How To Identify and Avoid Solar Scammers in New Mexico
As a company that sells a relatively new and unique technology, we get that not everyone fully understands the ins and outs of solar power. While we’re always glad to answer our customers’ questions and help make the idea of solar power less overwhelming, some people would rather take advantage of this situation in a much more negative way. Solar energy scams started to pop up not long after solar energy became more widespread. They try to prey on people that are less informed about solar panels and how they work.
We don’t want you to have to deal with one of these scams. They can cost you time and money that you don’t need to waste when you use a reputable solar energy company. We’re going to show you how to identify and avoid solar scammers in New Mexico so you can hopefully curb these incidents from ever happening in the first place.
Watch Out for Door-To-Door and Cold Call Sales
Going door to door and cold calling random people isn’t how most reputable solar energy companies operate anymore. We understand that solar panels aren’t things that you buy on a whim or because someone offered them up out of nowhere. If you run into a door-to-door salesperson or get a random call from a solar company, it’s safe to assume you probably shouldn’t do business with them. For the most part, a lot of the sales for solar panels are made through online channels now, so don’t take a salesperson at their word right away.
Find References
A good way to check if the company you talk to is a reliable one is to look into their track record and find references to their work. You can usually tell if something is a scam if it looks like they haven’t done much work or if they started their business fairly recently. You can even talk to past customers to get a good idea of whether doing business with the company worked out for them. A reputable solar company will have reviews that you can find online for their work. As a last resort, you can contact the Better Business Bureau or another consumer protection agency to make sure that the company is on the up and up.
Don’t Sign Anything Too Soon
Many scammers will try and lock you into an agreement as soon as possible. This is to give you as little time as possible to think about your decision before they start to take your money. Don’t sign anything until you feel fully comfortable doing so, no matter how much the person you talk to tries to get you to do otherwise. Make sure you get all your questions answered before you put your signature on anything. Insisting on getting the right information before you sign a contract is a good way to weed out the scammers.
Always Have a Contract
On the flip side, some scammers will actually try to start doing work without drawing up any legal documentation for it. While you don’t want to sign anything too soon, never let someone start to work on your house without having your agreement written down somewhere. We always set up contracts with our clients before we start working so that everyone knows exactly what they’ll get once we finish the installation. It’s also important to remember that getting a free estimate is not a binding contract. Less reputable companies may try to convince you that your estimate was your contract the whole time.
Understand Your Tax Benefits
There are quite a few tax benefits to installing solar panels on your home, but you need to be aware that scammers will try to inflate these benefits to get you to sign up with them. They may overestimate your returns to trick you into buying. When you work with a reputable solar company like us, we’ll help you find the accurate information about your taxes that you’ll need to know. Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it’s healthy to be a little skeptical of it.
Watch Out for Fake Utility or Government Workers
A decent number of solar panel scammers will try their luck at impersonating government officials or utility workers to build trust with the people they scam. If you deal with one of these people, it’s a good idea to ask them for their official ID. This will weed out some of the less crafty scammers, but if they produce an ID, you may need to look up its authenticity yourself. If you have any doubts about the person that tries to sell you solar panels, don’t sign anything or commit to anything until you can confirm who they actually are.
Be Wary of Aggressive Tactics
One of the easiest ways to identify solar scammers is by examining how they deal with potential customers like yourself. Scammers don’t want you to think too much about what they say or what they offer; they just want you to commit to something quickly. This means they’ll usually come at you with some aggressive sales tactics to try and force you into something. They may try and take away something they’ve already offered if you take too long or impose a time limit on your decision. These aggressive moves are clear signs that you’ve got a scammer trying to fool you.
Get All of Your Financing Options
You have a few different options for financing when it comes to purchasing your solar panels. There are benefits and drawbacks to each of them, but the important thing to remember is that a commercial solar company you can trust will present you with all of your options and allow you to make the decision. Someone who’s trying to scam you will most likely push and prod you towards one specific type of financing—the one that benefits them the most. Make sure you fully understand all your financing options before you decide on one over the others.
If you want a solar company that you can put your trust in, we here at NM Solar Group would love to speak with you. We know that switching to solar power for your home is a big decision, and we’ll do everything we can to make the process as smooth as possible. If you have any questions, we’d be glad to answer them so everyone walks away happy.
