Solar solutions retailer sold me a dud - client

An inverter that was meant to be a birthday present for a Joburg man has turned to a headache as it fails to kick in during a blackout.

Collins Mkhize bought a 5kva inverter at Africa Megawatt Solar in Kya Sands, Johannesburg, in January as the country had been experiencing months of rolling power outages.  

“I had seen the company on Google and their prices were cheaper compared to other companies. They quoted me R31,000. It was a bargain that I thought would make a good birthday present for me and also my family.

“I went to the shop and they convinced me to go for an 8kva inverter with a 4kva battery. It made sense because the inverter was meant to last between eight and 10 hours during load shedding,” said Mkhize.

He said the company suggested he used their installer but he chose to use another who charged him almost R1,000. 

He said his first problem was that the battery would not charge and failed to kick in during an outage.

“I called the shop and they told me there was nothing wrong with the battery despite me telling them that it was only able to charge for more than 30 minutes. I had to drive to Kya Sands to collect a charger which worked.

“After a few days of charging, I realised that the battery capacity was low and would last for 5 hours instead of 10 as I was told it would. Our load shedding can last to up seven hours, hence I needed a strong inverter.

“The installer told me that the battery’s stickers had been ripped off and, according to him, my battery size was smaller [at 48 watts] than what it was supposed to be. It was 1,000 watts shorter, which meant the battery would not last that long,” said Mkhize.

He had to get an installer to charge his battery whenever the power goes out – at a fee of R1,000.

Mkhize said he raised his problems with the shop owner, pastor Hastings Salanje, who accused him of damaging the inverter and having gotten the best deal.

Mkhize even threatened him with lawyers.

“You have been using it for over three months until you damaged it. Your problem is that when we were respecting you, you mistook it for foolishness... We don’t do that to customers, even if they are paying R500,000.

“The route you are choosing to take, [can] take over two years before the matter is finalised. I wish you could swallow your pride and follow the right procedure to be helped,” wrote the pastor in one of the exchanges with Mkhize. 

Mkhize said he felt that the pastor took him for a ride despite many visits to his shop to have the matter resolved. 

“The guy even blocked me on WhatsApp. I feel that he misrepresented the product that he sold me and that he did not want to take responsibility for it because of arrogance. I still want him to replace this item or refund me,” said Mkhize.

Salanje told Sowetan Consumer that he was willing to renegotiate with Mkhize.

“He is a liar. That inverter works as I know. I gave him a R12,000 discount, which he doesn’t seem to appreciate. My goods have a two-year warranty and I’m willing to assist him if he brings the item over for the supplier to assess.

“He would not have to pay. We have a three-month refund policy and he is still within the limit,” said Salanje.