ComplaintsforSMA Solar Technology America, LLC.

• Initial Complaint

  06/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have an SMA inverter as part of the solar system on my house. The inverter stopped working, and since then I have reached out to SMA multiple times, which you can only through their website. Ive had a few cryptic answers from them but have never been able to make any progress the issue. How can a company of this size not have a customer service line where you can speak to a real person? I am now getting a quote from another company on a new inverter. If you have an SMA inverter, or are considering buying one, please know that SMA has a wall built up around them when it comes to dealing with quality issues.

  Business response

  06/06/2024

  Dear Mr. ********, 
  
  In response to your inquiry addressed to the Better Business Bureau, please be aware that although cases can be opened in the ********************* any time, you can also call Technical Support from Monday to Friday, 6:00am-5:00pm PST, toll-free at ************** and speak with a Technical Support Representative. 
  
  Weve located your case in the *********************. Please note that the inverter installed has surpassed the 10-year warranty period, therefore is no longer eligible for a replacement under Factory Warranty.  The inverter is designed to shut down for safety reasons when an error is detected to prevent any unsafe conditions.  The error code you received indicates an overvoltage on input A, which will cause the inverter to stop production for safety reasons. This requires an electrically qualified person to test the voltages and inspect the system to determine the cause of the overvoltage.  With the information provided your inverter appears to be operating as it should with these conditions present.  If you need further clarification on the information provided in your case, you can call in and reference your case number to speak with a representative.  
  
  As a product manufacturer, we provide technical support for our products. However, system troubleshooting should be performed by the company that installed the system. If youre unsure of who that company is, or if youre unable to use their services, you can find companies that have received training in our current products at the SMA America website under SMA POWERUP+ installer map.  

  Customer response

  06/06/2024

  I am rejecting this response because: The inverter was manufactured in 9/2013 but was not commissioned until 6/2015. With a 10 year warranty, and being commissioned in 2015, the inverter is still under warranty.
  

  Business response

  06/11/2024

  Good day ********************, 
  
  Without provided documentation, the standard factory warranty period applies.  Please refer to your warranty documents to determine which steps are required to change the Factory Warranty period to start from commission date to provide to our warranty department.  Our warranty department would be happy to assist you with this adjustment if possible.    If you have any issues locating these documents feel free to reach out via the ************** Center.  We have a representative assigned to your case to assist you with this process if needed. 

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I've had a 15Kw ground mount system installed in 2016, No issues until last year, when I got an $160 bill. I had to walk to the array and saw one of the inverters with no power output, the other one working fine. I called our solar company and opened a ticket with them. They sent a guy, seemed very knowledgeable and I showed him the inverter panels display. He was on the phone with SMA Support. We'll, they power cycled the Inverter and after 45min, it seemed to start working again. 2 weeks later I sent additional pictures (if you check the background, its sunny all day) of the inverter no power out, each time the display says "Reconnection fault grid". The same guy came out and after another call with SMA support, they supposedly updated the "Firmware". Then it started working again. ok a month later, walking by ...same thing "0" Power output, Again I took pictures and sent to the installer. He came again but this time I kind of demanded to have this thing replace. The installer said SMA wants me to be in front of the unit when it happens. Three times, they didn't fix it. He left and it was working again. We'll needless to say, I took additional pictures of it indicating "Reconnection fault Grid" I sent them to the installer he said he calling SMA again to open another ticket and he'll get back to me. Later on that day, he got back to me, saying SMA Support wont replace the inverter unless he is "On-site" to determine if there is a JCP&L power company issue. I told him, doesn't SMA know I have 2 - SMA 6000 inverters and the other one has never had an issue. No outcome. Today I sent the installer more pictures and the S/N of the bad inverter (again). Nothing happening, except me being charged for Power from JCP&L. DO NOT BUY SMA EQUIPMENT, THEY DO NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY THEY SAY THEY HAVE. BTW I have every TXT I sent to the installer and all pictures of the inverter being bad, are saved. If you check the properties of the pictures, those are the dates its happen.

  Business response

  05/06/2024

  Thank you for reaching out regarding your warranty claim. We would be happy to assign a contact center manager to your case to review information that *** be needed or missing to conclude this warranty claim.  As you *** know, the inverter is designed to stop production when an unsafe situation is detected in the system.  For this reason, a thorough series of troubleshooting *** be required to determine where the issue lies.  In the unlikely event its in the inverter, it will be replaced under factory warranty following the guidelines and terms and conditions of our factory warranty. That information can be found on our website by selecting "Service & Support" > "Downloads" > "Service & Warranties" > "Factory Warranty".  We will have a contact center Manager contact you to review your case(s).
  

  Customer response

  05/06/2024

  I am rejecting this response because: Since there have been multiple attempts to troubleshoot this inverter with ****** ***** output displayed on the screen (the other inverter has never been bad since its installment in dec 2015). Where the tech came out and done his troubleshooting, came back updated the firmware, came back checked wifi, came back did a ***** down sequence, came back did more troubleshooting, came back again and again, to no avail. The other inverter has never had any issues. If you check the dates on the pictures I've sent, you'll see how many times the tech was here.

  Coming back again and again, will waste everyone's time. so, How many times does a tech need to come out and troubleshoot, before SMA America determines it needs replacement?

  Thanks

   

  
  

  Business response

  05/13/2024

  We will reach out to you with further details on how to proceed with this claim. 

  Customer response

  05/15/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I got permitted and installed 20 SolarWorld 345 watt mono solar panels on my detached garage and ran them through the garage sub-panel with a 7.0 SMA inverter. Later I bought 20kw of BYD batteries, a Sunny Boy Storage (SMA) 6.0 inverter with a SMA Automatic Backup Unit ****** I installed them on our house running the wiring from the solar inverter overhead from the garage across the roof of our house and to the **** I installed the *** next to the panel, next to the *** I installed the storage inverter, next to the inverter I installed the stacked 20kw of BYD batteries. To maintain 200 amp I had to take 3/ot wiring from the grid to the *** then 3/ot back to the panel for the load. The wiring from the ** and battery also connected into the **** *** assured me the *** acted as a pass through and a transfer switch and the *** would use power from the ** and batteries for our house before using the grid and during a power outage the *** would automatically use batteries to power my ** inverter and our house and the batteries could stand up to **** ***** of continuous load. Yesterday, the power company had a planned outage and my battery inverter kept coming on and off. It would turn power on then seconds later it would go off. After calling SMA tech support they now inform me the batteries can only handle 25 amps and the load was too great for them. I feel frustrated and unless I am misunderstanding what SMA is now saying, my ** inverter would take more than 25 amps to keep it running during a power outage. I think SMA may have mislead me. I need my batteries to provide power to my ** inverter and the *** to take the ** power and battery power to power our house. Today SMA refuses to take my call and I need their support.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  SMA will not honor warranty issues with a sunny boy inverter at my clients house. The inverter will not invert the dc to ac coming from the panels or backfeed the grid. Every time we call the service hotline we are assured it is a communication issue and then also assured the communication issue would not prevent inverting the dc power coming from the panels nor feeding power back through the grid. The issue started in march of this year and we have spent 12 hours on the the phone with SMA service department whose notations of the calls are severely lacking to the point of of asking us to retry the same test mulitiple times by multiple service technicians.

  Business response

  08/11/2023

  Good day ****************,

  We do apologize for any confusion you may have experienced on processing warranty replacements.  Our limited Factory Warranty Terms and conditions for product replacements can be found on our website.  We have assigned a ******* Center Supervisor to review your case. It appears that we were waiting on essential information to determine if your replacement was covered by factory warranty, that we have now been able to collect and approve the replacement.  Your replacement device will be expedited to you. 

  Customer response

  08/11/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Since Jan 2023 I've been trying to get a bad inverter replaced under warranty. In late 2022, I reach out to the seller of my solar, Green ****** Solar Systems. I spoke to **** at Green ****** first, who contacted the installer, Green ***** Solar, who was unresponsive. **** at Green ****** said he now used ************* anyway, and moves forward with ********************* at SMA regarding a replacement inverter. *** tells **** at Green ****** he cant use ************ and needs go back to Green ***** Solar, the original installer, to get the original inverter sent back to SMA. I thought I was working on replacing the original, but I am actually working on replacing my 2nd bad inverter.Evidently, when solar was installed by Green ***** in 2019, the original inverter (#1) that arrived for installation was broken/bad. I wasnt aware of this, but I'm told Green ***** requested a replacement inverter (#2) and I know the installation continued. *** says Green ***** never returned the #1 when they received the replacement #2. Installer was required to return bad part to SMA and did not. After months of back & forth between me, the customer; **** at Green ******, the seller; SMA who provides the replacement parts I need; SMA agreed to replace my second inverter, which arrived in late April 2023.Inverter #3 sitting in my garage. ************ came to install, but said: the brackets that hold the inverter to the side of your house that are not universal, one model to the next. These are not the right brackets for this model.I immediately contacted SMA regarding correct brackets sent to me and was asked by *************** to take pictures of inverter #3 and send to him. I did what I was asked, sent the pictures 6/8/2023 and never heard from anyone at SMA again. As of nowwe are on 45 days with no response from SMA. My last attempt to reach out to them directly was 7/11/2023 but now my email has been rejected due to security limitations. At this time I just need replacement brackets!

  Business response

  08/03/2023

  Hello Mr. *******,

  
  SMA apologizes for the issues you've experience getting your replacement inverter. In order to consolidate communications into one location, we had moved to our ********************* at the time you sent the photos.  The e-mail address you used was no longer an active e-mail and the photos were never received.  We have had our contact center reach out to you directly to resolve the issue and have shipped the replacements needed. 

  Customer response

  08/08/2023

  I am rejecting this response because: The new inverter has arrived and is now working, unfortunately there is another component found to be no longer working. I am still without a functioning product. As it took over 7 months to get this far, I am not comfortable closing this issue. I sent an email 3 days ago and have not received a response.
  

  Business response

  08/11/2023

  Hello ******************, 

  In order to consolidate communications into one location, we have moved all written communications to our ********************** E-mail is no longer an active way to communicate with the Service Department.  Any issues you are having with *** equipment that requires Factory Warranty replacement or Technical Support must be submitted via your account with the ********************** or by having your Installer call into the *** service line Monday-Friday (6:00am-5:00PM PST) when they are onsite to troubleshoot the issue.  Per your factory warranty terms and conditions, all factory warranty replacements must be approved by our ***************** Team, and most likely require troubleshooting and diagnosis from an electrically qualified individual.   For faster service and communications, please register to the ********************* if you wish to start a new claim, where our technical service representatives can advise you of the next steps necessary.  You can self-register at, *** ********************* (sma-service.com) today.

  Customer response

  08/20/2023

  I am rejecting this response because: I understand there is a process change that occurred 6/1/23. I will follow this process in the future. This is an ongoing issue and pushing an already escalated issue towards a new process is unacceptable treatment of the situation. My installer will open tickets as needed, but the ********************* directly from me will continue the same course until the problem is resolved and I, the customer is completely satisfied.
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Installed a solar unit on my house. It keeps having issues with the charging. I called Sunlight Solar to fix the issue in Oct, they ran a diagnosis and got the light to turn green. They came ou thg again in Feb and March. They stated that it needed a part that is still under warranty with SMA Solar. SMA solar said they needed a copy of the diagnosis letter to confirm that is the issue. The light stayed green for a few months and then wen thg back to yellow. Sunlight Solar came out again. The entire system keeps losing the ability to charge. They are not honoring their warranty and now aren't answering your phone. **********

  Business response

  07/11/2023

  Hello ******************,

  We are sorry to hear you are having issues with your system. Our ************************ is open Monday-Friday 6:00am-5:00PM (PST) for an electrically qualified person to call in for support.  You or your installer also can create an account in our ********************* (***************************)for support any time.  All warranty exchanges start with creating a case on the serial number of the inverter and having an electrically qualified person collect any error codes, test voltages,and potentially gather more information from the inverter itself if needed to determine where the issue is.  Your inverter is designed to stop production for multiple reasons if an issue in the system causes an unsafe condition.  This needs to be ruled out first before a replacement is sent, because if the issue is not the inverter you will continue to run in to loss of production. We will have our ******* Center Supervisor for Residential Products reach out to you at the contact information provided, to help you along with this process and determine where your installer may have left off.  

• Initial Complaint

  01/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Not recommended.???? It's now been more than 4 weeks since my Sunny boy 6.0 failed after only 3 years. No support in sight."Regarding your case #xxxx unfortunately we have been experiencing supply chain delays as we transition to a new Service Partner in ******.I can assure you we are actively working to resolve these delays. Unfortunately, I dont have a set date of material availability at the moment, but will reach out to you as soon as I have more information from our various teams working on this.I do appreciate your patience and business with SMA."

  Business response

  01/24/2023

  Due to the transition period between Service Providers and significant unforeseen delays, SMAs Service Provider, Solartia, was impacted during inventory fulfillment.  The first batch is set to arrive at the end of January and will then be ready to make deliveries by early February-barring any other unexpected issues we could see at customs. SMAs  Service Partner Coordinator has remained in contact directly with ********************** and informed him that shes prioritized this shipment with Solartia. ****** should be able to provide shipment details within the first week of February.

  Customer response

  01/24/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  

  Customer response

  03/08/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  On January 19th 2023 I filed a complaint with the BBB against SMA America for warranty replacement.

  
  

  On January 24th 2023 SMA responded with the following "The first batch is set to arrive at the end of January and will then be ready to make deliveries by early February-barring any other unexpected issues we could see at customs"

  
  

  I agreed to the business response.

  
  

  Now the second week of March I still have not received any support. I have lost more than 2 months of solar revenue and there is no end in sight.

  
  

  I request to reopen this complaint for further comment.

  
  

  Thank you

  *********************;

  
  

  Business response

  03/17/2023

  SMA apologizes for the delay in providing a replacement inverter.  Although SMA arranged for a replacement unit to be sent, there was a delay in getting the unit, of which SMA was not notified until we received your complaint.

  SMA will proceed with a service ************* device and supply tracking information to you.  Please note that except in rare cases such as an inverter is dead on arrival, SMA does not supply brand new units under warranty terms and conditions. However, because your solar system has been down for sometime and the inconvenience you have experienced, SMA will provide a new unit.

  Customer response

  03/17/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased my home a little over 2 years ago and it has a solar system that was installed in 2014. There are 3 SMA Sunny Boy inverters on the system that should be generating power but they are not. There are red lights on one inverter and although I have paid $1800 to PlumCo, the installer no one can make this system work. The installer and I have spent countless hours on the phone on hold with technical support, only to be hung up on. I logged a complaint with this manufacturer in August 19, 2022 and was given a case number ********* but no one has contacted me. This system was supposed to be in warranty but what good is a warranty when the company that manufactures the equipment wont even give the installer help troubleshooting the system?

  Business response

  09/27/2022

  Upon reviewing our records, we see a couple tickets that could be reopened. Upon reviewing the Sunny Portal plant, we understand that the inverters are not communicating. To ensure proper handling, wed like to assign someone to own the communication between the customers installer and SMA. We can connect someone internally with the customer to help facilitate the efforts.    
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I got the solar system with the purchase of the house in February, 2021 in *******. The system was installed in May, 2018. For almost last 3 months the system is not working and I am paying very high electricity bills even after having the solar system installed. I tried and talked to the installer ( Solar ************* ) several times but nothing happened. Even the company ( SMA America ) which manufactured the whole system was also not able to help me. I am helpless and relied on the ***** of god only. Please help me fix the problem my solar system has. The installer and the manufacturing company both know the details of the problem. My name is ***********************. My phone number is ************ and email is **********************

  Business response

  09/12/2022

  Dear  *************,
  
  We are sorry to hear of your experience with your solar system. Please understand SMA is the manufacturer of the solar inverter, one component in your entire solar system ,and we are not involved with the installation or servicing of your system. We see you contacted SMA back on July 19th and we provided you with feedback of how to reach our Solar installer network along with details of how to find an out of network installer but in your complaint to the Better Business Bureau you mentioned only Solar Advantage and SMA. It would be our pleasure to  introduce you to one of our local installers and they can take the lead on bringing your system back to an operational state.
  
  When you contacted SMA in July you reported a **** event  displayed on your inverter, this error code indicates there is problem within your solar system but it is not related to your SMA inverter. Therefore any fees associated with making your system operational would not be covered by SMAs Limited Factory Warranty and would be yours to bear. Please advice if you would like us to make an introduction.
  

  Customer response

  09/23/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I purchased an addition to my solar system to allow it to run during a grid outage. This included SMA America battery inverter, SMA America *** and ** Chem battery. *** documentation said ** Chem battery is compatible with the *** components. The system addition has never worked, the ** Chem battery keeps tripping a circuit breaker and won't run in a grid outage. I contacted *** Pre-sales Engineering - they told me there's a known incompatibility with the ** Chem battery and the ***, as well as other issues. They recommended using a BYD battery instead of a ** Chem battery. I spoke with the *** *******/********** Regional Sales Manager (*************************) - he said my issue was forwarded to *** senior management, national sales manager and residential products manager. I called *** technical support about other issues with system. Tech support said my issues were forwarded to senior management. They also said there were issues using a BYD battery. I spoke with *** customer relations - they said my issues were forwarded to senior management. I have sent emails and left voice messages for ***************** (national sales manager), *********************** (VP of Customer Relations), and other senior management. I have not heard anything from anyone at SMA America since my initial call about the system not working. The *** components have a 10-year manufacture warranty, the ** Chem battery has a 10-year warranty. SMA America has not responded to my calls - the only people I've reached (Pre-sales, regional sales manager, tech support, customer relations) all state my issus wer forwarded to SMA America senior management, which seems to be ignoring my issues. *** documentation states the components are compatible, but my actual experience and statements from *** tech support and Pre-sales Engineering state the components are not compatible. SMA America isn't supporting their 10-year warranty except by ignoring reported issues.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩