Additional Complaint Information
Need to file a complaint?
BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process.
Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
09/02/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Invoice: Invoice* ********** Invoice Date: 11 Oct 2023 $6400 10 - 12 business weeks till the unit is in stock Item above is a reservation Allocation is guaranteed ETA is subject to change with further notice Down Payment: $3200.00 Balance due before unit ships: $3200.00 ___________________________________________ After lots of delays and us needing to pick a new style and unit we got tracking on August 22, 2024 which is 10 months after sending our initial payment! And, note, we did not even get the unit we originally ordered. As a side note, we were told in Decemeber, April, and May that our unit was on a boat. We should have known then that this company is not trustworthy. The unit did arrive and once we started to unpack it, it was clear it is a total piece of junk! The way it is configured is truly like what a 1st or 2nd grader can wire in a Kiwi box. It is absolutely not a professional grade item. We had to hire 4 men to come help put it together, and no where do they tell you that some panels way close to 300 pounds! Certain panels didn't have screw holes that align, and the roof was actually made incorrectly and doesn't fit on the right direction It can only fit on BACKWARDS. It took the better part of a day to assemble and only could be assembled by needing to make our own fixes to have parts fit together. This is NOT what we were promised nor is it worth $6400! We are requesting a full refund. If you want to come take the unit back, you can pay to have it disassembled and brought back as the only way to know just how bad it was was to begin assembling the unit. I am also asking the BBB to please consider shutting this business down for representing a product it can't deliver in a timely manner and then when it does arrive, it is not made to any standard that should be acceptable in America. Additionally, on July 8th I sent the 2nd payment when I was told it was ready to be delivered. It then took until August 22 to get a tracking number.Customer response
09/04/2024
After I submitted it, we went to try to plug out unit in, and the plug is not even a US plug!!! See photo attached. So, after almost a year of delays and subpar product, it can't even be used in the US!!!!Business response
09/09/2024
We would like to assist ******* ******* however, she did not purchase a sauna through our company, Sunlighten. The company she purchased her sauna through is ********* ****** based in San Francisco, CA. They are not affiliated with our company. The submitted invoice shows that company's name, address and contact information.Initial Complaint
07/30/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Sales and Advertising Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
Sunglighten: A Decade-Long Dream Turned Nightmare After years of anticipation, my March 2024 Sunglighten sauna purchase quickly devolved into a frustrating ordeal. What should have been a luxurious escape became a relentless series of malfunctions and disappointments. The litany of warranty issues included: Defective LED panels A warped door Heating sheets with cold spots And the list goes on... Each repair attempt became a saga of miscommunication, delays, and ultimately, failure. After months of waiting and storing a massive, incorrect door panel, Sunglighten's installers discovered the wrong parts had been shipped yet again. As I write this, my sauna is being reassembled with the same faulty components, a temporary fix at best. This entire process has involved dealing with over a dozen Sunglighten employees who seem incapable of coordinating with each other, placing the burden of follow-up and resolution squarely on me. The frustration extends beyond the sauna itself. Accessories ordered in March remain undelivered as we approach August. To anyone considering Sunglighten: Save yourself the headache and financial strain. This company's lack of customer service and disregard for quality make them unworthy of your investment. Don't let Sunglighten turn your dream into a nightmare like mine. I want a refund!Business response
08/17/2024
We apologize for the inconvenience Mr. ** ****** has experienced with his sauna. We have been in contact with him and troubleshooted those issues. Based on that troubleshooting, sent parts that we thought would correct the issue. Upon further review, we decided a front wall replacement was needed and scheduled a tech to go onsite to install that new front panel. That has been completed and our understanding now is the sauna is working correctly.Customer response
08/19/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
****** ***** ** ******Initial Complaint
05/21/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
My mp**** Emp**** sauna is the highest end sauna they carry. I called to look into why my near infrared light did not seem to be coming on and spoke a representative on 5/20/24 that informed me of a package I could order to bring my sauna up to date with a total of 15 parts I would install that included updating the wiring, power unit, transformer, near infrared heaters etc. I had questions and called and spoke to another rep early on 5/21/24 and she assured me that that upgrade package would indeed resolve the issues. I had forgot to ask one question and called back and got ****** who then told me there was no way to upgrade my sauna and that I would need to buy a new one. Said there was no way to upgrade my sauna because the wiring and power board would not work. When I stated the upgrade package included the wiring and power board etc he would not listen and told me there was no way to upgrade it and my only option was to buy a whole new $12,000 sauna. Total sales pitch and needless to say I am not happy. Unscrupulous businessperson, complete scam. I would like my upgrade package and people to know what kind of business happens here when you get ahold someone as unscrupulous as this guy...Business response
06/24/2024
The customer's sauna is an older model Empower that our current parts are not backwards compatible with that model year. We do apologize that he was given incorrect information on his initial phone conversation. We have addressed this with the representative he originally spoke with about the upgrade package. The second representative shared with him the reasons why the upgrade package wouldn't work and why. He also, offered our customer loyalty program and shared the pricing to purchase a sauna with a warranty and available parts that are compatible with it.Customer response
06/25/2024
Complaint: 21742353
I am rejecting this response because: I was not getting current parts in the parts list for the upgrade on my older sauna I was going to get the latest parts that were compatible with this model. This was specifically discussed when it was initially being addressed and offered. I spoke to two separate associates that assured me it would work with my model while I was trying to make up my mind to order the parts and the senior lead technician was the first person I spoke to had done so many times before. This is simply a sales ploy/decision from upper management to stop helping customers with older model saunas upgrade and force them to have to spend $10K on a new sauna if they want the latest software etc. I understand it is just business but when a couple days of thinking about investing in ordering the parts and getting in contact with the wrong sales associate was all it took for my opportunity to update my sauna with available parts in an attempt to be forced into buying a completely new unit it is unprofessional and unscrupulous. I understand that nobody there is willing to do the right thing for me and the ones that were being helpful and doing the right thing have been hushed and forced to go against what they know was right because of their employer. Capitalism at its worst, it is not about keeping customers happy and doing the right things it is about making money at the expense of morality and integrity. I can see this will get nowhere but that is what these complaints are for. Letting people see when companies take advantage of customers and do these types of things. I should have been allowed to get the parts I was offered etc but here we are.... it is just sad what this country has become
Sincerely,
**** ****Initial Complaint
04/28/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Sunlighten are muting my perfectly reasonable comments on their social channels. It shows to me that the comment has been posted but it's not public, meaning when anyone else views it, they can't see the comment (see screenshots) We feel this is underhanded and misleading to potential consumers - my comments are solely alerting consumers to be careful before they buy Sunlighten products. Specifically they are about checking out the better business bureau, before buying. But Sunlighten are deleting them before they get to the public. We are seeking refunding of the shipping costs to send their faulty product back to them, which cost $500. The reason is we don't believe we should be paying to ship back a product that didn't work in the first place. We have already lost over 2k on electrician fees to install, check and re-check the sauna, to try and figure out the problem, when we had it.Business response
05/09/2024
We have connected with ***** to discuss the postings and return shipping fees. Both of us have reached an amicable agreement on those two items as of today, Thursday, May 9th.Initial Complaint
04/22/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
In November of 2023 I ordered an MPulse Sauna from Sunlighten for approximately $14,000 I did not receive the sauna until January of 2024 after being told I would receive it in December. Once we got it and put it together it worked until two weeks ago (April) We called Saturday (April 13) and were informed that there has been a known issue with the infrared panels and we would be shipped new ones. Today we called because we still had not received the parts and were told: "I wanted to reach out and touch base after speaking with you today. My warehouse team has informed me that we are completely out of stock on the NIR LED board needed for your order. Currently we do not have a confirmed ETA from our manufacturer on when these will be ready to ship. My warehouse team has been made aware of your order and if any options become available, they will ship ASAP. Once we are able to ship, you should receive an email with FedEx automatic tracking." THIS IS A BRAND NEW UNIT WITH KNOWN PROBLEMS. I have a loan I am paying on it and I cannot use it. I would like financial compensation on the unit while it is inoperable.Business response
05/04/2024
We apologize for the shipping delays in receiving your sauna order and delivery timelines being pushed into January. Our NIR red light panel boards have had electrical updates based on usage and performance issues. We had to go back to our supplier for these updates to be implemented and for production to occur to meet our order quantities. Yes, there was a delay that created backorders. However, the updates were important and needed for those boards to work properly. The customer's order has been fulfilled, shipped out, and arrived to the customer on Friday, April 26th. We have not heard back from the customer since April 22nd. If they are still needing assistance with the sauna or installation of the NIR red light boards, we'd be happy to reach out to them.Customer response
05/07/2024
We received the panels, but when installing them we found that the original panels had started fires behind them.
We are very upset and worried this sauna will burn down our home.
Business response
05/20/2024
We have been in communication with ******* about her parts that were ordered. These parts were out of stock but have arrived at our warehouse. We have shipped them out and scheduled for a tech to go onsite and install the parts. This service appointment has been confirmed and will occur on May 24th at 9am.Initial Complaint
03/27/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I purchased a new Sunlighten sauna that arrived in early August 2020 and the unit is still under warranty. The sauna has only intermittenly worked, and the first repair claim I had to make to Sunlighten was 2 weeks after receiving the sauna. I've had a total of 17 claims to repair the sauna, many of the fixes taking months to repair, one close to 7 months, and as of today the unit doesn't work, and hasn't worked since the time I filed a claim on Jan 10, 2024. Long story short, the unit has been down and unusable far more than it has worked and I've spent countless days working on the unit. They sent a technician from Kansas to Lincoln, NE to fix the unit, and just last Friday, March 22nd they had a 3rd party technician working on the unit until 7PM and noone can determine what's wrong with the unit and I've yet to receive anything substantive from Sunlighten. I've lost faith in Sunlighten's ability to diagnose and/or repair the unit to the point that it's usable for any period of time. I obviously have a lemon and am requesting that the sauna be replaced with a new one with full warranty or a full refund for the amount paid. I'm happy to assist in shipping the existing one back or disposing of it on my own.Business response
04/05/2024
We have been working with *** ***** to remedy the issues with his sauna. We recently had a technician come out to his location to service the sauna and troubleshoot. That technician completed troubleshooting and parts installation. This appointment did take longer to complete as we were doing more diagnostic troubleshooting to isolate the issue. After completion of that visit, we have concurred that the breaker tripping issue is not due to the sauna but to the AFCI on the breaker itself. We sent an email to *** ***** on March 28th referencing this, next steps to take, and how over time the AFCI breaks down and causes the tripping to become more frequent. We need this to be addressed first before we can truly determine if the sauna components are not working properly.Initial Complaint
03/11/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
We purchased our sauna from Sunlighten in March 2022. On Monday, 3/4/2024 our sauna door shattered. That morning, I contacted customer care and the representative could not help with the situation. I asked to speak to a manager. He advised **** ****** could help me. I called and emailed **** and no reply. On 3/5/2024 I called my sales rep**** ********* and explained the door shattered and I wasn't getting a response from customer care. She said **** ****** could help me. Upon transfer, the call was dropped. I immediately called *** back, and she didn't answer. I left a message on her voice mail and sent an email. She replied "I'm on it and will have someone reach out to you shortly." Never heard from anyone. Sent another email on 3/7/2024 to *** and copied **** that I hadn't heard back from anyone. Bri responded that she will have someone from Logistics contact me. I still haven't heard from anyone.Customer response
03/27/2024
The issue has been resolved with SunLighten.
Thank you.
Initial Complaint
02/16/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
High end Model bought. Worked for 2 weeks and then experienced one wall of the unit not heating. Called customer service, they do not answer and call you back and a random time. If you miss the call you start all over again and it may be 1-4 days before they call you back. They try and get you to diagnose the problem using a volt meter as only a trained electrician would know how to use. After 2 months of trying to get direct answers they have given two solutions and neither one of them fixed the unit. They continue this game of call backs randomly with no direct way to call back or talk to a rep. The customer service continues to blame wire issues and get us to do all of the work that a skilled electrician would find challenging. we bought this unit for customers to use and we are losing money because of the malfunctioning unitBusiness response
02/24/2024
We apologize the difficulty in reaching our customer service team or if our returned calls resulted in a missed call. We are trying to contact with our customers as quicky as possible and via phone call and email. We did connect with the customer on Feb. 20th for further troubleshooting and as a result identified a heating panel and/or wiring connector and offer to replace both for the customer. Customer opted for the heater panel first and wait on the wire connector. That order has been placed. It is due to arrive to the customer on Sunday, Feb. 25th. Our warranty covers parts and service, but not labor/technicians. We are happy to assist the customer with the installation of the part and if a scheduled call is preferred, we can send out a link for that call to be scheduled.Initial Complaint
02/06/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
We bought the Signature IV sauna from Sunglighten in May 2023 for almost $7000. After a month it started taking 2 hours to heat to 144 degrees. They helped override the 1 hour timer and the sauna functioned well for a month or so. Then it started taking 2.5 hours to get to 140 degrees where it topped out. This was both too long and not hot enough to sweat in. After 2/3 months of constant chasing, we were sent replacement parts (with no instruction and no paperwork) which we paid the electrician who installed it, to install. The electrician also tested all our power which is working fine (we paid $2500 for a direct electrical connection to set this up in the first place). This hasn't fixed the problem. It still takes 2.5 hours to get to 140 which isn't hot. The sauna simply doesn't work and we want to get our money back. We are generally being ignored by the company, and no one is returning our emails. We're writing to you to help us get our money back for the sauna and the electrician and return the sauna. Yours sincerely, ******** *****Business response
02/13/2024
We have been in communication (email and phone) with ******** about these issues and their request to return the sauna. The process is in motion and scheduling is being done to then be communicated to them.Customer response
02/13/2024
As of 2/8/24, Sunlighten has agreed to accept return of the Sauna for a refund (less $500 that we'll need to pay for return shipping). We've been unable to get that scheduled yet, but will keep trying to get a hold of them this week. I will update the status here.Business response
02/14/2024
Our logistics team should be reaching out to the customer this week with a status update on scheduling the sauna pick up.Customer response
02/15/2024
Hi
We have heard back that after 4 months of problems, Sunlighten will refund us for the cost of the sauna but want us to pay their shipping costs.
I don't think we should be paying $500 for the privilege of returning a faulty product that we've repeatedly tried to fix at cost to us.
For example it cost us $450 for the electrician to install the replacement parts, which didn't fix the problem.
I don't want to put the refund in jeopardy over this shipping cost but it doesn't feel fair that we're paying over a thousand dollars to fix and send back a faulty product.
Yours sincerely, *********
Customer response
03/17/2024
We have been told that we would receive a refund but it's coming up on 3 weeks since we sent our Sauna back. We took great pains to make sure it was well packed and everything was there. We've been assured it's 'in the system', it has been 'received' etc but we've no way of knowing if and when this refund will actually be given. All we can do is keep writing to them asking for updates which are never useful. They never get in touch with us to tell us what's happening. It's exhausting. Please can you help us get a concrete response with times, next steps, action plan etc.
Business response
03/30/2024
Customer refund has been processed by our accounting department on 3/27/2024. The refund should hit their account with 3-5 business days. They will need to check with their financial institution or credit card company.Initial Complaint
12/15/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I purchased my sauna for my personal training studio 1 year ago in 2022. 4 of my heat panels went out in October 2023. I called the tech that walked me through to make sure it was electrical or the panels, we soon determined it was the panels. I was made aware that they will send them out asap(still under warranty). I never received an email so I called back, I was then told they were on back order, but would be in soon. I called back weeks later, ***** in logistics was who I was communicating with. She told me they were in and they were being "tested" and will be sent out at the end of the week , which was before Thanksgiving. Never heard back so I emailed her back. She then told me that they needed MORE "testing". I have been patient and kind. I called customer care, they talked to logistics for me, I got another work order email. STILL nothing. I have referred 3 of my clients to this business and they all bought one from them. Everyone of my clients now have a bad review about this company because my sauna has been out of service for 3 months and ***** ******* quit responding to my emails. Not only is it bad for their business, it makes mine look bad. Word of mouth is everything in business. I am a small business in a big town, I support small or big businesses that treat their customers right.Business response
12/30/2023
We certainly understand *** ****** frustration and apologize for the delay in the heater panels being sent out. This was expedited to our Logistics team to assist and source the panels as quickly as possible. We have sent those parts out and did recently spoke with the customer on additional troubleshooting. We isolated the issue with the power box and have placed the order for that part on 12/28/2023.Customer response
01/10/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
***** ****
*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. ↩
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.
Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating
Contact Information
7373 W 107th St
Overland Park, KS 66212-2547
Want a quote from this business?
Get a QuoteCustomer Complaints Summary
40 total complaints in the last 3 years.
18 complaints closed in the last 12 months.