For installation (“placed in service”). Pretty sure you can purchase now.
Signature Solar should I even bother
- Thread starter GettinOutaDoge
- Start date
galstaf
New Member
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- May 31, 2020
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That's how I understand it from what I read of the new inflation reduction act.
I hope so anyway. I just bought a good sized system last week!
It WAS nice...I used to live in an area that, at times, we could order from Amazon in the morning & have a delivery by evening. In September we moved more rural, where Amazon has become even more critics. Now we NEVER have it delivered in less than 7 days now...many times more. 1st world problems I guess... ?
BenFromSignatureSolar
Solar Addict
We are actually working on something very similar to that. Goal is to be able to filter calls and emails to the correct person the first time. One of the big issues that we have is that if someone is needing help they will send an email to every email address that they can find that ends in signaturesolar.com. We're trying to identify the customers needs through a single point of contact that will keep requests going to the correct inboxes and phone queues. There should be a version of this out by the end of January.
handinpalm
New Member
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- Jun 29, 2021
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Just remember there is an annual limit, so you may want to spread out your purchases across several years.
@BenFromSignatureSolar , I appreciate that & it will be nice...in the FUTURE...IF that happens. I hate to pile on when you seem like a great guy with honest intentions. I've been trying to keep quiet with my frustration but it's getting a bit old with so much money involved & the need for the power. I'm off-grid & going on-grid is not a viable option.
After spending over $10k this fall & just now getting a chance to put it together, I called in for a couple of simple wiring questions, breakers & the extra wiring I was sold. The wire ended up being useless & undersized 1 gauge substitute...you didn't have/sell the 2/0 called for. I had to wait yet another 10 days to order off Amazon as I'm very rural.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM. When calling in for technical support to find this out, it took me THREE days & over THREE hours of being on hold EACH day AFTER also leaving a seperate call back number all THREE times at early am all THREE days. I know your busy...we all are & have more valuable things to do than sit there & listen to a recorded messages about how busy you are. The call back thing is absolutely worthless...I've used it early in the morning several times & had ZERO call backs...EVER. Franklly, it just seems like a stall tactic.
So...when I finally got through on the THIRD day, the gentleman was super nice, apologetic & very helpful. It took 10-12 minutes...3-5 of which was probably spent listening to my frustration. Im betting...thereby probably making the tech less efficient overall & with less job satisfaction having to apologize yet again for something that is not his fault or in his control.
Incidently, your Ads to sell me more are constantly popping up in my YouTube & Google feeds. Many times these are actually @Will Prowse orginal videos that motivated me to invest with them. INTERESTINGLY...SALES has no problem getting to & fielding calls immediately to take my money for another >$10k.
BTW I called in near Thanksgiving on your "specials" time thinking to order ANOTHER full rack of 6 batteries, an inverter & additional supplies. But...as I was still waiting for a tech support call back that never came...I thought better of it & at the last second...I postponed my order until I could resolve my other questions.
I have since decided to indefinitely, for the moment until I can get back to my place (went south to family for the holidays) & get the system up & running AND weigh my future alternatives for Phase II & III of my off grid system & ranch applications. I've also discouraged similar neighbors that were excited about my system from ordering for a while until we see if they can get it together & be who they portray to be in their ads...
As someone who has worked in sales, service & account management etc for +35 years. RARELY selling the cheapest option in the market. My experience has shown me results, honor, follow thru/sevice post-sale matters most...over price...& ZERO excuses is what counts. Everything else is just that...excuses & taking your eye off the ball. No one CARES how busy you have become selling & keeping up with demand. (It gives the appearance of being too busy counting money in the back.)
Lastly, while these may be Will's favorite batteries & inverters for the money...but they may not be quite so DIY for the average guy with such post sales support & followup. I'm seriously thinking about dumping everything (at a loss I can't really afford.) & going with a longer term player for more money...but that understands investment in customer support. Quality AND this is EVERYTHING & means more to me than the cheapest price. I thought that is what I was buying. We shall see...
Y'ALL get to decide if you are a flash in the pan or a player for the long haul as you portray to be in your Ads. The jury is still out & deliberating...the longer it takes...the less hopeful it looks on outcome for summary judgment.
BenFromSignatureSolar
Solar Addict
Thank you for your honest feedback. Your frustrations are completely warranted here, I am taking ownership of the issue and am going to be 100% dedicated to making the customer experience with Signature Solar a positive one. I don't want to sit here and make excuses that you've all heard in the past so I'll just save all that. Anticipate some real change in our process by the end of January. Hold me accountable if we're still having these same problems in a month, because I will take full responsibility.
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Thank you Sir, I appreciate the quick response.
I've not seen this anywhere in the documentatioin. Can you reference the part of the IRS instructions for this limitation?
handinpalm
New Member
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- Jun 29, 2021
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Well since we are still in 2022, the IRS is not publishing the 2023 tax forms yet. I was referencing what I have seen from other websites And the publication you posted here. See page 2, under Annual Limits 2023. The Dem gov't wants to sound like you are getting a big rebate (tax savings), but in reality it is pretty skimpish ($1200 max/yr). Makes people wait years to get a decent tax savings, if you are making a decent sized purchase. I would like to see something official from the IRS for 2023. I guess we will have to wait, but does not look good.
Annual Limits 2023: $1,200 for the entire credit for most taxpayers. $600 for any single energy property item
That is not for solar, It is for “Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credits”
realpinochet
Make Stuff In America Again!
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- Jul 4, 2022
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Been following this guy for awhile...seems SS didn't do him decent either. Unfortunately it's very apparent SS just wants to make the sale then wash their hands of you...not a way to be a successful company.
BenFromSignatureSolar
Solar Addict
Interested to hear how you drew that conclusion. He did purchase a unit so he didn't have to wait on the tech bench to test his unit, but he was credited back immediately when it was determined to be mechanical failure. We're going to replace his inverters that have faulty screens (we offered him a full refund, but he wanted to just exchange the inverters) and on top of that we sent him all the settings he would need to use to get the batteries to function with the SolArks he is installing. Jeff is always friendly when we troubleshoot with him and we've spent hours trying to fix the issues he's been experiencing. I bet if you were to ask him, he would tell you that SS has worked hard to be fair with him in every way.
realpinochet
Make Stuff In America Again!
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You can clearly hear in his voice and demeanor he's saying the same thing everyone else is. I've been watching him for sometime now and it's obvious he's being nice in this video. Within the first two minutes he says he's tired of dealing with it and that SS tech support isn't extremely helpful. Translation...He's tired of the bullshit! What was his resolve..to go with another company and product. He even says that he's unsure if you're going to take that one inverter back....being unsure is a sign you didn't communicate with him. This should be easy. Sell a good product, help the customer along the way and follow through promptly with genuine concern if they should have in depth issues. What we hear is too often the exact opposite.
BenFromSignatureSolar
Solar Addict
Still sounds like a bit of a stretch. We've already started the return process on both of the inverters with screen issues. If someone wants to go to a high end unit from a value brand, i say good for him. Growatt's can be frustratingly finicky. If you try real hard to read between the lines, you can pick out things you think SS is doing wrong from this video. But ultimately what I see is someone moving to a bigger system that won't present the same issues that he had with the 5ks. I don't anticipate losing him as a battery or component customer. We've been fair with him the whole way. I know you won't buy anything from SS because of all the reasons you've listed in every Sig Solar related post, but that's ok. If you ever change your mind we'll be happy to help you however we can. For the people on here who can't wait to run us down, there are plenty others here who we've helped along the way and are loving their current systems.
realpinochet
Make Stuff In America Again!
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The upgrade isn't the issue nor is the product malfunctions in your control; however that could be avoided with holding manufactures to quality and qa standards. And, he's not just upgrading to be upgrading he put a lot of work and money into it. Just because growwatt, mpp, eg4 are cheap "value brands" doesn't mean they have to be cheap in context of functioning properly and there longevity. He clearly states your support "isn't extremely helpful" I've worked in customer facing roles in IT for decades ..in specifically customer facing engineering support. I know exactly what he's saying and so do you! I was considering you guys early on ..but as a potential customer why should I when this forum and others on the internet say the same things? There's a pattern. After the sale you're hard to pin down if needed. Customers put in support tickets that go unanswered or answered infrequently...your customer facing tickets should be updated with current progress every day or two so the customer doesn't feel ghosted. Also, it's common to hear customers call in only to have the person talking to them act rude, uninterested and left on hold for so long they give up and hang up. Do you guys have a customer support QA team that reviews support tickets and calls for quality control and help the people providing the support guidance? If not I'd suggest that. Our team is trained on the STAR method to interact with customers / tickets and it greatly helps. Check into it. To be fair there seems to be a few guys that care at SS but a company can't be successful with one or two caring...it has to be a team effort.
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WindWizard
Solar Enthusiast
I have found that it is best to avoid the temptation for a quick and easy solution to a Solar project. I decided to buy the most reliable stuff I could get my hands on regardless of what it costs. I probably have 16k+ of expenditures so far but it is working flawlessly without all of the issues that seem to prevail by finding the best deal or the next Chinese wonderbox. You can find great deals on top notch equipment, but you have to do the research. In my opinion, idle current above a few watts is unacceptable. My Magnum Inverters have such a low idle current that I cannot measure it with a clamp meter. Probably the best MPPT controllers are the Victron's. Buying premade battery packs is convenient but it also has a price. It costs you more money and then if you have a problem then you cannot just replace an individual cell but have to replace the whole battery. My opinion is to cry once but then not have to be constantly tinkering with it. Set it up and then go away and enjoy your life.
realpinochet
Make Stuff In America Again!
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I agree, I was going to go with the xwpro 6848 and the schneider mppt. SS isn't that far away from me so I figured I'd pick up if they allow that and save on shipping..but what's the point if after I drive away I'm on my own or have to endure some long stressful resolution? I think the idle on the 6848 is really low like 30W or something. Which Magnum inverters do you have, and are you available to get parts still as it seem Magnum might be going out of business?
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BenFromSignatureSolar
Solar Addict
You know, Schneider handles their own RMA's. We are happy to trouble shoot Schneider, but if you need a replacement, they will take care of it directly. But then again, it's Schneider so it isn't that likely that you would need to replace it for 20+ years.
WindWizard
Solar Enthusiast
I have two of the Magnum Inverters MS4448PAE. They were around $2000 each if you can find them. Magnum, Victron Schneider are all solid low frequency Inverters. I don't know about service since I haven't needed any. I have been running them hard for over a year and they run my whole house perfectly. I have it setup so that when the LFP's get around 50.8 volts then it automatically trips a transfer switch and I go back to the grid. They run everything including a hot tub. It just works and the only thing I do is once a week then collect the data so I can keep track of how much solar I got and how much savings I got. Last year I saved over $1500 which I put in my pocket. This year should be better as I have added more panels and other stuff. When we lost power on Sunday, I just started the generator to charge the batteries and ran it for a couple of hours until the sun came out. It has been cloudy, so I have not generated enough Solar to get by. Maine just is to far North to get the good sun in the winter.
