Go Power! Has Great Customer Service!

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Born2Explore

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So as some of you know my wife and I recently upgraded to our wonderful Savana Van. Well the van came pretty much completely built out. Part of that build included a 200W 11.2A solar set up on the hi-top. 
And by that I mean...
(2) Two 100 Watt Go Power! Flexible Mono Crystalline Solar Panels (rated to draw a max of 11.2 Amps I think)
(2) Two Basic Deep Cycle Batteries from Napa Auto Parts (w/ 175 minute reserve capacity; sorry don't know the AH rating)
(1) One 30 Amp Go Power! PWM Solar Controller

Everything electrically was working amazing in the van UNTIL I really started checking into the incoming charge from the Solar Panels. In Florida, on a perfectly clear day, from 11:30am - 2:30pm the highest incoming Amps I was receiving from the panels was 1.4 Amps. I tried everything to check why this was happening... I drained the batteries to 50%, parked in direct sunlight, cleaned the panels TWICE on two separate days with warm soapy water... I opened up the charge controller and checked the incoming Volts and Amps from the panel directly with a multi-meter. After trouble shooting everything I could think of for about a week, I realized that my panels were actually starting to delaminate, they had gotten a haze to them and the top layer was actually flaking off. The previous owner of the van had parked it stationary under a bunch of trees... when we bought it, there was a mess of black, soggy, gunk all over the roof from stuff that fell from the trees in the rain and then just sat on the panels.... for MONTHS!

So anyway, I eventually came to the conclusion that the solar panels themselves were the problem... I was beginning to talk my wife into letting me spend another couple of hundred dollars on replacement solar panels, and I figured I should probably buy the same ones that were originally up there just so I wouldn't have to adjust anything else in the system. So I was checking out the Go Power! website, and saw that the panels had a 5 year warranty. Our van was converted in 2014, so the panels were 3 years old. 

I sent an email to their customer service department explaining the issue, and received a reply from an actual person 2 hours later. I sent them detailed pictures of each panel, and by 5pm that SAME DAY I had confirmation that they were shipping me two brand new panels! That was on a Friday, the following Monday I had a tracking number for the shipment. My next thought, however, was how in the world am I going to return the old panels! They are literally adhered directly to the hi-top, how am I going to rip those things off... So I reached back out to the customer service staff, and they informed that they do NOT need the old panels to be returned, and even gave a few tips on how to mount the new panels once they arrived. As of yesterday, the new panels are mounted and reconnected. After checking them in PARTIAL/CLOUDY sunlight around noon today, they are bringing in 7 Amps. I will check them again on a clear day in full sunlight and reply with an updated reading.

All of the interaction I had with the company was though email, I never spoke with anyone on the phone. But I can imagine they are just as nice and helpful!

Go Power! is a company that stands behind their product! (I have no affiliation/sponsorship with Go Power!, in fact, they don't even know I am writing this review)
I am sure some of you are thinking (I would be thinking the same thing), "well, if the panels were any good, they wouldn't have stopped working in the first place!" Well I think that is hard to say, but my input would be this; in the 3 years the panels were on the roof, they were never cleaned, and in fact, sat parked under a tree and were coated with soggy debris. I personally believe this is what caused the delamination, and I am sure the new panels I received will last MUCH longer as I will personally be making sure they are free and clear of debris.

For those interested, I will post an Amazon link to the panels and controller that I have. Please note, this link is NOT an affiliate link. I gain NOTHING if you click the link or buy the panel. :)
https://www.amazon.com/Go-Power-GP-...243&sr=8-2&keywords=go+power+solar+panel+100w
 
Thnx for the review Born2Explore. Very nice to hear they backed their products!
 
I choose GoPower components after extensive research due to their customer service I saw evidence of while plowing through the reviews. My own experience with tech support has also been excellent...glad to hear yours' was too!

GoPower is very competitive in pricing of inverters...this is the first time I've seen panels with their name on it. Given the durability problems flex panels are having (Renogy basically refunded everyone's money and withdrew from the market), the price tag is understandable from a company that stands behind their name...they probably accept that many panels they sell that are re-badged with GoPower! will end up under warranty replacement.
 
John61CT said:
Crazy pricing though,  double market IMO

Yea, I would guess that two main things factor into that. One is the fact that these are quality flexible panels, and there doesn't seem to be a ton of quality flexible panels out there right now. And for some people, the flexible panels are the only way to go. And second would be as BradKW said, having a company that stands behind their product, no questions asked, is worth something too.
 
Do you get same kind of service if you order from Amazon? Or only if you order straight from them?
 
sometimesido said:
Do you get same kind of service if you order from Amazon? Or only if you order straight from them?

Great question! I thought the same... and if you look at some of the reviews that people left on Amazon, the Go Power! folks (Manufacturer) replied to their comments! So I would say, YES! The company seems very active, even on Amazon.
 
Born2Explore said:
our wonderful Savana Van.
200W 11.2A solar set up on the hi-top
(2) Two 100 Watt Go Power! Flexible Mono Crystalline Solar Panels (rated to draw a max of 11.2 Amps I think)
(2) Two Basic Deep Cycle Batteries from Napa Auto Parts (w/ 175 minute reserve capacity; sorry don't know the AH rating)
(1) One 30 Amp Go Power! PWM Solar Controller
 Go Power! website, and saw that the panels had a 5 year warranty.
 As of yesterday, the new panels are mounted and reconnected. After checking them in PARTIAL/CLOUDY sunlight around noon today, they are bringing in 7 Amps. I will check them again on a clear day in full sunlight and reply with an updated reading.

Go Power! is a company that stands behind their product! 

3 years the panels were on the roof, they were never cleaned, and in fact, sat parked under a tree and were coated with soggy debris. I personally believe this is what caused the delamination, and I am sure the new panels I received will last MUCH longer as I will personally be making sure they are free and clear of debris.

I AGREE!  Thank you for the write up!  I appreciate it.  Can I quote you?  I think I am going to start a research file on solar panels before I buy as we have a lot to do before we get to that part and any improvements we can build into the project to accommodate the right setup would be beneficial.  And getting a quality product is a plus.

For those interested, I will post an Amazon link to the panels and controller that I have. Please note, this link is NOT an affiliate link. I gain NOTHING if you click the link or buy the panel. :)
https://www.amazon.com/Go-Power-GP-...243&sr=8-2&keywords=go+power+solar+panel+100w
 
The link takes me to their site but I only see the 100 watt with the 30 amp charge controller.

I need a kit that lets me take four 100 watt panels (or plus 100 watt if available and affordable at the time) and hook them all together and later is easily replaced if one is damaged or lost.

Anyone?
 
100 watt panel with charge controller for $500...lol
 
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