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What to do about a smashed solar panel shipment?

BanjoMan765

New Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2021
Messages
11
Location
Oklahoma
Hi folks, first timer here. I'm trying to install my first solar array, and it has been a real struggle. My city requires a structural inspection and a permit from a licenced electrician. Rounding those up took months. I must have had a dozen electricians turn down the work because they were scared of something new.

Anyway, the latest disaster is a delivery of 22 Longi 440 watt Solar Panels of which 5 were smashed. I saw the damage during the delivery and made the driver take note of it. No biggie, I thought. Surely I'm entitled to a refund or replacement...

So I call the vendor - Solaris (solaris-shop.com) -- and it goes straight to voice mail. Left a message, and for good measure sent an email. Days pass and nothing. So I try a few more times. Then I find a place on the their website that recommends filing a claim with the shipping company.

So I give that a shot. The company (Old Dominion Freight Lines) is surprisingly responsive, but after filling out their forms and submitting all my photos and supporting documents, they deny my claim because solar panels are on a special list of items that they will only pay $0.10 per pound for (that would get me about $30 for $1200 worth of panels).

So I tried the distributor who sent the panels. Ghosted there as well. So on to my credit card company--had them issue a dispute for the lost panels. This is just an attempt to get a call back from Solaris. I don't really want to reverse the credit card payment--I just want a phone call. The person with the credit card company said that most likey Solaris will simply deny the dispute, and I'm back to square one.

Any advice about what I can do? Anyone have an in with Solaris? Time for better business bureau or a lawyer?
 
A good card issuer wouldn’t give a vendor the option of just “denying” a chargeback.
My card is issued by USAA. I think they are typical if not above average. They did tell me that I would not have to pay the charges until the dispute was resolved. I think I can repeat the dispute if I want.
 
The credit card company will protect you..

The shipping company's response about only paying per pound sounds like they were trying to slip one by.. Denial by shipping companies is standard practice. I've been shipping and receiving LTL stuff all over the world and the USA for 30 years.. I don't think any shipping company in the history of the trucking industry has ever approved a claim willingly.

My first delivery of 30 panels in 2017 resulted in the shipping company "bending" the bottom 5 panels because of the way they picked up the pallet with the forks too close.. I had lots of pictures, noted it on shipper etc.

Took about 3 weeks to resolve. The company I bought the panels from was RENVU and they really went to bat for me with the shipper and put boot to their rear end.
I ended up getting 5 new panels and got to keep the 5 that had bends in them during shipping. Offered to send them back but they didn't want them. There was no physically visible damage to the panels but the ends, put under all that stress from the weight of the 25 panels above them, showed a significant bowing while on the pallet. My claim was that glass doesn't bend that way and even if not broken, there could be micro-cracks that could shorten the life of the panels.

Shipping company didn't want the 5 panels back so I got to keep them..

The next time I ordered panels was last year spring 2020.. but this time, RENVU had a banner/option on their website under the shipping page that offered insurance on the shipping.. the insurance was advertised as recommended for solar panels, and since it came out to just $34 on the $2400 worth of panels I ordered, I decided to go with it.
This time, the panels arrived with deep gouges in the frames and the very bottom panel was shattered. I filed a claim for 5 panels with pictures, they resolved the claim within 5 days and I had 5 new panels show up within 2 weeks.
Once again, I offered to give them the damaged panels back and they didn't want them so I ended up with 1 shattered panel and 4 with cosmetic damage to the frames.

When shipping large delicate objects, always get insurance on them. While I have lots of experience shipping and receiving trucked goods, none of that experience applied to delicate things like solar panels. Seeing busted pallets, dinged boxes, ripped cardboard, etc.. has always been a normal thing.. but for the industrial equipment parts I'm experienced with, these little bumps and bruises are not enough to damage products inside the boxes... Large pieces of glass are a whole new world and freight companies are a-holes. Get insurance, it pays....

PS> I have a fantastically high credit score and have been with my credit card company for over 20 years and always pay off my bill at the end of the month.. Not sure if that matters, but I have never had my credit card company deny any claim I make.. although I've only had to do that twice. I did NOT have to threaten RENVU.. just told them what was going on and they were helpful both times.. and the first time I ordered with them, I opted for the discount by sending them a check.. no credit card protection.
 
I had a bad experience with Old Dominion a few years back. I ordered 1,000 square feet of hardwood flooring. They absolutely destroyed two boxes in the shipment. Callous disregard for the product. I filed a claim with the company I bought the flooring from and had two new boxes shipped within a couple of weeks.

For solar panels, I opted to buy locally and feel that I came out ahead on that deal.

For the OP's problem, it sounds like it will have to be done through the credit card company. I could be wrong, but I don't think this is the first complaint on the forum about solaris-shop.com.
 
Thanks for sharing your stories MurphyGuy. Your first experience sounds very similar to mine except my panels are shattered and shedding little shards everywhere (i.e. worthless). I didn't see any options for insuring anything--but I do wish now that I had tried harder. I knew there was a substantial risk, but all of the stories I read were like those of MurphyGuy and HRTKD -- a few phone calls and the issue is resolved. I don't know much about shipping but to me it looks like 22 very large panels was too much to put on a single pallet. The pallet was crushed by the weight and the bottom panels buckled as a result. Also, the package was completely unprotected. Just a stack of panels wrapped in shrink wrap with a single piece of cardboard on top. So I would place blame on the shipper, although maybe it would have been fine if Old Dominion had applied some caution.

Here's the wording from the shipping company denial (I'll leave out the person's name--for now):

RE: Your Claim Number:
OD Claim Number: 2178207
Amount: $1,427.65
PRO #: 33512325458

Dear Claimant:

Your shipment falls under the Old Dominion Freight Line prohibited and restricted articles tariff 100 Item 780. This item covers shipments which are considered property of extraordinary value, and Note A of this tariff item states in the event one of these prohibited articles in advertently picked up Old Dominion’s maximum liability will be limited to $0.10 per pound or a maximum of $500.00 per occurrence.

The maximum liability is based on the weight of the damaged article (s) only.

Your claim is respectfully declined as presented. Upon receipt of your written acceptance of this amended claim amount, the file will be reopened and brought to conclusion. Please reference the above OD claim number on all correspondence.

Cordially Yours,
XXX XXXXX - Damage Claims Investigator
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.


They cite a restricted items policy which does include solar panels. I was able to find it here: https://www.odfl.com/Tariffs/TariffPDFServlet?text=780.pdf. I'm not sure how I can fight this with Old Dominion. Clearly, the shipper (i.e. Solaris or their Distributor) should not have shipped a prohibited item without taking some sort of insurance or whatever. I suppose I could say that I have my own policy not to pay for damaged deliveries, but I'm not holding any cards (except the visa).

I'm continuing to leave messages and emails with Solaris. Still nothing but crickets. Anyone live in Englewood, Colorado?
 
I can only recommend leaving messages on any social media prescience they have: You TUbe, Facebook, twitter Asking for a response. Google reviews also.

Other than that, is refusing shipping of a damaged product on option?

I’ve not used the BBB myself, but its not supposed to be a great place to get results. Especially if the business is A dues paying member.

Don’t know how you would process a claims through small claims court, and if it would be worth the effort required to recoup $1200, especially if the case can’t be held locally.
 
I'd get a lawyer involved. There are terms and conditions on the contract from solaris and from the shipping company which require a particular language within a certain amount of time for a claim. If you were dealing with reputable vendors this wouldn't be required, but it seems you're dealing with companies that won't willingly help. My experience with credit card companies helping with disputes has been very positive, I'm guessing they will at least get your money back for the broken panels. If I were you I'd hook a multimeter up to each of the other panels and see if they're putting out the right open circuit voltage as a sanity check on their condition.
 
When I ordered mine from Great solar panels, I asked about damage. The understanding was if a single panel or 2 are damaged, they would replace it, however if a significant number of panels was damaged reject the shipment.

In my case the top panel was broken, I took photos as per our arrangement and they shipped a replacement.
 
Thanks for these comments. I went to the Better Business Bureau and looked up Solaris Technology Industry. Lo and behold I found that they have just been revoked for not responding to disputes.

Accreditation Revocation:
On 07/28/2021 this business's accreditation in the BBB was revoked by the BBB's Board of Directors due to failure by its principals to adhere to the BBB requirement that Accredited Businesses meet and abide by the following standards:

6. Address disputes forwarded by BBB quickly and in good faith.

6A. Provide a response to each complaint that:

  • Is professional,
  • addresses all significant issues raised by the complainant,
  • includes appropriate evidence and documents supporting the business' position, and
  • explains why any relief sought by the complainant cannot or should not be granted.
Of course Solaris still has a BBB stamp on their website (as they did when I placed my order on 7/14).
I'd get a lawyer involved. There are terms and conditions on the contract from solaris and from the shipping company which require a particular language within a certain amount of time for a claim. If you were dealing with reputable vendors this wouldn't be required, but it seems you're dealing with companies that won't willingly help. My experience with credit card companies helping with disputes has been very positive, I'm guessing they will at least get your money back for the broken panels. If I were you I'd hook a multimeter up to each of the other panels and see if they're putting out the right open circuit voltage as a sanity check on their condition.
So far the credit card company has indeed been the most helpful.

I'll test a few panels to make sure they are OK. But, I probably won't test all of them until it is time to move them to the roof.

In addition to the panels, I also ordered a rack system from Solaris. I've no no word on that--and of course, that's what I need to lay down first.

 
I’ve not used the BBB myself, but its not supposed to be a great place to get results. Especially if the business is A dues paying member.
The BBB is a F*cking scam like no other. Pay them, get a good, and infallible, rating. Don't pay, and other businesses will crush your ratings and business.

Don't use them, don't call them, don't acknowledge their ratings, it just perpetuates their bad behavior.



 
The BBB is a F*cking scam like no other. Pay them, get a good, and infallible, rating. Don't pay, and other businesses will crush your ratings and business.

Don't use them, don't call them, don't acknowledge their ratings, it just perpetuates their bad behavior.



Maybe so, but I think it is telling when the BBB revokes your membership.

Incidentally I did finally get an email back from Solaris. They asked me to fill out one of their RMA forms (which I had already done), and said they would be working on these over the weekend. So they are shorthanded or maybe someone went on vacation....
 
While I'm not far from their location, my exposure to this company was last year when I was looking for a PV rack mounting system. I called them hoping to do a local pickup and avoid shipping. Nope. The rack system inventory wasn't local. Maybe it would have been shipped directly from the manufacturer.
 
Maybe so, but I think it is telling when the BBB revokes your membership.
It was more than likely revoked due to them not paying the BBB anymore. I'm not saying they are a good (or bad) company, but BBB ratings don't mean anything.
 
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It was more than likely revoked due to them not paying the BBB anymore. I'm not saying they are a good (or bad) company, but BBB ratings don't mean anything.

I came here to say this. BBB is a paid membership for the business. If the business stops paying, the BBB trashes you.
 
Maybe so, but I think it is telling when the BBB revokes your membership.

Incidentally I did finally get an email back from Solaris. They asked me to fill out one of their RMA forms (which I had already done), and said they would be working on these over the weekend. So they are shorthanded or maybe someone went on vacation....
or it was an excuse.
 
Nothing from Solaris. I sent an ultimatum giving them a couple of days to respond. If they fail I'll go to the credit card company again and dispute the rest of the order. Then buy all the stuff again somewhere else (and ship with insurance).
 
Anyway, the latest disaster is a delivery of 22 Longi 440 watt Solar Panels of which 5 were smashed. I saw the damage during the delivery and made the driver take note of it. No biggie, I thought. Surely I'm entitled to a refund or replacement...

So I call the vendor - Solaris (solaris-shop.com) -- and it goes straight to voice mail. Left a message, and for good measure sent an email. Days pass and nothing. So I try a few more times. Then I find a place on the their website that recommends filing a claim with the shipping company.

So I give that a shot. The company (Old Dominion Freight Lines) is surprisingly responsive, but after filling out their forms and submitting all my photos and supporting documents, they deny my claim because solar panels are on a special list of items that they will only pay $0.10 per pound for (that would get me about $30 for $1200 worth of panels).
Never sign for or accept freight with obvious damage. Once it’s off the truck your recourse is limited. Lawyers? BBB? IMO a waste of time at this point, you’ll just be throwing good money after bad.
 
Just filed my dispute today against Solaris. They've never once responded but charged for my order immediately. Lesson learned. I've always gotten top-notch service from Northern Arizona but they were out of stock...
 
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