[RE-wrenches] Enphase Recall?

[William Miller]

Peter:

I have no problem separating those statements that can be supported by fact 
checking and those that are open to interpretation.  A recall should have 
some public record, so if a representative says there has been none, I tend 
to belive it.  I don't know or care what their expectations are, but I am 
always concerned about a new manufacturer and a new product.

Here is what I think is the biggest problem with the whole concept:  99.99% 
of our warranty repairs are on inverters.  I have no desire to peel up a 
row of modules to get to a bad inverter.  Since I rebuilt my first Rambler, 
I have always known the maxim that accessibility is a key component of the 
mechanics of any design, and the Enphase violates that maxim.

I want to wait and see what the Enphase product reliability is before I 
make a big commitment.  In the meantime, there is some pressure to install 
these.  Our response is to continue to use "bottom-up" installation 
techniques adapted to the Enphase so we can get to the inverters when or if 
needed.

William Miller


At 10:35 AM 6/19/2009, you wrote:
>Mr. Welch et al,
>
>I am personally embarrassed by this thread. First, it is at its best rumor 
>mongering. Don't get me wrong, a little mongering often is the first step 
>in teasing out the truth. So, we need to quickly move from mongering to 
>the facts.
>
>What really bothers me is Marv's participation. Marv works for EnPhase and 
>therefore is biased. Is he otherwise qualified to be on this list?
>
>Let me parse one of his statements (see below). Remember, we are talking 
>about a possible "recall". Marv uses his post to prattle on about:
>
>"Demand has far exceeded our expectations.  This has led to challenges 
>with product availability which may have resulted in misinformation in the 
>field."
>
>The first sentence is a bit of well crafted propaganda. The first problem 
>EnPhase had is that they discontinued one product, without sufficient 
>notice to their supply chain. This resulted in unfulfilled orders, sore 
>distributors, aggravated installers and irate customers. As to 
>"expectations" we can only guess whether the statement is factual, as we 
>are not privy to EnPhase's expectations.
>
>The second statement about [demand exceeding expectations leading to] 
>"challenges with product availability" is also misleading. Lack of [new] 
>product availability was a consequence to a problematic transition to a 
>contract manufacturer. So Enphase could not longer deliver the old product 
>and was not able to deliver the new product either. Under the 
>circumstances, they couldn't fulfill a single order.
>
>Finally, if Marv is talking about a "recall" being "misinformation in the 
>field", he may be correct in so stating. But that's about it.
>
>I honestly don't know if we can filter marketing (i.e. propaganda) 
>statements from manufacturer representatives, Michael Welch's job is tough 
>enough. So if Marv and others are qualified to post self-serving 
>statements about their Company's products, maybe all we can do is to 
>comment on them when we read them.
>
>Is anyone as bothered about this as I am?
>
>- Peter
>
>
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