Installing a solar panel damages the roof and leaves thousands in damages

TIMONIUM, Md. – Solar panels are growing in popularity.

People build them in the hope of lowering their energy bills or reducing their carbon footprint.

The small print of the contract causes problems for Cecilia Volkman.

Volkman’s problems with solar panels began nearly a decade ago, when a salesman showed up at her door.

“I just lost my husband and he was really interested in solar panels. When they stood at the door, I took that as a sign that I should listen,” Volkman said.

The Solar City company offered to lower her electricity bill without her having to worry.

“They do a roof inspection to make sure everything is in order because during the 20-year contract, they will take care of your roof as long as everything is up,” Volkman said.

Then, a few years later, she noticed problems with her ceiling.

“I noticed light stains in the living room and hallway,” Volkman said.

At some point this becomes bigger problems.

This led Volkman to reach out to Tesla, which purchased the company that installed the panels on Cecilia’s roof, Solar City, in 2016.

“They told me I only had a year to report any leaks and that I had no luck,” she said.

The first page of the contract states that there is a warranty against leaks and that they will repair the roof once they are finished.

If you look closer, you’ll see the fine print that says these leaks must be reported within one year of installation.

While she fought back and forth with Tesla, she had someone plug the holes in the roof that they could reach.

“Either it didn’t work or they couldn’t accomplish everything, and over time it just got worse,” Volkman said.

Then she decided to have the solar panels removed.

Tesla is sealing the holes in their roof and the panels in their garage.

“At this point I have damage in four rooms and I need to get my roof repaired in one way or another so I need to have the panels removed,” Volkman said.

She says Tesla caused her problems, so she reached out to us.

“Since you reached out to them, [this] “It’s the first time they’ve reached out to me and said, ‘Wait, you misunderstood or someone misinformed you, and we’re going to investigate,'” Volkman said.

Now Volkman has to wait at Tesla as sealant protects her damaged roof from leaks.

She is annoyed that she didn’t read the contract completely.

“If I had sat on his little tablet and read the 40-page contract, I wouldn’t have signed it,” Volkman said.

She is not alone.

According to Jeff Sovern of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, people typically don’t read or understand the consumer contracts they read.

“If they don’t understand something, they should ask the provider and the salesperson what it means and see what they say. However, if there is a dispute about what the provider says and what the contract says, the court will usually go with what the provider says the contract says,” Sovern said.

The best course of action is to read the fine print and understand that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get out of the deal once the paper is signed.

“If you later discover a problem, if there is fraud, if there is a problem with quality, litigation is often the only way out, and that is expensive, time consuming and scary,” Sovern said.

Volkman’s problem could be solved by Tesla, the company is still working on her claim.

But it’s a cautionary tale for anyone who reads the fine print and knows what they’re getting into.