BUTTE — NorthWestern Energy is warning its customers in Butte and around the state to be wary of door-to-door solar panel salesmen who are falsely claiming to be connected to NorthWestern and making offers that are too good to be true.
“And it's this aggressive kind of pushy sales that we're getting reports on from Missoula to Billings and everywhere in between,” said NorthWestern Energy representative Brandy Powers.
Last month, some Butte residents reported encountering a person selling panels and claiming to be employed with NorthWestern Energy. However, the person could not produce any identification to verify that.
“If somebody is showing up at your doorstep saying they’re with NorthWestern Energy, unless there’s a service issue it’s not us. It’s a misrepresentation of our brand and that is false,” said Powers.
NorthWestern Energy says this has been widespread lately.
“Our customer care center has encountered this in a number of our communities and we regret that some people have fallen victim for this,” said Laura Sprague, a representative of the firm Flynn Wright that represents NorthWestern Energy.
Scammers have falsely claimed that NorthWestern Energy would pay for the installation of the solar panels. The utility says there are many ways to tell if a person is a legitimate representative of the company.
“They’re either going to be driving a NorthWestern Energy vehicle, any NorthWestern Energy employee can present a badge showing they are an employee,” said Powers.
People are encouraged to immediately report any suspicious people claiming to be part of NorthWestern Energy.
