Signature Solar Shipping Experience

[retiredwizard]

I ordered two bifacial solar panels from Signature Solar. The shipping company gave us a delivery window but showed up a couple hours before the window and I wasn't home. My daughter was home and took the shipping documents from the driver but did not inspect or sign anything. When I got home I opened the panels and they were wrecked, the cardboard box showed a clear work boot print and what looks like two-wheeler tracks across it.

I contacted the shipping company less than an hour after delivery and filed a damage claim. I also contact Signature Solar and started the claim process with them. It's been about a week now and I'm being told that it could be a long process before they can either refund or replace the shipment. They also told me that ordering less than 5 panels was very risky and prone to shipping damage. I have received half a dozen shipments of solar panels from other companies and only one was for more than a single panel and that one was for 4 panels, they have all arrived in perfect condition, I could have just been lucky though.

After a number of e-mails and a couple phone calls, I have been convinced not to request replacement panels and instead simply seek a refund for the panels and shipping costs. It turns out that Signature Solar will reship the panels (assuming the freight company approves the damage claim in two to three weeks) at no cost but if the reshipment arrives damaged again they will not reship a third time and in that case only refund the cost of the panels forcing me to eat the shipping cost.

Overall the customer support from Signature Solar has been fine. I've been able to talk to people when I've called and they have responded to e-mails quickly. I think they could do a better job packing their panels but the damage in this case was obviously the freight company's fault. I am very disappointed that Signature Solar doesn't stand behind the delivery choices they offer and in the end I've wasted a lot of time, don't have the panels I need and am not even guaranteed I'll see the money I've paid to Signature Solar refunded.

 

[HRTKD]

That sucks to go through that. Makes me glad I found a local source for my panels.

 

[HOU_Castle]

I ordered two bifacial solar panels from Signature Solar. The shipping company gave us a delivery window but showed up a couple hours before the window and I wasn't home. My daughter was home and took the shipping documents from the driver but did not inspect or sign anything. When I got home I opened the panels and they were wrecked, the cardboard box showed a clear work boot print and what looks like two-wheeler tracks across it.

I contacted the shipping company less than an hour after delivery and filed a damage claim. I also contact Signature Solar and started the claim process with them. It's been about a week now and I'm being told that it could be a long process before they can either refund or replace the shipment. They also told me that ordering less than 5 panels was very risky and prone to shipping damage. I have received half a dozen shipments of solar panels from other companies and only one was for more than a single panel and that one was for 4 panels, they have all arrived in perfect condition, I could have just been lucky though.

After a number of e-mails and a couple phone calls, I have been convinced not to request replacement panels and instead simply seek a refund for the panels and shipping costs. It turns out that Signature Solar will reship the panels (assuming the freight company approves the damage claim in two to three weeks) at no cost but if the reshipment arrives damaged again they will not reship a third time and in that case only refund the cost of the panels forcing me to eat the shipping cost.

Overall the customer support from Signature Solar has been fine. I've been able to talk to people when I've called and they have responded to e-mails quickly. I think they could do a better job packing their panels but the damage in this case was obviously the freight company's fault. I am very disappointed that Signature Solar doesn't stand behind the delivery choices they offer and in the end I've wasted a lot of time, don't have the panels I need and am not even guaranteed I'll see the money I've paid to Signature Solar refunded.

Have you tried the damaged panels? if the arrays are not damaged, they can be usable.

 

[retiredwizard]

I have checked them and they do put out some power. I haven't mounted them because I didn't know if the freight company was going to want to recover them but laying flat Voc was around 90% of the rated voltage and the short circuit current moved around between about 20% to 70% of the rated values. Under load I was getting about 20% of the rated power.

 

[G8trwood]

Ouch.
surprised they aren’t sending out replacements and dealing with the shipping company.

 

[NwCali]

I am now dealing with the long wait as well...

Mine came in and "looked" fine, my kids (both adults) came home within minutes and we started to move them one by one for short term storage. The bottom two have punctures, pretty much where it looks like the forks (off a forklift) went up into them.

I have talked both on the phone and email and they do respond. But today (7+ days into it) the response was they were still waiting to file. "They will reach out once it is filed!" (maybe it is filed but that isn't what the response implies).

I decided to dispute my claim with the CC company as if I wait 2-3 weeks (beyond now) that time period would have elapsed.

I think when you ship large packages (or glass) things break, even more so when you drive/walk over/under them. Hence the price of shipping goes up (the more that's broken). Is what it is.

As far as the other person post about power output. Even if they did put out 100% power it would be not wise to use panels with broken glass fronts, even if you were paid to put them on. At the least I'd imagine moisture problems... I went "bifacial" in part because they claim longer life spans...

Hopefully both these claims with be resolved, but I agree with another poster it should not take a month. I contemplated ordering another 10 panels from them..... Even tried to call up the next day to increase the order (was told they had shipped already).

I'll post back how this is resolved. Having a "refund" is NOT what I prefer, as, I just said, I knew I'd want more (not less) panels....

 

[kromc5]

I had the exact same issue on my second order, the first one had no issues and waiting on claims. Mine are cracked pefectly on each side you can clearly see the impacts.

 

[SignatureSolarUS]

we have a full time claims person and these issues are resolved in the end always, if anybody is unhappy post your order number and we will either retrieve the picts and show what happened or double check that it was resolved well

 

[retiredwizard]

It did take a few weeks but Signature Solar did credit a complete refund for the panels and shipping.

 

[SignatureSolarUS]

Our policy is 100% transparency:
-If you post negative feedback we will meet you on the site you posted and clarify what the problem is publicly Hopefully you remove the feedback when resolved instead of jumping ship after resolution

-If you place a backorder and then change your mind we will refund you in 5 minutes if you paid credit card (heavens knows others want your place in line this year ) we understand the honest anxiety here, this is a strange year and we are working our hardest to not increase the price point.

-Shipping solar panels are not easy, we try to stay on top of claims and make all customers whole, we ask people to not buy exact qtys of freighted glass parts (eg solar panels) the situation always goes negative when a DIY jobsite depends on the accuracy of a chain of 10 forklift drivers, half of whom probably just got hired from the foodservice business.

 

[AntronX]

Name and shame the shipping company. This is gross disrespect of customer's items they are paid to deliver. Edit: It's Southern Freight Lines. Info on the label on one of your photos. I could even track the package on their site with the tracking number pictured, lol.

 

[NwCali]

They did me right in the end, just took time. Second time around it was resolved much faster but I was also sure to get on it better.

The trucking company's driver though wouldn't note the damage on the delivery slip...

I've had five delivery's thru that trucking outfit, none made it with no damage, three critical hits. I picked one up at their local dock and it was still on the truck (only one not damaged) and the local dock was a complete wreck.