JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX I-TEAM is getting results after a solar company was accused of scamming thousands of dollars from its customers.
Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody announced on Tuesday her office is seeking legal action against MC Solar. The attorney general’s office wants restitution for the customers and to block MC Solar from conducting business in Florida.
Recommended Videos
Two months ago, a Jacksonville homeowner said they was stuck paying for faulty solar panels after buying from MC Solar.
“MC Solar and its owners scammed hundreds of Floridians, including seniors, persons with disabilities, and veterans. Their deceptive and unscrupulous business practices were extreme, from abandoning contracts and damaging homes to forging applications, causing liens on homes and even threatening consumers with legal action — all to unjustly enrich themselves and fund a lavish lifestyle. We are taking legal action to permanently ban these scam artists from ever conducting business in Florida again and seeking restitution for consumers,” Attorney General Ashley Moody said.
According to the civil complaint, MC Solar performed all steps to market and commit the consumer to a solar contract, then took money without installing solar systems or abandoned the job in various stages. Additionally, the defendants damaged many consumers’ homes with reckless and defective performance.
When systems did get installed, they did not pass inspection and/or did not connect to the electrical grid, the complaint said.
Moody said MC Solar neglected their contracts and failed to respond to consumers’ repeated phone calls, emails and text messages. One consumer reportedly waited on hold with the company for more than seven hours. Frustrated consumers also visited the Tampa office, but found locked doors and no one inside.
The investigation further revealed MC Solar enticed consumers with federal tax incentives, guaranteed 25-year warranties, and misrepresented financing costs and interest rates. Many consumers ended up owing monthly payments on costly loans and some even paid out of pocket to make systems operational. The company also failed to pay third parties, causing claims of liens on consumer property, according to the complaint.
News4JAX has reached out to the company several times but the phone numbers and website associated with MC Solar are not operational.
You can read the full civil complaint from AG Moody here.