Switching Dealers for Warranty Repair

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boatguy asked Jan 31, '24

Switching Dealers for Warranty Repair

Hi. I’m hoping someone can help me get in touch with Victron support/warranty department. Here is the situation as it stands.

I have a MultiPlus-II 12/3000/120-50 2x120V. It was installed in our RV specifically to power my wife’s medical equipment in the event of a power outage. It also allows our residential refrigerator to operate when we are travelling. It has suddenly stopped working with very peculiar results. There is 12V power to or from the inverter. After checking and verifying the fuse from the battery bank I can safely say the problem is in the inverter itself. When 120 is disconnected, the entire unit is dead. No 12V at all. Software has been updated, and all settings saved. Nothing has been added or changed in the system. The 12V side or the inverter/charger just stopped even though there is voltage from the batteries on the input terminal. I only noticed because overnight there was no current going to the batteries.

I have used the forums, and Victron support site to help diagnose the problem. So far at this point everything has pointed to it being an internal issue in the inverter. I used the Victron Support form and provided the serial number which showed it was purchased on July 9, 2021. It listed the dealer I purchased from in Canada and sent us both an email. I have also emailed and contacted the dealer but getting no response. I am currently in Florida for 3 more months. Since I can’t be without the inverter I called my local Victron Dealer. They were awesome but said unless they received authorization they couldn’t do anything but sell me a new inverter. They couldn’t provide a number for any North American support, nor did they have an email address.

Im happy to by a new inverter if I knew that this one would eventually be considered a warranty exchange. I also offered to take this one out and drive it to the dealer, but they don’t do physical repairs. Im really kind of stuck and need someone from Victron to step in and help. I can provide remote access, or take the unit in, but I need some authorization to do that.

I should say that the local dealer Great Outdoor Solar has been excellent and very willing to help. The original dealer Volts Energies in Canada has been a disappointment because they won’t respond.

warranty

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kevgermany ♦♦ commented · Feb 01 at 03:33 AM

I've passed it on to Victron for you

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boatguy answered · Feb 03 at 03:33 AM

This is a humbling post to make, but I think it’s important to recognize everyone that helped. @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) Your response set me on the right path. I exchanged emails with Sales support who worked diligently behind the scenes to get me a replacement inverter sent to the closest dealer, and said they would deal with the repair of “faulty” one at a later date.

Whole this was going on, O continues through the Pre RMA bench test with the help of an electrician and a local RV tech who has the same inverter. The bench test sheet was very specific and after 3 hours of head scratching, we discovered the inverter was in fact fine and performed perfectly.

The culprit was not the fuse, which tested fine, in fact we had power on both sides. Continuity of the fuse was good. But all is not as it seemed.

With the fuse pulled we still had power on both sides of the fuse. One side was the power from the battery reading 13.6 volts, the other side was the dc charging voltage from the inverter.

What had happen was the cast metal that holds the 300 amp Tfuse had a hairline crack where the fuse bar connects. When it’s warm there is an intermittent connection, when it’s cold there is no connection.

It was one of the final bench tests where I took a spare battery and connected it directly to the inverter, eliminating bus bars, shut offs, and the fuse that showed the inverter was fine. I realize this sounds like a simple fix, and it is but diagnosing it was tricky. Once you have a notion in your head, you begin to test in such a way as to support your theory. Using an unbiased document like that pre RMA document helped a lot.

So, do I feel foolish….yes. Did I learn something….yes. I also learned that there are excellent and not excellent dealers. I learned that Victron is worth a premium because they were 100% prepared to stand behind their product. As I said it is humbling to have missed a simple solution, but thanks to everyone that helped.

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented · Feb 03 at 04:20 AM

Hi @Boatguy

Happy to hear you have found the solution, and were humble enough to follow the process diligently. Not an easy thing once the pressure is on a bit, so thanks for the integrity in responding with the full story once discovered.

The pre-RMA check list was developed after a random sampling of Victron warranty claims showed a majority of warranty claims actually had no fault found once tested on the bench. Really shockingly high.

It was a point of pride in the Victron brand that we stood by our product and honoured our warranties without causing hassles or unnecessary delays. But what that meant was that warranties were getting filed every time the system didn't work without a technician confirming it was the Victron part at fault.

It's a really delicate situation when there is an issue with the power system to balance the speed in responding and replacing and product the time it takes to perform a proper methodical test on a known working bench.

Once again, happy to hear you found the real cause, and appreciate the feedback on the experience, I'll pass it on to the person who developed the Pre-RMA test, they will be pleased it's working as intended.

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kevgermany ♦♦ commented · Feb 03 at 09:54 PM

Great to hear it's sorted out. Really grateful you updated us, will help others. Reminds me a bit of my days in IT. Obscure little problem that is an easy fix, but a devil to find.

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Answer 1 · 2024-02-01T03:47:00Z

Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered · Feb 01 at 03:47 AM

Hi @Boatguy,

So far it sounds like you've done everything by the book, so thanks for that.

A Victron distributor is required to initiate an RMA claim, but it does not depend on your place of original purchase or special authorisation from Victron. There are many cases were a dealer will want to refer back to the original place of purchase either as a courtesy or because they are usually in the best position to understand the system as a whole.

However via our system any distributor is able to begin the RMA process at any time with the product serial number, and all dealers have a contact to do this.

One last thing I would suggest before pressing the local Victron dealer is to attempt this pre-RMA checklist, and then print it out and supply it to them. It shows you're genuine in your efforts and that the product is most likely faulty (if that is the outcome of the procedure).

https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Pre-RMA_Bench_Test_Instructions/en/pre-rma-test-form---inverter-charger.html

This is not yet at the stage where Victron needs to intervene further in the process, if you are certain that the product has manufacturing fault that is covered by warranty, then persist with the nearest Victron dealer to begin the RMA process on your behalf.

You should also receive a follow up email at some point from your Support Form enquiry asking how it went - that is your opportunity to make sure your feelings on the original dealers support level is recorded within the support system.

(edited to clarify a few things)

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