Amazon Seller Squirming.

jumar

jumar

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So I have had good use of my Allpowers 200w folding Solar Panel until recently, it then started to reduce in wattage, so I contacted the supplier, through Amazon. Below is a condensed version of how the seller tried squirm out of them replacing the item.
I explained that the Panel only produces a Max of 101w in full sun whilst charging a battery that was down to half charge...in Full Spanish sun. a few months back I would expect 138w in similar conditions.

1. He advised using it in full sun, no shadows, and said a solar panel only produces 60% of its ratings.....I replied.

2. He then said the Panel is functioning correctly, and said if I keep it he would extend the warranty by a whole month....I replied.

3. He then said, as an alternative to extending the warranty, he would also refund me 20 euros...if I keep the panel, yes the defective panel. I replied.

4. He then said, returning the item is very complicated for most people, he obviously checked my profile. I replied..

5 He then said, various other things which was there to fob me off, at this stage I replied, saying without doubt you do not want he panel back and I will report the issue to Amazon.es.

6. Then the squirming intensified, I think there is some misunderstanding, maybe I didn't explain clearly, returns are troublesome, so I will offer other solutions, if you insist on changing the item, we will exchange it for you, please give us a chance to exchange it, Okay? PLEASE, Please trust us once, Regards. I haven't replied to him, but contacted Amazon customer service, who accepted the claim and authorised a free return...it really wasn't difficult for me...event at my age.
I could have gone directly to Amazon, I know, but wanted to see what solutions the seller offered in the way of a repair or other solutions., the seller clearly couldn't offer anything, other that attempting to FOB me off...

I reported the seller to Amazon, who also have a copy of the sellers communications with me, Amazon accepted the return and will refund my money...now waiting for another panel from another outlet...
 
jumar said:
So I have had good use of my Allpowers 200w folding Solar Panel until recently, it then started to reduce in wattage, so I contacted the supplier, through Amazon. Below is a condensed version of how the seller tried squirm out of them replacing the item.
I explained that the Panel only produces a Max of 101w in full sun whilst charging a battery that was down to half charge...in Full Spanish sun. a few months back I would expect 138w in similar conditions.

1. He advised using it in full sun, no shadows, and said a solar panel only produces 60% of its ratings.....I replied.

2. He then said the Panel is functioning correctly, and said if I keep it he would extend the warranty by a whole month....I replied.

3. He then said, as an alternative to extending the warranty, he would also refund me 20 euros...if I keep the panel, yes the defective panel. I replied.

4. He then said, returning the item is very complicated for most people, he obviously checked my profile. I replied..

5 He then said, various other things which was there to fob me off, at this stage I replied, saying without doubt you do not want he panel back and I will report the issue to Amazon.es.

6. Then the squirming intensified, I think there is some misunderstanding, maybe I didn't explain clearly, returns are troublesome, so I will offer other solutions, if you insist on changing the item, we will exchange it for you, please give us a chance to exchange it, Okay? PLEASE, Please trust us once, Regards. I haven't replied to him, but contacted Amazon customer service, who accepted the claim and authorised a free return...it really wasn't difficult for me...event at my age.
I could have gone directly to Amazon, I know, but wanted to see what solutions the seller offered in the way of a repair or other solutions., the seller clearly couldn't offer anything, other that attempting to FOB me off...

I reported the seller to Amazon, who also have a copy of the sellers communications with me, Amazon accepted the return and will refund my money...now waiting for another panel from another outlet...
Click to expand...
Nice one!

I recently went to look at a 200w Allpowers panel that was 'going cheap' but the readings I took were nowhere near what they should be. In an attempt to convince me otherwise, he showed me the receipt for £87, also from Amazon.... perhaps it's a brand to avoid?
 
I had a run in with an eBay seller, it was a £5 cig socket volt meter which only showed the top of the digits most of the time.
Contacted the seller who were happy to refund if I paid return postage.....I reminded him about consumer law.
Still adamant that I paid so contacted customer services, i got the refund and told if they want the item back they can come for it.
Only £5 and postage was 70p, not much but it's the principle.
 
To get that level of degradation you'd surely be able to see damaged or cracked elements. Are you sure it's not your wiring that is causing the problem?

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pappajohn said:
I had a run in with an eBay seller, it was a £5 cig socket volt meter which only showed the top of the digits most of the time.
Contacted the seller who were happy to refund if I paid return postage.....I reminded him about consumer law.
Still adamant that I paid so contacted customer services, i got the refund and told if they want the item back they can come for it.
Only £5 and postage was 70p, not much but it's the principle.
Click to expand...
That reminds me of when I got a Brita water filter jug on eBay.
When it arrived it was a cheaper model that advertised so I opened a dispute and sent it back.
Received a refund and thought that was the end of it so I was surprised to have it returned to me some time later. Apparently the seller was out when Royal Mail tried to deliver and never went to pick it up from the depot.
I contacted the seller and told him he could collect it from me within a certain time or I would keep it. Eventually gave it to our son :)
 
jumar said:
So I have had good use of my Allpowers 200w folding Solar Panel until recently, it then started to reduce in wattage, so I contacted the supplier, through Amazon. Below is a condensed version of how the seller tried squirm out of them replacing the item.
I explained that the Panel only produces a Max of 101w in full sun whilst charging a battery that was down to half charge...in Full Spanish sun. a few months back I would expect 138w in similar conditions.
Click to expand...
We had similar with our 100w folding Allpowers solar failing and reducing in wattage to 40w!

We have since used a Renogy panel which hasn't had the fade, I suspect what happens with these allpowers panels is the connection between the 2 panels that make up the 200w or 100w respectively fails so you only end up with a single panel outputting.
Unfortunatly in my case it was AFTER 12 months warranty period, so I just went to it and won't order another allpowers item on amazon ever again.

The quality is poor and I can't reccomend either their solar battery inverters OR their panels ; both have had warranty issues at 14 months.
 
Despite the concerns of some people I have over many years had a few problems with stuff supplied through eBay often told to keep the item and given a full refund the last item was a double gas ring that runs on cartridges or an external supply..it had been twisted in transit and looked quite badly damaged a few photos and refund in full..I un twisted it in a few seconds and it looks and works perfectly.
Ihave had a couple of faulty items from AliExpress after a photo they send a postage label..they go back to Leicester a refund is issued as soon as the post office show it as delivered
 
dunnah01 said:
To get that level of degradation you'd surely be able to see damaged or cracked elements. Are you sure it's not your wiring that is causing the problem?
Click to expand...
How dare you make such a statement 😃
Actually I can test the panel in various ways...with it's own Victron mppt controller...a spare I have and also Bluetti power bank with it's own mppt..non showed any great improvements...and two tests were with just the hot wired 1 metre fly leads connected to the panel.
Therefore it's the Panel that's not up to speed...only a week before I was getting 138w during the same conditions..

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jumar said:
How dare you make such a statement 😃
Actually I can test the panel in various ways...with it's own Victron mppt controller...a spare I have and also Bluetti power bank with it's own mppt..non showed any great improvements...and two tests were with just the hot wired 1 metre fly leads connected to the panel.
Therefore it's the Panel that's not up to speed...only a week before I was getting 138w during the same conditions..
Click to expand...
Ours literally burnt out at a campsite, was getting 100W constant day one until 3pm, 4pm on 50W bang on. Max sun for an entire glorious weekend.

We tested ours with 3 controllers (all MPPT) and all showed the same 50% reduction in output.

And ours, like yours showed no visable degradation. I do mean to take ours apart (it's in garden at moment awaiting me doing that) to figure out why it failed.

I can reccomend the Renogy hard backed portables we got to replace, they have performed far better in all conditions. The only downside is they do weigh more.
 
I've just bought a Renogy 220watt portable panel married to a victron 100/20, and thinking that i would be able to add another 220 panel as they never deliver to spec. How wrong i was!

This was taken in Flamborough



Screenshot_20250414_134752.webp
 
growly_bear said:
I've just bought a Renogy 220watt portable panel married to a victron 100/20, and thinking that i would be able to add another 220 panel as they never deliver to spec. How wrong i was!

This was taken in Flamborough



View attachment 1044946
Click to expand...
The Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 has a nominal PV power rating of 290W for a 12V system and 580W for a 24V system. This means that a single 290W panel is the maximum recommended for a 12V system, and a single 580W panel (or two 290W panels in series) is the maximum recommended for a 24V system.
 
Not a solar, but, to give balance.

Many on here will know that we sell books on rallies.
When we started we had one foldy uppy aluminium table and an old caravan table.
However, we decided to buy another table identical to the original one.
I found a seller who was offering new ones at a very good price. I ordered one.
When they arrived and on examining them I found that the frame was dented.
It did not affect the performance but notwithstanding, I informed the seller for his own knowledge because he had a batch of them.
A request for photos was made and, on receiving them, the seller said he would send another.
I asked for his details to send the original table back he said, "You keep it"
That's why we now have three tables and Prostate Cancer got a few more quid.
 
jumar said:
The Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 has a nominal PV power rating of 290W for a 12V system and 580W for a 24V system. This means that a single 290W panel is the maximum recommended for a 12V system, and a single 580W panel (or two 290W panels in series) is the maximum recommended for a 24V system.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I thought I'd get around 150W so could fit 2 with a little clipping. The panel performs much better than anticipated.

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Nigel Crompton said:
Which is ... ?

(On the cusp of ordering 200w folding from Renogy)
Click to expand...
This is what I bought. Really pleased. I can also lock it using the handles to make it non walk off.
uk.renogy.com

Renogy 220W Lightweight Portable Solar Suitcase

Explore Renogy's trusted solar panels, lithium batteries, inverters, and off-grid solutions for home backup, RVs, outdoor activities, and sustainable energy in the UK. Achieve energy independence with premium products and expert guidance.
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
growly_bear said:
This is what I bought. Really pleased. I can also lock it using the handles to make it non walk off.
uk.renogy.com

Renogy 220W Lightweight Portable Solar Suitcase

Explore Renogy's trusted solar panels, lithium batteries, inverters, and off-grid solutions for home backup, RVs, outdoor activities, and sustainable energy in the UK. Achieve energy independence with premium products and expert guidance.
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com
Click to expand...
That's the one I so nearly ordered yesterday at €232, but then this morning got an offer of the 200w for €145, which I've ordered. I suspect yours might be the better buy in the long run tho ... rigid frame and stand, and slightly lighter too.
 
CAB96 said:
Out of interest, how long have you had the panels?
Click to expand...
We've had the Renogy replacements for over 12 months (we at 14 now), the prior Allpowers we had for 13 ish before they failed. Was impressed with them today in mostly overcast Cromer, we had a averagr production of 80w on the 200w panels all day despite it being quite cloudy. When sun was on them through haze, 180w was produced. They'll do over 200 as above when no haze.

The Renogy set at 14 months still look brand new when in use. It's like a coated plastic on the ones we have where the allpowers appeared to be cardboard given how much they sagged when it rained. We have the 200w not the 220 set.

Would never buy another Allpowers panel (portable) but would buy another Renogy which says the quality diffference. It's just so much better made for the small cost it's unreal.
 

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