Pink Energy loan agreement for customer falsely doubled her income

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Lawsuits and complaints against solar power company Pink Energy, formerly known as Power Home Solar, point to flaws and failures in the process of securing loans that left customers financially compromised. A WBTV Investigation now reveals one Pink Energy customer unknowingly had her income falsified and listed as double what she actually earns.

A review of complaints filed by Pink Energy customers shows virtually all of them used financing to secure purchase of a solar panel system. WBTV has copies of purchase agreements showing prices as low $30,000 and upwards of $100,000 for panel systems and battery backups.

Many of the complaints filed with Attorneys General Offices claim that the panel systems that were purchased aren’t providing the type of savings that were promised. In the case of Deena Mooney, she says there are no savings at all.

“I’ve got a $64,000 system that is generating solar but the electricity that it’s generating isn’t going anywhere,” Mooney told WBTV.

Mooney lives in Missouri. She only bought her system from Pink in May of this year and her loan was financed through Sunlight Financial.

Deena requested a copy of her loan application from Sunlight Financial and received the documents in the mail that left her gob smacked.

The qualifying loan information claimed that she was single and that her annual income was $130,000 per year.

“I’ve been married for almost 25 years and also, they doubled the amount of income that I made on that loan application,” Mooney said.

Many customers WBTV has spoke with have been unable to get copies of their loan applications from lenders.

Documents that have been focused on in legal filings against Pink Energy and in WBTV investigations come mostly from the original loan documentation and purchase agreements.

- Loan Application (Includes information entered about applicant like job, income and monthly debt)

- Purchase and Installation Form (Includes info about the energy system and batteries)

- Program Product Attachment (Information about energy efficiency products and percentage of offset from products)

- Scope of Work (Information about the amount of power being drawn from the grid versus the solar panel system)

Other internal communications from Pink Energy, obtained by WBTV through sources and verified by an employee who received the email, raise additional questions about whether more information in the loan applications and qualifying documents should be critiqued.

The email from 2020, when Pink Energy was still going by the name Power Home Solar, gives explicit instructions to company employees about “workarounds” if they “cannot get the customer approved.”

The email, sent by a top employee, explains Pink/Power Home was using Sunlight Financial as the primary lender on most systems but “when processing the loans it is VERY IMPORTANT that you qualify the customer using the Solo proposal integration.”

The email explains that if an employee cannot use Solo and must use the Sunlight portal, they would need to input different information to “get the loan approved.”

WBTV provided a copy of the email and information on Mooney’s loan application to Sunlight Financial.

A spokesperson for Sunlight Financial wrote in an email that the company has adequate procedures for ensuring accurate information is included in loans.

“While Sunlight is not aware of this specific email, we employ back-end review procedures to ensure the accuracy of loan application information. Additionally, Sunlight utilizes a variety of third-party tools to validate the creditworthiness of applicants and verify loan applicants’ identities,” a spokesperson wrote.

The spokesperson also claimed that Mooney’s system was connected to the grid, but Mooney subsequently provided WBTV with an email refuting that claim that shows her system only has I permission to connect to her local utility grid.

Legal complaints out of Ohio that also list a lender as a defendant, claim that sales reps for Pink rushed through review of loan applications with customers by scrolling through the electronic agreement “at a rapid and unacceptable pace, while simultaneously giving his inaccurate and erroneous interpretation of the content of each provision.”

The lawsuits also allege that Pink Energy was combining output from the solar system output with energy efficiency packages that included LED bulbs, shower heads, thermal blankets and more.

Records from customers obtained by WBTV also show that virtually all of them were provided with energy efficiency items, whether they already had them or not.

According to the lawsuit, grouping the output from the system with the energy efficiency package was done to “calculate the amount of power (customers) would draw from the electric grid versus the amount they would make/save by switching to Defendant Pink Energy’s solar system.”

The lawsuit alleges that allowed Pink to sell “its solar panel to customers at a high markup price.”

WBTV reached out to Pink Energy for a comment but there no response has been provided. The company filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on October 7.

If you’re a customer seeking these sales and loan agreements, here is what to ask for and where to ask.

Copies of the following.

- Loan Application

- Purchase and Installation Form

- Program Product Attachment

- Scope of Work

Goodleap – Email Mmurray@goodleap.com and/or for paper copies call 1.877.290.9991.

Sunlight Financial – Email support@sunlightfinancial.com

Language from Loan Documentation - To obtain paper copies of Documents

“To obtain paper copies of any or all Documents previously provided to you by email or electronically executed, you must send us an email to support@sunlightfinancial.com, setting forth in the body your email address, full name, mailing address, phone number and request to receive specified Documents or all Documents previously provided by email or executed electronically.”

If the loan company claims there is a different underwriter, request the information from the other company as well.

Email investigates@wbtv.com with any discrepancies you may find in the loan application, purchase and installation form, program product attachment and scope of work forms.

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