Steve, I don't know how that can get you anything but praise and respect.
I think it is completely reasonable to save costs by piggybacking on
distributor orders. It all works better when the manufacturer, distributor, and
installer work together to satisfy the end user, and sometimes each level of the
supply chain takes a hit.
It reminds me of a distributor (who we no longer actively use) that continues to
process warranty replacements for me for Mission Solar, who had a bad bunch of
diodes on modules we received. They would send us credits well after we stopped
doing business with them, and diligently assisted us with getting replacement
modules. They even sent their company truck 2+ hours away to bring us new panels
and pick up the defectives on more than one occasion. Fortunately, I think we
have stopped seeing the failed diodes issue, but I am confident that the
distributor would still assist us today.
Jason Szumlanski
Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group
NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)
Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956
Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208
On Thu, Feb 26, 2026 at 12:25 PM Steve Higgins via RE-wrenches
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Not that anyone asked for it — and I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me —
> but here’s a view from the manufacturer’s side. These are my personal
> experiences based on more than 30 years in the industry, not the official
> position of Surrette/Rolls Battery.
>
> I’ve worked for manufacturers for the majority of my career. Back in the old
> Trace Engineering days, around 1995, I was fresh out of college (2-3 years)
> and new to the industry. I remember sitting in a meeting with upper management
> and asking this exact question. At the time, I believed that if something was
> determined to be a warranty issue, we should also cover the shipping costs
> under that warranty.
>
> One of the senior managers explained it this way: manufacturers have to
> control costs carefully. Warranty is often the “red-headed stepchild” of a
> company — yet it is a necessary part of doing business. If it isn’t managed
> properly, it can quickly become unsustainable and can definitely give the
> company a black eye.
>
> A significant portion of the customer base in this industry does not live in
> urban or suburban environments. Many customers live in remote locations —
> often down a dirt road or in the mountains. Shipping to these areas can be
> extremely expensive. In some cases, freight costs alone can rival the cost of
> the product itself.
>
> The perspective shared with me was that while we absolutely stand behind our
> product when there is a legitimate defect, a manufacturer cannot reasonably
> absorb unlimited shipping costs based solely on a customer’s geographic
> location.
>
> That conversation has stayed with me. Over the years, I’ve come to better
> understand the balance manufacturers must strike between supporting customers
> and maintaining financial responsibility.
>
> At Surrette, when we process a warranty replacement, we typically piggyback
> those shipments with normal distributor stocking orders. We do this at no
> additional charge. However, if a shipment needs to go directly to the
> customer, or if shipping originates from a distributor’s warehouse to the end
> user's or installer's site, we do not cover those freight costs.
>
>
>
> There are exceptions. Usually, for verified out-of-the-box failures, I can get
> shipping covered under warranty, but shipping to locations without loading
> docks or down a dirt road is usually a non-starter.
>
> Steve Higgins.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 26, 2026 at 8:50 AM Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar via RE-wrenches
> <[email protected] [[email protected]]> wrote:
>
>
> > Bill for everything !
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
> > "we go where powerlines don't"
> >
> > http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/https://offgridsolar1.com/https://offgridsolar1.com/
> > http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
> > e-mail [email protected][email protected]
> > text 209 813 0060
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 2026-02-26 7:59 am, Laura Conchelos via RE-wrenches wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all,
> > > I need to replace a Discover rack-mounted battery under warranty. When I
> > > started the RMA process, I was told I'd have to pay shipping costs for the
> > > replacement battery, which I found appalling. That, of course, is on top
> > > of the fact that they will not pay any cost for my labor or for the
> > > disposal of the battery. I'm in a rural area, so disposal is difficult. If
> > > anyone knows of a place to dispose of lithium batteries in Denver, please
> > > let me know. I can haul it up with me next time I go!
> > >
> > > I'm not as surprised that Discover is not paying for my labor. though that
> > > sucks. It's a fight to get Solaredge to pay for my labor for
> > > inverter replacements and I've never been reimbursed for
> > > module replacement. But the shipping really surprised me. I've never had
> > > to pay shipping for an RMA before.
> > >
> > > So I'm wondering what costs y'all are having to absorb when RMA-ing
> > > equipment these days? A guy at Discover told me that Sol Ark was now
> > > charging shipping for replacement products?
> > >
> > > It feels very bad to have to pass these costs onto the consumer when the
> > > equipment they purchased fails, so I guess these are costs I'm going to
> > > have to build into the initial install going forward. Thoughts?
> > >
> > > Laura Conchelos
> > > Sandhill Solar LLC
> > > Monte Vista CO
> > >
> > >
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