Victron support - unacceptable!

[adambant (Adam Roberts)]

I just finished a very similar sounding installation. Started on it last June 2025 and finally got it resolved and working perfectly few weeks ago. My vendor, one of the largest Victron dealers in the US, while they have decent support staff that can answer about 90% of my questions, it was that last 10% that they got hung up on. I was asking a simple “yes” or “no” is this configuration possible question. It took them months to get back to me with a semi-sorta-answer. I had poured over every document available, on the community here and all of Victron’s docs. I was seeing conflicting information about two different ways it should be connected. I could not get a definitive answer from the dealer support, they kept telling me “yes” it SHOULD be able to be done the way I was attempting to configure it, but also in the same breath told me they had no real world examples where they knew someone that had a configuration like I was attempting. Needless to say through MUCH trial and error and testing, and re-reading.. I finally got it sorted out the way I wanted it all to work. BIG relief as my client was starting to think I was crazy. Turns out the way I initially configured everything it should have worked, but due to a bad connection and a blown fuse I was unaware of until later in the process, it was causing very strange errors that was complicating my troubleshooting steps. After giving it a rest for a few weeks I went back and tried again and pushed through all the last steps to get it running as expected.

I would say after all the missteps, errors, re-configurations etc I went through, I am probably more knowledgable than my vender tech support now, as I ended up giving them a full report of my setup and what it took to get it running.

Short version of the configuration.

1. 2 Multiplus IIs 48/15000 230V in parallel feeding into a 100A Autotransformer for 120v/120v split phase output, SmartSolar MPPT RS 200A, 60kW battery.

2. Non-grid tied but grid fed from U.S. 240v through contactor to MPIIs A/C IN.

3. Manual transfer switch to switch house from “off grid” to “on grid”.

If house is “on grid” either for maintenance or very low battery, Victron system can still charge from grid. But in reality if battery drops below 15% it closes contactor for A/C IN to MPIIs and it charges while it closes another contactor to do the A/C OUT to grid connection. So it is grid fed which acts as a generator but not grid tied, which would backfeed grid.

Adam

[Chander]

Holy crap!

Take care my friend - I really don’t understand why you have been subjected to so many condescending and patronising responses.

As far as I can see you made a perfectly reasonable observation given Victron encourage their products to be sold to professional and domestic customers.

Under the circumstances they could at the very least point you towards a company-maintained knowledge-base, and not just fob you off with navigating the hostile user forum.

Suerte.

[ESSGobel]

I did, was moved to other languages - germany. → and moved back to show us your systems

[Jeroen2 (Jeroen Kuijf)]

Good afternoon Essglobal,

As an installer, since my college working on Victrons and all other concurrent brands, my experience is 100% positive about Victron.

The concurrent brands cannot even give the service provided as Victron does, even so this forum which solves, tests, has new ideas, etc, and most is solved here and gives Victron stimulation to change firmware etc.

As said above, it’s not LEGO, when you install your own system, whatever the reason, it’s your own responsibility and luckily you have this great forum to ask around.

Here, in a 350Km radius, is no engineer installer or elec with the caliber I have, and that’s worldwide a bit the same, engineering a system will cost me time and before mounting and then commissioning a system all parts I have to order and must be correct, and yes, that is costing, a one day commissioning only will set you back about 400 euro without travel, which is a quite normal price.

Then, when you buy everything from a Victron installer, they will give you a discount normally, covering the engineering costs mostly, so, brake even and the install runs perfectly from day one.

Today, indeed, you can buy all Victron equipment from internet shops, sometimes quite cheap, but, no support whatsoever, these companies are just vendors, you cannot compare such company to an installer company with all training from Victron in and out.

Well, I think the point is made clear here, do not blame Victron, blame yourself when doing things yourself.

Regards, Jeroen.

[davinrhall (Davin)]

Has smart experience with dealer on warranty. Took forever. I paid shipping there and they wanted me to pay to return. Hell no! It’s warrantied. So they eventually sent it. Had I paid I woulda had $100 in a $170 product! $50 each direction.

[MichaelGaarde]

I can attest to the the lack of support I have send multiple reminders for a simple question, but NO response.

[RobDuthie]

I think Victron dealers should have better support and have trained service people to advise as part of there service to sell there equiement, not just shift boxes, Victron needs mto vet these resellers, if they cant supply this service even if they have a charge to it.

Here in NZ there are some with poor service, and some with very good service, they charge extra for the victron gear but comes with backup. Then Victron takes away the dealers with good service and gives it way to just box shifters, Victron know who i am talking about, It all polical here in NZ, Victron you being told!!!

[Anitar (Anita)]

Here the same, asked questions, but no response.

[Albertk]

I did a lot of studying before buying my equipment at a reputable reseller/installer. When buying I asked what the conditions were to get support if needed. The answer was that they could send someone at a certain hourly rate to help. For me this was OK so I ordered the equipment knowing that, if needed, I would get support. It all worked out fine and in the end I knew enough to finish my project without the help of the company. While preparing I was really happy to find a lot of detailed information on the Victron website, the Victron forum and also a lot of youtube films. A lot of competitors don’t document their equipment as well as Victron. If you are not ready to study yourself just use AI, they always provide an answer (not sure about the quality though) It is always easy to complain, it is much harder to invest yourself in your project and find the solution yourself.

[SES]

Perhaps your reply to the OP is based on correspondence that occurred in another thread, however, reading your reply as a stand-alone response to this thread alone absolutely does read as a personal attack on the OP.

It appears there are various assumptions made about the OP, their installation and the issue(s) they are facing that could very easily be unfair and unfounded. Unfortunately I see a lot of this sort of overly defensive response on this community when people have legitimate frustrations with Victron’s business model for product support.

I have worked with Victron equipment for a number of years now (as a system designer and installer) and I understand the reasons and motivation for the chosen method of providing support to installers and customers, however the fact is that these business decisions do result in Victron outsourcing BOTH product support AND responsibility for maintaining their reputation in the marketplace.

If a dealer can’t/won’t provide crucial information that is missing from Victron’s documentation, or solve a genuine problem with functionality that has been discovered, then access to Victron’s R&D engineering team who are the only ones (even within Victron itself) with the necessary understanding of the internal workings of the products is usually ZERO. On random occasions Matthijs will spot a thread on here and respond personally (which is amazing), but it does not ensure genuine issues are consistently resolved in a timely and satisfactory manner.

In my experience dealers don’t consistently get answers to questions they send up the chain to Victron and dealers’ number one priority is obviously to focus on making sales, not expending lots of energy chasing answers to support questions sent to one individual supplier/manufacturer out of dozens of they purchase stock from. It is not easy to consistently get a satisfactory response to valid technical queries.

When die-hard Victron fans in this community get defensive on Victron’s behalf and try to shift the blame onto the person who attempts to raise a legitimate issue on here all it does is discourage anybody else from seeking support via this community. Yes the OP was venting frustration rather than describing a technical issue to resolve in this thread, but that frustration with the flaws and limitations of the business model for support is also a valid issue in its own right and happens often enough that Victron should pay attention to this as is does affect their reputation in the marketplace.

[Jeroen2 (Jeroen Kuijf)]

Good evening,

I do not know where everybody is living exactly in this topic, but one thing I can say;

Indeed when you buy from these fake internet companies showing they are inverter specialists, if a fail in equipment, the only thing you can do is to make an RMA through a real dealer, and then, hopefully the main office will accept, if not, you have no grounds on the warrantee, specially with self installs of course, common sense.

But, guys, please, why didn’t you check the Victron site, service points, sales points, etc before buying, it is all there, and if in doubt, call or mail, easy!

So, for the issues I see above, not one person tells where they bought the parts from in detail, but be aware, as soon as the main office or distributer receives your RMA and so the part number involved, it is registered already before when it was delivered to which country and company….

Did you register your warrantee through this sales company, no, Oeps….

When that company is not giving you then the desired outcome (making a basic RMA), that’s not to claim to the main office, it was your own choice not to look for a proper service point but buy it from a box mover internet company as it was there a couple of cents cheaper….

Example, you buy an iPhone in a real iPhone shop, 1500euro, the same I can buy on the internet for 1200euro, within warrantee it’s now broken, what does iPhone say when you bring it to the official shop, it was never registered on the sales day, no warrantee, even with your purchase ticket, iPhone tells you to send it back to where you bought it from….all companies do the same and are legally correct with that…AND…Victron is not so bad with that and sell you the same product under coulance, and you pay for a new one about half of it, when it is not repairable for example and bought from a non registered place (so to say), very nice service.

I (we) repair, service, maintain all brands of inverters/batteries on IMO vessels and shore installs (which is just a byside of our core business actually), Victron is the last we have issues with, and after 42 years in this service, easy to repair, almost bullet proof, you better believe me, AND, I’m not a Victron fan as many think that from me, no, its a just part of my work and just know all brands, but, as said also, these blue boxes can do strange things, , other brands even more, .

With the very best regards, Jeroen.