A MAN was shocked after finding a $100,000 loan in his name after a simple home upgrade.
The homeowner said he never gave written consent for the loan.
In 2021, Frank Trevino was convinced to buy solar panels for his house in San Antonio, Texas.
Trevino mentioned to a local Texas news outlet, KENS that he was informed his home would become more energy efficient, his monthly bills would decrease, and it would increase the value of his property.
“He said they (the panels) would be paying for themselves.”
The salesperson who convinced Trevino worked for a company called Roof Fix that specialized in roof inspection, cleaning, and repairs.
Roof Fix first said the cost of measuring Trevino’s roof for the panels would be roughly $67,000 which was later reduced to $57,000.
Trevino did not agree to either of those offers.
Ultimately, the Texas resident verbally agreed to a $20,000 to $30,000 system.
Soon after, Trevino was handed a contract for a loan that totaled $106,614 to be paid back within 25 years.
“This is not what we agreed to at all,” Trevino said.
“My name is on that paper but it is not my signature,” he added.
Trevino insists that he provided an electronic signature for the initial estimate for measuring the roof — not for any installation.
Although Trevino did pay $6,400 to the loaning company, Mosaic, he stopped once the financial burden became too much to handle.
The company installed the solar panels, but Trevino does not believe they’re worth the cost; currently, the panels aren’t even producing any energy.
Trevino told KENS that the family was choosing between paying the loan or paying their electric bill.
This is not what we agreed to at all. My name is on that paper but it is not my signature.
Frank Trevino
He reached out to the news outlet to get answers from the loaning company, but only received generic responses.
Mosaic, in response to KENS, stated, “In the event a homeowner complains, we work with the homeowner to understand their concerns and seek to resolve such concerns.”
The company further added, “If there are conditions that arise from the contractor’s completion of the home improvement project which warrant consideration for canceling the loan, we have and will process loan cancellations for Mosaic borrowers.”
Trevino is now suing the company using the Texas Home Solicitation Act which says consumers cannot be sold a product at their place of residence and then have a loan written up within five days.
In Trevino’s case, the loan was signed on the same day as the contract for the solar panels.
While this isn’t Trevino’s preferred course of action, he said he never wanted to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the solar panels in the first place.
“No one deserves anything like this,” Trevino said.
The roofing company has since shuttered its doors.
