Exclusive: CT AG Suing Solar Company Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers Into Contracts

Our electric bills are through the roof and many folks are looking to their roofs to save.

But buyer beware.

The Connecticut Office of the Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Vision Solar, LLC, a solar company operating in Connecticut and other states.

Attorney General William Tong says the suit comes after his office heard 14 complaints from residents over allegations of high-pressure sales tactics, misrepresentations about financing, and unpermitted work, among other things.

His office is sure there are more upset customers out there.

“It’s always wrong to rip people off, but there’s a cold place in hell for people that rip off seniors and the disabled,” Tong said.  He says the company’s alleged misconduct violates both the Home Improvement Act and Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Vision Solar denies those claims, but tells NBC CT Responds that it has made missteps as a growing company, which is based out of New Jersey but has an office here in Farmington.

“I think in that growth, we made a lot of mistakes. We would move quickly,” said Bennett Andelman, Vision Solar’s chief marketing and people experience officer. “That created a whole litany of problems that we are now facing today.”

Andelman was hired in August and is working on righting these mistakes.

He tells NBC CT Responds the company has made many changes in leadership and there's new employee training too.

With that, he says it’s fixed some work done without permits, changed formerly aggressive sales styles, and the company continues to get upset customers' inoperable systems online.

Andelman says their newer customers are pleased.

NBC CT Responds Consumer Reporter Caitlin Burchill asked, “How do you keep selling to people, if you haven't rectified the past?”

Andelman responded, “Well, you know, the good news is, is that our process currently really works.”  He went on to explain that they need to keep business rolling to keep the company moving forward while rectifying earlier customers’ issues.

While Andelman says his company will investigate the state’s specific customer complaints, he adamantly denies allegations of preying on and pressuring vulnerable people.

“Our objective, whether you're 27 or 77, if you have your cognitive ability, is to give you the education that you deserve, regardless of age, and it's up to you ultimately to make that decision.”

Even if customers are overwhelmed, he says they do have three-day window after they sign a contract to cancel, something he says Ruth Greenberger could have done.

Tong’s office received a complaint from Ruth Greenberger, of West Suffield.

“They showed her documents that she couldn’t adequately see, frankly, on a phone or iPad or something like that,” said Tong.

Greenberger tells NBC CT Responds, “You couldn’t even read the whole contract and he just flipped through and said sign here, sign here, sign here and I did it and I shouldn’t have.”

The home she grew up in and helped build now has more than 50 solar panels on its roof -- an everyday reminder of a contract she says she wishes she never signed.

Greenberger says a Vision Solar salesman misled her with promises of a huge federal tax credit and only 15 months of payments, not a 25-year loan.

“I guess people’s word is not worth anything anymore. Buyer beware,” Greenberger said.

She’s now on the hook for $95,000, plus thousands of dollars of interest, in a contract she says she was pressured to sign.

Again, Andelman says Vision Solar will look into customers’ allegations presented by the AG’s Office and it something malicious happened during the sales process, he says it wouldn’t be tolerated by the company and the employee would be terminated.

As for Greenberger’s frustrations with her project, Andelman says Vision Solar had trouble working with her on several occasions, which slowed her process, telling us, “We delivered in all instances and tried to work with her consistently only to meet barriers every step of the way.”

He says her system has passed inspection and has permission to operate from the utility company.

But for now, Greenberger’s Vision Solar panels, which were installed in May, haven’t been turned on.

“Us being in our 70s shouldn’t be expected to know what lever to throw to turn it on,” she said.

NBC Responds teams around the country have received 22 complaints about Vision Solar since 2021.

The Better Business Bureau has given them an F rating, garnering hundreds of complaints from angry consumers.

As the lawsuit makes its way through the court system, Andelman asks customers who have been operating in limbo like Greenberger to reach out by emailing them at customerexperience@visionsolar.com.

He says his goal is to get these consumers’ systems operating by the end of the year or potentially allow them to get out of their contract depending on their particular situation.

Tong says any one with issues should reach out to his office. You can file a complaint on his website or contact his consumer assistance unit: 860-808-5420.