CLEVELAND — A solar energy company that was the focus of a recent News 5 Investigation has closed its doors.
You might remember in July, News 5's Jonathan Walsh reported on ahidden camera investigation into Power Home Solar, which changed its name to Pink Energy.
Numerous customers from around Ohio and the country filed complaints and lawsuits claiming Power Home Solar never delivered on its sales pitches.
Now, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has made a move against the company.
FORMER CUSTOMERS SPEAK OUT
“The whole process was just really misleading,” said Phil Luketic.
“Unacceptable on all fronts in terms of how this went,” Ayanna Lowry told us.
“Disappointed, frustrated, mad at the world,” Vince Petric said.
They are former Power Home Solar/Pink Energy customers who have filed complaints against the company.
They said there have been problems with their solar energy systems not producing enough power, much higher than expected electric bills after installation and sales pitches that didn’t match the product.
“The grid is not working the way it was supposed to and my energy bill actually went up,” said Lowry.
“As you can see, I’m pulling up to my house now,” said Petric during a video interview where he tilted his cell phone so we can view his home. “You see the panels on my roof, 26 of them. Garbage things and they don’t work.”
“My panels do produce but certainly not like anything like the way it was sold,” said Luketic.
NEWS 5 ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION
All of this is similar to our initial News 5 Investigation back in July.
‘We were never told we’re going to send our sales rep out to pitch our product, but don’t trust them,” said Mark Mondello, a former Power Home Solar customer, during our report then.
Our hidden cameras even showed that Pink Energy’s own employees admitted there were problems with the company.
“They grew so fast and maybe wasn’t anticipating and a lot of things went wrong,” said the Pink Energy rep who came to a local home for a sale pitch that day.
DOORS CLOSE, WHAT NOW?
Now, customers are even more angry, because a mere two months after our investigation, Power Home Solar/Pink Energy just shut its doors and closed up shop in more than a dozen states.
“They cannot just leave us hanging,” said Petric.
These customers, like so many others, are asking, “Where do we go from here?” For that answer, we headed straight to Canton to talk to the attorney we used in our original story.
“Just because they’ve closed their doors doesn’t mean Power Home Solar is off the hook,” said Sean Steward, an Associate Attorney with Schulman, Roth & Associates.
When we first talked to him, he had about handful of clients like Mondello filing against Power Home Solar. Now, he has 30 to 40 former customers on board.
“Imagine paying $80,000 for a system, having it installed on your house, and while they’re planning on activating it, the company says, 'We’re done,'” said Steward.
He told us they will soon be asking the courts to put a hold on any customer loan payments without hitting the clients’ credit scores.
OHIO AG FILES CONSUMER COMPLAINT
Meanwhile, the Ohio Attorney General just filed a consumer complaint against Pink Energy claiming “aggressive sales tactics, misrepresentations of cost savings, poor construction… installation…” and more.
“They’re asking for many of the same things we are, to prevent the sale of assets (and more),” said Steward.
The AG’s Office has received more than 160 consumer complaints against Power Home Solar/Pink Energy.
We’ve reached out to Pink Energy for comment. None of our messages have been returned.
According to a company news release and additional reports, Pink Energy’s CEO Jayson Waller has blamed a company called Generac for faulty products and even filed a lawsuit against it.
However, Generac told us Power Home Solar didn’t do installations correctly and that’s why there were issues with some of its products. It said Pink Energy “may be hoping to distract customers from the many complaints and allegations… leveled against them…” [see full statement below]
“I don’t have anything to do with Generac,” said Petric. “I don’t have the Generac power.”
All of these customers want accountability for what’s happened with their systems.
“Whatever it is, a check needs to come in the mail to each person who signed on the dotted line,” said Luketic.
If you’ve had problems, you might want to contact an attorney and check your product manufacturer warranties to see what kind of relief there could be.
Generac statement:
“We have taken notice of recent news reports and articles citing customer concerns with Pink Energy’s marketing practices and service support. We expect all our independent dealers and distributors to act with integrity and meet high standards in providing customer services and proper product installation.
Generac is a leading manufacturer of solar + storage solutions, and we sell our products to a wide range of distributors and solar contractors. We’ve been in business for more than 60 years, and we’ve done that by standing by our promises and products.
In certain situations, especially when product installation guidelines have not been followed, as appears to be the case with some Pink Energy installations, customers may have experienced certain issues with a particular Generac component of their solar energy system – the SnapRS 801 or 801A. We have introduced a new next-generation rapid shutdown device, which has been designed and engineered to the highest reliability standards. We are committed to getting those upgrades and warranty replacements taken care of as quickly as possible and those steps are well underway. It is unfortunate that Pink Energy, as the installer and service provider of such products, made the unilateral decision to quit offering Generac warranty support despite the availability of parts. Instead of helping expedite the resolution of their customer complaints, they asked Generac to solely assume this responsibility. Although Pink Energy does not appear to put the needs of these customers first, Generac has – and always will – stand behind our products and honor our customer commitments.
It is unfortunate that Pink Energy appears to not want to take any accountability for their actions. By their inflammatory public statements and the lawsuit, we believe Pink Energy may be hoping to distract customers from the many complaints and allegations that reportedly have been leveled against them regarding poor installation and service, as well as public accounts of dubious marketing claims and sales tactics.
Recently, through news reports, we’ve heard that Pink Energy has closed its business. Pink Energy sold and installed some Generac products as part of some – but not all – their solar installations. Customers who need help with Generac components of their solar energy system can reach out to Generac directly. We have – and always will – stand by our products and honor our customer commitments.
In recent weeks, leading up to Pink Energy’s closure, Pink Energy – the installer and service provider – made the unilateral decision to stop offering Generac warranty support. As such, we have already contracted with high-quality third-party providers to perform warranty services on Generac’s products, now that Pink Energy will no longer be providing this service to its customers.
We understand that consumers are frustrated with Pink Energy and their inaction. However, Generac remains committed to our customers. Customers with questions about the Generac components of their solar systems can reach out to solarsupport@generac.com or 1-800-396-1281 for assistance.
We ask for your patience as we work to assist customers as quickly as possible.”
-Tami Kou, Director of Marketing Communications & Public Relations
Generac Power Systems, Inc.
