Consumer complaint received 2024-03-24 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: Solar Mosaic LLC
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
PREDATORY LENDING, PREDATORY SALES AND ELDER ABUSE : 30 % TAX CREDIT FORCED UPON ME BY BOTH THE SELLER AND THE LENDER WITHOUT MY FULL UNDERSTANDING. A FAIR RESOLVE TO THIS PROBLEM FOR ME : The sales representative, ( XXXX XXXX ), the installer ( XXXX XXXX ), and Mosaic are responsible for misrepresenting the federal tax credit as it relates to the Inflation Reduction Act and Residential Solar. Therefore, I am expecting Mosaic Solar XXXX and/or XXXX XXXX to remove the tax credit amount of {$19000.00} from my contract price. I have spoken to Mosaic and XXXX several times and submitted written documentation of my experience. I have expressed that I am willing to pay the {$45000.00} that I agreed to when the salesperson was in my home. To be heard I have stopped my payment to Mosaic and they have reported the nonpayment to various credit agencies. I believe that Mosaic is complicit in misleading me and engaging in predatory lending. What Happened : I am filing this complaint because SOLAR is happening so fast to homeowners, myself included. Its a confusing concept and the average homeowner doesnt understand all of the moving parts associated with going SOLAR, or the sales process until it's too late. To me, this is a classic bait-and-switch. I am XXXX  years of age and retired. I was taken advantage of in that the salesperson, XXXX XXXX emphatically assured me that I would get the 30 % tax credit. He explained that I would then use that money to pay down my loan thus maintaining the low monthly payment that the finance company is starting me out with. Why isnt the price, the price? Why does the finance company get to further cement the idea that I will be able to use the tax credit to pay down my loan when they have no idea if I even qualify for the tax credit? And, if I did receive the tax credit money in my hand, why does the finance company get to dictate or strongly suggest how I spend the money? XXXX XXXX leads with the 30 % tax credit and Mosaic Financing uses the initial low payment as bait to get me to agree to pay the 30 % within 18 months. Because, of course, anyone would rather have a low payment. But, If I dont or cant pay the 30 % then the payment switches to the higher amount. So, instead of starting me at the low payment with the expectation that I will have the money to pay down my loan LET THE PRICE BE THE PRICE? AND LET MY PAYMENT BE MY PAYMENT. So that the payment doesnt have to balloon after 18 months. Its my right to choose when given a fair choice. No one, not XXXX XXXX, the salesperson nor Mosaic the finance company suggested that I speak to a tax professional at the point of sale. I did NOT understand the full measure of the tax credit until well after signing the Contract. I have since learned that the tax credit is just that a credit. If I owe money to the IRS then the credit is used to pay what I owe. And, since I am retired and rarely owe taxes I will never get any money in my hand. Using the tax credit to pay down the loan was never a real option for me and it never should have been presented as such. There is so much wrong with the way these people are consciously doing business. Not to mention Elder Abuse. There are three companies tied to my complaint. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Mosaic Solar XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX On XX/XX/XXXX, I was referred to XXXX XXXX as a potential Solar customer. He came to my home and we talked about solar energy and how going solar could save me money on my electric bill. I explained to XXXX that Im familiar with solar and I already have five panels on my roof that are not working. We talked for a bit and I expressed to him that I needed to sleep on it and that I would get back to him. XXXX did everything that he could to convince me to purchase solar that night. He redirected my attention to the five panels on my roof that are not producing and the 30 % Federal Tax Credit. XXXX assured me that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX would be able to integrate the existing panels with the new system and he stated emphatically that I would receive the tax credit in one lump sum when I filed my taxes. He also promised me one year of payments free totaling {$3000.00} upfront. I have not received any money from XXXX XXXX. Nor does he answer any of my calls. My understanding of the deal is that the cost of the panels is {$65000.00} minus the tax credit amount of {$19000.00} which I would use to pay down the loan by month 18. I AGREED TO PAY {$45000.00} for the solar panels. Please note that even with the integration of the existing panels and the year free I would NOT have knowingly AGREED TO PAY {$65000.00}. That amount was far past the budget that I had in mind. I believed XXXX XXXX. I was then approved by Mosaic Financial and signed the documents that night. Also during the process with Mosaic Financial, they did not mention the tax credit. However, the loan did reflect {$65000.00} with the specification of paying down the loan by the amount of the tax credit of {$19000.00} which I believed that I would get when I file my taxes. XXXX XXXX, NOR MOSAIC FINANCIAL SUGGESTED THAT I SPEAK WITH A TAX PROFESSIONAL ABOUT THE TAX CREDIT AND HOW IT WORKS. XXXX did not provide me with a Contract or my 3-day Right to Cancel. Had I received my CONTRACT I WOULD HAVE READ IT MORE THROUGHLY STILL WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO CANCEL. BUT, I DID NOT RECEIVE MY CONTRACT UNTIL XX/XX/XXXX. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT : I fell into the trap with XXXX XXXX the third-party Installer. I learned that XXXX XXXX is working in concert with XXXX XXXX. The fact that I was dealing with two companies was not disclosed at the point of sale. After signing the Contract everything went wrong. I was forced to communicate with XXXX XXXX via email, text, and voicemail only. Although XXXX says they have nothing to do with XXXX XXXX, and that he is an independent salesperson with his own company, XXXX XXXX who contracts XXXX to install solar panel systems after he sells them. But, XXXX XXXX is the Sales Agent listed on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. So, if he is the Authorized Sales Agent listed on the Contract does that make him a binding partner with XXXX XXXX? On another note, XXXX has no checks and balances in place to verify customer expectations established by the sales representative. There is no handoff process. I was expecting to receive a Contract from XXXX but I did not until I spoke with XXXX at Mosaic on XX/XX/XXXX to express my frustration. After, that phone call with Mosaic XXXX XXXX called me later that evening and emailed my CONTRACT on XX/XX/XXXX, two months and ten days later. So, technically, XXXX usurped my 3-day right to cancel. Upon receipt of the CONTRACT, I signed the cancellation page immediately and emailed it to XXXX reestablishing my 3-Day Right to Cancel to which XXXX did not respond. I had been trying to get my contract before this point and I was told by XXXX XXXX that per XXXX XXXX department that since I signed the contract I must have read it and they did not have to provide me with a copy of the contract or the 3-Day Notice of Right to Cancel. Recently, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received a text message from XXXX XXXX of XXXX stating Hello XXXX XXXX, it appears that you were not eligible for the tax credit per the Mosaic welcome call. I apologize for any misunderstanding you have had. Did XXXX coordinate with Mosaic to learn this information? And, how would the finance company know that I did not qualify for the tax credit? And, If they knew that I didnt qualify why didnt they tell me before I signed the contract? It is obvious to me that both XXXX and Mosaic Financial know something that I do not. I did receive a welcome call from Mosaic after the initial signing but there was no mention of the tax credit. The call was simply to say welcome and thank you. This leads me to believe that the bait and switch using the tax credit is the way they operate every day. Four days after signing the contract XXXX showed up at my home to install the solar panels. It was then that the electrician told me that he could not integrate the existing panels and that he could not complete the installation that day because the design plans that he received were incorrect. The plans did not indicate the correct roof pitch. The electrician said that his crew was too inexperienced to get on the roof with that pitch without ropes and harnesses which he did not have with him. Then two days later on XX/XX/XXXX, two young men from XXXX came and completed the installation WITHOUT A PERMIT. Im not sure if they were electricians or not. THE CITY OF XXXX XXXX, TEXAS DID NOT ISSUE THE PERMIT TO INSTALL SOLAR AT MY PROPERTY UNTIL XX/XX/XXXX m thirty-three days after XXXX installed the panels on my roof. Why is XXXX choosing to not follow the rules? WHAT IVE DONE TO TRY AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE : The process that began on XX/XX/XXXX, was completed on XX/XX/XXXX. At the end of XXXX, I was still pulling teeth to get XXXX to complete the project. I had to elicit the help of a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to get XXXX to speak with me. We had a few conference calls in XXXX with XXXX XXXX to discuss everything that had happened including the promise of the tax credit and the upfront payments promised by XXXX XXXX. I have also provided several written documentation of my experience to both XXXX XXXX and Mosaic. The process was difficult and XXXX refused to talk about the tax credit at all. But, then on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX sent me the above-mentioned text message informing me that per Mosaic I was not eligible for the tax credit. This response is confusing to me. XXXX insists that I take the matter up with Mosaic. And, Mosaic is insisting that I signed the contract and that Im responsible for paying the tax credit amount by month 18. I disagree. Again, I am willing to pay the {$45000.00} if Mosaic will accept it. And, why is Mosaic now sending me emails reminding me to apply for the tax credit when I file my taxes? Its a problem. Thanks for Listening,

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation