Poor customer service

Hi I didn’t want to come on here bad mouthing anybody but after four ignored emails and ages waiting on the phone.
I eventually got a visit to sort out my brand new batteries that stopped charging he changed the mains switch which had got water inside and said Someone else would come and charge as they wouldn’t charge.
An engineer turned up with no prior warning luckily I was in, he was going to put some charge in to them he took the cover off and water gushed out so no wonder they stopped working,
He said they would need to be replaced now I’m being ignored.
Is anyone else getting poor service or is this a one off?
Mike

mike1721
Water inside the batteries? That is a 1st. How on earth did that happen, if installed correctly?
I guess GivEnergy will be billing your installer for replacements.

mike1721
unbelievable, what a mess, surely has to be the installers fault?

TheDragon (GivEnergy) the batteries are on an outside wall and should be water proof, when he said the batteries will need to be replaced I said with waterproof ones hopefully he said they would need to put some sort of cover over them I’m very frustrated that I can’t contact anyone

As @positor1 suggests, it sounds like a poor installation, possibly with water getting into the DC isolator and then tracking down conduit into the battery itself. Your contract is with your installer.

Whilst it's possible to put electrical equipment outside, it's rarely a good idea as water and electricity never mix!

mike1721 poor customer service? Yes. I've had a dead battery since October which they eventually took away (assuring me it'd be back next week). Endless phone calls (each taking 30 mins before someone answers) and always assured I'll ring you back (they never rang me back). Last week they told me 'January' for the return. If that's true, and forgive me for not really believing anything they tell me, I'll have been without the battery for 3 months. It's less than a year from new.
I only hope the new CEO and new Operations Manager appointments means that someone realises how this rapidly growing Company is hopelessly struggling with appaling after sales care .

People ask me about my solar storage, and most say 'thank you' and strike GE off their shopping list.
It's a shame......

I have had terrible experience - Always have had to wait for more than 2 months to get things fixed, along with countless phone calls. The recurring theme is "Its anyone but Givenergy's fault"

@TheDragon (GivEnergy) I'm curious, why is water inside the battery the installers fault? Can the seals not be damaged in the factory?

Looks like all the outdoor installs will need rain/water proof covers. I'm glad my installer refused to install outside.

ispookie666

Wouldn't the installer have to remove the front panel to set DIP switches and connect the cables (Gen 2 batteries excluded)? If so, then yes the seals might not have been correctly replaced, or glands not installed properly.

Zakalwe Yes covers need to come off to connect cables on Gen1 batteries.
A rain cover is already required and shown in the install docs.

The GE installers training course run in July 2022 includes the following statement:-

'All system are IP65 meaning they can be installed outdoors.
When installing outdoors systems must be protected against direct rain, sun and snow.'

Also a picture and link to an online retailer are included, advising to 'Search for "Canopy"'.

The other consideration is exactly which model of battery is affected.
The 2.6, 5.2 and 8.2 kWh batteries require the installer to remove the cover in order to install the power and data cables, so are reliant on the installer making the cables and replacement of the cover fully waterproof.
The new 9.5 kWh batteries should not require removal of the cover as the cables are pre-made with connectors to just plug in to the sockets mounted on the left hand side.

I have got a Palram Neo 1350 over my stop-gap inverter (whilst still waiting for my 5kW Gen2 hybrid), which matches what I already had over the kitchen door.

https://www.shedstore.co.uk/palram-neo-1350-grey-twinwall-canopy-shs

After proving during some heavy rain storms, I added a length of self-adhesive door sealant strip between the canopy and the uneven brick wall to fill the variable gap of around 2 to 6 mm.

Plus in readiness for the Summer, the canopy had a sheet of solar film fitted on the top surface.
https://www.abodewindowfilms.co.uk/product/high-reflective-silver-window-film/
The 90 cm width suited, with 3m length to be able to cover both 1350 canopies.

As the GE battery will be installed close to the ground, so may be subject to driving rain passing under the canopy, I have some ideas for mounting some garden trellis across the front that can hide whatever protection is needed for the different seasons of the year.

Simon_C
2m wide here for much less cost
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panana-Shelter-Outdoor-Window%EF%BC%8C82x100-GSAW05/dp/B0BJDJ8WYH/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2JTJK8R341C5H&keywords=Twinwall%2BDoor%2BCanopy&qid=1671525104&s=kitchen&sprefix=twinwall%2Bdoor%2Bcanopy%2Ckitchen%2C185&sr=1-6-catcorr&th=1

Well this install is going to be interesting to see after a few years as this company did not follow that advice...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUfA1pVNu4

Simon_C 'All system are IP65 meaning they can be installed outdoors.
When installing outdoors systems must be protected against direct rain, sun and snow.'

M_J Oh wow, mounted externally on the 1st floor above (presumably) a conservatory was a bold move!

mike1721 Hi Mike, pretty certain it wasn't us that went out to this. We don't come out to jobs without getting them booked in first, as if we were to just randomly turn up you'd probably not be in, which is just a waste of time for everyone involved! I've asked one of our tech support team to look into it, but regardless if there is no canopy fitted outside, we'd need that to be erected before any remedial work is done otherwise the same issue is likely to arise again.