NicRoets

Just a quick update. The day after I posted on social media I received a call from Richard at Proton Solar Distributors, advising that they'll replace the batteries at no further cost on condition that I remove the bad reviews from social media. I asked if the batteries are in their shop for pick-up the next day. I was assured that it was indeed on site. They made me wait more than an hour while the batteries were fetched from somewhere 5 minutes away. When I started asking when I can expect to get the batteries I was told by Richard that Johan Du Plessis will not let the batteries leave the premises if the reviews were not removed. I said I'll do that once the batteries arrive and are in my vehicle. Just then another employee advised me that he brought the batteries it is in his vehicle. I asked him to load it in my bakkie, which he did. I then left without removing the reviews. I think this is extortion and should be brought under the attention of social media websites like yourself, Google and Hello Peter.
I was told that the R5,000 that I was charged for the so called fixing of the batteries will not be refunded. I've noticed in other reviews that Nicky told them that lots of people threaten to take legal action, but nobody ever does. Is this a legitimate business or is it a bunch of scam artists?  

Yes, because the owner says so;  "You okes out there that cause the problems"  🤣

Don't believe me?
Just look at the "professional" response.🙈  
Quote: "
Response from the ownera week ago Good day sir. We did advise you to contact your installer. This is the problem with you guys out there u use unqualified installers that runs away after instelation. This then becomes ouer problem. Jacques its easy to post this unreasonable review for your own fault. If your product has a factory fault it needs to be booked in for a repair/replacement if the warranty is still valid. Thank you hope to hear from u soon. U are most welcome to contact me direktly.

Bah. I don't doubt that there are installers that cut corners or are just in over their head, but why are battery suppliers selling to those guys? It's not the customer's fault. 
It's possible that there are grey market batteries being sold. In such cases the local franchisee should say clearly, politely, but firmly, that these are not their batteries and so they don't offer any support under warranty. 

We will see more & more of this routine. Ppl are desperate & ppl think they are short circuiting the price & getting good value. All you are getting is a headache & a product that doesn't work. Beware guys buy correctly & do your homework. Follow a good track record of honesty & integrity. Buying an product that costs more than R10k requires some research. Take your due diligence & get to know where you money is going. 
I worry alot watching this market. I see another local known to be poor supplier is advertising their new 12kWh larger battery. With a 200A discharge limit. Another one on the cards is Felicity Batteries. Lots of claims of Inverter Comms & also not 1C. 
When a LFP battery is claimed not to be a 1C battery I start to get suspicious...
 

Reading this horror experience must raise a red flag and perhaps worth sharing.
Can all the reviewers(customers) be dead wrong?

Private sector following the example of SOEs and Municipalities. Promise the world, make you pay and then full of excuses and blaming someone else why the service or product you paid for is not delivered. Best part is when you are accused of breaching the rules, contract or Ts&Cs.

So what happened to the accusation that you were the cause of the problem? Did they have any data to substantiate their claims? Obviously not, but it was used in any case to make you pay for a faulty product. Much less admin work for them. It is plain and simple a no care business process and they know 90% of their clients are not clued up enough to argue, so they do it and get away with it. Morals or common sense of responsibility - non existent. The bottom line is profits and nothing else, and trampling on fellow human beings in the process is just part of the daily practices judging by the numerous reviews on Google and HelloPeter.

I for one will most certainly avoid ever spending my money with common crooks like that.

Just a quick update. The day after I posted on social media I received a call from Richard at Proton Solar Distributors, advising that they'll replace the batteries at no further cost on condition that I remove the bad reviews from social media. I asked if the batteries are in their shop for pick-up the next day. I was assured that it was indeed on site. They made me wait more than an hour while the batteries were fetched from somewhere 5 minutes away. When I started asking when I can expect to get the batteries I was told by Richard that Johan Du Plessis will not let the batteries leave the premises if the reviews were not removed. I said I'll do that once the batteries arrive and are in my vehicle. Just then another employee advised me that he brought the batteries it is in his vehicle. I asked him to load it in my bakkie, which he did. I then left without removing the reviews. I think this is extortion and should be brought under the attention of social media websites like yourself, Google and Hello Peter.
I was told that the R5,000 that I was charged for the so called fixing of the batteries will not be refunded. I've noticed in other reviews that Nicky told them that lots of people threaten to take legal action, but nobody ever does. Is this a legitimate business or is it a bunch of scam artists?  

I started phoning at 09h00 this morning and got through at 13h30. They are not going to charge me to fix the battery that only shows 61OAH instead of 100. I want my money back for the previous so called fix. Their answer about the photos and video that show the way the connections were done is this. "The batteries got damaged because you set the voltage cut of to low." Nothing now about the faulty connections. Looks like small claims court is the way to go.

I started phoning at 09h00 this morning and got through at 13h30. They are not going to charge me to fix the battery that only shows 61OAH instead of 100. I want my money back for the previous so called fix. Their answer about the photos and video that show the way the connections were done is this. "The batteries got damaged because you set the voltage cut of to low." Nothing now about the faulty connections. Looks like small claims court is the way to go.

Hi,
I need advise on how to deal with the following situation.
I bought two Ultra Energy 4.8 Lithium Ion batteries on 24 July 2021 from Proton Solar Distributors. I ran the batteries as a back up to Eskom until December 2021 when I installed 12 400W solar panels. I then disconnected from the Eskom grid. The system ran smoothly until about 3-4 weeks ago. I suspected that it could be a BMS problem and tried to contact Proton Solar Distributors via their listed telephone numbers. This is a near impossible task. I then drove the 60 km to their premises, to be told to bring the batteries in for them to check and send for repairs. I handed the batteries to them on 23/09/2022. The promised 3 to 4 workdays took until 06/10/2022. They forced me to pay them R5,000 for the repairs to the BMS, which according to them was caused by me making the wrong connections. I'm still waiting for them to tell me why the system ran for 14 months before it packed up due to a faulty connection. As far as I know the battery will not function at all if there were faulty connections. I paid the R5,000 under protest and were told that it will be refunded if I send pictures of the connections. That was done, but I seriously doubt that I'll see the R5,000 again. When the technician installed the batteries he noticed that one battery showed 100 OAH while the second battery showed 61 OAH. I took the batteries back non Saturday. They promised that they'll call me 09h00 on Monday morning to advise what action will be taken. I insisted that the battery should be replaced, because it's still under it's 10 year guarantee period. Needles to say they don't want to do that and the battery will once again be send to the factory. I suppose there will now be another 2 weeks wait before it's returned. In the meantime I have to pay for to rent batteries on a daily basis.
The front office staff are not allowed to divulge  the name of the owner, nor allow you to speak to him. Surely this type of behavior seems strange, specially during these time when one would expect businesses to foster good customer services. I wonder how the owners of the Ultra Energy brand name feels about the damage caused to their the brand.
Any suggestions on how to deal with this is appreciated.
Nic.