Ok, The first company that i tried to deal with, sent me a "Sales Order" because they showed to take all major credit cards, and yet when i placed the order, they don't take MC or Visa,so the next day(less that 18 hours) with pay pal (because i don't have an American Express) i was told that the 200 panels they had the day before, had been used to fill orders for Evergreen panels that they had sold, but didn't have!!!!! Nice way to do business....2nd company i talk to, i try to make them verify that they have the panels in stock....i was assured that , yes, they were in stock, and would be shipped...so , i send them (and recieve a invoice)approx. $3000.00 for all, and call them about 4 days later to verify everything is ok..."yeah, they shipped on Monday"....on Friday, the 3rd, i get an e-mail stating"well, i have good news, and bad news.." Your order has been sitting in limbo, and we don't have the panels!!!!!!!! BUT, because iv'e been so patient, they'll send me 235 watt panels, in place of the 230's and expedite shipping and ship on Monday (today)....., so i, being the idiot i am, say ok. That was on Friday.....Today, i try to e-mail them and have them verify in an e-mail that the panels will be shipped by tomorrow, which gave them an extra day, and i get no reply...i get on there web site, and go to there little "chat" window...say that i was curious about the shipping of the panels, when they would ship at the latest, and i get the # of days it will take in transit for them to reach me, WHEN they ship..this is like trying to nail Jello to a tigers arse....so tomorrow i will call, and talk to the guy i bought them from, and IF they are not shipped by the end of business day, i will contact PayPal on Wed. morning, and start the process to get my money back......Does anybody know of a company, that delievers as they promise, the FIRST time? There is a member here that is helping me find some panels, but i can't believe these companies have enough money to blow off a $3000.00 sale, and probably another 3-5 thousand in controllers and inverters/chargers, etc....Am thinking about contacting the Attorney General's office in their state, and filing a complaint about either a bait and switch scam, or just plain fraud....anyway, looking for solar dealers that are good for their word.....rsbhunter
Well. maybe they just aren't a real outlet Does any of these outfits have a brick and mortar location? I suspect they 'sell' and then order themselves from a wholesaler for a drop shipment. IOW, they have no store, no stock, nothing but a PC and a website. You might find what state they operate out of an d file false advertising complaint (don't hold your breath) the other is to go to 'solar power' website and speared the word so others don't get burned. For big buck items i pay with e PMO so if needed I can file wire fraud charges. That usually gets their attention. This was a real problem a few years back for ham radio equipment... That they onlt take paypal should the first clue they outfit is a front.... and not a real outlet.
Yeah, you're finding out the "industry standard".....meaning if you want the rock bottom price, you might at well take a patience pill. Most places are what DKR said.....a place with no inventory, and they drop ship, and they have no control over the shipping from the actual source. The last set of Solarworld panels I bought from "Mr Solar" in Maryland, I ordered in late Sept, and picked up at the local trucking terminal 23 Nov, and shipped directly from Solarworld in California. In fairness, he did tell me it would be "a while", and kept me reasonably informed as to the time line. He told me 5-6 weeks initially, and it turned into about 9 by the time I got them....and I sent him a check for about 15 grand up front. ( my panels plus my buddy's whole system we put in that off grid place ). Once we got out past the 6 week mark, I was hitting him almost weekly for a ship date...just to keep him working on it. Also, when I picked up the pallet load at the trucking terminal, the top one was smashed all to pcs where something heavy in transit had obviously fallen ( or was placed ) on the top of my pallet load, and turned the top panel into trash. I called Blake ( Mr. Solar ) from the terminal, and he got right on the phone to Solarworld, and got me a replacement panel shipped out FedEx within a day or so. THAT issue was really SW's fault.....the pallet was built like a tank on the bottom and sides ( literally enough wood to build a small shed ), and the top was a pc of freaking cardboard....with a nice orange tag that said "Fragile....do not stack on top".....like anybody in the trucking industry actually gives a crap. One 10 buck pc of 1/2" plywood and an extra 2x4 or two, would probably have saved a 500 buck solar panel. Even the bigger places like the Alt E store in MA, or AZ Wind/Sun don't keep a huge inventory...you can get smaller stuff shipping that week, but a larger order of panels, or an Outback pre-built board usually HAS to come from Outback, so you're flat gonna have to wait and be patient. That place in Miami with the really cheap Evergreen panels, I've heard a LOT of complaints about....never ordered from them, so I have no personal experience to go by, but again, when a place runs stuff THAT cheap, they are gonna get bombarded with all kinds of folks, and yes, a $3000 order IS peanuts to them....so don't expect wonderful service. I've learned over the years that BIG stuff like this in the solar biz just simply doesn't run like Amazon, where you can buy with one click, get a tracking # in a couple hours, and know almost to the hour when your stuff is gonna get here.....you need to allow plenty of lead time, AND take a chill pill or two. As the sign in my shop says: "Price,quality, service......pick any two"
patience TnAndy...I know what you're saying....BUT i hate being lied to( being told they HAD shipped)....If either place had said, look, it might be two weeks or, two months, i'd had been ok with that...i order custom rifle barrels that take 7 MONTHS to be built....but you're told that up front....All i wanted and expected was honesty....i guess in this new age, that is not a human trait any longer....(old man talk) i guess a man's word isn't worth anything any more....You're right....might take a trip to Arizona.....spend my money, and maybe see a friend or two...rsbhunter
rsb, if your planning to head over here to az. be sure to check on inventory before you head this way. Also, if at all possible, you would want to avoid phoenix like the plague. I should be getting an answer or two for you today sometime. Have heard a lot of good things about northern wind and power, so they check out just fine, even though , make sure your panels are IN STOCK before heading to flagstaff. If you will be going to flag, be sure to hit it no sooner then noon, as most of the highways there never see the sun until then and even then only for about an hour. Ice rink city.
Got it, man. Easy way to call them on it is "give me a tracking number" ( UPS or FedEx ) or a PRO number if it's coming motor freight. (truck). IF they can't give you that, then cancel and move on.
Bill of Lading That is the deal, i can't even get verification on shipping...will call them back this afternoon, i will give them till friday to provide proof of shipment, then will ask for refund, file grievience thru Pay pal and contact the AG's office in their state....it was 11 working days before they notified me that my order was "in limbo, and the panels weren't available"....21 days since they were paid for !....rsbhunter
panel deal Tired of messing around with a company that can't do what they say they will...Called this morning, and was told he'd call me back, as the warehouse in Calif. wouldn't open for another 15 mins.......yeah, i can't get a shipping date, why should i expect a return phone call (never happened)...What surprises me, is how many people accept this kind of poor service....But, that is what allows these places to treat the customer, as if there doing you a favor!..I have been told to be patient...they have had my money, on the premise that they had the item in stock, and that it would ship in a resonable amount of time....for 21 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now if i'm being unreasonable, then America isn't the same place i grew up in, and has lost all the values that i was raised with...but, i'll go to a store front, pay whatever it takes, and leave with what i pay for....maybe if enough of these companies lose buisness, they'll realize that all customers want is a square dael and the truth....rsbhunter
Myself, I have always been skeptical of doing mail order business, especially with large amounts of money. But, it seems to be the way nowadays, as to maintain a brick and mortor store with all the gobernut garbage that goes with it makes no sense either. I sell on the internet, and expediant shipping is a must if you want to stay in business. When I buy things on the net, be it for $10.00 or $1,000.00, I expect the item to be shipped within about 72 hours. It is not so hard to do. So, I can say that I and I am sure a lot of other people feel the same way about this.
panels Well, i'm going to go til Friday, then if i haven't heard anything, i'll do what ever is needed....Looking at the Kryocera's.....will depend on who has what in stock (for real)....rsbhunter
