WSMV4 Investigates asks TN Attorney General if enough is being done to get solar power customers their money back

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The clock is ticking for people who took out thousands of dollars in loans to buy solar power equipment from one company only to say it isn’t saving them money.

For customers like Geoff Edwards, the waiting is the worse.

“I’m paying money for basically a paper weight on my roof,” said Edwards, who is paying for solar panels that don’t work. “How could they shut down without setting up support structures for their customers.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and eight others are going after five solar lending companies, claiming customers were sold a product that isn’t functioning.

“We recognize there are a lot of people hurting out there,” Skrmetti said.

The action by the Attorneys General come after a series of WSMV investigations into Pink Energy.

Customers claiming, they were promised lower energy bills and big tax breaks by switching to solar. Instead, many are saying their bills have stayed the same.

‘It feels like we got taken advantage of,” Raychel Jamieson told WSMV4 Investigates in an interview in June.

WSMV4 Investigates asked Skrmetti why it’s taken so long for the Attorney General’s Office to step in.

“Sometimes it takes a little bit longer when we cooperate with other states, but that’s always for the purpose of doing better by the consumers,” Skrmetti said.

Skrmetti said the majority of the 100 complaints about solar power companies are about Pink Energy.

With many customers stuck with loans for tens of thousands of dollars to pay for the solar equipment, he’s asking the solar lending companies to suspend payments for customers while the investigation into Pink Energy continues.

“It’s our job to hold them accountable and to get as much compensation for the consumers as we can get,” Skrmetti said. “They need restitution for what was wrongly taken from them.”

Skrmetti said the investigation will take time while also knowing many customers are still paying for a service they aren’t benefitting from.

“We’re optimistic that there may be some opportunity there to get money back to consumers that could be used to offset some of those loans,” Skrmetti said.

WSMV4 Investigates has been trying to talk with someone with Pink Energy, but multiple calls and emails have gone unanswered for months. The main customer service phone number for the company is disconnected.

Skrmetti said his office hasn’t heard back from the lenders yet but wants to give them some time to respond.

In the meantime, he said it’s important to file a complaint with his office if you’re an affected customer.

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