MILITARY CONSEQUENCES. TO THE I TEAM NOW A HIDDEN CAMERA. FOX FIVE ITEM INVESTIGATION TAKES THE SHINE OFF SOME BIG PROMISES MADE TO GEORGIA HOMEOWNERS ABOUT SOLAR POWER TALK ABOUT FRUSTRATING SOME SOLAR CUSTOMERS ENDED UP SPENDING EVEN MORE FOR POWER THAN THEY DID BEFORE. FOX FIVE ITEM REPORTER RANDY TRAVIS SHOWS YOU THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK. AND THIS GROWING INDUSTRY READY, ACCORDING TO SALES ADS TO GO SOLAR ARE EVERYWHERE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SO WE INVITED TWO OF THE BIGGER ADVERTISERS TO A HOUSE OUTFITTED WITH HIDDEN CAMERAS. AND SINCE BOTH SALESPEOPLE JUST RECENTLY STARTED WITH THOSE COMPANIES, WE DECIDED TO SHOW THEM TO YOU. THIS WAY. I'VE NEVER WORKED ANYWHERE THAT EVERYBODY IS SO HAPPY. HAPPY EMPLOYER IS POWER HOME SOLAR NOW CHANGING ITS NAME TO PINK ENERGY BASED IN NORTH CAROLINA, THE LARGEST HOME SOLAR COMPANY IN THE SOUTHEAST, COST FOR ELECTRICITY, THE COST FOR POWER GOING UP AND THEY'RE GOING UP QUICKLY. HE WORKS FOR SOLAR TITAN USA OUT OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, ALSO MAKING A BIG PUSH INTO GEORGIA THESE DAYS. BUT DESPITE THEIR UPBEAT SALES PITCHES, BOTH COMPANIES MADE PROMISES TO GEORGIA CUSTOMERS THAT QUICKLY TURNED THOSE SMILES UPSIDE DOWN, NOT TURNED OUT TO BE WHAT WAS PROMISED NOT WORKING , AND THEY DON'T EVER RESPOND TO ANYTHING EVER AGREED TO PAY CELL OR TIGHTEN USA $43,000 TO OUTFIT HIS DOUGLAS FULL HOME. I PROMISE TO GIVE HIM BACK UP POWER AND REDUCES ELECTRIC BILL SUPPOSED TO GO DOWN ABOUT 80 OR 90% WE'LL NEVER KNOW. ACCORDING TO THE DOUGLAS COUNTY BUILDING, INSPECTOR SOLAR TITAN FAILED TO PULL A BUILDING PERMIT TO DO THE WORK. WITHOUT THAT PERMIT COVERT CAN'T HOOK UP THE SYSTEM TO THE GRID, WORTHLESS SYSTEMS NOT EVER GOING TO BE RUNNING AND THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR IT, SPOKESMAN FOR SOLAR TITAN USA TOLD US THEY DID PULL AN ELECTRICAL PERMIT BUT DIDN'T KNOW DOUGLAS WILL REQUIRE A BUILDING PERMIT TO CALLED COLBERT TO REACH A RESOLUTION. HE WANTS THE SYSTEM REMOVED. THE SALESMAN TELL YOU THINGS THAT TURNED OUT NOT TO BE TRUE. ABSOLUTELY ALMOST EVERYTHING HE SAID, TURNED OUT TO NOT BE TRUE. AMY AND NATHAN TEATRO WOULD BE ABLE TO SELL EXTRA SOLAR POWER. BACK TO THEIR UTILITY, THUS GIVING THE LAFAYETTE COUPLE AND NEGATIVE ELECTRIC BILL SCENE. A NEGATIVE POWER BILL. NO NEVER OUR HOME SOLAR SYSTEM COST $91,000 FINANCED OVER 25 YEARS. NORTH GEORGIA AMC BILLS HAVE BARELY BUDGED ALL THIS. I WOULD HAVE NEVER MADE THIS DECISION. I WOULD HAVE STAYED WITH MY REGULAR POWER COMPANY. IT'S AN UNDERSTANDABLE FEELING. FOR SOME HOMEOWNERS. SOLAR POWER IS A LEGITIMATE OPTION IF THEY WANT TO TRY TO CUT BACK ON RISING ENERGY COSTS, BUT MANY OF THEM DON'T KNOW THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK. WELL WE DO KNOW THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. BUT LISTEN TO THE ANSWERS. WE GOT OUR HOME, SOLAR DECIDED NOT TO USE THEIR HAPPY SALES PERSON TO MAKE THE HARD SELL FOR US. INSTEAD WE WERE PATCHED INTO SPEAK VIRTUALLY TO ANDREW, WHO SAID HE WAS A SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER SHOWING HIS FACE EXPENSIVE SYSTEMS. UM A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE 5 10 GRAND, REALLY? WE'RE ELIMINATING LIFELONG UTILITY BILL. THAT'S RIGHT, HE SAID. ELIMINATE TO DO THAT, ANDREW QUOTAS $69,999. LATER GUARANTEEING A 67% REDUCTION IN OUR POWER BILL SCENARIOS. YOU'LL HAVE 23% OF YOUR BILL LEFT. BUT THAT REALLY IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE IN THE WINTER WHEN WE'RE NOT PRODUCING AS MUCH WE HAD TO LOCAL COMPANIES DESIGN SOLAR SYSTEMS FOR THE SAME HOUSE, CREATIVE SOLAR USA, A AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOUTHEAST. BECAUSE OF SHADE AND THE ROOF DESIGN. NEITHER SAID IT WOULD REDUCE OUR UTILITY BILL BY 67% NOT EVEN BY 50% BUT THEIR COST WAS DRASTICALLY LOWER THAN POWER HOME SOLAR'S PRICE AND THIS IS WHY IT'S GOOD TO GET A NUMBER OF QUOTES TO COMPARE. AND THEN THE TRUTH SERUM COMES OUT HAVE THAT METERING, WHICH IS HUGE PROMISE THAT WE GET FULL CREDIT FOR EVERY UNUSED SOLAR KILOWATT. WE SENT TO OUR ELECTRIC COMPANY. IT'S CALLED NET METERING AND CAN REDUCE YOUR ELECTRIC BILL DRAMATICALLY THIS SUMMER. MORE LIKELY THAT SAYING NEGATIVE BALANCES BECAUSE IN THE SUMMER WE COULD USE A LOT MORE ELECTRIC THAN WE ACTUALLY NEED. THAT SERVICES. THIS HOME DOESN'T OFFER NET METERING. OUR HOME. SOLAR SAID IT FIRED ANDREW BECAUSE WHAT HE TOLD US DID NOT ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR SALES GUIDELINES AND TRAININGS OR OUR ETHICS. THEY ALSO AGREED TO CANCEL AMY AND NATHAN'S CONTRACT AND TAKE DOWN THEIR SYSTEM AGAINST CITING A RATHER SIGNIFICANT MISCOMMUNICATION. BY THEIR SALES REP. SOMEONE'S GOING TO BE HARDER AND HARDER TO GET SOLAR IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. TITANS RECOMMENDED ESTIMATE FOR OUR HOUSE WAS ALMOST AS HIGH NEARLY $58,000. THAT'S $345 A MONTH. FOR 20 YEARS. STILL GOING TO PAY FOR POWER? NO NO, THAT'S THE SO WHAT THIS IS RIGHT HERE. YOU PAY. THIS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR ALL YOUR ALL OF YOUR USAGE WILL BE ABOUT 100% OF YOUR USAGE RIGHT NOW. READY? TRAVIS WITH FOX FIVE NEWS. WE'VE HAD SOME COMPLAINTS ABOUT YOUR COMPANIES. WE WANT TO KIND OF HEAR HOW THE SALES PITCH WENT. CAN YOU PROMISE HER THAT HER POWER BILL HAVE NO CONSUMPTION CHARGE AT ALL? WITH THIS UNIT. CAN YOU MAKE THAT PROMISE? I'M NOT GOING TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM YOU, MAN. THIS IS REAL UNCOMFORTABLE FOR ME. WELL, IMAGINE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT AND THEY GET POWER BILLS EVEN AFTER THEY SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON THE SYSTEM. MAYBE UNCOMFORTABLE TOO, DON'T YOU THINK? WELL, UM. WELL SOLAR TITAN USA TOLD US NONE OF THEIR SALES. PEOPLE SHOULD BE SAYING THAT THEIR SYSTEM WILL REPLACE 100% OF YOUR POWER BILL, AND TO DO SO IS A FIRING OFFENSE. POLICE SAID THAT THEY ARE NOT FIRING THAT SALESMAN. THEY'RE JUST RETRAINING HIM TO STILL HAVE ANY KIND OF A BILL. AFTER SHELLING OUT WHAT YOU WERE QUOTED ALMOST $70,000. THEY SHOULD BE PRETTY UP FRONT ABOUT THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'LL HAVE MORE ON THIS TOMORROW NIGHT. BOTH COMPANIES ALSO PROMISED WOULD BE ABLE TO SAVE A BUNCH OF MONEY BY USING A 26. TAX CREDIT A FEDERAL TAX CREDIT, BUT THAT ONLY WORKS IF YOU PAY THAT MUCH IN FEDERAL TAXES, AND OUR PRODUCER, TOLD BOTH COMPANIES THAT SHE WAS ON DISABILITY. SO WE'LL SHOW YOU WHA
