Solar is a popular home and business improvement. There are many reasons to go solar today—saving on electricity costs, taking advantage of the current federal tax credit, and helping the environment. In fact, with an optimal solar design and attractive financing, many Cape Fear Solar Systems customers start saving money as soon as their solar system is installed and turned on.
Southeastern North Carolina has a lot of homes and businesses that can take advantage of solar. However, this is also attracting a lot of solar scams to our region. The most popular being performed are door knocking, misleading Facebook and Google Ads, and even phone calls.
Every day, Cape Fear Solar Systems takes dozens of calls from homeowners that were scammed or looking into an offer that sounded too good to be true. If you are promised “free solar,” a huge rebate, or are told the utility company or government will pay you—that is a good indication you should do some extra research. Here are a few solar scams and what you can do to help stop them in your community.
Solar Door-Knocking Scams
A solar canvasser shows up, promises the solar is free, says you will make money, claims to be the utility company, or simply asks you to sign a form stating they came to your home. While the offer may sound too good to pass up—be sure to research the company before signing any paperwork. We recently spoke to a homeowner that signed a paper for a door knocker, so they could get credit for the appointment. It turned out to be a sales contract! Currently, there are no reputable solar companies gaining businesses in our region from going door-to-door soliciting.
If you are door knocked by a solar company and live in a “No Soliciting” neighborhood, let your Homeowners Association know. Share the company name, along with the date and time of the solicitation visit. Many HOAs are getting fed up with these policy violations and will send a certified Cease and Desist letter to the company.
Click here to read, “What’s the Deal With All These Solar Companies Door Knocking,” which includes tips to keep your community safe and how to report utility company impersonators.
Solar Facebook/Google Ads
Misleading ads seem to always be spamming our user experience online. Here are just a few common ads to be careful with:
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