KILLEEN, Texas — Robert Hoffmann hired Wells Solar & Electrical Services to install solar panels at his Killeen home in 2020.
Hoffmann said the panels had been working fine for a while after the installation, and said he only paid a few hundred dollars in electricity every month.
However, in 2023, he was in need of serious repairs.
"The last hail storm we had in January or October messed up the panels and it messed up my roof," Hoffmann explained.
Hoffmann then called Wells Solar for repairs and they came to repair and replace his panels. This, however, came with a hefty cost.
"I guess I had to use Wells again because if I didn't it would void the contract or something," Hoffmann added. "So they charged the insurance company almost $14,000."
Hoffmann said while he was grateful his insurance covered the cost, it was still a lot more money than he expected.
Sometime after the repairs, Hoffmann said he noticed that one of the solar panels installed was not working properly.
"They're supposed to monitor it on an app they have us use," Hoffmann said. "My daughter monitors it and it shows the whole system and one panel is black. It's not working."
Hoffmann then called Wells Solar to ask them to repair the panel. He got in touch with a representative who told him they would bring someone to fix it. That person never came.
Hoffmann told 6 News he made numerous attempts to call Wells Solar again but said it hasn't gotten him anywhere.
"Every so often I call and call, it always goes to voicemail," Hoffmann explained. "I leave a message. Nothing. Or I get the voicemail answering machine and it's full."
According to the Better Business Bureau, Wells Solar has nearly 100 complaints over the last three years. Some of the complaints include having solar panels that don't work and having no way of contacting the company, the same issue Hoffmann is facing.
Turns out, Wells Solar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2024. Court documents reveal the company has anywhere between $1 million and $10 million in liabilities and 217 individual customers and businesses seeking repayment. This includes a Utah law firm that's claiming more than $1.1 million from the company.
As of April 24, 2024, the company is selling their assets on eBay, but those items only add up to a little more than $5,000.
In the midst of all this, customers like Hoffmann feel like they're paying for something they can't even use properly and are wasting money every day.
Hoffmann is now hoping to find another solar panel company to fix his panels.
"All I want is them to come out, do the panel, replace it or plug it back in and make sure it works and that's it," Hoffmann told 6 News.
6 News attempted to call every phone number we could find associated with Wells Solar to learn what is being done to help customers. Each one of those numbers was disconnected.
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