Sol-Ark response to reports of Deye inverters shutting down

[HighDesertDrifter]

Thinking out loud here, feel free to tell me if I'm wrong and/or nuke this post.

If Sol-Ark actually wrote the firmware for their Deye labeled inverters wouldn't they have coders and engineers with a deep and thorough understanding of it?
With that understanding shouldn't they be able to help the customers that are without power now get their units back online until a replacement unit that isn't "territory locked" is purchased, delivered and installed?

That's one reason these folks don't like to get to chatty on a forum, there are actually Thinking human beings here that can ask questions no one wants to answer.

 

[HighDesertDrifter]

This just keeps getting more fun!! I can only imagine the strained relationship between Deye and solark and all the other brand names. I'm surprised no one has blamed Trump yet!

Also Simon, I own a solark 15k, my trust in your brand names is severely tarnished, and although my product has been reliable and i;ve installed others reliably, it leads me to believe that I won't recommend your brand in the future unless we get some SERIOUS transparency here. My dongle port is going to get a sticker that says never plug anything in here

It's looking more and more like their greed for the $1% loss will be their demise! What an opportunity for someone with proper financial backing to just kick their butt all over the market place and wipe the floor up with what's left of it all!

 

[SparkyJJO]

As a long time Sol-ark supporter this event is making me rethink my position. I won't be plugging the dongle in any units unless absolutely needed for break fix firmware updated.

Events like this do occur with other internet connected devices. An example of hardware would be a Cisco switch or router. No license or invalid license and the hardware is a paperweight. Microsoft is happy to brick your PC without a license.

Where the problem is with Deye is lack of clarity to the end user regarding licensing or as a others state, did you sign a EULA?

I suspect within a month or less someone slick will crack the unlock code (it's pretty short) and publish it to the world. I also suspect now that there is motivation to hack the box that some will. This could be cool and spawn an opensource community dedicated to custom firmware. Who knows.

But Microsoft doesn't totally brick your PC if you have an illegal license. They disable some stuff, put up all kinds of notices that you may be a victim of counterfeit software, etc, but they don't lock you out of your PC and your data (which is effectively what Deye did here).

I don't think that Cisco ever backdoors into your equipment at some random point in time and turns it off because you bought the "wrong" one. I don't know how their licensing works, but I'm pretty sure basic functionality is still there, they don't force you to buy new hardware without warning.

A major difference between this and those cases though are those are licensed products, and that is totally clear and obvious at the outset. If someone buys an inverter, they're not expecting to have to buy or renew some software license for it (not that Deye gave them that option anyway!). So it isn't an apples to apples comparison.

 

[HighDesertDrifter]

I Ditto this response to @SolarPowerSimon

Trainwreck. Clowns. In bed with too many people, or the wrong people....well you reap what you sow

At least the orgy of profits were nice while they lasted, that is until the STD's started spreading!

 

[Noname142]

And no one is telling them to deal with Sol-Ark!
They need to speak to Deye since they are the one's that shutdown the Inverter.

Ahh, see.. the problem is.. you are smart enough to know that Deye has no reason to shoot themselves in the foot like this, unless they were being pressured by some external entity to do so. Since SolArk is the exclusive US distributor.. that really only leaves 2 entities to point fingers at.

1) The chinese government telling Deye to do it. (I suspect if that were the case, they would have had more companies cripple products in the US market, not just isolating the "attack" to just Deye)
2) The company who has the exclusivity contract with Deye for that region.

I know which direction I'd suspect more. But maybe you think Deye just up and decided to change their business model, tarnish their own reputation and cause massive consumer mistrust in some misguided attempt to "sell more inverters" of their own volition. Me? I don't buy that for a second. Speculation on my part? Sure. but "SolArk forcing their hand" is the only explanation that makes any logical sense.. and reinforced by (recent past) unsavory/borderline illegal behavior from SolArk.

 

[Haze]

What happens to folks who run these on boats ? Can these folks only operate in certain areas of the world or risk SolArk bricking their solar system.

 

[SparkyJJO]

What happens to folks who run these on boats ? Can these folks only operate in certain areas of the world or risk SolArk bricking their solar system.

I don't think we even know how Deye knew which ones to hit the kill button on. Is it somehow they determined physical location, or did they do it by serial # shipped to particular address or supplier or region so they kinda know where some are, or...? Was it automatic, or a very manual process, or...?

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

What happens to folks who run these on boats ? Can these folks only operate in certain areas of the world or risk SolArk bricking their solar system.

that is exactly one of the points I have brought up multiple times and you still have people trying to defend this practice.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

I don't think we even know how Deye knew which ones to hit the kill button on. Is it somehow they determined physical location, or did they do it by serial # shipped to particular address or supplier or region so they kinda know where some are, or...?

pretty sure it was IP address initially PR probably has the highest percentage of solar power systems being installed along with a very low standard fo living thanks to their corrupt government. as such they were probably targeted as being a very high density cluster of gray market units.

 

[timselectric]

I don't think we even know how Deye knew which ones to hit the kill button on. Is it somehow they determined physical location, or did they do it by serial # shipped to particular address or supplier or region so they kinda know where some are, or...? Was it automatic, or a very manual process, or...?

I would assume that it's determining location by the IP address of the connection to the internet.

 

[Quattrohead]

Could be a simple as all Deye split phase units got hit, hardly any other country in the world uses split phase.

 

[Haze]

My guess this decision came from SolArk after sales slumped in the last year or so. I know a bunch of these were being sold in CA before the new Nem3 went into place, once that took effect I’d guess sales dropped over 50% in CA alone and likely much more.

We use to get solar folks stopping by our house daily to try and sell us solar, now we can go months without seeing one. My neighbor had a decent sized solar company prior to the new regs in CA, he now has just himself and his son…from over 30 employees to 2 employees in just over a year.

 

[timselectric]

My guess this decision came from SolArk after sales slumped in the last year or so. I know a bunch of these were being sold in CA before the new Nem3 went into place, once that took effect I’d guess sales dropped over 50% in CA alone and likely much more.

We use to get solar folks stopping by our house daily to try and sell us solar, now we can go months without seeing one. My neighbor had a decent sized solar company prior to the new regs in CA, he now has just himself and his son…from over 30 employees to 2 employees in just over a year.

That, and now there's a lot more competition in the market. Which brings down the profit margins.

 

[Suijkerbuijk]

Actually the OEM does. Dell for example purchases hard drives from several manufactures and then "brands" a portion the hard drive firmware so that the Dell server recognizes the hard drive as "Dell" (or not). This does not preclude the hard drive from working in a Dell server however it does allow Dell diagnostics to recognize "non Dell" hardware which can be used to refuse "Dell Warranty Service"

In the usa
Not in the eu .
Warranty stay on the rest but not on the hard drive.
We even have the rights to open it and change it well still the original hardware stay in warranty.

 

[houseofancients]

I would assume that it's determining location by the IP address of the connection to the internet.

Or set time zones or a combination

 

[740GLE]

I never wanted an all in one unit, but this drama and response by solark really has me thinking of buying a gray market Deye unit and running it without the dongle just to stick it to solark.

Life without an internet connected inverter isn’t all that bad.

I’m more surprised that EG4 initial post last Friday didn’t offer a discount code for those also impacted by bricked deye units, I’m guessing it was proposed and their lawyers said it would be in poor taste.

 

[HighDesertDrifter]

After trying to violate federal consumer warranty laws (Magnuson Moss warranty act) by denying warranty claims on solark inverters for people using "unapproved" batteries, and now.. Forcing Deye to cripple inverters for users who have no contract or obligation to solark.. I suspect lawsuits will follow. Potentially class action since it affects a fair number of people/inverters.

I love how SolArk is trying to claim that they aren't responsible, and Deye has essentially gone rogue in their actions. When the reality is, Deye is a decently respected brand with a quality product. They'd have ZERO reason to shoot themselves in the foot this way, and muddy their own reputation unless SolArk was forcing their hand in some way.

Then, SolArk tries to play the "hero" by taking SignatureSolars approach, and offering discounts for people who are affected. The primary difference though, is SignatureSolar didn't CAUSE the issue that they were offering to help people out of. SolArk, caused the situation they are now trying to play "hero" for. As someone I know said.. that isn't being a hero. That is Ransom and/or extortion.

What a sad day when words like "Hero" have become synonymous with those such as Ransom and/or extortion...?
Guess it depends on your ultimate goals?

 

[cs1234]

Wrong...
They need to speak to whom ever they bought their inverter from

Incorrect.

Deye is the one that disabled it and the only one that can enable it again, as far as we know.

 

[SparkyJJO]

In the usa
Not in the eu .
Warranty stay on the rest but not on the hard drive.
We even have the rights to open it and change it well still the original hardware stay in warranty.

No, Dell can't refuse warranty service in the USA for a non-Dell hard drive either. I think his point was simply that Dell won't provide support for a compatibility issues, or a hard drive issue, if the hard drive is not a Dell hard drive.
The rest of the server is not impacted.

 

[mciholas]

I would assume that it's determining location by the IP address of the connection to the internet.

What if a customer buys a Deye in an allowed country and moves it, on their own, to the USA?

That feels like a legal sale, one that complies with the assumed contract between Deye and Sol-Ark since that can only control where the units are SOLD, not where they are MOVED by the customer. Thus Sol-Ark is forcing Deye to disable a potentially legitimate use of the unit by a customer.

The LOCATION of the inverter alone doesn't indicate it was an illegal sale.

Sol-Ark has not thought this through at all. They have reacted in spite and not considered the damage to their reputation and to future business.

Mike C.

 

[Quattrohead]

Incorrect.

Deye is the one that disabled it and the only one that can enable it again, as far as we know.

This might also be incorrect, we don't know if it was Deye that turned them off or maybe a reseller of Deye. There is an overall backend that all these inverters are reporting back to but resellers can set up their own account under that system and have the inverters connect to that so it is not necessarily Deye corporate that have done this.

 

[Tulex]

What if a customer buys a Deye in an allowed country and moves it, on their own, to the USA?

That feels like a legal sale, one that complies with the assumed contract between Deye and Sol-Ark since that can only control where the units are SOLD, not where they are MOVED by the customer. Thus Sol-Ark is forcing Deye to disable a potentially legitimate use of the unit by a customer.

The LOCATION of the inverter alone doesn't indicate it was an illegal sale.

Sol-Ark has not thought this through at all. They have reacted in spite and not considered the damage to their reputation and to future business.

Mike C.

Sol-Ark didn't do this Deye did (assumed). How Deye reacted due to pressure from Sol-Ark for Deye to crack down on contract violating sales is out of Sol-Ark's hands. We don't know if Sol-Ark actually had knowledge that this was going to happen.

 

[Quattrohead]

I have already offered my right testicle, now I offer my left testicle and say that Solark absolutely knew this was about to happen because they initiated it.
Don't worry about my manhood, they have been disconnected just like your inverter should be

 

[Noname142]

Sol-Ark has not thought this through at all. They have reacted in spite and not considered the damage to their reputation and to future business.

Sadly,
This seems to be the standard SolArk playbook these days. violating consumer rights without care. At this point, I'm advising people to stay VERY clear of solark.

 

[cs1234]

I am not blaming the end user, but screaming to take deye to court is non sense, because of DMCA ..

The DMCA does not give a Chinese company the legal right to disable an American citizens legally purchased hardware. Deyes only recourse is against their distributors that broke their contractual agreement with Deye.