I need to chime in here.
First of all - the forum was cleaned of a lot of users who
ONLY came to the forums to post sales etc, and try to make money. There is a reason my account still exists, there is a reason Will specifically pointed me out as what he wants from companies - because I interact on the forums in a way to help the solar industry grow. Of course I think our products are great, but I know they aren't for everyone. I'm here to help where I can and point people to solutions when I have them. I'm not perfect, Signature Solar isn't perfect, EG4 isn't perfect. But we also try our damn hardest all the time to get the best products at affordable prices, and help before, during, and after you deal with us. There are not a lot of companies that do that. And let me be very upfront and clear: I wasn't selected to be on the forums or paid to be here from the start. I come here because I genuinely like helping people, I love learning, and I don't let my emotions get the better of me to come in here and yell or curse people out. I was asked to work in the forums
more after I was already here on my own time helping.
I really do believe more companies would be on here if everyone didn't let their emotions get the best of them. I take a lot of heat sometimes. And to be honest, its rarely warranted. But, that's why people actually like me around here (I think), because I just roll with the punches and ignore the haters. I'm not here to make everyone happy or a ton of friends - that just naturally happens when someone is trying hard to find answers and be a genuinely nice guy. So take that for what it's worth.
I'm going to highlight some comments above and respond at this point, but just wanted to get that out there.
In reply to your entire post - I hope you can say that I'm different. We are here pretty much daily helping - and not only when it hits the fan if you know what I mean.
paired it with what appeared (according to the specs)
The problem is it literally doesn't pair with it according to the specs. You can deduce whatever reasoning you want, but the inverter specifically calls for a larger battery (250ah) and higher amp capacity than our battery is rated for. Also I think you are combining these 2 different specs into 1 during your statement. AH sizing of a battery bank and amp discharge rate are 2 different specs, neither of which our battery exceeds from the specs of the inverter.
SS customer service had looked at the inverter I was running
SS tries to help as much as they can. I see these guys doing tons of research to help people - but there is literally no way for them to know all the specs of every third party inverter and appliance. And honestly, they shouldn't need to either. We have a design team that will work with you and design an entire system using parts and components they have tested to work together. If you want to DIY your own build (which I 100% encourage and think is awesome), it's a part of that process to do the research and not be upset after the fact when it doesn't work as expected for technical reasons.
I was expecting them to find the battery was at fault.
They told you that they didn't think the battery was at fault, and they believed that there was something in your system causing the alarm
prior to beginning the RMA process. You insisted that it was not the vacuum or your system, that it was the battery, and you wanted to return it. They told you the possible outcomes (it is the battery and get a refund/replacement, or it isn't the battery and you will need to pay for it to be shipped back or refund less shipping + restocking fee)
prior to the process. You agreed to these terms and still opted to send the battery back.
If they had said, "hey, running that giant inverter, it creates inrush demands to the battery that are beyond its spec, go check this documentation (somewhere)"
The onus of responsibility of a DIY build is not on them to research. They told you (correctly) that the issue was the short circuit protection, and it was likely somewhere in the system. They did troubleshoot this correctly, and provided the correct reason for the fault. That's all I can say about it to be honest.
It also kind of sucks that SS customer support is now better educated on why their batteries can go into short-circuit protection, and I'm paying for their education.
This isn't the case at all. They told you that it was something in the system exceeding the specs for the battery causing the short circuit protection to engage. If you had a system designed by our team, then I'd be inclined to agree with you. They 100% know
why batteries go into short-circuit protection. They told you the reason.
You disagreed with their assessment and then opted to continue the RMA process knowing the possible outcomes. The money you
'paid' was not for their education at all - it was for the shipping charges and cost to test and restock the battery.
I wouldn't have posted here
Honestly I'm always glad for posts like these. I'm happy to show how far I will go for customers to show and explain the how and why behind decisions whether they are perceived as positive for the customer or not. Most other people who read this thread will see the length SS's team went to help you during troubleshooting, a fair and transparent refund policy, and someone on the forums busting their ass to be here and engage with customers and likely think more positively of our company.
This should have been resolved in a way that did not involve so much lost money.
The money isn't 'lost'. It was
SPENT. Most of it was
spent with the shipping companies who 100% did ship the battery to him, and shipped it back. It was also
spent on an entire team to ensure the battery was tested, and restocked into inventory where SS now has to sell it at a discounted price.
I'd also like to quickly point out that Signature Solar, due to backorders etc being quoted shipping during the original order,
frequently pays more for shipping that what the customer is charged. When this happens, they don't reach out saying "hey you owe us another $40 for shipping because it changed." They just take care of it to take care of our customers.
Since I’ve bought current connected batteries (4 server rack), I’m not buying a SS all in one until they tell me it will work.
Working with Dexter on this as we speak.
I think what SS and other companies do not take into effect is the google bots these days too. The forums back end tags and bots, these threads are easily ranked and put at the top of searches.
I mean, regardless of what company you type in, if you append it with a word like 'Rant' or 'Sucks' or anything like that you are going to find what you are looking for. I worked at GoDaddy for 8 years and have tons of experience with how search engine algorithms work. In fact, GoDaddy bought
www.godaddysucks.com specifically for this reason.
Hope that this long winded post is worth the read!