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diy solar

Good Customer Service?

Karmagl

New Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2022
Messages
30
Can anyone recommend a vendor with good customer service? I am trying to buy a very large kit ($30,000) and I can't get anyone to answer their phones. I had trouble with the company I was ordering with today and when they finally answered they said they didn't know what to tell me and blew me off. I've been trying to call back and have been on hold for over an hour. I sent an email, so maybe they will get in touch. This is the second company I've had communication issues with. I understand everyone is struggling with staffing and is under increased stressed but being rude to new customers is not helpful. Willing to take recommendations and take my business elsewhere. Has anyone had good luck with BattleBorn customer service.
 
Hi Toni,

Can you afford to take the time to be a bit more patient?

Perhaps taking a bit more time to study your environment, and what impacts that will have on the system components that are best-suited for your exact situation.

IIRC, you are running on gensets, now, so, that must be part of your push to get this stuff ordered ...

If all of the kit materials, you might order today, showed up next week, would your WX be conducive to mounting PVs, etc, soon?

It is possible that a reseller, located in your area, would have better advice about which system parts might be best for you ...

Easy to say the above, from CA. FWIW, Good Luck, 'Luke'
 
EcoDirect.
If you ask for Renee she is not only the owner but also use to do installations herself.
I found her to be very knowledgeable and always pointed me in the right direction. Have stuff like your power bill handy and info on all your large loads. She will do the Math and make suggestions based on your budget.
 
Hi Toni,

Can you afford to take the time to be a bit more patient?

Perhaps taking a bit more time to study your environment, and what impacts that will have on the system components that are best-suited for your exact situation.

IIRC, you are running on gensets, now, so, that must be part of your push to get this stuff ordered ...

If all of the kit materials, you might order today, showed up next week, would your WX be conducive to mounting PVs, etc, soon?

It is possible that a reseller, located in your area, would have better advice about which system parts might be best for you ...

Easy to say the above, from CA. FWIW, Good Luck, 'Luke'
Yes, running full time on generators is pushing us. I don't mind being a little more patient, but the first place I was dealing with hasn't returned my calls in 4 months. The second place I was on hold for over an hour and then they were rude and unhelpful. I ended up calling Battle Born and they were amazing. Stayed on phone for a long time going over all my options. Yes, I will spend a little more but good customer service is worth it.
 
Can anyone recommend a vendor with good customer service? I am trying to buy a very large kit ($30,000) and I can't get anyone to answer their phones. I had trouble with the company I was ordering with today and when they finally answered they said they didn't know what to tell me and blew me off. I've been trying to call back and have been on hold for over an hour. I sent an email, so maybe they will get in touch. This is the second company I've had communication issues with. I understand everyone is struggling with staffing and is under increased stressed but being rude to new customers is not helpful. Willing to take recommendations and take my business elsewhere. Has anyone had good luck with BattleBorn customer service.
All I can say is why?

Why would anyone even consider purchasing from any company that isn't concerned enough to try and make a sale? If they are not worried about making the sale, which does include at least some sage advice about the purchase, what do you think they are going to do when you need assistance with the system, or you have a malfunctioning part?

Just don't.
 
All I can say is why?

Why would anyone even consider purchasing from any company that isn't concerned enough to try and make a sale? If they are not worried about making the sale, which does include at least some sage advice about the purchase, what do you think they are going to do when you need assistance with the system, or you have a malfunctioning part?

Just don't.
Yep!
If you cannot staff your sales dept properly then that means you probably have almost no customer service support staff.
 
I hope currentconnected (my company) isn't one you are mentioning having issue with! We sell large kits so if there are any shortcomings, I really would love to know.
 
Customer service. What's that? The one time I needed it, got me no where. Now I just go by whoever has the best deal.
 
Currentconnected.com

I’d be surprised if you did not get good service.

Wish they carried SMA. But the victron kits are pretty slick.

Would be interested if signature solar was one of the companies you are trying to deal with.

We don’t mind if you name names.

?
 
I hope currentconnected (my company) isn't one you are mentioning having issue with! We sell large kits so if there are any shortcomings, I really would love to know.
No, its not. But the fact that you are on here making sure customer service is a top priority shoots you to the top of my list for the future.
 
Currentconnected.com

I’d be surprised if you did not get good service.

Wish they carried SMA. But the victron kits are pretty slick.

Would be interested if signature solar was one of the companies you are trying to deal with.

We don’t mind if you name names.

?
I hate speaking bad about people and companies. My husband says I always give people too much grace. But I have Never made a 30k order before and thats pretty substantial. Yes, it was Signature Solar. I waited on hold for about 20 min. The woman who answered was rude. I told her there was an item in my cart I didn't place there for $1400 and in a rude tone she said " I don't know what to tell you, I can't see your cart." I then asked a question about AH and she was rude and short. We ended the call and I tried to figure out my cart on my own. When I couldn't I called back, hoping to get someone else on the phone, I also sent an email which I still have not heard anything back from. After being on hold for 1 hour and 20 min (most of that it kept saying I was next in the call line) I finally gave up. I called Battle Born and Derek picked up on the second ring. He stayed on the phone with me for almost an hour helping me to build my system. He then talked to my husband for another 30 min and helped us make changes. Gave me his email and multiple phone numbers for the company for anything we need. I may have spent a little more, but now I know exactly what I'm getting and confident for any future concerns. I will say I feel like I dodged a bullet as I read many SS reviews on here that weren't happy. Wish they could get more or better help, their prices are great.
 
I will say I feel like I dodged a bullet as I read many SS reviews on here that weren't happy. Wish they could get more or better help, their prices are great.
Cheap and fast and don't give a FF, that is the Chinese way.
SS seem to be just a USA front for the Chinese to dump shit on our front door and take our cash.
Funny how it started with takeaway now they are grabbing dollars every way possible.

It's about time so called first world countries started bringing everything back in house.
Rant off.
 
Wish they could get more or better help, their prices are great.
I don't think anyone can escape "cheap, fast, good - pick two" Sometimes called the Iron Triangle.

Not defending SS or others just as guilty but if we want cheap we need to understand we're trading it for something else. Of course how are we to know we're trading until we find ourselves lost in the quagmire of the wild, wild west of startup solar suppliers that can't hire and fill a building full of people with a decade of experience to support thier products because those people don't exist.


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SS seem to be just a USA front for the Chinese to dump shit on our front door and take our cash.
That's the model of so many business right now and they are doing quite well with it. Like it or not it's all our fault for eagerly handing over our money.

We saw it starting 10 years or so ago when LED lighting starting to become commercially available. There must have been 20 different startups that were bringing LED highbay, flat panels etc by the container load and slapping their sticker on it. Some only lasted as long as their first container. Thankfully it was just a cheap light that we were smart enough to overbuy by 5% or more to handle DOA's and infant mortalities vs. something expensive that required technical support that oft is not even available to set up and install properly.

It's about time so called first world countries started bringing everything back in house.
I totally agree but will people pay for it? Sad times.
 
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My battle born customer service experience over several items has been 110%.

Sort of like the apple ecosystem. Pay more and it just works. Sometimes, that’s ok.

too bad about signature solar. It’s starting to seem like they have poor owners and managers.
 
The reason why kits and local installers have poor support is margin, there is a lot of competition so they cut costs - and support suffers. Any that might have had good support were driven out of business.

Sol-Ark and Enphase both have excellent customer support... but they're not kits. Enphase installers are everywhere (or you can do it yourself, see Enphase University) but are typically overpriced and local installer service is usually poor (but you never know, check referals - the ones I went with turned out to be a peach). Sol-Ark doesn't have installers, so it's just DIY.

If you think customer support is important (and it is), I'd say that a good monitoring/logging system is even more vital (Enphase is the best I know of, but it's what I have and I'm not familiar with others). Sol-Ark doesn't have monitoring. SMA/Outback/Victron might be good). Some have 3rd party monitoring. Some allow you to build your own if you're a software enthusiast.

DIY is not rocket science and you can DIY or partial DIY (e.g., hire folks for the bit you don't understand, e.g., an electrician to do the final hookup to live power or aren't physically capable of (e.g., hauling panels to the roof)). Folks on the forum can provide a lot of help if you decide to go DIY.

Microinverters (e.g., Enphase, Sol-Ark, Generac) make it really simple for the roof wiring, safety, and expansion. But if you want battery hook-up they get pricier than string inverters.

Hope that's of some help, my signature below has some links you might find useful. If you post the nearest city/state and the maximum kw (this is maximum draw rate, like how fast a car will go) you use and how many kwh/d (this is like how many gallons of gas of your generators consume per day, if you have a power bill they typically tell you for the month) you consume, then I or someone can let you know how many solar panels you'll need (there are also tools like SAM that are invaluable)
 
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I hate speaking bad about people and companies. My husband says I always give people too much grace. But I have Never made a 30k order before and thats pretty substantial. Yes, it was Signature Solar. I waited on hold for about 20 min. The woman who answered was rude. I told her there was an item in my cart I didn't place there for $1400 and in a rude tone she said " I don't know what to tell you, I can't see your cart." I then asked a question about AH and she was rude and short. We ended the call and I tried to figure out my cart on my own. When I couldn't I called back, hoping to get someone else on the phone, I also sent an email which I still have not heard anything back from. After being on hold for 1 hour and 20 min (most of that it kept saying I was next in the call line) I finally gave up. I called Battle Born and Derek picked up on the second ring. He stayed on the phone with me for almost an hour helping me to build my system. He then talked to my husband for another 30 min and helped us make changes. Gave me his email and multiple phone numbers for the company for anything we need. I may have spent a little more, but now I know exactly what I'm getting and confident for any future concerns. I will say I feel like I dodged a bullet as I read many SS reviews on here that weren't happy. Wish they could get more or better help, their prices are great.
@BenFromSignatureSolar

oi
 
SolarSupplyHouse.com is another source to consider. I had good service with them for non-PV components. All my PV has been sourced locally. I'm not willing to pay to ship PV, nor take the chance on damage to the panels.
 
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