This entire ordeal began with my Pre Oder in August 2023 for a Solar Hybrid Ac DC Minisplit as a gift to the Appropriate Technologies Missionary Training Base in the Sonoran Desert Wilderness. The order finally got processed on October 8, 2023 as order number 94216 in the amount of $1317.84. When the unit arrived, it was delivered in a box properly labeled but the contents from the Deye Factory were solely for an on grid unit. Photos were sent to Signature Solar while I was on the phone with them using the crude wifi tower there and once they verified that what I said was true, they had me drive to civilization and buy a pallet and 4 ratchet straps and shrink wrap, package it as directed, email them photos, await approval that the packaging was done properly and the Bill of Laden was emailed and I had to go to a library in a city and print out the label and schedule my drive to meet a Fed Ex Truck in the middle of the desert. That was the FIRST order.
Second Order: Exactly the same thing happened. Order 98840 October 31,2023
Repeat exercise of the above.
Third Order: Order #105324 November 29, 2023. Correct Unit Arrived. (See Video) It sounded like someone was feeding a garbage disposal a meal of nuts and bolts and would not heat nor would it cool. Upon calling Signature Solar and being transferred several times, ultimately I was instructed to call an HVAC and I would be reimbursed because it would be cheaper than shipping the item back. An Award-Winning HIGHLY Experienced HVAC Tech came out and discovered that the unit had been sent from the factory with no oil in the compressor and as it is a sealed unit, declared it must be returned. I went through the same song and dance a third time.
Fourth Order: 113059 January 18,2024 Again, the same scenario. The unit was sent from the factory incorrectly made. No oil in the compressor. (See Video)
Mind you, every time this happens I must take videos and photos and drive half a day to a signal strong enough to send the video and stay on the line for follow through instructions and ultimately repeat all of the steps I mentioned above. If this wasn't for missionary work, I would have given up long before this time. Again, the HVAC Company was called. Same Result.
FIFTH Order: 124788 March 19, 2024 DELIVERED FREIGHT DAMAGED... had to go through the claims process and wait for Signature Solar to send a box for return because the base is in the wilderness and there are no boxes or pallets sitting behind businesses because there are no businesses.
SIXTH Order: 129648 April 16, 2024 Correct Unit and it ran but would not heat nor would it cool. Called different HVAC Company and they came out at great expense (again). It started briefly and during that time it would not heat nor cool, simply acted as a fan. The tech wrote a report for Signature Solar to let them know and it was sent and I awaited response. I received a call from Jarrett McCool, in Tech. He told me he did not have HVAC experience but would look into it. He said he spoke with an HVAC guy and that the fellow told him to send me a new indoor unit and that would solve the problem. Jarrett was apologetic and told me he would personally test the unit to make sure it ran before shipping the next day. 2 days went by and I didn't hear anything. I tried the unit again and while I was on the phone with Jarret texting and sending videos to him live, the thing stopped altogether and would not operate at all in any fashion. Jarrett told me he was going on vacation and handed my case off to his supervisor with the greatest confidence that the matter would get resolved. Several days later, I received an indoor unit that is not compatible with the system I had. The one I had was a 12k BTU and the head sent was a 9kBTU. The reason the 12kBTU was ordered originally is because the missionary hut is round and the wall only has limited horizonal width space for hanging a minisplit. For some reason, the 9k BTU indoor unit is about 42 inches wide versus the approx 33 inch wide 12k BTU. It would not have mattered anyway because a 12k btu and 9kbtu cannot communicate with one another and besides that the other unit had died. I still have the emails and texts directing me to dispose of this last shipment because, "it would be more cost effective" than sending it back.
It was now 120 degrees at the base and we could not function without air conditioning and had to cancel all classes. people lost money from traveling to learn new skills to take to the field with them, and the base had to close down and vacate. It was supposed to be a time of learning to install and operate a mini split off-grid in remote regions of the world and teach others to do the same by ordering them in quantity and taking them into the far reaches to make volunteer staff more comfortable.
During the course of this horrendous ordeal, copies of each and every invoice and each and every report and each and every Fed Ex Proof of Return back to the 2 different warehouses in Texas, complete with names, dates, times and addresses were sent no fewer than 5 times. I was handed off no less than 10 times and dealt with Leah Skelton, Joe Murrillo, Kaleb, Lindsey Faulks, Royce Naylor, Chris Money, Sarah Goforth, Natasha, Jarrett McCool and finally, James Showalter, Owner and CEO. I took the time, twice, to write to James personally to ask him to please see that a workable unit got sent and explained the situation to him. He did not respond as a normal human being with in any sort of conversational manner at all but instead sent a one liner reading." totally user error and installer incompetence". In Mr. Showalter's original response to the issue almost a year ago, he publicly stated that I should contact him personally because," they had some great offerings for NGOs". I gave freely out of my own very limited funds and did not ask for such a program to be used. I tried and tried and tried and got nowhere. When I shared the nasty email that Chris Money sent to me accusing me of never returning the units, Customer Service was horrified and offered me an "Inconvenience Credit". Today is August 20,2024. It is now a year from the date that I pre ordered the first unit for the base. I HAVE NEVER BEEN REFUNDED ANY OF MY PURCHASE MONEY, ANY OF THE HVAC FEES NOR ANY OF THE SHIPPING PREPARATION AND RETURN COSTS. THE BASE DOES NOT HAVE THE NEEDED SOLAR HVAC.
I am a problem solver.
James Showalter claims to be one.
He insults instead of taking the time to read the letter detailing the experience, failed to look at the videos and photographic evidence and completely disregarded the HVAC Reports. His Problem Solving Strategy was to send me an email one liner..." user error and installer incompetence".
Do you really want to do business with a person who treats his customers this way?
During my problem solving of this year-long saga, I discovered that this issue of mispackaging and improperly made devices coming from China is rampant. Evidently, in 2021, a movement called the "Tang ping" movement was started among workers in China. "Tang ping" means to "lie flat" and flatly refuse to perform as expected. They are sick and tired of working 18 hours a day and being enslaved and mistreated and have decided to fight back. Could this ordeal be the result of the people who work in the Deye Factory going "Tang ping"? If this is the case, mine will not be an isolated incident and companies all over the world are going to be experiencing this nightmare.
I investigated further and discovered that Airspool Solar Minisplits come from the same factory. The owner of the company communicated directly with me and invited me to order the next one from him but told me that the units all come from Deye.
I will attempt to load the video of the mini split doing its impression of a garbage disposal eating nuts and bolts, but if my signal is too poor to allow download, you will have to email me for the documents as I am in the mission field elsewhere now. I will be glad to share any and all documentation to prove that all that I have shared is entirely true. I have saved all texts, all emails and all phone calls and have a 3 inch thick binder of this nasty experience. I also have every receipt of signed receipt requested Certified Mail indicating where and when and who signed for each letter sent. My email is sheridandotatwoodatyahoodotcome
Second Order: Exactly the same thing happened. Order 98840 October 31,2023
Repeat exercise of the above.
Third Order: Order #105324 November 29, 2023. Correct Unit Arrived. (See Video) It sounded like someone was feeding a garbage disposal a meal of nuts and bolts and would not heat nor would it cool. Upon calling Signature Solar and being transferred several times, ultimately I was instructed to call an HVAC and I would be reimbursed because it would be cheaper than shipping the item back. An Award-Winning HIGHLY Experienced HVAC Tech came out and discovered that the unit had been sent from the factory with no oil in the compressor and as it is a sealed unit, declared it must be returned. I went through the same song and dance a third time.
Fourth Order: 113059 January 18,2024 Again, the same scenario. The unit was sent from the factory incorrectly made. No oil in the compressor. (See Video)
Mind you, every time this happens I must take videos and photos and drive half a day to a signal strong enough to send the video and stay on the line for follow through instructions and ultimately repeat all of the steps I mentioned above. If this wasn't for missionary work, I would have given up long before this time. Again, the HVAC Company was called. Same Result.
FIFTH Order: 124788 March 19, 2024 DELIVERED FREIGHT DAMAGED... had to go through the claims process and wait for Signature Solar to send a box for return because the base is in the wilderness and there are no boxes or pallets sitting behind businesses because there are no businesses.
SIXTH Order: 129648 April 16, 2024 Correct Unit and it ran but would not heat nor would it cool. Called different HVAC Company and they came out at great expense (again). It started briefly and during that time it would not heat nor cool, simply acted as a fan. The tech wrote a report for Signature Solar to let them know and it was sent and I awaited response. I received a call from Jarrett McCool, in Tech. He told me he did not have HVAC experience but would look into it. He said he spoke with an HVAC guy and that the fellow told him to send me a new indoor unit and that would solve the problem. Jarrett was apologetic and told me he would personally test the unit to make sure it ran before shipping the next day. 2 days went by and I didn't hear anything. I tried the unit again and while I was on the phone with Jarret texting and sending videos to him live, the thing stopped altogether and would not operate at all in any fashion. Jarrett told me he was going on vacation and handed my case off to his supervisor with the greatest confidence that the matter would get resolved. Several days later, I received an indoor unit that is not compatible with the system I had. The one I had was a 12k BTU and the head sent was a 9kBTU. The reason the 12kBTU was ordered originally is because the missionary hut is round and the wall only has limited horizonal width space for hanging a minisplit. For some reason, the 9k BTU indoor unit is about 42 inches wide versus the approx 33 inch wide 12k BTU. It would not have mattered anyway because a 12k btu and 9kbtu cannot communicate with one another and besides that the other unit had died. I still have the emails and texts directing me to dispose of this last shipment because, "it would be more cost effective" than sending it back.
It was now 120 degrees at the base and we could not function without air conditioning and had to cancel all classes. people lost money from traveling to learn new skills to take to the field with them, and the base had to close down and vacate. It was supposed to be a time of learning to install and operate a mini split off-grid in remote regions of the world and teach others to do the same by ordering them in quantity and taking them into the far reaches to make volunteer staff more comfortable.
During the course of this horrendous ordeal, copies of each and every invoice and each and every report and each and every Fed Ex Proof of Return back to the 2 different warehouses in Texas, complete with names, dates, times and addresses were sent no fewer than 5 times. I was handed off no less than 10 times and dealt with Leah Skelton, Joe Murrillo, Kaleb, Lindsey Faulks, Royce Naylor, Chris Money, Sarah Goforth, Natasha, Jarrett McCool and finally, James Showalter, Owner and CEO. I took the time, twice, to write to James personally to ask him to please see that a workable unit got sent and explained the situation to him. He did not respond as a normal human being with in any sort of conversational manner at all but instead sent a one liner reading." totally user error and installer incompetence". In Mr. Showalter's original response to the issue almost a year ago, he publicly stated that I should contact him personally because," they had some great offerings for NGOs". I gave freely out of my own very limited funds and did not ask for such a program to be used. I tried and tried and tried and got nowhere. When I shared the nasty email that Chris Money sent to me accusing me of never returning the units, Customer Service was horrified and offered me an "Inconvenience Credit". Today is August 20,2024. It is now a year from the date that I pre ordered the first unit for the base. I HAVE NEVER BEEN REFUNDED ANY OF MY PURCHASE MONEY, ANY OF THE HVAC FEES NOR ANY OF THE SHIPPING PREPARATION AND RETURN COSTS. THE BASE DOES NOT HAVE THE NEEDED SOLAR HVAC.
I am a problem solver.
James Showalter claims to be one.
He insults instead of taking the time to read the letter detailing the experience, failed to look at the videos and photographic evidence and completely disregarded the HVAC Reports. His Problem Solving Strategy was to send me an email one liner..." user error and installer incompetence".
Do you really want to do business with a person who treats his customers this way?
During my problem solving of this year-long saga, I discovered that this issue of mispackaging and improperly made devices coming from China is rampant. Evidently, in 2021, a movement called the "Tang ping" movement was started among workers in China. "Tang ping" means to "lie flat" and flatly refuse to perform as expected. They are sick and tired of working 18 hours a day and being enslaved and mistreated and have decided to fight back. Could this ordeal be the result of the people who work in the Deye Factory going "Tang ping"? If this is the case, mine will not be an isolated incident and companies all over the world are going to be experiencing this nightmare.
I investigated further and discovered that Airspool Solar Minisplits come from the same factory. The owner of the company communicated directly with me and invited me to order the next one from him but told me that the units all come from Deye.
I will attempt to load the video of the mini split doing its impression of a garbage disposal eating nuts and bolts, but if my signal is too poor to allow download, you will have to email me for the documents as I am in the mission field elsewhere now. I will be glad to share any and all documentation to prove that all that I have shared is entirely true. I have saved all texts, all emails and all phone calls and have a 3 inch thick binder of this nasty experience. I also have every receipt of signed receipt requested Certified Mail indicating where and when and who signed for each letter sent. My email is sheridandotatwoodatyahoodotcome
