[RE-wrenches] What's the right action?

[North Texas Renewable Energy Inc]

   OK you have been dollars ahead ever since you put the batteries back into
inventory. So sell him his batteries at the cost he paid you, charge the $20
core charge and you still come out ahead. Unless you had a big battery sale
on account of your good fortune, you're still dollars ahead in 2011.
  You can't buy good will from customers but its value is still always worth
having. This is why the IRS won't let you count it as an asset.

  my 2c
  Jim Duncan


   On Oct 6, 2011, at 3:32 AM, Allan Sindelar wrote:


    OK, here's one way off the beaten path.

    I live in an historic offgrid rural neighborhood of eccentrics. Makes
for quite rewarding life and work. In 2003 a neighbor came to me for a
system. His budget was $6K and needs were modest. He didn't want
installation, would install it himself. We built a system on a plywood panel
with DR2424 and XP250, DC175, SunSaver, Tri-Met, with all proper
disconnects, prewired with connection points labeled. Array was two SX150s
on a pole-top rack, and it used eight golf carts; a good budget system for
that time. Phil Undercuffler (of Outback now) did the work well. The
neighbor was pleased with the result and took the system home with him
except for the batteries. Paid in full, check was good (as they virtually
always are).

    He never came back for the batteries. We saw each other periodically,
and after once or twice I stopped asking about them, figured he had his
reasons. Golf carts are the only batteries we routinely stock, and his were
eventually rotated back into stock to keep it fresh, so no special-order
loss there. Last week we passed on our "road" and he stopped me to ask for
the dimensions for the battery box he was about to build, and said he'd be
in touch to get the batteries.

    In 2003 golf carts were $75 and cores kept the beer fund stocked in good
weather. Today they're $150 exchange, with a $20 core value. So I'm posting
to get preemptive guidance when he comes for his batteries.

    It seems the most straightforward approach is to simply tell him the
current cost of the batteries and offer to apply the $600 he paid in 2003
toward the current cost for eight without core exchange. He won't be
expecting to fork out an extra $760. I'd like to keep him satisfied, and can
see at least eight different ways to approach this, all justifiable and none
ideal.

    Has this ever happened to you? What would you do, that's fair,
equitable, and is likely to keep a reasonable customer happy?

    I'll post what eventually happens when it's done. Of course, that could
be another eight years.

    Thanks, Allan

    --
    Allan Sindelar
    Allan at positiveenergysolar.com
    NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer
    NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional
    New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician
    Positive Energy, Inc.
    3201 Calle Marie
    Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507
    505 424-1112
    www.positiveenergysolar.com





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