3 minutes ago, Chad.Robin said:

Yes, no feedback on whether they will replace, repair or even honour the warranty claim - I just get read receipts.

Well what do you know it has been there a week and no even been assessed yet

For my next install, I will be buying Solis. Apart from being a more advanced unit than Sunsynk, they at least have logistical support in the form of swop-out units for repairs under warranty.  

Plus the Solis is cheaper than the equivalent Sunsynk!

Edited January 10, 20242 yr by Yellow Measure

12 minutes ago, Yellow Measure said:

For my next install, I will be buying Solis. Apart from being a more advanced unit than Sunsynk, they at least have logistical support in the form of swop-out units for repairs under warranty.  

I think that you and a lot of installers are looking elsewhere, most consumers blame the installer when the Supplier drags their feet, Sunsynk might have a market share now, but given their dismal after sales support they would soon find the tables turned as @Keith Gough was quick to comment on here with his promises but then like his staff go silent when the ball is in their court. It is only a matter of time. If I need to replace my inverter myself, I too will request my installer to source Solis as a matter of principle and because I don't want to go through this bullshit again

I just saw this as well

Need to return a faulty Solis product? The SegenSolar team will test, diagnose and replace your inverter within 48 hours, allowing 24 additional hours for shipping

Edited January 10, 20242 yr by Chad.Robin

5 hours ago, Chad.Robin said:

@Keith Gough Very interesting considering you committed to 2 weeks

Yet another staff member says something different

It looks like no one really knows what is going on!!

 

I phoned (calls are recorded for quality purposes) and the UK sounding support lady told me their turnaround time is 2 weeks. 

I then asked why I've been waiting 4 weeks now. She said they closed over Christmas. Fair enough. But I knew this, and my unit was there 2 weeks before they closed. A week after they opened again, she now told me it's going to take another 2-3 weeks, because of the "backlog".

In short. I'm not upset. Lesson learnt. Will stay away and not recommend their products in the future. If it breaks again, will pay for another brand without hesitation.

2 minutes ago, kripstoe said:

I phoned (calls are recorded for quality purposes) and the UK sounding support lady told me their turnaround time is 2 weeks. 

I then asked why I've been waiting 4 weeks now. She said they closed over Christmas. Fair enough. But I knew this, and my unit was there 2 weeks before they closed. A week after they opened again, she now told me it's going to take another 2-3 weeks, because of the "backlog".

In short. I'm not upset. Lesson learnt. Will stay away and not recommend their products in the future. If it breaks again, will pay for another brand without hesitation.

Like I said earlier " Sunsynk might have a market share now, but given their dismal after sales support they would soon find the tables turned" ....

Astonishing how the Sunsynk brand has diminished. There is not only Solis, SMA also has a Hybrid that is gaining traction. Also an exchange program for faulty products no repairs. 

When their HV Commercial Inverter was released having known the 6 week wait issue: can you imagine letting a business or factory be without power due to a RMA for 6 weeks. 

The Honeymoon is indeed over & given there are 5 pages of this thread can only say mostly the money is already spent. I also don't see everyone rushing out to replace these units. 

For the most part the inverters work & perform well, but a reluctance to add skilled ppl to the support & handling RMA processes is what is messing up this otherwise good product. What we need is someone like @BritishRacingGreento be able to reverse engineer this machine so that it becomes as common place to repair as Voltronics. 

That will take a lot of time but once again we are discovering that their word means very little. I have had 2 warranty claims with an RMA refused with some under handed works by the same Chantell. 

I didn't make it public because we got it sorted out & only because I dealt with a great supplier in Segen Solar. They made a business decision & forced the inverter to be returned. But what they wanted me to do was to accept a Dead on Arrival unit be repaired & sold as new to a customer. I refused & purchased a brand new unit because I knew the customer will wait 6 weeks so I made a financial decision & kept the customer happy. 

It's a massive let down if you are mid installation & a unit is found to be  faulty. You loose the trust of the customer, you don't get paid the final deposit & it can actually place you under financial stress.

I won't refuse to install the unit but sharing this information allows ppl to make informed decisions. 

On 2024/01/10 at 5:10 PM, kripstoe said:

I phoned (calls are recorded for quality purposes) and the UK sounding support lady told me their turnaround time is 2 weeks. 

I then asked why I've been waiting 4 weeks now. She said they closed over Christmas. Fair enough. But I knew this, and my unit was there 2 weeks before they closed. A week after they opened again, she now told me it's going to take another 2-3 weeks, because of the "backlog".

In short. I'm not upset. Lesson learnt. Will stay away and not recommend their products in the future. If it breaks again, will pay for another brand without hesitation.

Well I followed up today again being the 2 week mark and got told the same thing ... wait 3-4 weeks. I tried calling in at 9am and got a voice message saying "We are currently closed, our office hours are 8am to 5pm Mon to Fri" no wonder its such a mess, they cannot even answer the phone

 

So @Keith Gough joined on 28 March 2023, made 1 post and was last seen on 28 March 2023.

He is not active on this forum at all and has not returned since the post he made.

 

Once upon a time Sunsynk was one of few tried & trusted brands available in SA at a reasonable price.

However times have changed and the market has adapted and there are now many competitors available and quite a few at very good prices. 

The one thing Sunsynk still has going for them is the reputation they use to have, many people might not keep up to date with what is happening in the solar scene and therefore still be under the impression that Sunsynk is a fantastic brand and still one of the best inverters available. I do not believe that is true anymore.

Good day All,

My name is David Drake and I am the Director for Sunsynk South Africa, I also sit at the repair centre in JHB so can comment on the below.

I understand the frustration that is felt when an inverter has failed, for whatever reason, and needs to be assessed and possibly repaired. 

We work on a first come first served basis.

We have had many discussions, and been shouted at many more times because there are "special cases" and installers that believe they are better than the rest, and therefore should get preferential treatment. Granted, there are some very good, very experienced installers out there that maybe should get abit of special treatment, there are also a lot of people installing inverters that should not be allowed anywhere near them, this is unfortunately the state of the industry.

The problem then when an inverter is booked in for assessment / repair is identifying what calibre of installer you are. Who gets the preferential treatment and who gets told to wait?

The only fair way, to everyone, is FCFS. 

With regards to lead-times and communication. Our lead times are generally in the region of 2 weeks for assessment. This time frame is unfortunately variable, there are a number of factors that contribute to returns, and therefore an increase in lead times based on volumes:

- Lightning is a massive cause of returns, if the system is not correctly or adequately protected it may be damaged. 

- Grid instability and 'dirty power'.

- Incorrect installation.

- Negligence or abuse.

- Incorrect system design and installation.

- Even no fault found. This frustratingly accounts for a large number of assessments.

- Etc, etc...

The reasons for return are many and varied, every inverter that comes into the repair centre, irrespective of the cause is  tested, repaired and thoroughly tested with results recorder, before being released. This is not a quick process, and will never be rushed. 

We have dedicated people that look after this part of the process, their role is to communicate and inform. For any repair related enquiries please contact: [email protected] or whatsapp on 0615044735. 

There are 10 highly skilled and experienced technicians that perform not only assessment and repair, but also offer support, guidance and training to installers and end users across the spectrum. Along with another 8 people performing administrative roles. These people work hard and are dedicated to ensuring that every repair is carried out correctly and as quickly as is safely and practicably possible.  

Mistakes are made, and delays are experienced, this is acknowledged. We do however endeavor to get things done.

It goes without saying that the success of the Sunsynk brand is driven largely by support, this is our reason for existence. 

Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any issues with service or support, I commit to you that they will be investigated and resolved to the benefit of all concerned.

Kind Regards,

David Drake.

Director Sunsynk SA

[email protected]

 

 

 

@David Drake

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for taking the time to post the reply.

I would like to raise a few points regarding your reply....

1. Most of the well known installers on this forum are highly regarded and knowledgeable and they unselfishly provide a generous amount of help to the community on here. I am of the believe that none of them would have the nerve to go to your support center and act selfishly and expect to be helped first. And that is exactly the point; they are the ones complaining about the support they receive from Sunsynk. These guys know their stuff and are the heart of this forum. I agree that there will be some other installers or wannabes that expect to be pushed up the queue but that has nothing to do with what the guys here are complaining about. Your company is responsible to manage the queue at the support center and if you struggle to get that done then you might have more problems than you might admit. Nobody should get preferential treatment. Whether I bring in a 5K, 8k or 50K, it matters not. I guarantee you that if you sort out your turn-around time then this issue would disappear.
2. You say "With regards to lead-times and communication" but then proceed to speak about process and give an email address to communicate with. Are you willing to put your name behind that person and guarantee us that we will actually get proper response in a timely manner? Nobody here will claim that your people do not work hard. But many claim that your company's communication is way below par. You know, if a company takes a bit longer to sort out my issue but communicates non-stop with me while being honest then I am of the kind that implements some patience. I am sure most guys here will agree. I am willing to say that within a week many more posts will be made on this specific topic complaining once again about the no-show of Sunsynk.
3. You say "It goes without saying that the success of the Sunsynk brand is driven largely by support, this is our reason for existence". It sure does not look like that from where I am sitting. No, the way I see it is you are still riding high on your product reputation. Support is too slow to make an impression.

It is simple, if your human resources cannot keep up with the amount of work then your management is the problem. Sometimes a successful business needs to expand to service their well earned reputation. Think about it.

I honestly with all my heart wish the very best for Sunsynk but never at the expense of those who have been carying you on their shoulders. Find the balance.

Edited February 29, 20242 yr by TheMac

@TheMacwhat a genuinely genius post!! You have certainly expressed my attitude...

e @TheMac, 

 

Thank you for your response, your points are well made. 

The reason for my post was not to make excuses but to try in a short post to better explain our process and the reasons for delays, it's unfortunately a large topic for discussion that would take to much time here.

Rest assured, we are aware and cognisant of the issues we face, as well as the loyalty that we are shown by the installers out there that have made this brand what it is. We do not hide behind our brand or the success we have experienced, this is fleeting and can be lost as quickly as it arrived.  

We are constantly working towards improvements in our skills, systems and everything else around service and support. This sort of feedback is important, unfortunately i cannot be on every forum or chat group so do miss some things, having it brought to my attention allows us to focus on the areas where we need to improve.

I did however in my previous post give an email address and telephone number of the person who can be contacted to follow up on a repair or assessment, my mail address was also attached. For reference they are below, please feel free to contact us at any time for support related matters, i assure you will look into them and resolve them.

Sunsynk Repair Support: [email protected] - 061 504 4735

David Drake: [email protected]

kind regards,

David Drake.

 

 

 

@TheMac

+1 for your post. It could not have been put better. 

@David Drake The ball is for sure in your court if you see the posts and response from professional installers not wanna be installers. 

I am sure the level of expertise of installers has no affect on the slow or no communication from your side. 

Basically.. Cut down the repair times! 

There was some progress of late, automated emails on a repair I sent in, with emails when the inverter was recieved at their facility and then once it was completed and ready for collection. The wait inbetween also needs to have some emails updating clients on the ETA etc. Chantelle was helpful over the phone though. 

But she needs some help, as do the rest of the repair team, to cut down those repair times to a more reasonable 2 week timeframe. 

On 2024/03/01 at 7:16 AM, David Drake said:

e @TheMac, 

 

Thank you for your response, your points are well made. 

The reason for my post was not to make excuses but to try in a short post to better explain our process and the reasons for delays, it's unfortunately a large topic for discussion that would take to much time here.

Rest assured, we are aware and cognisant of the issues we face, as well as the loyalty that we are shown by the installers out there that have made this brand what it is. We do not hide behind our brand or the success we have experienced, this is fleeting and can be lost as quickly as it arrived.  

We are constantly working towards improvements in our skills, systems and everything else around service and support. This sort of feedback is important, unfortunately i cannot be on every forum or chat group so do miss some things, having it brought to my attention allows us to focus on the areas where we need to improve.

I did however in my previous post give an email address and telephone number of the person who can be contacted to follow up on a repair or assessment, my mail address was also attached. For reference they are below, please feel free to contact us at any time for support related matters, i assure you will look into them and resolve them.

Sunsynk Repair Support: [email protected] - 061 504 4735

David Drake: [email protected]

kind regards,

David Drake.

Welcome to The Powerforum, David.

I agree that the evaluation of the units are important, also the quality of the repair. I also understand that these things do take time. I don't have a problem with that, and that's exactly why I went for Sunsynk, my choice was based on the perceived strength of the product as well as its logistical support, which I thought was good because there was a policy and process for loan units under warranty in place.

Loan units (for inverters under warranty) solve the problem of clients being without their inverter for extended periods while a quality evaluation and repair is being conducted in the workshop. This is especially true for South Africa when we consider the poor service delivery from the national utility.  

Imagine my surprise when I discovered one year later that this policy and process was discontinued, please see my to Keith earlier in this thread, which links documents that were authored by you @David Drake:

In short, I feel cheated by Sunsynk, who promised one thing, but delivered another. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, which will last for many years.

You have a great product, but its reputation is tarnished by management's decision to renege on the promises which were made 2 -3 years ago.

 

 

Edited March 2, 20242 yr by Yellow Measure

On 2024/01/04 at 4:15 PM, Scorp007 said:

Their T&C point 5 indicates:

This explains @Keith Gough not responding to my question in 2023.