100% customer protection: Conergy offers globally unique warranty service
Free of worries: from the replacement module to the transferability of the warranty
Hamburg, 26 January 2012 – From 1 February 2012, Conergy will be offering a unique PremiumPlus warranty for its PowerPlus modules. In addition to a product warranty that has been extended to 12 years and a linear performance guarantee, it comprises some new, customer-friendlier warranty terms – and these represent not an empty but a fair promise made to the customer. In the event of a warranty claim, the PremiumPlus terms promise that Conergy will meet the costs involved in inspection and replacement up to a certain amount, guarantee the provision of a replacement module of the same type within the product warranty period, accept assessments by objective experts and allow the warranty rights to be transferred to a third party.
“Our aim is to supply our customers with a package that is totally worry-free,” says Martin Bambach, Conergy Project Manager for the PremiumPlus warranty. “The outstanding quality and workmanship of our modules mean that the customer is on to a sure thing. With an average complaint rate of only 0.0045%, our PowerPlus modules are definitely amongst the highest-quality products on the market. In conjunction with the currently best warranty terms, the customer’s interests are actually safeguarded in two ways. At present, this is absolutely unique.”
Guaranteed protection: PremiumPlus offers added value
Many warranty terms in this sector currently stipulate that the owner of the solar modules must pay for all incidental costs in the event of a warranty claim. In the worst case scenario, the end customer will not only have to pay for their modules being shipped to China and back but also for all the costs involved in the replacement process. Costs which frequently exceed the value of the affected solar module and which the customer is often not able to recover.
That’s not the case with Conergy’s PremiumPlus warranty terms. These state that Conergy will pay not only the cost of inspection by an independent institute but also the costs involved in the replacement process for things such as transport, dismantling and reinstallation or onsite investigations up to a certain amount. Furthermore, Conergy will accept assessments by objective experts in cases of doubt.
A further special feature is the promise that when a warranty claim is made Conergy will either repair the affected module or replace it with a module of the same type within the product warranty period. As a matter of principle, Conergy does not make use of the customer-unfriendly option of reimbursing the current or remaining value of the module. This means that the customer will be given back precisely what he bought originally – in the same quality, performance specification and appearance. Project Manager Martin Bambach comments: “When the owner of a sports car puts in a warranty claim, he doesn’t want to be fobbed off with a small hatchback as a replacement with the comment that it will do exactly the same job. It’s the same with solar plants.”
Previously, warranties for solar modules were also generally not transferable at all or only with restrictions. “In the past, if a house owner wanted to sell his house with the photovoltaic system on the roof, this often meant that all warranties for the solar modules became void, resulting in a considerable loss in value,” continues Martin Bambach. “The Conergy PremiumPlus warranty, however, is transferable and the warranties can be passed on 1:1 to the new owner.”
Guaranteed to be uncomplicated and comprehensible: the small print
And the wording of the warranty terms is uncomplicated to ensure that everybody can understand them. So what used to be a closed book suddenly becomes comprehensible to both the installer and the plant owner – a warranty without ifs and buts. The warranty is valid for registered Conergy PowerPlus modules not only in Germany but also in numerous other Conergy markets in Europe and Asia.
All the customer – or alternatively the installer on their behalf – has to do is register the system with Conergy within 30 days from commissioning. To make a warranty claim, the owner simply has to contact Conergy with his registration number. With this end customer registration Conergy ensures the speedy, uncomplicated and smooth processing of claims; it also provides Conergy with accurate information on who has built an installation where with which module types and which performance classes. That saves a great deal of time, anxiety and money – and reduces the effort in processing claims to a minimum.
Enhanced product and performance guarantee plus higher module output classes
Further to the improved warranty terms, the Conergy PremiumPlus warranty also offers a great plus in terms of the warranty period and the performance promise. The product warranty is being extended by a further 2 years to 12 years, and with respect to performance the customer now receives a linear guarantee instead of the previous staged guarantee. This too is to the customer’s advantage. The guarantee is valid for 25 years, and Conergy promises the plant operator that the actual performance of the solar modules will not diminish by more than 3.5% during the first year of operation. From the second to the end of the twenty-fifth year of operation, Conergy guarantees that the drop in performance will not exceed 0.6% per year, which means that the solar modules will still be working at 82% of the nominal output at least by the end of the twenty-fifth year.
Moreover, Conergy has also upped their game in terms of output classes. In future, the monocrystalline PowerPlus modules will be available in 4 output classes up to 260 watt; in the case of the polycrystalline Premium modules there will be 4 output classes up to 250 watt.