Terrible Signature Solar / EG4 18Kpv Experience - Returning and Replaced with Sol-Ark 15k

[rhino]

Maybe the alternative is to buy the version from Fortress Power…? never been a fan of SS customer service when I installed the Growatt + auto transformer hack… response times were piss poor.

Envy 12k

Current Connected also sells the EG4 18kPV and then supports it if you purchase through them. But I'm not clear if they are in the dark as much as we are but they should at least be aware of the issues and they always seem to take good care of their customers.

 

[cs1234]

I have to agree with the business margin stuff. I tend to think they have a pretty healthy margin but that’s neither here nor there, they have products listed for sale and people happily buy them, nothing wrong with a good margin. I’d actually argue it is critical to business success. While we all want a rock bottom price, if there isn’t enough meat on the bone for them, they’ll cease to exist and we as consumers are no longer able to buy products from them.

Business isn’t cheap, overhead, wages and more are wildly expensive, it’s been the story of my life.

I actually completely understand why they wouldn’t want to go the Amazon route. While Amazon is amazing for consumers, it’s a tough go for many businesses. It can be your immediate door to the world of e-commerce, or it can be a real pain in the ass. Amazon essentially forcing you to accept any and all returns, pay for shipping and then hold a return against you as far as your relationship with Amazon. Especially with the products they sell, they’re MUCH more likely to receive a return request than someone selling spoons. This stuff is complex, and expensive, lots of people will struggle to make any of it work (not a dig at them, I mean anything solar/electronic related).

Additionally I have to imagine the shipping situation for palletized items it’s an absolute nightmare with Amazon.

Hopefully their margin is healthy and they’re choosing to reinvest in their business via R&D/software development so products like the 18Kpv become rock solid, it’ll come full circle and make them far more money than if it isn’t a invested in. It’s the old adage, spending money to make money.

I understand, it's a tough world out there, dealing with Amazon can be unpleasant from a business standpoint.. especially if you want to maintain a large physical footprint warehouse of your own for some reason. I disliked having to own/manage a warehouse for my business(es).. talk about a pain in the butt.

Freight shipping is a nightmare no matter how you deal with it.. all the freight companies are garbage. I don't wish dealing with freight companies on my worst enemies. SS could also make a less than 100ah 48v battery, to reduce shipping weight so it can go by UPS ground instead.. they are the manufacturer/designer after all.

The products SS sells are technical products, however, I can buy Victron, Schneider, and other top tier inverter products on Amazon.

Signature Solar goes the complete opposite direction to customer friendliness than Amazon does. They provide, arguably, questionable customer support, and what I consider to be draconian shipping, and return/restock policies. With Amazon, I'm purchasing from a faceless giant corporation, with SS I'm purchasing directly from SignatureSolarJames . You've seen how he behaves on here, how everybody from SignatureSolar generally behaves.. I would much rather have Amazon hold him accountable for good behavior on their platform than deal with him on his where my only recourse is to complain here.

 

[Watts Happening]

I understand, it's a tough world out there, dealing with Amazon can be unpleasant from a business standpoint.. especially if you want to maintain a large physical footprint warehouse of your own for some reason. I disliked having to own/manage a warehouse for my business(es).. talk about a pain in the butt.

Freight shipping is a nightmare no matter how you deal with it.. all the freight companies are garbage. I don't wish dealing with freight companies on my worst enemies. SS could also make a less than 100ah 48v battery, to reduce shipping weight so it can go by UPS ground instead.. they are the manufacturer/designer after all.

The products SS sells are technical products, however, I can buy Victron, Schneider, and other top tier inverter products on there.

Signature Solar goes the complete opposite direction to customer friendliness than Amazon does. They provide, arguably, questionable customer support, and what I consider to be draconian shipping, and return/restock policies. With Amazon, I'm purchasing from a faceless giant corporation, with SS I'm purchasing directly from SignatureSolarJames . You've seen how he behaves on here, how everybody from SignatureSolar generally behaves.. I would much rather have Amazon hold him accountable for good behavior on their platform than deal with him on his where my only recourse is to complain here.

I agree on all aspects, however I don’t think a redesign of the battery would help. I’m pretty sure they are well within the weight constraints, it’s the amount of lithium battery product that’s not allowed on the aircraft most shippers are using. If memory serves me correctly it’s restricted to ground only and I think that nudges them towards freight.

I could certainly be wrong in this assertion.

 

[cs1234]

I agree on all aspects, however I don’t think a redesign of the battery would help. I’m pretty sure they are well within the weight constraints, it’s the amount of lithium battery product that’s not allowed on the aircraft most shippers are using. If memory serves me correctly it’s restricted to ground only and I think that nudges them towards freight.

I could certainly be wrong in this assertion.

There are 24v 100ah lifepo4 and 48v 50ah lifepo4 batteries on Amazon that ship by UPS / FedEx ground I believe.. I would think that would use half the amount of lithium as the current 100ah 48v batteries SS sells. I'm not sure if even the 12v 100ah batteries are shipped air. Where I'm located things get delivered so fast by ground or air that I don't even notice the difference.

I haven't researched all the specifics, since I have no skin in the game, other than wanting a GOOD 48v lifepo4 battery from Amazon, but I think a smaller 48v server rack battery with less capacity could work to avoid shipping by pallet, minimizing shipping damage. Be easier for old timers to lift into racks also. Not as efficient cost wise, using an extra BMS/case per 50ah.. but it would allow the product to be more easily listed on Amazon maybe.. if one wanted.

 

[ghostwriter66]

Bottomline is that forums like this have caused a lot of companies to straighten up and fly right. Even up to about 18 months ago it was totally the Wild West (or East - depending on where your feet are) in finding the right inverters, chargers, batteries, etc. Most of us came into the solar field with very little info and finding anything that did what they said they did in the description was a miracle...

This forum was/is a huge part of where i am today working on now mostly solar projects for an industry that dislikes solar ... I will say that I have seen every one of Wills videos, and Andy's (garage), and Dave's (dave builds stuff), and "easypowerwall" (out of Germany) and have appreciated them taking the time to obtain then destroy equipment so i didn't have to ... I will also say that I also learned a ton more from the comments that followed ...

And looking back - to what we were building out here - or using - just a year ago has changed radically ....

we use to build our own boxes so we could get the specs that we wanted -- now we use the DIY Boxes from DOCAN ... because time is money and literally it all is awash at the end ...

we also now get our completed 48V 280Ah boxes from EEL because they come ready made - fully tested - Howard speaks perfect English - and their customer service is phenomenal ... and I should mention that a year ago EEL was one of those companies that everyone stood away from -- bad product over and over -- TODAY - NO Issues at all -- because they listened to their customers ....

We did get pricing for some upcoming equipment purchases we are doing this week and although Signature Solar would have been less expensive, we went with Midnite Solar instead for all the very reasons discussed earlier (made in the US, software wrote by their people, their techs answer the phone right away, and most importantly - they will make the issue right if there is one - and when you are spending 5K for each system - and sending it out to the middle of nowhere - you want a system that has been put through the wringer BEFORE you get it ...

Now with that said - oh yes -- we have tons of EPEVERS and EPSOLARS out there that are working great -- and we buy those directly off of ALIBABA if we have time -- otherwise Amazon ...

For our solar panels we use these discount warehouses that sell these solar panels for a fraction of the price because honestly -- as long as they test within specs -- our last purchase was 200 panels from Freeman Liquidators in Kansas ... we got (200) of the VSUN 535 ... phenomenal panel ...https://freemanliquidators.com/search?q=solar&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

I say all of this because all of us know that every day there is a new solar company or new product - popping up -- and we all know of several that has disappeared ... and it does all really boil down to a reputation in product and customer service ...

And -- before anyone aska -- no I have ZERO affiliation with any of the names mentioned - or companies or anything ...

 

[ghostwriter66]

There are 24v 100ah lifepo4 and 48v 50ah lifepo4 batteries on Amazon that ship by UPS / FedEx ground I believe.. I would think that would use half the amount of lithium as the current 100ah 48v batteries SS sells. I'm not sure if even the 12v 100ah batteries are shipped air. Where I'm located things get delivered so fast by ground or air that I don't even notice the difference.

I haven't researched all the specifics, since I have no skin in the game, other than wanting a GOOD 48v lifepo4 battery from Amazon, but I think a smaller 48v server rack battery with less capacity could work to avoid shipping by pallet, minimizing shipping damage. Be easier for old timers to lift into racks also. Not as efficient cost wise, using an extra BMS/case per 50ah.. but it would allow the product to be more easily listed on Amazon maybe.. if one wanted.

Don't laugh .. but if we need a battery right away and can't wait for EEL or someone to get it to us in 40 days from China ... or we don't want to run to Houston and get some cells from DOCAN -- my go to battery is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B56DS84F/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=AXKE0HN8EKC3C&th=1

We have put these things through hell and zero issues ... We have had 5 days out of 10 where it was 116F ambient and the enclosed racks sitting in the sun easily would get so hot you could cook ramien on it -- and so far zero issues ... PLUS we purchase the Amazon extended warranty so even if we back over it accidently because someone took the box and put it below the open tailgate and the backup camera couldn't see it -- and someone backed a F350 over it -- well AMAZON covered it and sent us a new one right then and there ...

It really is a good battery - stupid name -- good battery

DEESPAEK LiFePO4 Battery 200Ah 12V Lithium Batteries, Rechargeable Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery with 200A BMS,​

 

[jasonojordan]

Well this thread certainly went off the rails quickly. Glad I posted earlier so I could get updated with the thread as it went. Curious to see how this plays out.

As it sits SS especially James not sitting in such a good light with some of the posts made. Clearly some posts have been deleted before I made it back to catch-up.


If nothing else comes from this I am sure glad that I have a utility company that works well with solar home owners and ones that do self installs. I had a great experience as a home owner who installed his own grid tied system.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Member Watts Happening lives where? Can’t somebody here on diysolarforum drive over and pick the unit up for further experimentation, creating the second act of this solar nerd melodrama extraordinaire? Is the warranty transferable? Watts Happening could give a discount because he does not have to mess with sending it back to Texas.

Does the state of Texas still have all the anti-littering signs saying Don’t mess with Texas? Signature Solar may be taking that slogan to heart, but can you imagine all the post-purchase customers contacting them, who are way in over their head, asking them to solve their problems? (Frustrated people say some of the darndest things). People damaging perfectly good product then demanding a refund, plus those who contact them to complain about their errors. That would drive anybody to reading too fast, making erroneous conclusions and getting all defensive.

Buying from Signature Solar is still the right choice for a lot of people, but thanks to the participants of this growing forum, the diligent will know what may be in store, and are willing to take the chance to get some interesting stuff.

 

[Bill_A (aka Scat)]

Actually it seemed like that video was more about the tigo CCA to me and honestly it made it all as clear as mud LOL.

We are getting the batteries and the BOX (together) from EEL directly ...

And then (i forget the exact number -- 6 or 8) of just boxes from DOCAN (JENNY WU) to put all these 280Ah batteries we got from DOCAN laying around ...

The webpage for the complete battery set from EEL is https://eelbattery.myshopify.com/pr...type-without-cellssuitable-230-280-302ah-cell ... I don't have his email but the POC there is a guy named HOWARD ... speaks perfect english ... There are some good videos on the battery out there ...

Our favourite DIY BOX is the Apexium Lifepo4 DIY seen here at

...

@ghostwriter66 Thank you for that information.

 

[Will Prowse]

I take no joy in writing this, I sincerely wanted to love this new inverter and to support an active business on the forum, but I cannot sit silently and pretend this unit is "flawless" and anywhere near ready for the real world. I am not alone, I have received many messages from other members with their own struggles, we've all seen threads and it needs to be addressed.

After weeks of what I'd call nothing short of a circus, the new EG4 18Kpv is heading back to Signature Solar in a Sol-Ark 15k box and I'm asking Visa to step in and handle the refund. Very long and detailed story to follow, but the short version is this:

I took a chance on the latest and greatest from Signature Solar and I've been beyond disappointed every step of the way. The hardware fit and finish is great, I'd argue better than the Sol-Ark, but the software, support and attitude from specific members of their organization are utterly pathetic. In time I imagine they can fix things, but as of right now, I'd highly suggest considering another platform and company altogether. The software difference between the EG4 and Sol-Ark is like comparing a Nokia flip phone of the early 2000's to a modern day iPhone, they are worlds apart. With the EG4 you're asking it to do things and hoping for a positive outcome, with the Sol-Ark it's well documented, easy to follow and does exactly what you want 100% of the time. If you value your time and sanity, the decision is easy. I will however say the online monitoring and app for the EG4 18Kpv are great, very graphically attractive.

Remember, I'm just a guy on the internet, but I do hope you'll consider I have many years of experience working on dozens of systems with the leading manufacturers in the industry. I am not new to any of this, I am a licensed contractor and my work focuses in the IT and tech space. I am well aware that customers are often the source of problems with technical equipment like this, but in this instance, I can assure you that is not the case. Wrap your mind around this:

EVERY SINGLE ISSUE I HAD WAS IMMEDIATELY SOLVED WHEN THE UNIT WAS REPLACED BY A SOL-ARK 15K.

My entire goal was the following: Never under any circumstance backfeed the grid, period. The only other major sticking point I had was to peak shave from 3-9pm, then recharge battery bank after 10pm. These are not wild ideas, this isn't some lofty goal, this is exactly what the unit is advertised to do.

First problem: I get the unit installed and try to configure the app/wifi dongle and I'm met with an error, 4 days of no response from Signature Solar and it ends up being fixed by Gilbert from Luxpower. The dongle seemingly was never registered on their servers and needed back end work to begin functioning. There was nothing that could be done on the customer side. I was also given different Customer Codes for registration by different employees.

Once up and running, my sole support for a week was from Gilbert. They seem to have a quasi relationship with him helping diagnose customer issues, but not really working for them. He was always great and very helpful, but clearly had his limitations. Not that he was unqualified in any way, but there was only so much he could actually do with the inverter, everything was always a compromise and lots of, "it's not perfect, this is just how it works". For example, he got the 3-9pm peak shaving semi-functional right off the bat, except it would always pull roughly 10% of it's output power from the grid and the switchover time would (in his own words) happen + or - 8 minutes from the time it was programmed. How a computer decides to drift I do not know, but he didn't have any explanation.

After days of attempted fixes and me speaking to multiple Signature Solar employees, I noticed each person didn't really understand how to make it work. Not because they weren't smart, but because they truly didn't know, nor share any continuity of answers. One employee would tell me solution A would work, then another would be completely contradictory and say solution B would work, neither of which solved the problem. It legitimately was a guess and check situation, and more than once lead to the inverter back feeding the grid.

Second problem: I was never able to install or connect solar panels to the system because my inspector basically laughed at me when he asked about a remote rapid shutdown device. I had the 18Kpv installed in my garage and both CAT6 and 14/2 from the unit to the main service panel for a remote disconnect switch. After asking no less than (4) times both via direct message and email, I never once received a response. I've seen it addressed in other threads as, "we have a white paper coming soon". I've even seen other members posting how they've temporarily rigged up a solution. The manual CLEARLY states this can be done, but has absolutely no direction as to how to do it. There is no pinout, no clue, other than a crude drawing in the manual (there's nowhere to connect said switch, those two spots on the board don't exist). My inspector had serious doubts to say the least, and made it clear that no panels should be connected to the system until a remote rapid shutdown switch could be installed and tested. During this time I'm receiving messages from other forum members that are having differing forms of issues and some expressing how they feel lucky they got their unit at a "substantial discount", which really just twists the knife!
View attachment 161043




At this point I reached out to Markus from Signature solar via the forums and expressed the situation, his initial messages were very reasonable:
View attachment 161044

He then goes on to offer a full refund, and I express I want to see it work and am willing to help however I can (trust me, I had ZERO desire to take the thing back down, buy another inverter, hang it, redo an expensive wire way, rewire everything, ship the old one back etc.). I was financially invested and hoped for positive results:

View attachment 161048

At that point I went camping for the weekend, here's where we picked up. The old firmware he is referring to is the firmware that Gilbert had installed and stated was what helped eliminate grid backfeed (my number one concern).

View attachment 161049
View attachment 161052
View attachment 161051

The next morning I receive an email from Ty at Signature Solar. He's apparently been tasked with handling this situation.


View attachment 161053
So I naturally responded with as much detail as I could, stressing the need to not backfeed the grid, at this point I'm trying to remain hopeful, maybe this person fixes everything and I become a happy customer.

View attachment 161054

The next messages to Markus show how well that went. It was becoming a disaster quickly.


View attachment 161055
View attachment 161056

(limit of 10 attachments reached, I'll post the rest in the first comment).

Can you post your meter readings for back feeding with the sol ark so we can see a difference between the 18K and the sol ark?

 

[NC_hydro]

I get why they don't do it also. However, almost all legitimate products are at this point available on Amazon to some degree. I buy nearly everything from there, and I'm not hurting for things to buy. I almost feel a product isn't legitimate if it's not on Amazon.

As the price of Prime has kept going up and up, I've quit paying for the past two years and have been pleasantly surprised that in almost every case, anything I wanted to buy from there I could get for the same or less cost from eBay and almost always free shipping as well.

 

[Watts Happening]

Can you post your meter readings for back feeding with the sol ark so we can see a difference between the 18K and the sol ark?

I’ve requested the data from the power company, should have it in a couple hours

 

[cs1234]

As the price of Prime has kept going up and up, I've quit paying for the past two years and have been pleasantly surprised that in almost every case, anything I wanted to buy from there I could get for the same or less cost from eBay and almost always free shipping as well.

I use eBay for some things, random repair parts, used books, blurays and the like. I can't fathom purchasing something brand new with a warranty from there, like a new mouse, monitor, tv, new cell phone, etc.. They do have them listed on there, but I wonder about the warranty activation on a "new" product purchased on there, like say a Logitech mouse.

 

[Will Prowse]

Thread 'Zero Eport and the EG4 18Kpv' https://diysolarforum.com/threads/zero-eport-and-the-eg4-18kpv.67035/

 

[Will Prowse]

Thread 'Rapid Shutdown (RSD) on the EG4 18Kpv' https://diysolarforum.com/threads/rapid-shutdown-rsd-on-the-eg4-18kpv.67031/

 

[Will Prowse]

Once I have proof from watts happening utility that it was backfeeding, and the sol ark didn't, I'll start asking other 18K users if they are experiencing the same issue. I really don't want to use private messages in my videos. I need real evidence, pictures/videos of meter readings etc.

 

[Will Prowse]

If anyone wishes to post evidence of this issue happening on their 18K please post it and tag me. Thank you

 

[Will Prowse]

I take no joy in writing this, I sincerely wanted to love this new inverter and to support an active business on the forum, but I cannot sit silently and pretend this unit is "flawless" and anywhere near ready for the real world. I am not alone, I have received many messages from other members with their own struggles, we've all seen threads and it needs to be addressed.

After weeks of what I'd call nothing short of a circus, the new EG4 18Kpv is heading back to Signature Solar in a Sol-Ark 15k box and I'm asking Visa to step in and handle the refund. Very long and detailed story to follow, but the short version is this:

I took a chance on the latest and greatest from Signature Solar and I've been beyond disappointed every step of the way. The hardware fit and finish is great, I'd argue better than the Sol-Ark, but the software, support and attitude from specific members of their organization are utterly pathetic. In time I imagine they can fix things, but as of right now, I'd highly suggest considering another platform and company altogether. The software difference between the EG4 and Sol-Ark is like comparing a Nokia flip phone of the early 2000's to a modern day iPhone, they are worlds apart. With the EG4 you're asking it to do things and hoping for a positive outcome, with the Sol-Ark it's well documented, easy to follow and does exactly what you want 100% of the time. If you value your time and sanity, the decision is easy. I will however say the online monitoring and app for the EG4 18Kpv are great, very graphically attractive.

Remember, I'm just a guy on the internet, but I do hope you'll consider I have many years of experience working on dozens of systems with the leading manufacturers in the industry. I am not new to any of this, I am a licensed contractor and my work focuses in the IT and tech space. I am well aware that customers are often the source of problems with technical equipment like this, but in this instance, I can assure you that is not the case. Wrap your mind around this:

EVERY SINGLE ISSUE I HAD WAS IMMEDIATELY SOLVED WHEN THE UNIT WAS REPLACED BY A SOL-ARK 15K.

My entire goal was the following: Never under any circumstance backfeed the grid, period. The only other major sticking point I had was to peak shave from 3-9pm, then recharge battery bank after 10pm. These are not wild ideas, this isn't some lofty goal, this is exactly what the unit is advertised to do.

First problem: I get the unit installed and try to configure the app/wifi dongle and I'm met with an error, 4 days of no response from Signature Solar and it ends up being fixed by Gilbert from Luxpower. The dongle seemingly was never registered on their servers and needed back end work to begin functioning. There was nothing that could be done on the customer side. I was also given different Customer Codes for registration by different employees.

Once up and running, my sole support for a week was from Gilbert. They seem to have a quasi relationship with him helping diagnose customer issues, but not really working for them. He was always great and very helpful, but clearly had his limitations. Not that he was unqualified in any way, but there was only so much he could actually do with the inverter, everything was always a compromise and lots of, "it's not perfect, this is just how it works". For example, he got the 3-9pm peak shaving semi-functional right off the bat, except it would always pull roughly 10% of it's output power from the grid and the switchover time would (in his own words) happen + or - 8 minutes from the time it was programmed. How a computer decides to drift I do not know, but he didn't have any explanation.

After days of attempted fixes and me speaking to multiple Signature Solar employees, I noticed each person didn't really understand how to make it work. Not because they weren't smart, but because they truly didn't know, nor share any continuity of answers. One employee would tell me solution A would work, then another would be completely contradictory and say solution B would work, neither of which solved the problem. It legitimately was a guess and check situation, and more than once lead to the inverter back feeding the grid.

Second problem: I was never able to install or connect solar panels to the system because my inspector basically laughed at me when he asked about a remote rapid shutdown device. I had the 18Kpv installed in my garage and both CAT6 and 14/2 from the unit to the main service panel for a remote disconnect switch. After asking no less than (4) times both via direct message and email, I never once received a response. I've seen it addressed in other threads as, "we have a white paper coming soon". I've even seen other members posting how they've temporarily rigged up a solution. The manual CLEARLY states this can be done, but has absolutely no direction as to how to do it. There is no pinout, no clue, other than a crude drawing in the manual (there's nowhere to connect said switch, those two spots on the board don't exist). My inspector had serious doubts to say the least, and made it clear that no panels should be connected to the system until a remote rapid shutdown switch could be installed and tested. During this time I'm receiving messages from other forum members that are having differing forms of issues and some expressing how they feel lucky they got their unit at a "substantial discount", which really just twists the knife!
View attachment 161043




At this point I reached out to Markus from Signature solar via the forums and expressed the situation, his initial messages were very reasonable:
View attachment 161044

He then goes on to offer a full refund, and I express I want to see it work and am willing to help however I can (trust me, I had ZERO desire to take the thing back down, buy another inverter, hang it, redo an expensive wire way, rewire everything, ship the old one back etc.). I was financially invested and hoped for positive results:

View attachment 161048

At that point I went camping for the weekend, here's where we picked up. The old firmware he is referring to is the firmware that Gilbert had installed and stated was what helped eliminate grid backfeed (my number one concern).

View attachment 161049
View attachment 161052
View attachment 161051

The next morning I receive an email from Ty at Signature Solar. He's apparently been tasked with handling this situation.


View attachment 161053
So I naturally responded with as much detail as I could, stressing the need to not backfeed the grid, at this point I'm trying to remain hopeful, maybe this person fixes everything and I become a happy customer.

View attachment 161054

The next messages to Markus show how well that went. It was becoming a disaster quickly.


View attachment 161055
View attachment 161056

(limit of 10 attachments reached, I'll post the rest in the first comment).

Did you ask Markus for permission to share these private messages in a public forum? @Watts Happening

 

[SilverbackMP]

Did you ask Markus for permission to share these private messages in a public forum? @Watts Happening

Does Markus have an expectation of privacy in B to C messages?

 

[Quattrohead]

Does Markus have an expectation of privacy in B to C messages?

I certainly think one has the right to privacy even in private messages via this forum or email, that's why I said I thought it was poor form originally.

 

[Crowz]

Poor form? Maybe.

Legal? Perfectly legal.

Been down this road on forums I host a hundred times.

 

[Mattb4]

Did you ask Markus for permission to share these private messages in a public forum? @Watts Happening

Perhaps it is just me but I do not see the messages back and forth concerning a possible product defect and company response to it as being personal private messages that would enjoy privileged status. I do see them as being something that may not concern others up until satisfactory resolution is not obtained and thus a subject matter of PM rather than general Forum.

PM Individual communication that is between two Forum members should have an expectation of privacy. Though it is not wise to think that anything you post on the 'net is truly private.

 

[cs1234]

I certainly think one has the right to privacy even in private messages via this forum or email, that's why I said I thought it was poor form originally.

I think this only applies if it is between two LIKE individuals. Markus/James are not communicating with customers as general members of the public. They are communicating with us as representatives of their business, as such, privacy is not to be expected. If they wanted privacy, there are ways businesses can arrange for that. The opposite does not apply though, a business should not air communications between the customer and the business. Only the customer can make such decisions.

I see it as a courtesy on @Watts Happening 's part that he even engaged in the conversation privately to begin with. I think you should all be happy that Watts Happening shared the messages, it really helps expose how SS treats people behind closed doors. Imagine the stuff we aren't seeing.. look how they publicly conduct themselves.. now imagine if they think nobody is looking.

 

[Watts Happening]

Did you ask Markus for permission to share these private messages in a public forum? @Watts Happening

Negative, and I think it would have been a ridiculous thing to ask him. "hey, you're totally cool with me sharing all this nonsense you wrote me with everyone, right?" - Then he OBVIOUSLY says no, and what, now I'm silenced and tell everyone, "I swear, he said things similar to this (but not actually write what he said because that would effectively be the same thing)".

I went well above and beyond what I feel was required of me as a customer, I gave him many chances to fix the issues I was having. At that point he started telling me I was asking for "things that don't even exist" and accusing me of just wanting a discount, but then the "actual engineer that designed the inverter" was going to program it. When that went south, I felt I had no choice.

The public deserves to know, thus I shared it. Whether "right or wrong" in the court of public opinion, I stand firmly behind what I did. His messages equated to emails, this was standard communication and nothing with any form of private information was shared. I'd have happily had the same conversation in a forum post.

 

[Watts Happening]

Once I have proof from watts happening utility that it was backfeeding, and the sol ark didn't, I'll start asking other 18K users if they are experiencing the same issue. I really don't want to use private messages in my videos. I need real evidence, pictures/videos of meter readings etc.

We've covered the back feeding of the 18k, I don't think there are any further questions on that side, correct?

Attached is data from the Sol-Ark, no backfeed recorded, I've also connected a meter and had zero appreciable backfeed, I've tried surges and things like that and I can barely get my meter to register at all.