STOCKTON, Ill. (WIFR) – Anthony Bain keeps a fountain near his front door. Water descends into a pond welcoming visitors into the Stockton home.
“I love the more rural area, love the community, love the people,” asserted Bain. In 2023, the homeowner thought solar panels would make him love his electric bill as well.
“Lower my electric bill, bring my utility bills down, try to be a little bit more eco-friendly.”
Bain discovered Palmetto Solar through a Facebook ad. Hours later, the North Carolina-based company contacted him for a consultation.
“By the end of that interview, I was basically already signed up for their service, signing paperwork,” he described. “It escalated very, very quickly. A lot more quickly than I anticipated.”
Going green appeared seamless, felt Bain. He recalled one of the main selling points focused on reducing his ComEd bill.
“I was guaranteed basically that it would knock out my electric bill entirely.”
Two bills sit on Bain’s dining room table: ComEd and Palmetto. His electric charge shows about $80 — on top of an $86 monthly solar panel lease.
“I’m paying still just as much in power as I’m paying for the solar panels as well.”
Bain claims Palmetto told him the company would handle installation, not a contractor. But three months after signing for service, contractors placed the system on his roof.
Around March 2025, the homeowner noticed power tripping from some panels’ circuit breakers — especially malfunctioning during storms. He emailed the company for assistance.
“They had almost immediately reached out back to me saying that it’s not a problem with the panels,” said Bain. “That was all without asking for pictures, asking for any further information, or sending somebody out here. They made that assessment just through reading my email and looking at the online system.”
In one email, a Palmetto “customer success specialist” responded, “We can assure you that it is functioning properly and producing as expected. In order to address this issue, we kindly suggest reaching out to your utility company for assistance or hiring an electrician to inspect the breakers and provide guidance.”
But atop his home, Bain discovered a cut feeder wire beneath a panel — he believes it could be a mistake from the company’s contractors.
“And it was just left here cut, shorting out against the tar shingles,” he contended. “I can’t believe it didn’t end up starting a fire.”
The homeowner fears what could have happened to his fiancé and dog if the cut wire was left. Walking on his roof, he shows caps covering the wires still tucked under a panel.
“I was just carelessly advised to just keep resetting that breaker.”
Bain feels Palmetto left him with broken panels and promises. A part of the system leans against the back of his home — shattered from a recent impact with a TV antenna. He describes a labyrinth of phone calls to the company just to learn if a representative may soon visit.
WIFR reached out to the solar company but has yet to receive a response. Bain believed the company’s pressure for the agreement left him in the present predicament.
“I was given less than 24 hours to sign the contract from the consultation.”
He retained a lawyer this week to cancel his solar contract, citing negligence and failure to deliver warranty services. The customer suggests others use their own power and pause before signing up for solar.
“Don’t fall for these high-pressure sales tactics.” He added Palmetto’s lease also misled him on whether he would own the panels once the agreement ends.
“At the end of the 25 years, they will reevaluate the value of the system and then make me an offer to buy the system out after 25 years. So not only will I be paying $34,000 in payments over these 25 years, then I will still have to pay for the estimated value of the system after 25 years.”
The Better Business Bureau rates Palmetto an “F,” citing a failure to respond to 95 complaints and 3 unresolved complaints.
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