KATY, Texas – What would you do if you tried to pay your bill, but couldn’t get anyone to take your money?
That’s the reality one Houston-area homeowner says she’s been facing for months after her solar company, Elios Solar, seemingly disappeared.
“I’ve never tried to pay somebody as bad as I have tried to pay these people,” said homeowner Shandreika Surtain.
Surtain says she had solar panels installed back in October. But by December, she noticed something unusual, she hadn’t received a bill. That’s when she says she started trying to contact the company.
“It sounds like you’ve tried contacting three or four different people with this company. Yeah. And nothing,” KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun asked.
“Nothing. Finally, I looked online and I found that 888 number. I called that too,” Surtain said.
Since then, she says the silence has been constant.
“It’s been no contact, no communication. I’ve been trying to pay them absolutely nothing,” she said. “They have literally fell off the face of the Earth.”
Now, Surtain says the issue goes beyond just making a payment. She’s worried about what happens if something goes wrong with her system.
“So, if a storm does come through I have to find somebody who knows anything about solar panels to, one, come out and check it and see if it’s working, if they can fix it,” she said. “But I find that after contacting so many different companies, a lot of solar panel companies do not want to come out, and service solar panels that they did not install.”
“I don’t have anybody to fix it because I have nobody to call. So, I’m literally stuck,” the mother of two said.
KPRC 2 News attempted to contact Elios Solar multiple times by phone and email but was unable to reach anyone. Emails were returned as undeliverable, and calls went unanswered.
Surtain also says she’s concerned about the financial consequences of not being able to pay.
“I’ve never tried to pay somebody as bad as I have tried to pay these people. Because I don’t want you to put a lien on my property. I don’t want, you know, down the line to say, oh, I defaulted and I didn’t pay you because that’s so far from the truth.”
While Balogun was at her home, Surtain made another attempt to get answers and for the first time in months, someone picked up.
The call was with the contractor who installed her panels.
“So, Miguel finally answered. It has been forever. Elio Solar is out of money,” Surtain said. “They told Miguel to stop all work because he is the installer who installed the solar panels.”
The response offered some clarity but also raised new concerns.
A search for bankruptcy filings tied to the company did not immediately return results.
What you can do if this happens to you
Consumer experts say situations like this, while frustrating, are not unheard of.
Leah Napoliello with the Better Business Bureau says homeowners should start by gathering all documentation.
“So, it’s important for the customer to first of all, gather any information, any contracts, receipts, that sort of thing, Napoliello said. “They could potentially go to their bank or credit card company and dispute the charges that way if the business is not responding to them at all.”
She also recommends monitoring whether the company files for bankruptcy.
“And then also check to see if the business winds up filing for bankruptcy. Then that could be an option too,” she said. “They could file a claim if the company does go into bankruptcy. They could also potentially take the company to court if they’re not able to get a response whatsoever.”
Homeowners can also file a complaint with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation under residential solar retailers.