Bad experience with Signature Solar

[fishinmexico]

Very bad company to deal with. Both EG4 6500 EX Inverters failed out of the box. It took me 10 days of going back and forth to get them to finally agree to replace them. They wanted me to take them down and ship them back at my expense. I am off grid so I have not had electricity for the last 10 days and it is 96 degrees and humid here now in Florida. I asked if I can pay for them in advance and then have them refund the money when they got the old ones back. I still have limited use of them for lighting but they will not run my well pump, etc.

They responded saying that they had to verify my shipping address because it was not the same as my shipping. They already shipped two inverters to my residence with the same billing information so they already have verification of the address. I asked if there was anyway of getting them out today because I cannot be without power for another week. Here is both of their answers:

Sir, i do apologize, yet please understand that its not that we do not value your service in any manner, way, shape, or form.... but there are hundreds of individuals with current shipping orders, that in all fairness are within the same que waiting for there equipment due to there own start up needs, warranty conditions, or circumstances that may place them without power such as those that were hit recently with the storms that have swept across north east Texas.
In correlation with the nature of the shipping industry around holiday times, it does place restrictions that are outside of the normal day to day operations.
it may also vary in time due to the policies in place for the pre authorization of the financial institution in which you use. depending on the bank for example, it could take anywhere from 24-72 hours to process a pre authorization payment. This was not attributed to this particular instance, but just a general example of how some things are indeed beyond our control, and not indicative of us not trying to assist, quite the opposite.

2nd answer:
Sir, you bought these units in december, you set them up two weeks ago and put your entire farm on the inverters before you made sure that they were properly working, which you told me they have not worked, and now you are trying to blame us because we are willing to send you out brand new units, just not at the time frame you are wanting them to come to you. We have been very helpful, and been pretty quick to help you as well. When you emailed us last night both me and Chris were not here. I understand that the issue with the inverter is not your fault, but there is also a procedure we have to follow to get these units out to you.

I cannot believe I received emails like this from a company. As it is you sit on hold for tech support for hours upon a time. I literally wasted about 7 hours of my time in the last 10 days waiting on tech support.

 

[Crowz]

Not to defend or fault them but if a company can't get something to me in the time frame I need I buy from another company.

I bought my sungold inverter from amazon and had it in 2 days with free shipping.....

Also if I had of had a problem with it they would of shipped me a replacement or took it back for free too shipping wise.

If your on a critical time frame buy the new one from where you can get it in the time frame you need it in and then wait on the refund from them or tell them your going to do that and see if they can meet your time requirement before ordering elsewhere.

 

[JWLV]

If what they say is true, that you purchased the inverters in December and you just installed them recently, what did you use for power in the last 6 months? If you had power from something else in the last 6 months, you should be able to go w/o the defective inverters for 10 days or more. Or am I missing something?

 

[Tulex]

If what they say is true, that you purchased the inverters in December and you just installed them recently, what did you use for power in the last 6 months? If you had power from something else in the last 6 months, you should be able to go w/o the defective inverters for 10 days or more. Or am I missing something?

Might not want to go through the effort and cost to reconnect to the grid?

 

[Q-Dog]

Might not want to go through the effort and cost to reconnect to the grid?

If the inverters "failed out of the box" why would one disconnect from the grid before the issue is resolved?

 

[Tulex]

If the inverters "failed out of the box" why would one disconnect from the grid before the issue is resolved?

Well, after reading the various "Told my power company to shove it, did I do the right thing" threads, who knows.
Some of us actually do a total revamp of our connections to change over. I know I did.
It would take some effort to remove the inverter and connect to my main panel, and I would have to buy more wire.

 

[stienman]

Signature solar is not amazon, and if you need a company that will ship same-day then you'll need to look elsewhere - Signature solar isn't a same-day shipping operation.

You'll pay more for that service, and it appears that in your situation where time is critical then it's probably worth finding and buying from a solar company that has items in stock and provides expedited shipping options.

Alternately, ask them to convert to a pick up order, and fly down there. I bet they'd be willing to let you jump the shipping queue if all they needed to do was find it in the warehouse and give it to you at their loading dock without packaging. Depending on how important it is to get back online, flying out and checking the inverters in as luggage will get you the quickest resolution. You'll need to plan on boxing them for the airline before your return trip, and you'll be responsible to box them well enough to survive the rigors of luggage handling.

If you're asking me to critique the emails, I'd be happy they were providing so much information. I'm used to big corporations of having a policy to provide as little insight into the process as possible. If SS were to go that route, this is the email you'd have received:

"Per our policy the units will be shipped according to the order queue. At this time we anticipate but cannot guarantee that your order will be shipped on or before 7 July 2023, and delivery would occur 2-5 business days after that. Shipping times are affected by the holiday, and may change. Please contact us if you have further questions. We appreciate your business."

Or worse, weaponize people's urgency:

"Per our policy the units will be shipped according to the order queue. At this time we anticipate but cannot guarantee that your order will be shipped on or before July 7, 2023, and delivery would occur 2-5 business days after that, arriving prior to July 14, 2023. We can expedite the order for $800, and it will ship next day air on or before July 5, 2023, arriving on or before July 6, 2023. Please contact us to expedite your order. We appreciate your business."

 

[Tulex]

Signature solar is not amazon, and if you need a company that will ship same-day then you'll need to look elsewhere - Signature solar isn't a same-day shipping operation.

You'll pay more for that service, and it appears that in your situation where time is critical then it's probably worth finding and buying from a solar company that has items in stock and provides expedited shipping options.

Alternately, ask them to convert to a pick up order, and fly down there. I bet they'd be willing to let you jump the shipping queue if all they needed to do was find it in the warehouse and give it to you at their loading dock without packaging. Depending on how important it is to get back online, flying out and checking the inverters in as luggage will get you the quickest resolution. You'll need to plan on boxing them for the airline before your return trip, and you'll be responsible to box them well enough to survive the rigors of luggage handling.

If you're asking me to critique the emails, I'd be happy they were providing so much information. I'm used to big corporations of having a policy to provide as little insight into the process as possible. If SS were to go that route, this is the email you'd have received:

"Per our policy the units will be shipped according to the order queue. At this time we anticipate but cannot guarantee that your order will be shipped on or before 7 July 2023, and delivery would occur 2-5 business days after that. Shipping times are affected by the holiday, and may change. Please contact us if you have further questions. We appreciate your business."

Or worse, weaponize people's urgency:

"Per our policy the units will be shipped according to the order queue. At this time we anticipate but cannot guarantee that your order will be shipped on or before July 7, 2023, and delivery would occur 2-5 business days after that, arriving prior to July 14, 2023. We can expedite the order for $800, and it will ship next day air on or before July 5, 2023, arriving on or before July 6, 2023. Please contact us to expedite your order. We appreciate your business."

I think you missed one of the first sentences. "It took me 10 days of going back and forth to get them to finally agree to replace them."

I don't remember who it was from, but in a different thread, it was acknowledged by SS that they need to look into their policy for dealing with issues with orders already delivered, in that case, it was SS's mistake. I give them props for that, acknowledging that there are issues and they want to fix them. I don't know SS, I've only purchased once from them and it went well. But, there are many threads about them on here, one has to do their research and buy accordingly.

 

[PreppenWolf]

On the broken panels, shipping solar panels sucks because your average fork truck driver at a shipping company is an idiot. I'm sorry, that's just a fact.

Always order more than you need. I bought panels from SS, fork truck driver somewhere along the route demolished two of them (ran forks directly into center of panels, no where near the pallet). They credited the broken panels back.

If you aren't ordering pallets of panels, buy them locally somewhere. There are plenty of used panels to be found around. Find a recycling center near you and call them. Lots of places get old panels and just crush them but will be happy to see you a pallet instead.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Given the surge associated with well pumps, I think the OP likely did not spec out the units properly

 

[hwy17]

I think it's unreasonable any time I hear the "I'll be without power" complaint. None of these vendors are offering you an SLA and all of them have typical traditional RMA turnarounds. If your power is that important you should have redundant systems and probably not be messing around with discount hardware either.

 

[BenFromSignatureSolar]

Very bad company to deal with. Both EG4 6500 EX Inverters failed out of the box. It took me 10 days of going back and forth to get them to finally agree to replace them. They wanted me to take them down and ship them back at my expense. I am off grid so I have not had electricity for the last 10 days and it is 96 degrees and humid here now in Florida. I asked if I can pay for them in advance and then have them refund the money when they got the old ones back. I still have limited use of them for lighting but they will not run my well pump, etc.

They responded saying that they had to verify my shipping address because it was not the same as my shipping. They already shipped two inverters to my residence with the same billing information so they already have verification of the address. I asked if there was anyway of getting them out today because I cannot be without power for another week. Here is both of their answers:

Sir, i do apologize, yet please understand that its not that we do not value your service in any manner, way, shape, or form.... but there are hundreds of individuals with current shipping orders, that in all fairness are within the same que waiting for there equipment due to there own start up needs, warranty conditions, or circumstances that may place them without power such as those that were hit recently with the storms that have swept across north east Texas.
In correlation with the nature of the shipping industry around holiday times, it does place restrictions that are outside of the normal day to day operations.
it may also vary in time due to the policies in place for the pre authorization of the financial institution in which you use. depending on the bank for example, it could take anywhere from 24-72 hours to process a pre authorization payment. This was not attributed to this particular instance, but just a general example of how some things are indeed beyond our control, and not indicative of us not trying to assist, quite the opposite.

2nd answer:
Sir, you bought these units in december, you set them up two weeks ago and put your entire farm on the inverters before you made sure that they were properly working, which you told me they have not worked, and now you are trying to blame us because we are willing to send you out brand new units, just not at the time frame you are wanting them to come to you. We have been very helpful, and been pretty quick to help you as well. When you emailed us last night both me and Chris were not here. I understand that the issue with the inverter is not your fault, but there is also a procedure we have to follow to get these units out to you.

I cannot believe I received emails like this from a company. As it is you sit on hold for tech support for hours upon a time. I literally wasted about 7 hours of my time in the last 10 days waiting on tech support.

I just looked into this. It looks like things ended up getting worked out for you as I saw the order actually shipped to you today. I always appreciate people sharing their stories as it helps me find holes in our SOPs and make sure we are using best practice. As I was looking into what happened here, I see we had a miscommunication between a technician and the RMA team. Hope everything was resolved to your liking. In looking through the email chain it seems you were satisfied with the outcome. Have a great holiday weekend!

 

[Daddio7]

On the broken panels, shipping solar panels sucks because your average fork truck driver at a shipping company is an idiot. I'm sorry, that's just a fact.

Always order more than you need. I bought panels from SS, fork truck driver somewhere along the route demolished two of them (ran forks directly into center of panels, no where near the pallet). They credited the broken panels back.

If you aren't ordering pallets of panels, buy them locally somewhere. There are plenty of used panels to be found around. Find a recycling center near you and call them. Lots of places get old panels and just crush them but will be happy to see you a pallet instead.

Should have read this sooner, I got a pallet of panels from them but from the outside it looked fine. I was busy and did not get to the panels for a while. When I took the pallet wrap off I saw that the outside panel (they were stacked on their sides) was smashed. No credit, you only have 24 hours to find hidden damage. Immediately break down the pallet and inspect anything you get from these people.

 

[GTOCheese]

Let me guess, all the panels were facing one direction and the one with the Glass side out (toward the cardboard) was the one broken? Ask me how I know...

 

[Crowz]

Let me guess, all the panels were facing one direction and the one with the Glass side out (toward the cardboard) was the one broken? Ask me how I know...

Ouch

 

[Tulex]

Let me guess, all the panels were facing one direction and the one with the Glass side out (toward the cardboard) was the one broken? Ask me how I know...

Received 2 skids of panels from SS, one full that was never opened by SS, the other a short stack. Both had the outside panels facing in on both sides.

 

[Travis_signaturesolar]

Should have read this sooner, I got a pallet of panels from them but from the outside it looked fine. I was busy and did not get to the panels for a while. When I took the pallet wrap off I saw that the outside panel (they were stacked on their sides) was smashed. No credit, you only have 24 hours to find hidden damage. Immediately break down the pallet and inspect anything you get from these people.

I’ve sent you a DM requesting your email so that I can look into this for you.

 

[PreppenWolf]

Should have read this sooner, I got a pallet of panels from them but from the outside it looked fine. I was busy and did not get to the panels for a while. When I took the pallet wrap off I saw that the outside panel (they were stacked on their sides) was smashed. No credit, you only have 24 hours to find hidden damage. Immediately break down the pallet and inspect anything you get from these people.

Yeah shipping sucks for freight. I own a CNC repair company and every time I move a machine the trucker 1) doesn't speak English and 2) barely knows anything about trucks or how to secure loads. It's terrifying. These are the people handling pallets of panels. Expect casualties.

 

[Kuma]

Should have read this sooner, I got a pallet of panels from them but from the outside it looked fine. I was busy and did not get to the panels for a while. When I took the pallet wrap off I saw that the outside panel (they were stacked on their sides) was smashed. No credit, you only have 24 hours to find hidden damage. Immediately break down the pallet and inspect anything you get from these people.

When I received 18 panels 2 months ago on a Thursday it was obvious at least one outside panel was damaged. I immediately called SS and told them its impossible for me to tear down the pallet and inspect the panels within 24 hours due to needing help. A woman put me on hold awhile and then told me that I can have until 8am Monday to file a claim. I filed the claim Sunday evening and 3- 4 days later received credit for 3 damaged panels. Part of me thinks the fast reimbursement was due to how the pallet looked and me claiming only 3 damaged panels.

I could not see how bad the pallet was broken until it was removed from the truck and on the ground. SS told me when ordering to order extra and to accept the shipment even if panels are damaged. SS said the same thing when I called them regarding the browen pallet and damaged panel(s). Is this policy in the best interest of the buyer or SS. Despite panels being installed and working I cant help but have serious doubts about their longevity. So, buyers be aware of the possibilities when ordering panels online from "any" vender.

Also, two SS techs both said if the panels fail within their warranty period SS will take care of the warranty claims. I strongly questioned and encouraged the 2nd tech to get confirmation. They did and said the manufacturer is responsible for warranty claims.

I realize your situation not being able to see any broken panels was different but maybe the above experience can help others make an informed decision when ordering online.

 

[realpinochet]

Yeah shipping sucks for freight. I own a CNC repair company and every time I move a machine the trucker 1) doesn't speak English and 2) barely knows anything about trucks or how to secure loads. It's terrifying. These are the people handling pallets of panels. Expect casualties.

And, thanks to wide open borders,no vetting, it's about to get a whole lot worse on every level.

 

[Daddio7]

After a few more emails Signature Solar did give me a credit for the panel. I just now got everything mounted so this week I should get to try it out, fingers crossed.

I never learn, Friday night I bought a new 32 inch TV from Walmart. Got it home and after mounting it realized the screen was smashed. Back to Walmart for anther one. We took this one out of the box before we left the store, first world problems.