large commitment, for something that’s going to be a 25, 30-year loan, for example, really take your time to understand what you’re getting involved with.”
You can verify if a contractor is licensed, or if they’ve had any complaints filed against them by visiting the Contractors Board website. You can file a complaint on the same site.
The Nevada Attorney General’s Office also offers some suggestions for dealing with solar contractors. It advises knowing your contract rights, and being aware you have three days to cancel any contract without penalty or obligation. It also urges consumers to confirm claims about rebates, renewable energy credits, or other saving estimates with a qualified third party before signing the contract. In addition, you may want to consider recording any in-person conversations with either the salesperson or the contractor. You can find more resources for consumers on the AG’s website.
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