"I purchased lights and am pretty sure they were in stock as I ordered (I don't order when not in stock) and an e-mail was sent a couple of days later saying they weren't in stock and w/b backordered 3/4 weeks! This after they had already processed the invoice and charged Pay Pal, so of course they had my money for this time. On 5/31/08 I gave them 24hrs (1 business day) to respond as to when I would receive or I was going to cancil the order. No response was ever given. Upon checking the website; however I noted that the item I was purchasing showed in stock. Also checking the order status showed it had been cancelled (w/o any e-mail response) It didn't matter though as I had already called the credit company and they were crediting my account. I will not do any business w/them again and would recommend no one else does eithe!"

"I should SO have read these reviews before I bought something - because now I'm paying for Silicon Solar's bad service.

I wanted to return part of my order. Tried to do it online twice - no response. Called customer service, who said they had no record of online notification, told her I wanted to return, never got an authorization number. Called AGAIN and they had no record of my earlier call either. 4th try I got a return authorization number, but since they had screwed up so many times I was past the two week period in which I could get my money back so I only get store credit. Excuse me? Whose fault was that?? Essentially, this is fraud. Their system doesn't work and they're keeping my money anyway.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!! Bad products, bad service. What more can I say?"

"We bought a solar fountain pump plus solar panel. After a few months the pump broke. I bought a new pump and the new pump broke after less than 1 month. They refused to take the pump back because it had been "used".

"

"We returned a partial order as per their directions. They sent us an additional item we did not order. When they got the items we could not get the credit on our card for any of the returned items even though we followed their return directions. They do not respond to calls or e-mails. Just kept the products and our expense.
I rate this company a "0". What an embarressment for the state of New York and any on-line businesess. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM!"

"Oh my gosh, where do I begin with this company. First of all, the item took forever to receive, then the piece of crap came with no instructions (were told to just go to the website and look it up). Worked for a month ... contacted cust serv ... told to fix it ourselves by doing different things to it. Got it working for 2 days, broke again. Contacted Cust Serv. (VERY RUDE) was told to send it back (pay our own shipping - came out to $25) and they will send me a new and improved one ...although I don't know why they did not send me the new and improved one in the first place when I only ordered it 2 months prior. Now they've received the item and I'm told I've got to pay more for them to replace it with the new unit. I have never dealt with a company like this before and hopefully will never have to again. Warning ...DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!"

"VERY POOR QUALITY on all accounts. We bought numerous items.

While ordering, we were told that they shipped "next day." After placing our order, however, we were told that the items would be shipped in "about a week" because they "hand-make" each item. What a crock.

Night & Day Solar Fountain Pump Kit #04-1185 $78(Pond-pumps)- the ones shown pumping towering fountains up in front of a big executive office building. Adequate for a tiny 1-gallon aquarium or fountain, in reality. The plug-in jacks both had haze-corroded grounding-contacts-- not quite fresh and "hand-made" (the one jack ground broke off after about 3 days). The pumps both clogged within 24 hours, and stopped working despite daily cleaning, within 2 days on one and a week on the other. CRAP.

Floating Solar Lights (Blue) 04-1058 $19.95- about the only items which worked, for a good period of time-- almost a year, and then they leaked with water, and died. Very nice items, attractive eye-catchers floating in our ponds which got a lot of comments. Too bad they die after a year at $19.95 each.

I immediately emailed Silicon Solar after discovering the hazed corrosion on the pond-pump solar units. We got some vague reply, promising to respond shortly, and also telling us that we could also use their online support-form. Then the pumps died. We wrote again. Still no reply. We never did get any replies despite numerous complaints to them.

Summary-- lots of nice products, it would almost seem from their website. Quality-- mostly ABYSMAL and most not as-described. Customer service-- ABYSMAL. Ethics of business-- ABYSMAL.
"

"This company lied to me more than once!
On 5-8-07 my daughter & I purchased a solar castle fountain from Silicon Solar for a mother's day gift.It arrived with no instructions.We set it up and it worked great, we absolutely loved it.Two weeks later it quit working & called SS for support.They had me try several things with no results.SS had me return it at my expense to be repaired.It was returned to me with a note from JOSH saying he found nothing wrong with it.The fountain worked wonderful for 5 days then totally quit again.I called several times about this issue but I kept getting the run around.Their after hrs. phone service is terrible, I either manage to get put on hold or eventually get cut off.They also suggest calling an after hrs. number in Cal. ***-***-**** NO ON EVER ANSWERS.After quitting work early on several occasions just to talk to these people I realize I was getting nowhere so I told them I felt I received defective merchandise and want to send the fountain back.Now all of a sudden I was told that the pump for these fountains are bad and they will send a new one the next day. They said nothing about reimbursing me for sending the fountain back for repair.Questioning the integrity of this co. I googled Silicon Solar reviews and ended up at this site: Resellerratings.com. WOW!This is the worst ratings for a co. I have ever seen!Now to make matters worse the paint is coming off the basin of the fountain.I no longer trust this co. so I start asking for names whenever I call.2 days later I called & TAMMY said the pump was sent & gave me a tracking #.Aug.2 over 1 wk. later still no pump.I call & get JESSICA.Again I explain my issue & ask where this pump is.She reads of my situation on her her computer but when it came to the pump, she would not answer ANY of my questions.JESSICA did not want to talk to me about my problems.I was put on hold to be connected to another co. rep. LISA. I again informed LISA of my situation & she told me no pump was ever sent to me.Not only that but she would not give me ANY info. as to why!LISA was rude to me and told me to call another day.I told her that I have to take off work to make these calls.She did not care & told me to go online to Silicon Solar to post my issues.I then told LISA that the product I purchased was defective(they admitted that)& the paint was coming off the basin & I wanted to return it as I have had enough.LISA absolutely refused to honor my request.As of 8-10 I have received nothing from this co. No pump, no info. regarding my issues,no forms pertaining to returning the fountain & getting money back.Since this fountain was a gift I made one last effort to try and just order the top part of the fountain as that is where my problem is.I contacted sales expecting to get Stephanie but she quit.I got a very nice lady, Marilyn.She regretted to tell me that the fountain can only be sold as a total unit.Marilyn seemed very concerned about my situation and told me she was sorry.I told her that she was the only person in this co. I talked to that seemed to care about my situation and thanked her.Too bad she is quitting next week.I am 52 yrs. old and dealt with hundreds of companies and Silicon Solar is absolutely the worst co. I have ever dealt with!As I sit here and write this review I wonder why I can get so upset & frustrated over a $177 fountain.But then I realize it is not about the fountain or the money.It is totally about the morals, values and integrity of a co. and the people within. I filed a complaint with the New York Better Business Bureau about this co. & encourage all of you unsatisfied people to do the same.It is easy and all done online.I am also contacting the New York Attorney General about my situation. VERY DISSATISFIED does not even come close to how I feel about this greedy company."

"I ordered a solar briefcase battery charger late on a Saturday night. SSI started to process the order Monday (that's expected). They left a cryptic phone message (on my home phone) about not being able to process the order and that I should call to discuss options. I was out of town Monday and Tuesday but responded to them on Wednesday. Apparently there was a computer problem with Mastercard and VISA not being able to process the transaction. I gave them my AMEX card. I paid for 2nd day air from DHL in hopes I would receive it that week. They shipped it through DHL on Thursday and it was left on my porch on Monday. I was at a Boy Scout Camp for the week. I opened the box the following Saturday to find the glass on the solar panels broken. Packaging was so minimal that in my opinion it was not suitable for protecting the product during shipping. I called customer service and they said DHL has a 48 hour limit on filing a claim. I called DHL and they told me they have a 15 day limit. I called back SSI and they submitted a claim to DHL on July 31. I received 1 email from Tammy telling me that the claim was submitted and that they are waiting to hear back from DHL and to email or call he in a couple days. (I am cool with that so far) I have emailed Tammy back 4 times so far (once per day) to ask for the status and to inquire if they will send me an "intact" product regardless of what DHL says since my contract is with them and DHL never gave me the opportunity to inspect the package (which I could have easily done as Scout Camp was only 30 minutes away). I called today and asked someone at SSI if I could talk to Tammy's manager and was told by one of Tammy's underlings that the Managers don't talk to the customers. That was Tammy's job ( who was out of teh office this week by the way) I was told she did not have time to listen to me complain and that I needed to contact Tammy when she got back. Isn't customer service great! I thought I was shopping at Nordstroms! So I am still waiting to hear back from Tammy and see if they will do the right thing."

"I ordered a solar birdbath fountain on May 13, 2007. The fountain arrived promptly, looked great and worked well…for about six days. I contacted Silicon Solar and sent the top part of the fountain back for repair. On July 3, I received an email indicating that the part was out of stock and would be available in three weeks. It is now August 7 and I still have not received the replacment part.

This morning I placed a call to customer service and was greeted by impatient, rude and condescending customer service representatives. Lisa, in particular, practically yelled at me - despite my calm demeanor and perfectly rational inquiry regarding when my fountain (paid in full in May) would be functional. I am frustrated that it will be at least three, and more likely four months since I've purchased the fountain until it will be fully operational. If I had known this, or been able to return the product, I could have been enjoying a water feature in my yard rather than typing this complaint.

These are valid frustrations and should be recognized by the company as such. Moreover, I am truly disappointed and furious with the customer “service” I received when inquired about the status of the replacement part.

I am a paying customer of Silicon Solar and do not deserve to be spoken to in the tones used by Jessica, and particularly Lisa, this morning. The responsibility for delivering functional goods rests with the company, not with the customer, and your customer service department should recognize and respect that. Never in my life have I been treated so rudely and I do not appreciate the tone, condescending nature and harsh words that were spoken, and practically yelled at me, by Lisa and Jessica. I recognize that customer service is a difficult job, and I feel that I was acting rationally and proposed several options to enable me to have a functional water feature in my garden. I did nothing to prompt the severe tone, and hope that Silicon Solar finds a more customer-friendly manner of conducting business.

While I commend the Farrell brothers on an innovative and exciting business, I hope they will work with their customer service department so as not to alienate and offend their customers. There are many opportunities a business has to redeem itself in the eyes of disappointed customers – I Silicon Solar chooses to employ one of them.
"

"i have no invoice as this company does not respond to telephone or email.Tried to order with credit card only take am ex.canceled order.after reading other accounts glad my order did not go through"

"Crap. Times two. I bought two of these AquaJet fountains. One stopped working within two days. For what I spent, I was appalled at the cheap, cheap, cheap poor quality of the pumps. As I feared, the pumps had a very short life.

Customer service was horrendous--rude and difficult. I was allowed to return the pump at my OWN expense, although after I got the RMA number, I received an email saying my claim was now closed because it had been 72 hours and Silicon Solar hadn't heard back from me. WHAT???? There was nothing in their correspondence about contacting them--only that I should put the RMA on the shipping box. After three weeks, a replacement pump came without a note, shipping paper work or apology.

The second pump died a week later. I refuse to pay from my own pocket--again--to return this junk that will only be replaced with the same crappy junk. I can't face another contentious go-around with Silicon Solar's customer non-service department.

From start to finish, I am DISGUSTED with Silicon Solar and my experience with them."

"They have the worst customer service, but the best money making skills ...thanks for nothing silicon solar.
My story is to long,it sounds just like the others and has wasted too much of my time my time
In the end I am glad because my future took a turn for the better because of their incompetence
and dishonesty........................................................................................"

"UPDATE: Well, the second fountain was refused and returned to them July 10. Today I get an email stating they've given me a store credit for $99.95. When I called about this, I was given three different reasons why I was given credit and a full refund to my account. First was they said the fountain returned damage. Then they changed it to the first found was damage (which was returned to them by DHL for hazardous materials issues), then I was told that some of the parts were missing. When I called back to speak with a supervisor, low and behold, there wasn't one available. When I asked what "part" was missing, the cust rep came back and told me the Day/Night Pack....which I NEVER ordered. I have submitted a fraud complaint with my bank, filed a complaint with the BBB, and submitted a complain the NY state Attorney General's office.


Wow! How is this company still in business? I have encountered many of the same problems that those before have had to deal with. My original order was returned to them by DHL becuase of a hazardous material issue (spray paint can exploded). I only discovered this after tracking my package, seeing it was delievered on the 28th back to Endell, NY. I completed an online submission questioning what had happened to my order, but never got a response. A few days later, I called and was told that it was DHL's problem, not Silicon Solar and that I needed to call them. I did that, and that is when I found out my order was returned to SS. I then call SS back and they confirmed this and told me a new one would be shipped out that day (Monday). It didn't, so I called again. This time, I was told it would be shipped out on Tuesday. I asked that my 12.50 in S&H be waived, but the CS rep said she could not do this, so I told her to cancel my order. I called back and asked to speak to a manager. I was given an email address, so I address all of these concerns to the maanger, Matt Ferrell. I was shocked when I got his response, which was full of excuses. He said SS would be happy to send me a new fountain, but would not waive shipping costs or provide any other compensation. He adviced me to go head with my order and "understand that this situation was an error by nobody but DHL" or order from another company. He also went on to state that he didn't see what the problem was or "why the problem had been exploited so high".

I found it odd he adviced me to order elsewhere, until I researched and found that almost all solar fountains come from SS. Please be careful, there are other websites by different names selling solar fountains, but most seem to be directly connected to Silicon Solar. Look at the address and phone numbers carefully before ordering. It also funny that they seem to give the same excuses to everyone that has a problem, but never seem to fix anything.


THE LATEST- After cancelling my order twice, once on the phone with a customer service rep and once via email in communication with the manager (Matt Ferrell), they still shipped it. When I called to inquire why it was shipped, I was told that I cancelled after the label had been made for shipment, which is an flat out lie. Written documentation proves. They have been told they have until Monday, July 9 to have the full amount returned to my account, or my bank will be involved.
"

" FOLLOW UP --- I have now had my solar hot water system installed and running for the past month. I am overall pleased with the performance of the product itself. The documentation, or lack there of for this system is amazing. I would have liked to see some improvement in customer responses for this company, but judging from others responses I can see that little has changed.

My recommendation for people who are looking to do business with this company is;

Get full names, Email addresses, and phone numbers of the people you are dealing with.
Get an exact list, in writing, of the product that you are purchasing. This should include itemized details of the product.
Deal with them in person, such that you can view the product BEFORE the purchase. PAY in person when you are satisfied with the product.
IF you can not deal with them in person, Goggle "alternative energy store". There are several other companies out there.

If you do encounter problems with your order, first try to work it out directly with the store. If after a brief period of time you do not reach a resolution, contact the Better Business Burrow to assist.

In either case, Please update your experience on the web, Bad or Good, so that others can learn from you.

UPDATE --- I have spoken and meet with a new individual at Silicon Solar, Jeff. As I understand that Rebecca is no longer with the company. In short Jeff was able to track down the remaining parts to complete my order and re-assure me that if I had any more problems to contact him for assistance. At this time I can state that I believe I have received my full order, they have made the attempt to fix a bad sale. I am not pleased that it has taken nearly 10 weeks to accomplish this though. The proof will be in the product and the service that I receive in the future --- as well as if they can try to fix the many other people who have had problems with their orders. I will continue to update my review as it is installed and functioning.

HISTORY ---
Unfortunately I am just another person who has not received their (complete) order from this company. I placed an order with Rebecca of Silicon Solar on April 26th, 2007 and paid in full for a large solar hot water heating system. I will update this review as my experience with this company continues, hopefully things will improve, BUT at this time ...

*** BE VERY CAUTIOUS WHEN DOING BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY ***

My Log...

I was told that the parts were on site and in stock when I placed my order (my card was charged). Since this store is somewhat local to me, I arrived to the store in Bainbridge the next day to pickup the complete order only to be told that some of the components were not in stock. I was then told that they should have the missing parts in within one to two weeks (by 5/11), and agreed to the wait. Called on 5/16 to find out why the parts were not in, Rebecca was not available or in. Called 5/17/07 spoke with Matt Brown who then told me that everything should be in by Tuesday (5/22), and we confirmed the remaining components that were due to arrive. On 5/18 I received an email and phone call from Rebecca stating that the remaining items would not be in on the 22nd but rather 5/23. On Tuesday 5/22 I did receive one box containing 1 set of reflector panels (2 sets were due), Minor damage (dents) were noted but not deemed to be un-repairable. Emailed Rebecca 5/23 asking if remaining parts were in, received a reply stating they were not. Sent an email on 5/29 asking when I might ever actually get the remaining items, received a reply from Rebecca on 5/30 stating that she is out this week and will find out more when she returns! 5/30 tried to call and speak with Matt Brown, was on hold for over an hour and never spoke with anyone in regards to my problems that day. Called back 5/31 and did speak with Matt Brown, he claims to have checked the inventory and said that they have the 10 evacuated tubes in stock and the other reflector panel and will set them aside for me. The temperature mixing valve, and two 25 tube manifolds (headers) are still not in and I was given a new ETA of June 11, 2007. 6/12 emailed Rebecca to confirm the rest of my product is in, received a reply stating that they were not in yet. 6/19 Emailed Rebecca asking for an update, received a reply from a "Dave" stating that they are waiting on the delivery of the tubes! I emailed the address back re-explaining what I was waiting on and that I have little confidence left in them. It has been over two MONTHs, this is ridiculous! I am still waiting on 1 reflector panel set for a 25 tube mainfold. 2 - 25 tube manifolds (with all appropriate mounting hardware and temperature sensor). 1 temperature mixing valve (anti-scalding valve). 10 - evacuated tubes (to complete the total of 50). "

"I had a terrible experience with Silicon Solar. The sent a solar powered fountain that was defective. They did not respond to my emails or telephone calls. I would NEVER do business with them again. AVOID SILICON SOLAR. They are dishonest."