I think our industry also needs to acknowledge that warranty promises have long been out of control from both manufacturers and installers.
In any industry, long warranty periods can spiral out of control due to competition when newcomers enter the market and offer outlandish warranties to set themselves apart. When I first got involved with solar pool heating about 16 years ago, I struggled with the warranties that were being offered, knowing full well that almost all systems would experience some kind of warranty issue in the 10 to 12 year warranty span that was being offered by manufacturers. From my understanding of history, warranties became a way to compete in an industry where there was very little differentiation between products. It's all just a bunch of black tubes on a roof. I'm oversimplifying that a little bit, but everyone I knew in the industry understood that the warranties were outlandish, and sales people oversold warranties as a regular course of business. Ultimately, I think warranty expense was probably one of the things that put FAFCO out of business. Regardless, that's the risk you take when you offer a warranty. Some companies will do everything in their power to weasel out of their obligation, and some companies will bend over backward in the interest of customer satisfaction. I'll offer a personal anecdote. REC is supposed to have the warranty of all warranties with their protrust program. I have only processed one warranty claim for two panels, but it took several months and a huge amount of badgering for me to get it resolved, and even more badgering to get paid under the program. I'm not a fan of long warranties. I think companies should focus more on high quality products than high quality marketing. Consumers often end up taking out their warranty frustrations on the wrong party, and I think some companies offering warranties know that full well. 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, 2:26 PM Steve Higgins <[email protected]> wrote: > Having been on both sides of this, I genuinely understand the frustration. > It’s also important to remember that many of the people you’re speaking > with at manufacturers aren’t the ones making these policy decisions. > Sometimes they’ve simply drawn the short straw — and like the Secret > Service, they’re the ones taking the hits from installers and end users. > > As an installer, your customer is usually on your back. When situations > like this arise, you’re often the one losing margin. What started as a > profitable job can quickly become a break-even or, worse, a loss. > > From the manufacturer’s side, I’ve also seen companies struggle or even go > out of business because they failed to control unknown or open-ended costs. > Freight and field support expenses can escalate quickly if they’re not > carefully managed. > > One of the joys of living off-grid on solar is the peace and quiet — or at > least that’s the expectation. But part of that reality is that when you > live five hours in the middle of nowhere, some things will simply cost > more. Travel, freight, and service calls all carry a premium. If someone > chooses to live in a remote location, that premium is part of the equation. > > The challenge is that having that conversation with a customer upfront > isn’t easy. Being transparent about potential additional costs may turn > some people away. However, avoiding that discussion can create much bigger > problems down the road. > > It’s a tough balance — protecting your business while still delivering > good service — and there’s no perfect answer. > > Steve Higgins > > On Thu, Feb 26, 2026 at 10:57 AM Jason Szumlanski < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> 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]> 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 >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance >>>> >>>> Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org >>>> >>>> List Address: [email protected] >>>> >>>> Change listserver email address & settings: >>>> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org >>>> >>>> There are two list archives for searching. 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