The purpose of this post is to enlighten anyone who is doing their due diligence regarding a wind turbine company called Enlightened Sky Energy of Joplin, MO. You may have seen them (Mike and family) at Vincent Finelli's USA Prepares Expo. I went to one a couple of months ago and of all the things I saw there, the one that interested me the most was the Enlightened Sky Energy booth. I found Mike to be a very interesting and knowledgeable man and told him how excited I was about his products. When I got home, I ordered the EP250 Wind Turbine with Grid-Tie Inverter.
My first disappointment was in how long it took to receive it. It was 2 weeks before the turbine itself came and then a couple more days before the inverter showed up. Upon opening the box, I found no assembly or mounting instructions. In the process of assembly I discovered that the provided bolts were too long which would cause them to make contact with the step down motor. Not only that, the washers were not all the same size which would cause a balance issue. I called Mike and asked him to send me the instructions and new hardware. In that conversation I also found out that I had not received all the parts. I found out I should also have received a large spring to keep the turbine from twisting up the wire. Mike told me he would ship the correct and missing parts out right away and would email me the instructions. I never received any email. I never received any package with the needed parts.
One month into this fiasco and many unreturned phone calls I finally got through to Mike. He apologized and said he would email me the instructions and ship the correct and missing parts. I did get an email but it was for a different turbine. I never received the parts. So I went to the hardware store and bought them myself. It's been two months now and my tower and wind turbine are mounted and running,...poorly. It turns out that the system is so out of balance that my tower shakes violently with winds of only 15 mph. Again I called Mike to inform him of my situation. Again, no returned phone call. Today I took it down and broke it down into the individual pieces to weigh the blades and determine what I needed to do to balance them. I found one of the blades was a full ounce heavier than the other two. By laying them on top of each other I could clearly see how poorly and inconsistently they were cut. An hour later the heavy blade was ground down more like the shape of the other two and remounted with the original bolts and newly purchased washers. The bolts are hitting the casing of the step down motor but at least my turbine is balanced properly and seems to be running OK. The bolts will eventually wear themselves down or the casing will be grooved, whichever is the weakest. It's been two months of aggravating issues and no support from Mike.
If you are interested in alternative energy, and wind turbines in particular, I would strongly advise that you go somewhere other than Enlightened Sky Energy. I have notified Vincent of USA Prepares that this vendor is not a good reflection of his vendor vetting process. I don't know what Mike's problem is, but he is NOT a man of his word. He lied to me twice. In my experience over the past two months, he does NOT provide any support for his product nor respond to phone calls requesting such. I would rate the quality of the product that I received to be a 1 out of 5. You'd be better off building it yourself.
What can I say? Talk is cheap. Purchase at your own risk. I would never do business with Mike again.
Addendum
August 3, 2012
Last night we had a thunderstorm with winds up to 60 mph. I got up to check on things and saw that two of the turbine blades had broken off. I found one of them about 100 feet from the tower. They snapped off at the mounting plate. If you have a tendency to get many storms in your area, I would think twice about getting this cheap system. The blades won't hold up to those kind of winds.
Denny J
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
My Ozark Log Home Could Be YOUR Ozark Log Home
I don't know about you, but WHO I buy from is as important as WHAT I buy. People know that I like to buy quality goods and services. Most would agree that the quality of a product is a reflection of the quality of the individual or company behind that product. That's what branding is all about. It takes time and effort to build and maintain a good business name. A quality product and great customer support are the keys to a good name in business. All this to say that My Ozark Log Home is a trusted business here in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri and Norhwestern Arkansas. The key to this business is the quality of the folks who own and run it.
Fred and Suzie Dillon of Branson, MO., are quality people who work hard and volunteer often. They are committed Christians who walk the talk. My Ozark Log Home isn't their only business. Fred runs his own mechanics shop, too. For years he was a Snap On Tools distributor but like many in that line of work, he accumulated many tools for himself so was well equipped to go out on his own. I am one of his many loyal customers. He is an excellent mechanic.
My Ozark Log Home is Fred and Suzie's Lincoln Logs International model home that they built in NW Arkansas just a mile from Bull Shoals Lake. It is situated on a 3 acres parcel of their 200 acres of land on Bear Creek in Boone County in the middle of the beautiful Ozarks. As a dealer for Lincoln Logs International, Fred's desire is to sell log homes to be built on 3 acre parcels of his land. He would love to see a Christian log home community here where families would share a community garden and enjoy the peaceful serenity of the Ozarks with good folks in a faith community. This area is known as the belt buckle of the Bible Belt and evidences of faith and patriotism are seen and heard everywhere. As a person of faith, you will feel right at home at My Ozark Log Home. To learn more about it, visit their website, myozarkloghome.com. They also have a Facebook Page where you can interact with them and see photos of the building process. You can also find them involved in the log home community at Log Home Neighborhood.
Give Fred a call if you have any interest in seeing his model home and land. Hopefully, My Ozark Log Home will be YOUR Ozark Log Home. What Can I Say? Fred and Suzie are great folks to do business with and will very likely become your good friends as they have ours.
Dennyj
Fred and Suzie Dillon of Branson, MO., are quality people who work hard and volunteer often. They are committed Christians who walk the talk. My Ozark Log Home isn't their only business. Fred runs his own mechanics shop, too. For years he was a Snap On Tools distributor but like many in that line of work, he accumulated many tools for himself so was well equipped to go out on his own. I am one of his many loyal customers. He is an excellent mechanic.
My Ozark Log Home is Fred and Suzie's Lincoln Logs International model home that they built in NW Arkansas just a mile from Bull Shoals Lake. It is situated on a 3 acres parcel of their 200 acres of land on Bear Creek in Boone County in the middle of the beautiful Ozarks. As a dealer for Lincoln Logs International, Fred's desire is to sell log homes to be built on 3 acre parcels of his land. He would love to see a Christian log home community here where families would share a community garden and enjoy the peaceful serenity of the Ozarks with good folks in a faith community. This area is known as the belt buckle of the Bible Belt and evidences of faith and patriotism are seen and heard everywhere. As a person of faith, you will feel right at home at My Ozark Log Home. To learn more about it, visit their website, myozarkloghome.com. They also have a Facebook Page where you can interact with them and see photos of the building process. You can also find them involved in the log home community at Log Home Neighborhood.
Give Fred a call if you have any interest in seeing his model home and land. Hopefully, My Ozark Log Home will be YOUR Ozark Log Home. What Can I Say? Fred and Suzie are great folks to do business with and will very likely become your good friends as they have ours.
Dennyj
Monday, June 4, 2012
TGSCOM - The Lights Are On But Nobody's Home
It's been over a month since I placed my online order at www.waltherpistols.com. They are one of many affiliates of TGSCOM, the mother company headquartered at 1449 S. Broadway Street in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Here is a list of the affiliates as displayed on their website: http://www.TGSCOM.com/Content.aspx?ckey=RetailPartners.
Partners
www.topglock.com - Your Glock Hand Guns, Accessories and Apparel Headquarters. Try to find better prices anywhere!
www.gunsatcost.com - Whether you're into hunting, target shooting or personal safety, GunsAtCost has what you need at the price you want.
www.thegunsource.com - Over 30,000 Firearms and Accessories in stock. If you need it, we have it.
www.shotgunworks.com - Your source for anything shotgun related.
www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com - Hunting guns and supplies near cost. If you're a hunter MidWestHuntersOutlet is the place for you.
www.allglock.com - All Glock. All The Time.
www.sigsauerpro.com - Shop SigSauerPro.com to find the best prices on Sig Sauer
www.glockworld.com - Why pay retail? Discount prices on Glock pistols, accessories, holsters, barrels, magazines, sights and Glock gun parts for proud Glock handgun enthusiasts.
www.waltherpistols.com - Legendary Performance. Discount Pricing.
www.concealgun.com - Shop a large inventory designed specifically for the CCW license holder.
www.ameriglooutlet.com - Tritium Night Sights at unbeatable prices.
www.hkperfection.com - Why Comprimise? Your Source for All Things HK
www.ar15pro.com - For all your black rifle needs
www.xdpistols.com - Shop online and save on Springfield Armory XD pistols and accessories.
www.bersapistols.com - Reliable protection you can afford.
www.trijiconstore.com - Get the Night Sights you've been wanting at a price that's too good to pass up.
www.trijiconnightsights.com - Control the night with Trijicon night sights for Glock, Springfield XD, Beretta and more.
www.waltherprecision.com - Walther Pistols and Accessories
www.handgunheaven.com - Huge selection of handguns from Glock, SIG, Beretta, Springfield, HK and more
I began to get suspicious a couple of weeks after my order when nothing arrived in the mail. So I used the online order status page and found out that the order was still being processed and hadn't yet shipped. Calling the 800 number (800-518-3808) got me the response that they were having system problems and would get back to me as soon as possible. However, there was never any message taken. This is the same message I got when calling for the remainder of the month.
Fortunately, I had purchased my items using Discover. They are the absolutely best credit card company! I just had to go into my online Discover Card account and find the purchase. There is an option to refute any transaction which gives an immediate credit to the account during the investigation period. Shouldn't be too difficult to see the problem. I'm sure that I am not alone in this experience. I understand that the Wisconsin BBB has received over 100 complaints in May alone. The local authorities are also investigating as are multiple credit card companies. It's a good idea to do some research before buying from any online business. Just do a google search for reviews of or complaints regarding the business name. You should find out pretty quickly whether or not you should do business with them. Unfortunately, I didn't do my due diligence on this one. Hindsight is 20/20.
Now that a over a month has passed, I checked to see if TGSCOM had a Facebook Page and wished I would have seen that before I ordered. Check it out. https://www.facebook.com/TGSCOM It is full of comments from disgruntled customers whose credit cards had been charged but no orders we ever received. Looks like TGSCOM is no longer in business even though their website is still up and running along with all the affiliates.
I hope you find my review before you place an order with this company. What Can I Say? The lights at TGSCOM are all on, but there is nobody home. Don't bother knocking! Don't bother ordering from any of these affiliates. Please pass this review along to anyone you know who might be ready to order anything from TGSCOM.
Please add your experiences to this blog post in the comments section. Thanks.
Dennyj
Please add your experiences to this blog post in the comments section. Thanks.
Dennyj
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What Can I Say?
I'm not being flippant. I just have a desire to do some bragging? Not for myself, but for you!, or anyone else who is trying to promote a business, event, product or service.
I meet and do business with a lot of great people on the road of life. Many of them have their own businesses that they are trying to grow. You already know that it takes time and consistency to build a quality brand name and get the sales volume you need to grow and survive in a competitive marketplace. Marketing must be a part of that picture. I heard an old saying from a past employer that doing business without marketing is like winking at a girl in the dark. You need to set aside a portion of your profits to dedicate to marketing to shed some light on your business products and services.
Of the many forms of marketing, social media must be on the top of the list in order to succeed in this digital world. Most people are getting pretty savvy when it comes to using smartphones and computers to do their due diligence in finding the business and product brands they can trust.
Social media has become the great tool that levels the playing field for the consumer. It's impossible these days to do a dishonest business and not get found out. Folks are pretty quick to give candid reviews of a company's poor product or service. On the other hand, social media is a powerful tool for developing meaningful and lasting relationships with your customers. With the advent of Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, Pinterest and a host of blogging sites, you can very inexpensively market your business and gladly welcome customer interaction and feedback. But this all takes a great deal of time and some expertise. It would be better for business owners to concentrate on their core mission of producing something or serving their customers and let others do the marketing for them.
"What Can I Say?" is my personal/business blog where I intend to brag on my clients. Most of my customers will be local to the Branson/Harrison areas of southern Missouri and NW Arkansas. They will be people with whom I have a personal relationship and strong faith in what they are doing. Posts that you find here will be based on my personal experience with them and will reflect the confidence that I have in your being satisfied, too. From time to time I will post a negative review as a warning to others to stay away from a business that doesn't serve the consumer well.
Come back often. Subscribe to my RSS feed.
I am DennyJ and Integrated Marketing is my passion. Check out my twitter feed to see what I'm saying about others. Consider my services for marketing YOUR business.
I meet and do business with a lot of great people on the road of life. Many of them have their own businesses that they are trying to grow. You already know that it takes time and consistency to build a quality brand name and get the sales volume you need to grow and survive in a competitive marketplace. Marketing must be a part of that picture. I heard an old saying from a past employer that doing business without marketing is like winking at a girl in the dark. You need to set aside a portion of your profits to dedicate to marketing to shed some light on your business products and services.
Of the many forms of marketing, social media must be on the top of the list in order to succeed in this digital world. Most people are getting pretty savvy when it comes to using smartphones and computers to do their due diligence in finding the business and product brands they can trust.
Social media has become the great tool that levels the playing field for the consumer. It's impossible these days to do a dishonest business and not get found out. Folks are pretty quick to give candid reviews of a company's poor product or service. On the other hand, social media is a powerful tool for developing meaningful and lasting relationships with your customers. With the advent of Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, Pinterest and a host of blogging sites, you can very inexpensively market your business and gladly welcome customer interaction and feedback. But this all takes a great deal of time and some expertise. It would be better for business owners to concentrate on their core mission of producing something or serving their customers and let others do the marketing for them.
"What Can I Say?" is my personal/business blog where I intend to brag on my clients. Most of my customers will be local to the Branson/Harrison areas of southern Missouri and NW Arkansas. They will be people with whom I have a personal relationship and strong faith in what they are doing. Posts that you find here will be based on my personal experience with them and will reflect the confidence that I have in your being satisfied, too. From time to time I will post a negative review as a warning to others to stay away from a business that doesn't serve the consumer well.
Come back often. Subscribe to my RSS feed.
I am DennyJ and Integrated Marketing is my passion. Check out my twitter feed to see what I'm saying about others. Consider my services for marketing YOUR business.
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