A South Florida couple wanted to switch to solar power to save money. But more than $60,000 and three years later, their roof is covered in panels that aren’t producing power and now the city is issuing fines. So they turned to Help Me Howard with Brandon Beyer.
A lot of positive energy comes from Bill and Mary Garrett’s home in Coral Springs.
Mary’s a musician. She has filled her house with instruments.
Mary Garrett: “This is a hammer dulcimer.”
An energy you won’t find here, though, is solar. Despite there being 42 panels installed on the roof, the Garrets spent $65,000 on the project three years ago.
Bill Garrett: “A traveling salesman came to my door and convinced me that I could eliminate my electric bill and save the planet by reducing my solar footprint.”
The work began immediately and was nearly finished in just a few weeks, but there’s one final step.
Bill Garrett: “All we gotta do is throw this switch, and we are done.”
Unfortunately, the company they hired was “done”. It went bankrupt, even though the finance company for the Garretts had paid them in full.
Bill Garrett: “And then the company was gone, and there was nobody to do it. That was three years ago.”
They hired another company to finish the job. They went out of business, too.
Now, Bill can’t find anyone to do the work.
Bill Garrett: “They’re saying, ‘Well, we don’t work on other people’s projects, and your panels are too old.'”
If that isn’t bad enough, since the job is not complete, the city is now citing them $100 a day and threatening to put a lien on the house.
Bill Garrett: “I’m gonna lose my house.”
Howard, do the Garrets have options?
Howard Finkelstein: “This is no different than any contract for service. You never want to pay all of the money before the work is done. By withholding the last payment, it allows you to have money in your pocket to hire someone else if the company goes bankrupt like they did in this case. The same should be true for the lender as well because they were in charge of dispersing the money.”
We called the city of Coral Springs, and they agreed to “continue this case until May,” and they’ll “delay the certification of lien.” They will not “halt the fines,” but at least the garrets have some more time.
Mary Garrett: “You should have seen us dance. We were so excited and thank you, thank you, thank you.”
No solar energy yet, but plenty of positive energy, and sometimes, that’s just what you need.
Bill Garrett: “We got hope. Thank you.”
They are this close to being finished. They just need a contractor to help them flip that switch. We’ll let you know what happens.
Got a problem? Need a hand? Below is how you find us. It’s Help Me Howard, I’m Brandon Beyer, 7News.
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