Signature Solar and shipping damage, are you a victim too?

[oregonsun]

I bought a pallet of 10 panels, the 440w mono ones recommended on here, 1 panel arrived broken.

There was no damage visible from the outside, after I got to the last one I found it was cracked glass and the panel bent, by what appears to be the straps used to tie it to the pallet.

I sent pics right away, they are trying to put the damage on the shipper when I even told them up front it doesn't look like the shipping company did this. It looks to me like signature solar did this by strapping them down standing on their sides, bending one panel with the straps.

They were just 10 panels shipped on their side strapped to a pallet, not crated, not protected with plywood on each side or anything. Seems like insufficient packing to me, and the flimsy glass and aluminum frame couldn't handle the torque from the straps.

Is this typical they just try to pass the buck? They haven't denied my claim yet, but I'm assuming they will.

Are they all as bad as signature solar? I will need more panels and don't feel like using signature again.

 

[madsci1016]

Wow as a comparison i've had a broken panel (clearly broken during shipping) in a 2 of the 5 pallet stacks from Santan Solar and every time they quickly refunded the exact amount i asked for with no hassle. Didn't involve the freight company at all.

 

[740GLE]

No pictures?

 

[syclonedriver]

Be persistent. It took me two weeks to finally get my return shipping label. It should have been two easy 5 minute conversations.

I picked up my panels in person. They were on a pallet that looked to be made exactly for my panels, I was impressed with that.

 

[SignatureSolarUS]

I bought a pallet of 10 panels, the 440w mono ones recommended on here, 1 panel arrived broken.

There was no damage visible from the outside, after I got to the last one I found it was cracked glass and the panel bent, by what appears to be the straps used to tie it to the pallet.

I sent pics right away, they are trying to put the damage on the shipper when I even told them up front it doesn't look like the shipping company did this. It looks to me like signature solar did this by strapping them down standing on their sides, bending one panel with the straps.

They were just 10 panels shipped on their side strapped to a pallet, not crated, not protected with plywood on each side or anything. Seems like insufficient packing to me, and the flimsy glass and aluminum frame couldn't handle the torque from the straps.

Is this typical they just try to pass the buck? They haven't denied my claim yet, but I'm assuming they will.

Are they all as bad as signature solar? I will need more panels and don't feel like using signature again.

The panels are meant to be shipped vertically, straps will not break panels.
Feel free to post the photo of how and why this was caused for further discussion.
Vertical panels and strapping are currently industry best practice.
When there is damage we have to confirm with the carrier that the shipment was marked as damaged by the customer, we always advise in writing and in person now to mark as damaged unless you have absolutely checked all the panels. the truck driver will hassle you to sign before inspecting so he can go on, if that happens make sure to sign as damaged, if they will not let you mark as damaged or inspect it then call us and ask for shipping claims.
The trucking companies have this run-around where if you sign just to be nice to the driver, then find a forklift gash in your panel later they claim that you broke your panel after receipt. Our clear written instructions help protect from this

 

[revbush]

I ordered 36 panels from Signature Solar. When I picked them up, one side of the skid was destroyed, there were fork holes in the cardboard sides. I filed a damage claim with them. Excellent service. Three panels were broken. I’ve alreay received the replacement panels. Signature solar has been excellent to deal with.

 

[revbush]

BTW, They we’re shipped from Texas. I’m in Indiana. I picked them up at the Freight Terminal 20 minutes from my house.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

I bought a pallet of 10 panels, the 440w mono ones recommended on here, 1 panel arrived broken.

There was no damage visible from the outside, after I got to the last one I found it was cracked glass and the panel bent, by what appears to be the straps used to tie it to the pallet.

I sent pics right away, they are trying to put the damage on the shipper when I even told them up front it doesn't look like the shipping company did this. It looks to me like signature solar did this by strapping them down standing on their sides, bending one panel with the straps.

They were just 10 panels shipped on their side strapped to a pallet, not crated, not protected with plywood on each side or anything. Seems like insufficient packing to me, and the flimsy glass and aluminum frame couldn't handle the torque from the straps.

Is this typical they just try to pass the buck? They haven't denied my claim yet, but I'm assuming they will.

Are they all as bad as signature solar? I will need more panels and don't feel like using signature again.

I bought one of their Auto transformers.

When I get it, one of the big fins on the back was smashed into the next.

Not sure if it happened in shipping to me or from the factory to them.

Wasn’t to hard to fix but with panels I would be upset.

 

[Tony Scott]

I bought one of their Auto transformers.

When I get it, one of the big fins on the back was smashed into the next.

Not sure if it happened in shipping to me or from the factory to them.

Wasn’t to hard to fix but with panels I would be upset.

The panels are meant to be shipped vertically, straps will not break panels.
Feel free to post the photo of how and why this was caused for further discussion.
Vertical panels and strapping are currently industry best practice.
When there is damage we have to confirm with the carrier that the shipment was marked as damaged by the customer, we always advise in writing and in person now to mark as damaged unless you have absolutely checked all the panels. the truck driver will hassle you to sign before inspecting so he can go on, if that happens make sure to sign as damaged, if they will not let you mark as damaged or inspect it then call us and ask for shipping claims.
The trucking companies have this run-around where if you sign just to be nice to the driver, then find a forklift gash in your panel later they claim that you broke your panel after receipt. Our clear written instructions help protect from this

Well that sums it up, I had 20 panels panels shipped to West Virginia. They were packaged upright, no issue's

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Are they all as bad as signature solar? I will need more panels and don't feel like using signature again.

The word ‘victim’ in the header seems misguided. Stuff gets damaged or “lost” all the time. My new fridge got ‘delivered’ just not to me. Walmart sent another- door was dented. They gave a discount and I kept it.

I’m betting you’re upset but prematurely stating that you’re a victim probably is neither helpful nor accurate.

 

[Bvillebob]

Just bought 24 REC 370 watt panels from Santan. The package was perfect when delivered, took a week to unload due to weather and when I got to the bottom panel it was smashed. No damage visible from the outside of the. stack, must have gotten something under it. I emailed a pic to Santan and asked for store credit if possible, explaining I couldn't see the damage on delivery. Their response was "no need for a credit, here's a refund to your card", and it showed up 5 minutes later. That's great customer service and won repeat orders from me.

 

[medic149]

I bought a pallet of 10 panels, the 440w mono ones recommended on here, 1 panel arrived broken.

There was no damage visible from the outside, after I got to the last one I found it was cracked glass and the panel bent, by what appears to be the straps used to tie it to the pallet.

I sent pics right away, they are trying to put the damage on the shipper when I even told them up front it doesn't look like the shipping company did this. It looks to me like signature solar did this by strapping them down standing on their sides, bending one panel with the straps.

They were just 10 panels shipped on their side strapped to a pallet, not crated, not protected with plywood on each side or anything. Seems like insufficient packing to me, and the flimsy glass and aluminum frame couldn't handle the torque from the straps.

Is this typical they just try to pass the buck? They haven't denied my claim yet, but I'm assuming they will.

Are they all as bad as signature solar? I will need more panels and don't feel like using signature again.

I received my EG4 48-volt battery the other day. There was some damage to the box, but it did not appear to go through the styrofoam. The shipper, R&L told me that if I opened the box, it was delivered, and they could not take it back. I was stuck with either just returning it or hoping everything was okay. Well, I got screwed. Extensive damage to the battery. Emailed Signature and awaiting a response. I have a second battery coming in a week. I will not accept it if there is even a scratch, but everything today comes with damage of some sort to the boxes.

 

[SignatureSolarUS]

I received my EG4 48-volt battery the other day. There was some damage to the box, but it did not appear to go through the styrofoam. The shipper, R&L told me that if I opened the box, it was delivered, and they could not take it back. I was stuck with either just returning it or hoping everything was okay. Well, I got screwed. Extensive damage to the battery. Emailed Signature and awaiting a response. I have a second battery coming in a week. I will not accept it if there is even a scratch, but everything today comes with damage of some sort to the boxes.

yuck. not normal. they are getting through emails today.

If you haven't confirmed the product is good we always ask in our policy that you write "damaged" on the signature slot.
if the driver protests then tell him that they can wait while you inspect everything otherwise.

If there is no damage notation on the BOL the carrier really takes advantage of the situation and calls the customer a liar we back our customers no matter what but following the policy we ask for really helps.
The freight carriers are up to no good when it comes to damage compensation. we push this "sign as damaged" policy to protect us all.

 

[Quattrohead]

Can you show us the packaging damage so we can know what to look out for ?
It looks like a pallet fork hit the front of the battery pack. Ouch.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

The freight carriers are up to no good when it comes to damage compensation. we push this "sign as damaged" policy to protect us all.

Loud and clear.
We’ve entered a whole new world were damaged freight (or disappearing!) hidden or otherwise has become the norm.

 

[Mr-Sandman]

Last FREIGHT shipment I RECENTLY received "not from Signature Solar" didn't have any damage, but what I found odd is, the driver didn't want me to sign anything. I said "Do I need to sign for it?". He said Covid policy has them doing zero interaction with customers, no paperwork changed hands and I didn't sign anything.

Not sure how you would document any damage in that case, Maybe he would have documented if pointed out? Either way there is no signing the slip damaged, you never touch it.

 

[gmbeihl]

I received my EG4 48-volt battery the other day. There was some damage to the box, but it did not appear to go through the styrofoam. The shipper, R&L told me that if I opened the box, it was delivered, and they could not take it back. I was stuck with either just returning it or hoping everything was okay. Well, I got screwed. Extensive damage to the battery. Emailed Signature and awaiting a response. I have a second battery coming in a week. I will not accept it if there is even a scratch, but everything today comes with damage of some sort to the boxes.

R&L delivered my EG4 batteries as well. One box was damaged - looked like it had gotten hit by a badly aimed pallet fork and there was 1 board broken on the pallet. I took a chance and accepted it. Turned out there was no battery damage - only a couple mounting ears were bent on 2 of the batteries - but R&L might not be the best choice for a shipper even if they're the lowest price...

 

[Mr-Sandman]

R&L delivered my EG4 batteries as well. One box was damaged - looked like it had gotten hit by a badly aimed pallet fork and there was 1 board broken on the pallet. I took a chance and accepted it. Turned out there was no battery damage - only a couple mounting ears were bent on 2 of the batteries - but R&L might not be the best choice for a shipper even if they're the lowest price...

Great mine is stuck in an R&L terminal, waiting to move to the next "delayed for whatever reason". I will inspect the boxes, take pictures and note any damage on the paperwork "if given the opportunity" when I pick them up.

Ultimately it's up to the shipper "Signature Solar" to take care of shipping damage. They are the ones that choose the shipper, package the product and hired the freight company to deliver. They should insure it and handle any claims on their end. It should be transparent to the customer. If these shipping companies are giving them that hard of a time, maybe they should re-evaluate who they hire to deliver their products.

I had shipping damage on a huge stack of 350 watt solar panels from Alt E store once. I took some pics of damage and emailed Alt E customer service.. They said shipping damage is common and they deal with it daily. She went on to tell me the shipping damage was not my concern, they will ship my replacement panels immediately and submit insurance claim with the freight company. I had replacement panels a few days later. I was impressed with their customer service.

 

[medic149]

Great mine is stuck in an R&L terminal, waiting to move to the next "delayed for whatever reason". I will inspect the boxes, take pictures and note any damage on the paperwork "if given the opportunity" when I pick them up.

Ultimately it's up to the shipper "Signature Solar" to take care of shipping damage. They are the ones that choose the shipper, package the product and hired the freight company to deliver. They should insure it and handle any claims on their end. It should be transparent to the customer. If these shipping companies are giving them that hard of a time, maybe they should re-evaluate who they hire to deliver their products.

I had shipping damage on a huge stack of 350 watt solar panels from Alt E store once. I took some pics of damage and emailed Alt E customer service.. They said shipping damage is common and they deal with it daily. She went on to tell me the shipping damage was not my concern, they will ship my replacement panels immediately and submit insurance claim with the freight company. I had replacement panels a few days later. I was impressed with their customer service.

Glad I said something lol. See if they will let you open the box before you sign anything. R&L was difficult to deal with. They kept telling me I wasn't allowed to do a dock pick-up and had to contact the shipper to get authorization. I figured out everything for them, but my local terminal was not the sharpest.

 

[medic149]

yuck. not normal. they are getting through emails today.

If you haven't confirmed the product is good we always ask in our policy that you write "damaged" on the signature slot.
if the driver protests then tell him that they can wait while you inspect everything otherwise.

If there is no damage notation on the BOL the carrier really takes advantage of the situation and calls the customer a liar we back our customers no matter what but following the policy we ask for really helps.
The freight carriers are up to no good when it comes to damage compensation. we push this "sign as damaged" policy to protect us all.

Not your fault. I have not seen any shipping company take care of shipments lately. Estes, R&L, Yellow, UPS, FedEx. None of them.

 

[medic149]

Can you show us the packaging damage so we can know what to look out for ?
It looks like a pallet fork hit the front of the battery pack. Ouch.

The hole is a little bigger than it was when it arrived because I put my finger inside to feel around. I didn't feel any broken styrofoam, so thought it was okay.

 

[offgriddave]

I've had some pallet damage from an order from San tan. It wasn't their fault and everything still tested good. They offered to make it good but since it wasn't broken, and I got a hell of a deal, I accepted it.

But I am worried I also have an egll on order. No tracking yet but I am having it sent to a friends farm. I mentioned to him to reject it if it is damaged. Sucks yours was totalled

 

[SignatureSolarUS]

Great mine is stuck in an R&L terminal, waiting to move to the next "delayed for whatever reason". I will inspect the boxes, take pictures and note any damage on the paperwork "if given the opportunity" when I pick them up.

Ultimately it's up to the shipper "Signature Solar" to take care of shipping damage. They are the ones that choose the shipper, package the product and hired the freight company to deliver. They should insure it and handle any claims on their end. It should be transparent to the customer. If these shipping companies are giving them that hard of a time, maybe they should re-evaluate who they hire to deliver their products.

I had shipping damage on a huge stack of 350 watt solar panels from Alt E store once. I took some pics of damage and emailed Alt E customer service.. They said shipping damage is common and they deal with it daily. She went on to tell me the shipping damage was not my concern, they will ship my replacement panels immediately and submit insurance claim with the freight company. I had replacement panels a few days later. I was impressed with their customer service.

We take a cost-plus approach for panels like a true wholesaler, you and others will notice the bottom line prices per watt we have are the lowest on the internet. Whenever damage is not notated it has to be covered by a third party source, which adds expense to the cost of products and penalizes the customer in the end. we have tried to cut the fat out of the process by making the carrier process clear vs. paying a stack to let freight companies get away with skewering freight.

Not a pretty world. but Alt-E pricing is not our aim, they are $40-80 more per panel, buy a handful and basically the customer already bought the replacements.

bottom line here is we believe we should work with customers to attack the root issue in a claim so that the end panel cost is lower.

 

[SignatureSolarUS]

I've had some pallet damage from an order from San tan. It wasn't their fault and everything still tested good. They offered to make it good but since it wasn't broken, and I got a hell of a deal, I accepted it.

But I am worried I also have an egll on order. No tracking yet but I am having it sent to a friends farm. I mentioned to him to reject it if it is damaged. Sucks yours was totalled.

We are responding to and working through these issues. There are staff fluctuations here this week due to omicron in Texas the last couple of weeks. We should be in full strength in a week or 2 and the team here is working non-stop as well as adding new members at the same time.

0 people on this forum received a broken battery and did not end up with a good one or a resolution of their choice. We are aiming for 100% happiness no matter what goes wrong. If DIY solar is not a good experience overall, then we aren't doing our job.

 

[Mr-Sandman]

Not a pretty world. but Alt-E pricing is not our aim, they are $40-80 more per panel, buy a handful and basically the customer already bought the replacements.

bottom line here is we believe we should work with customers to attack the root issue in a claim so that the end panel cost is lower.

I don't know about Alt E being "$40-$80" higher per panel, my Canadian Solar 445 watt panels I just got from them was $246.53 each. That looks pretty inline with the cost per watt for Signature Solar current offerings. Freight was higher from Alt E for sure, but they are in MA, not 4 hours from me like Signature Solar, so I expect as much.

I was simply telling my only freight damage experience which happened to be with Alt E and how they took care of it with NO issues. I understand Freight in the solar business is a struggle and huge expense.

Tracking shows my batteries have made it to their destination terminal. I plan to go fetch them today. Fingers crossed I won't be posting pics of damaged batteries.....