In March of 2019, while I was recovering from my 7th back and neck surgery, I was approached by a solar panel saleswoman who put through a phone call to a heavily accented Pakistani who rapidly ran down a complex list of contractual information that I could not understand. Her accent was so very heavy. The saleslady who arranged this call kept prompting me to “Say Yes out loud”.
I am 70, a retired firefighter/paramedic with 23 steel fusions in my back and neck. My bowel and bladder were paralyzed so I have both an ostomy and urostomy. I also have 2 steel hips and a steel shoulder. I am still walking and riding my Schwinn trike. I cannot afford a car.
A company came and began installing solar panels against my concerns of NEVER signing anything. I was never even shown a contract. At this point, I assumed this company was new and didn’t have the common sense to arrange a
contract. I told my neighbors I am thinking they will have to reposes since I do not have the income for solar panels. I was receiving $1048/month in disability.
18 months go by. I never received any bill. I never heard from the company again. I didn’t even have a business card. I pay around $1000/year in property tax but in 2020, that property tax bill was $4000.00 I thought it was a typo.
If you do not pay your property tax, they confiscate your home.
It seems, as I did more research, that Missouri has a program for clean energy.
They trick old people like myself into giving up their home. I was told by an attorney this is legal.
These people never explained any of this program. Did you know you can sign a contract by phone? I damn sure did not. Not only that, I put my home up for collateral. I didn’t know that either and now…….I am getting kicked out of my home of 20 years because I got scammed for a 20 year loan at 10% interest. And my home is up for grabs. I have good credit. 800. BUT my bank won’t loan because I do not have the income to support a loan. Even a small one.
I have sold all my family heirlooms as well as draining my savings. There is not any more I can sell. I do not even have a car to move into. This year will be my last year here.
I have recorded over 6000 911 calls I have responded to. Hundreds of fires, hundreds and hundreds of rescues. I am pretty proud of that. But getting tricked out of my home is over the edge. I need $28,000 to keep my home. I wish there were a little left over for a used car. A used car would be nice but getting these scammers off my roof would be even better.
My family is all gone. There is only me and my mobility assistant service dog. On hard harness, she keeps me from falling. I mentioned the back surgeries, didn’t I? Can anybody help an old fireman? I had dedicated my life to saving lives. I never thought I would get scammed.
I cannot afford a lawyer. Can anybody please help?