My Signature Solar Experience (not good)

[robby]

Why is it the distribution obligation to have or create wiring scheme? I wish they had done more research. The diagram at least got me headed in right direction. No doubt revisions need made. I was in limbo before. I think that is why they say please use qualified installer and or electrician. We choose to act as installer and electrician. How are they responsible. Beleive me I fell into the bs ground neutral trap. Still wondering how I beleive nuetral not needed. Anyway that was my responsiblity as acting installer electrician. Silly me ,if I was either I would have known . Not saying I liked the bs involved in getting things finally put back in order. Still finishing a few things. So hot out.Just saying I am glad I bought from SS instead of China. Cost me for 2nd chance but at least I got 2nd chance to get it right. Still uncertain as to what the problem was. Thank you all on forum with knowledge for guiding the newbies.

There should be a basic wiring diagram. (Period!)
It should be supplied by the Manufacturer but since the Chinese companies they deal with are not supplying them with it, then they should not be selling it. If they still choose to sell it and become their US distributor then the responsibility now lies with them to provide one.

You do realize that without proper Neutral and Grounding system it is possible for a person to get electrocuted in their bath tub or have their gas supply catch on fire and explode even though they may think the system is wired properly and everything seems to be working properly.

The same thing goes for their batteries. If they are going to make claims of 100A capable and then on the same line say 30 Amp recommended, that is a Red Herring. If they are going to say it work in closed loop mode and then sell batteries without even knowing if it works, then that is very dishonest.

In several States just to putting up Panels requires a NABCEP certified Installer and your not going to find a certified electrician or Installer that is going to sign off on an installation unless it meets your States codes. You can most certainly do what you want in some States so long as your not Grid tied but that does not mean your off the hook should a fire break out or if somebody gets injured. Your Insurance company is going to most likely going to reject your claim once they see the Fire Dept forensic report and find out that a non UL Listed DIY installed inverter was the cause of the fire or injuries.

SS is most certainly catering to the DIY market which is something they have stated from the beginning.
I find a DIY marketing campaign followed by Please Get a Qualified Installer and Electrician to be somewhat contradictory.

 

[Electrobob]

I have not purchased anything from Signature Solar, but I can recommend San Tan Solar if you are looking for a good alternate. I live near San Tan Solar and went there one day to buy 4 used 250 watt panels. They were selling them for $90.00 each. It is a big long warehouse and you pay at the office and then drive around to the back to accept the delivery. When I went to the docks in the back they brought out the panels and they were brand new. The warehouse worker told me they were sold out of the used panels so they just gave me the new ones for the price I paid. That’s not bad, and the panels have been great performers.

 

[ShanePowerHouse]

I honestly would be more PO'ed about the cracked solar panels. The other issues you had seems like they were taking care of you to the best of their ability given shortages of everything.

Back to the cracked solar panels, I assume you bought "used panels", and not "used, and maybe crack panels" right? I would totally expect replacements for the cracked panels to show up at my door. Just my 2c

I used SanTan panels they shipped 24 one was cracked in the middle since it had shifted. I recommended they block the sides to keep them from shifting and they took my advice on the next shipment of 30 450 Watt bifacial panels. All of those came in good condition. Was very happy with SanTan Solar !! They did replace the Bad one.

 

[fishinmexico]

Very bad company to deal with. Both my 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.

 

[Browse]

Maybe try a different inverter brand? Do you have a backup generator you can run on temporarily?

 

[Q-Dog]

Very bad company to deal with. Both my 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.

Nothing about their reply sounds unreasonable to me.

 

[Hedges]

I would agree that replacing DOA is less urgent that warranty replacement to get a system back to operating.

Fulfilling orders from disaster area should also take precedence over other orders, but once your order was fulfilled and turned out to be DOA, you should rank at least as high as other new orders.

DOA, no function at all straight out of the box? Really? And both new inverters behaved (or didn't do anything) the same? Seems highly unlikely.

Of course SS would want to work through debug before replacing. More likely, an issue like blown fuse or BMS shutdown due to not precharge. Highly doubt that a 3rd and 4th inverter would do any better. So they need to figure out what is really wrong.

Have you tried to get support from the forum? It should be from SS, but forum members helping users debug could be more productive (much higher support to "customer" ratio.)

Start a new thread (link to here) and describe exactly the system and problem. All part numbers (links to data sheets greatly appreciated.) Schematic or at least block diagram. Photos. Description of what you did and how it responded, including any false starts (which may have caused an issue.)

 

[Crowz]

I would agree that replacing DOA is less urgent that warranty replacement to get a system back to operating.

Fulfilling orders from disaster area should also take precedence over other orders, but once your order was fulfilled and turned out to be DOA, you should rank at least as high as other new orders.

DOA, no function at all straight out of the box? Really? And both new inverters behaved (or didn't do anything) the same? Seems highly unlikely.

Of course SS would want to work through debug before replacing. More likely, an issue like blown fuse or BMS shutdown due to not precharge. Highly doubt that a 3rd and 4th inverter would do any better. So they need to figure out what is really wrong.

Have you tried to get support from the forum? It should be from SS, but forum members helping users debug could be more productive (much higher support to "customer" ratio.)

Start a new thread (link to here) and describe exactly the system and problem. All part numbers (links to data sheets greatly appreciated.) Schematic or at least block diagram. Photos. Description of what you did and how it responded, including any false starts (which may have caused an issue.)

I got the gist that they work just are not big enough for what he needs in my opinion. He mentions they can run his lights but not his wellpump if I remember correctly. Sounds like he needed a low frequency inverter or a larger one.

 

[houseofancients]

Very bad company to deal with. Both my 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.

Actually their replies do sound reasonable to me...
Probably not to you, as it doesn't instantly gratify your needs

 

[BenFromSignatureSolar]

Very bad company to deal with. Both my 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.

looks like we were actually able to get this shipped out to you today after all. I'm glad things worked out for you on this!

 

[Louis]

I just bought a 12 volt 100 amp battery for my RV & the bluetooth module gave out after 3 months.
Contacted a tech rep. & gave him everything hi wanted including pics for meter readings.
Have NOT heard back in a few days & they can not be contacted by phone or email.
Customer tech support does not exist I quess so I am stuck with the battery.
If I don't hear anything by end of week I quess I will just give up.
Won't ever do any business with Signature Solar again.
Will needs to stop recommending them or their equiptment as it will ruin HIS reputation.

Louis Bond

 

[littleharbor2]

Have NOT heard back in a few days & they can not be contacted by phone or email.


Louis Bond

The weekend just ended. Maybe you will hear back now.

 

[ShanePowerHouse]

Hi,
I just want to start off by saying this isn't a attack on Signature Solar in any way.
I simply want to share my experience with others so that they are aware of such issues regarding the company.
I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

What I ordered from Signature Solar:

1. Growatt SPF 5000 ES (Feburary 21, 2022) [Received on March 16, 2022]
2. 12 Used Canadian Solar 235W Panels, 30 mini rails, 16 end clamps, and 14 mid clamps (March 21, 2022) [Received on March 29, 2022]
3. Growatt USB Monitoring Stick (March 24, 2022) [Recieved on March 29, 2022]

Issue #1 (Solar Panels)
When I received the lot of used solar panels, they were extremely dirty, all covered in what I assumed was mud. No big deal. I spent half the afternoon cleaning all the mud off before I tested and installed them. If I remember correctly, 7 out of the 12 panels were completely cracked on the rear side of the panels. What makes it even worse is that they were packaged in such a way that it was hard to see the panels that were cracked. The first two or three panels on each side (if you know how signature solar sends panels) were fine, but the ones in the middle were cracked. I ended up having to seal them with polyurethane just so I could avoid the headache of sending them back. I made sure to test each panel before installing them and they all were producing what was expected. My only concern is that my seal job wasn't good enough and moisture may seep in when the rain season rolls around. I reached out to Signature Solar, provided images, and asked them if the used panels undergo any inspection before being sold. This was the response I received:

What I take from that is Signature Solar was aware of this problem, and still sold me the items anyway. They did not offer to replace them or compensate me in any way. I knew from the beginning that I was purchasing used panels, so even though I was disappointed with the panels, I did not pursue any compensation. The panels are no longer listed on their website.

View attachment 95955

View attachment 95956

Issue #2 (Mounts)
I ordered 30 mini rails, 16 end clamps (40mm), and 14 mid clamps. While installing the panels, I found that I had 1 end clamp that was smaller than all the others. They accidentally sent me 15 (40mm) end clamps and 1 (30mm or 35mm) end clamp. I reached out to Signature Solar, provided images, and told them I received one incorrect sized end clamp, and that I was going to attempt to still use it. This is the response I received:

The next day I responded saying that I was able to use that end clamp by putting a few washers between the rail and the clamp. I also let them know that I wouldn't mind swapping it out with the correct sized clamp (basically saying I want them to send it.) They never responded after that and never sent me the correct clamp.

View attachment 95960

View attachment 95961

Issue #3 (Inverter)
The initial issue I had can be found here: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/growatt-5000-es-issue.39205/
From what I could tell, the unit wasn't functioning correctly without a battery using SUB or SOL. I wanted to use the inverter to simply power the load during the day (with solar) and use the grid at night. For whatever reason, the solar wasn't being used for the load consumption. You can see in the reports that the load consumption was equal to what was imported from the grid (solar wasn't included). I first reached out to Signature Solar on 4/29 about the issue, and didn't get a response until 5/3. They had me try to update the firmware using the guide and files they provided. I was unable to update the firmware and the wifi stick stopped working. I believe this was because the unit I got didn't have the silicon labs UART chip, it had one from exar. After going back and fourth with the support agent, they finally sent me the RMA confirmation for the inverter on 5/11. I wasn't sure if I needed to send back both the inverter and wifi adapter, so I messaged the RMA agent. She said, "I was just told about sending back the WiFi stick as well, just one second and ill send you another label for that as well." I sent both the inverter and the wifi adapter back on the same day (5/11). I ended up having to pay around $40 for packaging, since I had already disposed of the original packaging. They received both items on 5/13.

On 5/19 I emailed the RMA agent, as I had not heard anything from anyone regarding my RMA. The next day (5/20) she responded saying, "Good afternoon, your new unit has shipped out today." Later that day, I received both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation for the replacement inverter. Around 12pm on 5/20 I sent another email asking about the wifi stick, because the order confirmation only showed the inverter. I finally got a response on 5/23 saying the wifi stick was going to be replaced as well. Later that day, I received both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation for the replacement wifi stick.

At this point, I was a happy customer. It took approximately 3 weeks to get sorted, but my issue was resolved. At least I thought it was. I decided to check the tracking information for the inverter later that evening (5/23) to see when I should expect it. Well, the tracking information showed that it had been canceled by the sender. Again, I wasn't contacted regarding anything to do with the RMA or why it had been canceled. I had to email the RMA agent once again (around 12AM on 5/24) asking what happened. She responded with the following:


So ~3 days after sending me both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation, they canceled the shipping and didn't bother to inform me. On top of that, they now want me to wait an entire month to get a replacement unit or take a refund? Before sending in the unit, I had to get some batteries so I could try and update the firmware. Apart from the wifi no longer working, the inverter was functioning correctly with the batteries. It would have been in my best interest for the RMA department to let me know that the unit wasn't in stock, and if they were unable to fix it, I would have to wait a whole month for a replacement. At least then I could have made the decision to wait until it was in stock just incase they were unable to repair it. Based on the fact that they sent me both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation, I don't think they even bothered checking if the item was in stock at any time. I expect companies with a RMA department to have at least one or two units dedicated for situations like this at all times. I'm not sure why they wouldn't. It doesn't end there though. They ended up sending out the Wifi stick after they had already canceled the inverter. Now I have the wifi stick without a unit to connect it to.. In their defense, the inverter and wifi stick were on different tickets. I think it would of been better for them to put a hold on both until a decision was made. That was not the case.

I ended up just opting for a refund, but would rather have the replacement. Since they could not honor my RMA in a timely manor, I am forced to look somewhere else. I think waiting 3 weeks and then being told I would have to wait another month is just ridiculous. If you are unable to fulfil an RMA at that point in time, I don't think you should suggest it, unless you can replace it with an equivalent system. That is just my opinion, but I stand by it. Even though they gave me a full refund, I can't help but feel like I ended up on the short side of the stick. I built my whole solar system around using the 5000 ES, and Signature Solar claim to be the only people to sell the US model (which I need).

Anyway, I hope my experience helps improve the customer service at Signature Solar.

I had very good service from SanTan Solar!!! They sell used panels one of mine came in broke they took care of it and shipped me another one.
I have had a difficult time with Signature Solar to say the least.

 

[JRH]

Hi,
I just want to start off by saying this isn't a attack on Signature Solar in any way.
I simply want to share my experience with others so that they are aware of such issues regarding the company.
I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

What I ordered from Signature Solar:

1. Growatt SPF 5000 ES (Feburary 21, 2022) [Received on March 16, 2022]
2. 12 Used Canadian Solar 235W Panels, 30 mini rails, 16 end clamps, and 14 mid clamps (March 21, 2022) [Received on March 29, 2022]
3. Growatt USB Monitoring Stick (March 24, 2022) [Recieved on March 29, 2022]

Issue #1 (Solar Panels)
When I received the lot of used solar panels, they were extremely dirty, all covered in what I assumed was mud. No big deal. I spent half the afternoon cleaning all the mud off before I tested and installed them. If I remember correctly, 7 out of the 12 panels were completely cracked on the rear side of the panels. What makes it even worse is that they were packaged in such a way that it was hard to see the panels that were cracked. The first two or three panels on each side (if you know how signature solar sends panels) were fine, but the ones in the middle were cracked. I ended up having to seal them with polyurethane just so I could avoid the headache of sending them back. I made sure to test each panel before installing them and they all were producing what was expected. My only concern is that my seal job wasn't good enough and moisture may seep in when the rain season rolls around. I reached out to Signature Solar, provided images, and asked them if the used panels undergo any inspection before being sold. This was the response I received:

What I take from that is Signature Solar was aware of this problem, and still sold me the items anyway. They did not offer to replace them or compensate me in any way. I knew from the beginning that I was purchasing used panels, so even though I was disappointed with the panels, I did not pursue any compensation. The panels are no longer listed on their website.

View attachment 95955

View attachment 95956

Issue #2 (Mounts)
I ordered 30 mini rails, 16 end clamps (40mm), and 14 mid clamps. While installing the panels, I found that I had 1 end clamp that was smaller than all the others. They accidentally sent me 15 (40mm) end clamps and 1 (30mm or 35mm) end clamp. I reached out to Signature Solar, provided images, and told them I received one incorrect sized end clamp, and that I was going to attempt to still use it. This is the response I received:

The next day I responded saying that I was able to use that end clamp by putting a few washers between the rail and the clamp. I also let them know that I wouldn't mind swapping it out with the correct sized clamp (basically saying I want them to send it.) They never responded after that and never sent me the correct clamp.

View attachment 95960

View attachment 95961

Issue #3 (Inverter)
The initial issue I had can be found here: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/growatt-5000-es-issue.39205/
From what I could tell, the unit wasn't functioning correctly without a battery using SUB or SOL. I wanted to use the inverter to simply power the load during the day (with solar) and use the grid at night. For whatever reason, the solar wasn't being used for the load consumption. You can see in the reports that the load consumption was equal to what was imported from the grid (solar wasn't included). I first reached out to Signature Solar on 4/29 about the issue, and didn't get a response until 5/3. They had me try to update the firmware using the guide and files they provided. I was unable to update the firmware and the wifi stick stopped working. I believe this was because the unit I got didn't have the silicon labs UART chip, it had one from exar. After going back and fourth with the support agent, they finally sent me the RMA confirmation for the inverter on 5/11. I wasn't sure if I needed to send back both the inverter and wifi adapter, so I messaged the RMA agent. She said, "I was just told about sending back the WiFi stick as well, just one second and ill send you another label for that as well." I sent both the inverter and the wifi adapter back on the same day (5/11). I ended up having to pay around $40 for packaging, since I had already disposed of the original packaging. They received both items on 5/13.

On 5/19 I emailed the RMA agent, as I had not heard anything from anyone regarding my RMA. The next day (5/20) she responded saying, "Good afternoon, your new unit has shipped out today." Later that day, I received both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation for the replacement inverter. Around 12pm on 5/20 I sent another email asking about the wifi stick, because the order confirmation only showed the inverter. I finally got a response on 5/23 saying the wifi stick was going to be replaced as well. Later that day, I received both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation for the replacement wifi stick.

At this point, I was a happy customer. It took approximately 3 weeks to get sorted, but my issue was resolved. At least I thought it was. I decided to check the tracking information for the inverter later that evening (5/23) to see when I should expect it. Well, the tracking information showed that it had been canceled by the sender. Again, I wasn't contacted regarding anything to do with the RMA or why it had been canceled. I had to email the RMA agent once again (around 12AM on 5/24) asking what happened. She responded with the following:


So ~3 days after sending me both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation, they canceled the shipping and didn't bother to inform me. On top of that, they now want me to wait an entire month to get a replacement unit or take a refund? Before sending in the unit, I had to get some batteries so I could try and update the firmware. Apart from the wifi no longer working, the inverter was functioning correctly with the batteries. It would have been in my best interest for the RMA department to let me know that the unit wasn't in stock, and if they were unable to fix it, I would have to wait a whole month for a replacement. At least then I could have made the decision to wait until it was in stock just incase they were unable to repair it. Based on the fact that they sent me both the order confirmation and shipping confirmation, I don't think they even bothered checking if the item was in stock at any time. I expect companies with a RMA department to have at least one or two units dedicated for situations like this at all times. I'm not sure why they wouldn't. It doesn't end there though. They ended up sending out the Wifi stick after they had already canceled the inverter. Now I have the wifi stick without a unit to connect it to.. In their defense, the inverter and wifi stick were on different tickets. I think it would of been better for them to put a hold on both until a decision was made. That was not the case.

I ended up just opting for a refund, but would rather have the replacement. Since they could not honor my RMA in a timely manor, I am forced to look somewhere else. I think waiting 3 weeks and then being told I would have to wait another month is just ridiculous. If you are unable to fulfil an RMA at that point in time, I don't think you should suggest it, unless you can replace it with an equivalent system. That is just my opinion, but I stand by it. Even though they gave me a full refund, I can't help but feel like I ended up on the short side of the stick. I built my whole solar system around using the 5000 ES, and Signature Solar claim to be the only people to sell the US model (which I need).

Anyway, I hope my experience helps improve the customer service at Signature Solar.

.

 

[Xepshunall]

Interesting. I bought 32 ReneSola 370-watt mono panels, a 5000ES and a midpoint transformer from them. All were new and all worked perfectly. I've even abused the 5000ES and midpoint transformer some moving it around and having it outdoors under a tarp. Half of my panels are just laying on top of my DIY carport. Most of them fell down and the only thing I had to do is remove some of the MC4 plastic and plug the metal ends in directly. Not even a crack on any parts. I won't be looking for warranty honoring when my stuff fails. It'll likely be my fault. The guy from the 5000ES videos was a participant in my purchase and gave me a great discount since I bought so many panels. I'm looking to go back to Sulphur Springs, TX for another 6000 watts of panels and another 5000ES or maybe some other combination that can charge my DIY EV. I don't fault the OP for choosing the used panels. If I remember right they were advertised at 250 watts and guaranteed to put out that much. If there was any deceit, I would definitely advise against returning. As for me, I was treated right and I have no reason to distrust them. I hope your panels are holding up and everything is working as advertised.

 

[Mahendra Gomanie]

Yea they do work well until dust and heat gets the best of them in about two to three years.
They have a design flaw, there is a build up of dust between the Charge controller board and the inverter board , the space is pretty snug there .
No blower compressed are can take it out , you literally have to take the unit apart and remove that dust mat or
Sponge cake .
I have seen several having this issue , one particularly in a seal air conditioned room with minimal dust this one managed to make it to four years .