Customer Feature: Sol-Up Helps Couple Victimized by Solar Scam

Fox 5 in Las Vegas reported on a local elderly couple, the Scribners, who were scammed out of thousands of dollars after discovering they did not qualify for a promised $9,000 tax rebate, resulting in a lien on their house. Fox reported that local company Sol-Up stepped in to help, contacting their finance company and ultimately giving the couple a $9,000 check. Sol-Up also pledged to inspect their solar panels to ensure they were correctly sized and installed.

Unfortunately, the the Scribner’s situation is not unique. Less-than-reputable companies have been known to take advantage of the rising popularity of solar power to make a quick buck. These scammers will install solar systems, but will leave it disconnected and/or fail to get the proper inspections, Stephen Hamile, Sol-Up’s Chief Operating Officer, explained.

Well aware of this trend of solar scams, Hamile and Sol-Up are constantly on the lookout for ways they can help, even attributing a portion of their budget for such efforts.

“Whenever I see anything having to do with solar, I generally run right to the TV and then I turn the volume up,” Hamile said. In this case, Hamile saw the Fox 5 story and reached out to the news agency, expressing Sol-Up’s desire to help.

And the Scribner’s are not the first recipients of Sol-Up’s altruistic efforts. The last year alone, Hamile has approved in excess of twenty projects of over $1,000 each through their Nevada location. The level of repairs run the gamut, from simply connecting solar panels, to fully removing and re-installing the system.

“I don't want to say we stand alone,” Hamile said. “We have an alliance of partners. We have a roofing company, Ariat Roofing and solar partners like IronRidge, SolarEdge, and Meyer Burger. All of our channel partners are also our equitable and charitable partners as well.”

Soligent considers it a privilege to be partners with Sol-Up, providing most materials used in their residential and commercial solar projects.

“We're very faithful to our vendor and partner relationships,” Hamile said. “Soligent is our primary distribution partner, and I would say that we purchase 85% of our materials from Soligent.”

As a final thought, Hamile calls upon the rest of the solar industry to follow Sol-Up’s example and be a positive force for change in the industry: “We have to be willing to give back to our community,” he said. “We always call upon our industry partners and our contemporaries to do the right thing.”