Complaint Review: SunMaxx Solar

TL;DR: Took my money, sent me half a product, repeatedly lied to me about sending the rest, refuses to refund me, still don't have a complete product, and they still have my money.

I purchased a SunMaxx Solar water heater in the begining of March of 2013, intended for an off-grid installation I would be moving to in mid April. From the very begining I had nothing but issues with my order, that proceeded to escalate, and continue through present day. 

Firstly, the shipment was delayed. There was no mention of a backorder or supply line issue when the order was placed. Upon multiple requests for information, I was given the answer of "We are opening up a new West Coast fulfillment office, and there are delays getting it operational.' Blaming the "fulfillment office" will prive to be a regular scapegoat this disaster unfolds. 

The order was finally shipped April 9th, 2013, and gauranteed to be delivered April 11th, 2013. The order never showed. This is now an issue, as I had intended to move on April 14th. Upon multiple phone calls to many departments and freight handlers, it's finally determined that the product was not properly palletized and labeled, and is somewhere in a freight terminal and can not be located. To get my water heater in, I was required to go down to the terminal, and sort through freight containers to try and locate the product. Upon finding it, it is forklifted into the back of my pickup in the pouring rain, and I'm on my way.

Upon arriving at my new home, unpacking, and sorting things out, I get around to unboxing the waterheater and begin installation in early June. This is when I realize that I am missing a handful of major components to the system. The shipped package was marked as "1 Pallete", so the exact number of boxes in the complete system was unknown at time of pickup. I contact SunMaxx Solar to report the issue and the real fun begins.

They immediately acknowledge that I was shorted components and never argued that fact. However, getting the components to me has proven impossible. Since reporting the issue to them, I have been promised that they have been shipped a multitude of times, then received excuses of "The fulfillment department lost power" or "we are having logistic issues" or "the logistics team was on vacation" or "our computer systems crashed" or "we are installing a new voice system". The excuses were endless, and the components never came. Additionally, I was bounced between SunMaxx Solar and SiliconSolar. I'm not sure the differentiation between these companies, but their representives constantly vollied me around.

I was patient and understanding through out June and July, at first believing that they were making a good faith effort to make the mistake right, but slowly realizing that the company is horribly incompitent, unable to respond to phone calls and emails, makes promises that are outright lies, and, in the end, makes it impossible to get me a complete, funcational product.

In August I had enough. I requested that SunMaxx Solar refund me my money, and have what was shipped to me retrieved at their cost. They ignored my request and kept promising that fulfilling the components was their "top logistics priority". I repeatedly informed them that their word had no merit with me, and I could wait no longer for them to deliver what I purchased; I needed a refund. Immediately. Afterall, summer was ending, and winter was approaching. Installing the product would be impossible soon, and I needed a hot water solution. 

After repeatedly requesting a refund, their final response was "send it back to us at your cost, and we will refund you". Translation: "Spend $200+ to send the useless components we did send you to us, and trust us that we will give you your money back, even though we have lied to you for months now." I told them this was unacceptable, and they need to refund me immediately, and retreive their parts on their dime. Afterall, this was their failure to deliver me a product. They responded by informing me that I'll get the rest of the parts when I get them, and that if I want, I can sell it on craigslist. Furthermore, they tried to tell me that I got a "great deal" on the hot water heater and I should be happy. Talk about insulting.

So here we are. I have no hot water heater system and no refund. SunMaxx Solar is a dishonest, incompetent, sleezy company that no one should do business with.