Damage Policy

SolarTown selects and partners with carriers that SolarTown believes to be reliable and reputable, but occasionally shipping damage does occur. Resolving the problem of transit damage or loss depends on the cooperation of all parties. We make every effort to ensure that your shipment arrives on time and in good condition and when a claim arises, we work with our customers to satisfy all parties.

This is a quick checklist to give you an overview, but please be sure to read the full policy below.

Inspect package right away
If obvious damage, refuse the package and call SolarTown promptly
If you open the package and discover damage to the product, contact SolarTown within 48 hours
Always save the product and all original packaging

Please inspect your packages thoroughly RIGHT AWAY (including by opening any boxes to inspect their contents), before signing for the delivery. Do not assume the items are undamaged because the packaging is undamaged. Do not sign for or accept delivery of any packages that are visibly damaged without first inspecting their contents. If the delivery person refuses to allow you to inspect the merchandise, ask him or her to wait while you contact their office or customer service department. The direct phone number for the shipping company will be included in the order tracking email that we send to you when you place an order. If the merchandise appears to be damaged, please refuse delivery of the item and notify our customer service department immediately by phone at 1-866-391-0432 or by email at support@SolarTown.com. In the event you have signed for a shipment and you subsequently find there to be damage that was concealed by the packaging, do not throw away the packing materials or cartons or there will be no basis for a claim. Concealed damage is damage that occurred either at the factory or during shipment that is not obvious without removing the packaging. If you discover concealed damage, stop unwrapping or un-packaging the shipment and contact SolarTown immediately.

For shipments received through United Parcel Service or Federal Express, if you discover damage to an item after acceptance of the delivery you must contact us within 48 hours after acceptance in order for us to be able to initiate a claim for responsibility for the damage. If you contact us within 48 hours, we will file a claim with the shipping company and WE will be responsible for handling the claim for damage. We will ship you out a brand new product and give you a credit for the damaged item once we either get that damaged item back or it is inspected by the carrier. If you do not contact us within 48 hours of receiving a damaged item, we cannot file the shipping claim. In that case, we will do our best to help you with your claim, but you will be responsible for filing the claim with the shipping company. Keep in mind that you will need to hold onto the original packaging box, packing materials and damaged item for the freight carrier to pick up to verify the damage before they can consider honoring a claim. If you have a camera or digital camera, photographs that record the date on which they were taken can help to speed the claim process, but you should still save the damaged product and the original box the product was shipped in so that the delivery service can examine the actual items.

For shipments received via common carrier (freight-line truck): If you discover damage to an item after acceptance of the delivery you must contact both SolarTown and the freight company within 48 hours after delivery acceptance in order for us to be able to help you with the claim. If you signed for the delivery without marking it “SUBJECT TO INSPECTION” or “DAMAGED”, then any shipping damage will be your responsibility. If you did write “SUBJECT TO INSPECTION” or “DAMAGED” on the delivery receipt and/or bill of lading at the time of delivery acceptance and then inspected your merchandise right away and reported the damage within 48 hours to both SolarTown and the freight company, then we will take responsibility for filing a claim with the freight company. Please understand that resolving the claim with the carrier may take up to 90 days. Your credit for the damaged item may be delayed while the claim is resolved with the freight company, and we may require your assistance as we pursue the claim for damage.