Fortune LiFePO4 - deceptive seller (electriccarpartscompany)

[Kish]

Hi all,

I'm interested in the Fortune 100Ah that Will raves about. Unfortunately I did not have a good experience communicating with the seller, electriccarpartscompany.

I initially reached out to them to get a shipping quote (their instructions on website) got a quote for $195.00 to SoCal for 12 cells from SLC, UT. That's $16.25 per cell! It should be easily half that price for ground shipping. I got a shipping quote from a competitor for a similar 300Ah of cells (different brand), was was only $90 across the country from OH. IMO, they're using the shipping fee to further pad the profits.

Not only that, but they're also charging a flat 2% credit card processing fee on the total that is NOT advertised on their website. Charging a fee to use a card is not allowed under most credit card seller contracts. I understand that they're trying to cover their processing costs, but why not be clear and incorporate it into the price to begin with?

To top it all off, the price has increased to $124.00 per 100Ah cell. IIRC, it used to be $115.00 per 100Ah cell.


Did anyone else have a similar experience with this seller? The batteries themselves look good, but I don't want to support a seller with such deceptive practices. Does anyone have any alternative sellers for this same product, without ordering from Alibaba?

 

[boondox]

I bought some cells from them. Yeah, I was bummed by their shipping. I don't recall the CC fee. However, they are reachable by phone, the cells are in the US, shipped promptly and if you have a problem they aren't on the other side of the planet. So I went ahead and did it. I haven't got much run time on the batteries yet but am pleased so far.

 

[Kish]

Thanks for sharing. I wonder if the CC fee is a new policy they've implemented due to the recent higher demand (along with the price hike). Please do check your invoice and verify that the price you paid is what you expected.

To be clear, I'm not against US stock and US support, I'll be happy to pay a small premium. I just expect some truth in advertising. I don't want folks to get charged with a massive shipping fee and a 2% cc fee after they order, and the cc is charged automatically later.

 

[JoeHam]

Where did you find 300 Ah cells in Ohio?

 

[Kish]

Where did you find 300 Ah cells in Ohio?

Apologies if you misunderstood. It's 300Ah of 100Ah cells, not 300Ah cells.

 

[JoeHam]

Apologies if you misunderstood. It's 300Ah of 100Ah cells, not 300Ah cells.

My mistake. Where do you get any cells in Ohio?

 

[Russted]

I bought 8 Fortune 3.2 cells total from them in the past few months. I believe the first set of 4 was $104, and the next set was $115. They are local to me in SLC, so I picked them up to save on shipping costs. I've got no problem with them raising their prices... it's a business so supply/demand. As of today, they don't have any in stock. I don't know if I'd pay more than $124 per cell, but that's my choice. I try to support local and US based businesses, and I do realize I'll pay a bit more usually. I'm very happy with the cells, and they are just as great as Will described.

They have good options, they are based in the US, and their prices are posted on their website. The 2% additional CC fee would be the only thing that I wasn't expecting, but it's listed there when you pay. I think you can pay with Paypal... I don't know if that removes the 2% fee or not.

 

[JoeHam]

Count me as another happy customer. Here's my experience buying 16 of the 60Ah cells:

I started an order with them on February 7, 2020 after watching Will's video. They promptly gave me a quote and I never responded.

On April 6, 2020 I called them and asked if they had any stock expecting to be told no. I found out they could sell me 16 cells. I mentioned that they should have my info from the quote I got from them about 2 months ago. Not only did they find the old quote but they offered to honor the original price even though prices had increased by $11 per cell. Note that I never asked them to do this, they just offered.

That was just before closing on Monday. Thursday morning the cells arrived VERY well packed. A separate box had the busbars and nyloc nuts. These are some beefy M8 terminals and the nylocs are a nice touch.

No complaints here. Also note that the 2% credit card fee is disclosed on their website and was on my original quote. Should you prefer to wire them money to avoid the fee you can but my bank doesn't wire money for free so I chose to pay the 2% and get it done. If anyone thinks that shipping or credit card fees are "free" from any vendor they are sorely mistaken. These costs are passed on to the customers, whether they are itemized or not. I think itemizing is probably the more honest way to do it but at the end of the day I only care about total cost, not the itemized subcosts. Sometimes I wish I didn't see the underlying charges

These guys are not as cheap as waiting on a slow boat from China but having cells in hand, a few days after ordering, is worth something in my book. I will admit that the guys are not "chatty" on the phone but I expect that from folks who are just trying to get an order filled and not trying to be salesmen. Just my opinion on that part though.

 

[Kish]

Excuse me, but where does it say there is a 2% fee for using credit cards? Their Conditions & Liability Waiver page does not mention this at all. (as of 4/9/20). It's also not on the product page.

There is a big difference between a 2% cash discount on the advertised price, verses a 2% surcharge for using a credit card. The former is allowed by credit card processors, and the latter is illegal (at least in CA). "Itemizing" the fee and not showing it until the invoice (after placing an order) is a way to make the price look less than a competitor, thus steering potential customers to them. It is a deceptive practice.

 

[JoeHam]

You cannot place an order without them disclosing the fee, I don't remember where I found it on the site but it is clearly disclosed before you can possibly place an order.

A vendor would simply mark up the stated price by 2%, then offer a 2% cash discount to do what you are asking. But again, IF you want to pay cash or do a bank wire they do not charge the 2%.

All fees were disclosed to me two months before I placed my order. YMMV.

 

[Knighthawk]

The company I work for ( not the company the OP is referring to) also charges a service fee to cover the 3% credit card fee. The orders we fulfill often total $100,000-500,000 per order. Often times that Cc fee would have taken all the profits. We do not charge that fee if you pay via ACH. Lots of people are started to do this. I understand why.

 

[Greybeard]

I just don't see where the us resellers are justifying that sort of markup. I looked at the 277ah cells on their site. With shipping 16 would be $6176. Vs what.... $1600ish from China? And you know they're getting them cheaper in bulk.
Makes me want to buy a container full and build a website

 

[CerealKiller]

I just don't see where the us resellers are justifying that sort of markup. I looked at the 277ah cells on their site. With shipping 16 would be $6176. Vs what.... $1600ish from China? And you know they're getting them cheaper in bulk.
Makes me want to buy a container full and build a website

Please what's the name of the company manufacturing it in China?

 

[Sgt Raven]

You cannot place an order without them disclosing the fee, I don't remember where I found it on the site but it is clearly disclosed before you can possibly place an order.

A vendor would simply mark up the stated price by 2%, then offer a 2% cash discount to do what you are asking. But again, IF you want to pay cash or do a bank wire they do not charge the 2%.

All fees were disclosed to me two months before I placed my order. YMMV.

That is exactly what a seller has to do under California Law. They can give a discount for cash, they can't charge a fee for using a credit card. Yeah it's all the same in the end, but it has to be worded right. Said one way is legal, the same thing said a different way is not. Also it depends on the "Merchant Agreement" with the credit card company. If it says they can't and they do, they could lose their ability to take those credit cards. Places get away with it because most people don't complain.

 

[Sgt Raven]

The company I work for ( not the company the OP is referring to) also charges a service fee to cover the 3% credit card fee. The orders we fulfill often total $100,000-500,000 per order. Often times that Cc fee would have taken all the profits. We do not charge that fee if you pay via ACH. Lots of people are started to do this. I understand why.

My late wife would get people wanting to pay off their monthly account with a credit card to get the card points, they also wanted to get the discount for paying the bill by the 10th of the month. These were local customers. The profit margin on a lot of the stuff was real close. If she let them do it, she would make them come down to the office, because running the card thru their machine was 1%, taking the card over the phone was 3%. Knowing this, if it's local and a large purchase, I always offer to come over and run the card thru their machine.

 

[Sgt Raven]

Please what's the name of the company manufacturing it in China?

What LFP cells can you buy in the US that are not made in China? I really like the Fortune cells, from watching videos of them. But for less than the price of a 100AH of them, I got 280AH cells Air Freight from China. 4 280AH cells to my door, $586 USD. That is less than I would pay for 100AH of those cells. Is the difference in cells worth 4 times the price? I don't think so. My only regret is not doubling my order and getting 8 cells.

 

[CerealKiller]

What LFP cells can you buy in the US that are not made in China? I really like the Fortune cells, from watching videos of them. But for less than the price of a 100AH of them, I got 280AH cells Air Freight from China. 4 280AH cells to my door, $586 USD. That is less than I would pay for 100AH of those cells. Is the difference in cells worth 4 times the price? I don't think so. My only regret is not doubling my order and getting 8 cells.

That 280ah is a real deal when you come to think of the capacity and pricing. How's your 280ah holding up?

 

[Sgt Raven]

That 280ah is a real deal when you come to think of the capacity and pricing. How's your 280ah holding up?

I just did my first capacity test. I ran a fridge/freezer and charged my phone, tablet, and a power bank for 6.5 days before the fridge shut off because of voltage to low to start the compressor. According to the BMS readout, I have 308AH Capacity right now. I used my big 40A LA battery charger and it took just over 12 hours to charge it back up. The Smart BMS cut the charging off at the top like it should. Like I said, my only regret is not ordering 8 cells instead of 4. I think I got in on the deal at the right time as for shipping costs. But I'm not sure what I would do with 560AH of batteries...

 

[CerealKiller]

I just did my first capacity test. I ran a fridge/freezer and charged my phone, tablet, and a power bank for 6.5 days before the fridge shut off because of voltage to low to start the compressor. According to the BMS readout, I have 308AH Capacity right now. I used my big 40A LA battery charger and it took just over 12 hours to charge it back up. The Smart BMS cut the charging off at the top like it should. Like I said, my only regret is not ordering 8 cells instead of 4. I think I got in on the deal at the right time as for shipping costs. But I'm not sure what I would do with 560AH of batteries...

Thank you. Will be checking them up in future. This looks good

 

[Steve_S]

The Fortune Batteries are from China, just like everything else ElectricCarCompany sells, it is just that they have stock in a US Warehouse and so Duties, Fees & Taxes on import are already rolled into their pricing along with profit margin.

Here is another source in Salt Lake City

Fortune Aluminum Lithium Batteries | Energetech Solar