Purchased five (5) 12V/100Ah AGM Super Cycle from an authorized dealer of both my pleasure craft and Victron, ie: total installation was under dealer’s responsibility. Less than 6 months in use, 4 out of 5 batteries are totally deformed and therefore unusable. Since 2 of the batteries were used for engine startup and another 2 for service, and no shore power ever being used, this strongly suggests an issue with the actual batteries.
I filed a warranty claim 6 weeks ago and got a couple of email questions from the local Victron dealer asking for pictures and similar details but received no further feedback on a path to resolution. On a followup email to the local dealer I was told to ‘wait’. What am I waiting for?
Very disappointed in the brand which prides itself in customer service.
Any suggestions on a path to escalation would be appreciated.
guystewart
(Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager))
2
4/5 batteries failing is well above the expected failure rate. To me this indicates to there is something about the installation, or that has occurred after the installation rather than something that occurred during manufacturing that has caused the failure.
Who’s responsible for the installation is possibly what is being discussed.
The next step for you to strengthen your warranty claim would be to complete this pre-RMA form. This is normally done by the dealer where you are applying for warranty on your behalf, but if you feel that the process is not happening as normal, it is something you can do yourself;
Battery warranty can be difficult because it’s so easy to damage a battery (a single uncontrolled overvoltage event can be enough) so having as much information, photos, configuration settings, history, etc as possible is important to support the claim.
Another step to at least lodge the issue with Victron would be to submit a support ticket, this is a bit unnecessary as it will likely just contact the person you have already contacted, but then it’s via Victron so there is a record with us.
Thanks for the feedback. I have lodged a support ticket with Victron who regularly sends me an automated email asking if I am happy with the outcome or if, as in my case, the issue is still unresolved. Been going on for 6 weeks now and nothing much is happening…Is there not an escalation path within Victron, perhaps an individual’s email or (G-d forbid) phone contact to talk to a human?
guystewart
(Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager))
4
The next human would be the Victron regional sales manager, their contact details are at the bottom of this page here: Contact - Victron Energy