A house on Kaylin Drive in Shreveport with new Green Light Solar-installed solar panels. SWEPCO sent out in Louisiana and Texas this week about . "It is important for our customers to know SWEPCO does not sell solar panels and is not partnered with any companies that do," the statement in bold said.
It goes on to warn "Let the buyer beware: make an informed decision." Their consumer alert links to one of on Green Light Solar, LLC and partner Go Solar/Spartan Solar, which began ramping up their residential solar installations in northwest Louisiana in January 2024. The companies’ actions have been the target of multiple customer complaints from Bethany to Farmerville.
A graphic from SWEPCO on their newest consumer alert mailing. Green Light Solar has pulled more than 150 solar installation permits for towns in Caddo and Bossier parishes and in Shreveport and Bossier City since the first of the year. Customers say by salespeople encouraging them to sign paperwork that most say they did not realize was a legally binding document.
Residents who have shared their stories say what at first seemed like a way to save money has turned instead into a struggle to pay the monthly note on the solar panel loan and if they don't, to see their credit wrecked. "I’m robbing Peter to pay Paul so my credit won’t be sunk by these solar panels because I have worked hard to get my credit at a decent score," said one SW Shreveport customer who had panels installed in the spring. "I am an honest hard-working individual that just trusts and takes people at their word.
" "At this juncture I feel I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. I need a new roof, and I don’t know which way to go because of the solar panels. I am about at my wit’s end with this whole thing.
" An Enphase combiner, part of the equipment needed for solar panel installation, on a home in Shreveport. Since the SBC Advocate’s first story was published, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell's office has requested copies of signed Green Light Solar contracts, and the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors has begun an investigation to determine if the companies are legally licensed in the state. Lester Duhe with the Office of the Attorney General confirmed that the office has received complaints but said that he "could not comment more at this time.
" The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office is also aware of complaints against the company and is asking people who feel they have been defrauded to file a report. Reports should be filed with the police department or sheriff’s office where the victim lives. On August 3, Green Light Solar North Louisiana responded with a news release stating, "Green Light Solar North Louisiana has taken steps to address issues caused by an unauthorized sales team.
" Green Light said this rogue sales team has undermined the "trust and reputation we have worked hard to build." The release further said that all problems reported will be addressed promptly. In follow-up questions sent to Green Light Solar LLC President Jimmy Garrett asking about specifics of addressing concerns, Garrett wrote "In instances where a customer was verifiably misled by a salesperson or persons and told that the system would be free, we would consider this an outright act of fraud by the sales company.
" Proving that they were verifiably misled may be a challenge. The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate has been told by multiple customers that conversations with their salesperson was always verbal and most customers say they were given no business card or contact information. The DocuSign loan contract that some customers say they unknowingly signed — or were rushed to sign without being given a chance to read — contains a specific clause about information given during the course of a sales pitch.
"Your agreement to pay for the project as described herein, and may not be contradicted by evidence of prior, contemporaneous, or subsequent oral agreements of the parties," the contract reads. "There are no unwritten oral agreements between the parties." In plain language, Shreveport attorney Jerry Harper said, that clause means "They (homeowners) cannot rely on any of that sales talk they may have given them on how much money they are going to save on the system or even that the system works.
" A Green Light customer in southwest Shreveport said a representative contacted her but the outcome — to date — has not been satisfactory. Meanwhile, Green Light Solar continues to tout a record that they say has "resolved every customer issue." "In nine years of business and over 10,000 residential systems installed by Green Light Solar, we have resolved every customer issue brought to our attention of our own volition without any kind of legal judgement.
" Since The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate’s original report was published on July 24, three permits were pulled for solar installations in Shreveport in the 71108, 71109 and 71119 zip codes. In Bossier City, seven permits have been pulled. For the Hall family in south Shreveport, the end to this could not come quickly enough.
After three months, they have seen no decrease in their SWEPCO bills. "We want them (the solar panels) down and nothing more to do with this." In their news release, Green Light Solar said that customers can contact the company through their website’s section to lodge complaints or offer feedback.
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