Kessil Warranty Fails Me

marineMentor · 11/29/2016, 03:54 PM

Hi, I just wanted to share my experience with a broken A360W Tuna Sun E-series light.
The short version:
It broke, was still within the 2 year warranty (1.5 yr old), and they did not warranty the light. Instead, I was offered one at $210 USD, plus $30 USD shipping, plus $56 CND duties paid. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed in Kessil as a company.
The long version:
I own two A360W E-series tuna sun led lamps.
One recently failed after 1.5 years of use on a 90 gallon planted tank. It just stopped working. All I get is a flash of light when I plug it in. Then nothing. And it won’t repeat that flash until I leave it unplugged for 15 mins while the transformer resets itself. I maintained the light and dust it often using compressed air in a can. The light shouldn’t have failed, but it did. And it was under warranty, but a replacement wasn’t offered.
As you can imagine, I’m very disappointed and expected these (supposedly?) high quality lights to work hassle free for years. I was even more disappointment when Kessil’s turned their back on me (i.e., warranting the light and sending a free replacement) when the light was still under the 2 year warranty period.
I was also denied access to repair service because I live outside of the US (in fact, all international customers are denied repair services). Instead, was offered a special “one time deal” which I begrudgingly bought, but am now second-guessing my decision. I contacted Kessil first by email and then by phone. Both agents (and I spoke to the customer service manager on the phone) offered the same solution—I could buy a light at a reduced cost. The first offer was $270 USD and the second was $210USD (Plus $30 USD shipping and $56 CND duty at the door). So after all the fees and exchange rate to canada, the light cost me nearly $400 dollars—the same price as my original light cost.
Has anyone else had similar poor experiences?
Or the opposite situation—did Kessil’s customer service blow you away?
It’d be nice to find out if I’m a ‘one-off’ or if this is the norm.
Cheers.

toothybugs · 11/29/2016, 03:56 PM

Did you have proof of purchase?

They were awesome when my A160 blew out after 7 months - quite literally snap, crackle, puff of smoke. New light in hand 3 days later.

Zacktosterone · 11/29/2016, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marineMentor

Hi, I just wanted to share my experience with a broken A360W Tuna Sun E-series light.
The short version:
It broke, was still within the 2 year warranty (1.5 yr old), and they did not warranty the light. Instead, I was offered one at $210 USD, plus $30 USD shipping, plus $56 CND duties paid. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed in Kessil as a company.
The long version:
I own two A360W E-series tuna sun led lamps.
One recently failed after 1.5 years of use on a 90 gallon planted tank. It just stopped working. All I get is a flash of light when I plug it in. Then nothing. And it won’t repeat that flash until I leave it unplugged for 15 mins while the transformer resets itself. I maintained the light and dust it often using compressed air in a can. The light shouldn’t have failed, but it did. And it was under warranty, but a replacement wasn’t offered.
As you can imagine, I’m very disappointed and expected these (supposedly?) high quality lights to work hassle free for years. I was even more disappointment when Kessil’s turned their back on me (i.e., warranting the light and sending a free replacement) when the light was still under the 2 year warranty period.
I was also denied access to repair service because I live outside of the US (in fact, all international customers are denied repair services). Instead, was offered a special “one time deal” which I begrudgingly bought, but am now second-guessing my decision. I contacted Kessil first by email and then by phone. Both agents (and I spoke to the customer service manager on the phone) offered the same solution—I could buy a light at a reduced cost. The first offer was $270 USD and the second was $210USD (Plus $30 USD shipping and $56 CND duty at the door). So after all the fees and exchange rate to canada, the light cost me nearly $400 dollars—the same price as my original light cost.
Has anyone else had similar poor experiences?
Or the opposite situation—did Kessil’s customer service blow you away?
It’d be nice to find out if I’m a ‘one-off’ or if this is the norm.
Cheers.

Push the cord in at the top of the fixture and tell me if it works. Not the point I know but try it

mcgyvr · 11/29/2016, 04:46 PM

What reason did they give for not honoring the warranty?

tkeracer619 · 11/29/2016, 05:51 PM

I thought kessil was a 1 year warranty.

timnem70 · 11/29/2016, 06:04 PM

The box comes with paperwork that takes you through the process. It specifically notes that without specific proof of purchase and send in the warranty card, you are out. Its also only, like your cellphone, good on only manufacturer defects. Its pretty straightforward about it. I hope you get this resolved.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

timnem70 · 11/29/2016, 06:08 PM

Also, I run a Kessil A360 we Tuna Blue with T5 supplementation it's great for the application I have. Again, I hope this is a fluke and you just got a bad light. Frankly, the company didn't have to do anything, unless you did in fact send in the card and were the one who bought it new.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

slief · 11/29/2016, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

I thought kessil was a 1 year warranty.

It's is. The OP is either a troll or is misinformed. Note that he just registered here and his only 2 posts were complaining about Kessil not honoring his warranty when in fact, his warranty had expired and they even offered him nearly 50% off on a replacement. I think that is pretty honorable on the part of Kessil. Especially without knowing if this was an induced issue or not.

This is the warranty card pulled from one of my original 360WE boxes. Note the warranty period of one year. SMH

mcgyvr · 11/29/2016, 06:43 PM

There are LOTS of references to a 2 year warranty (on the internet which is always the truth) when lights purchased through authorized dealers,etc... I can't find anything on the Kessil site (except for the hydro section and it states 1 year)..

Being out of the warranty period would certainly make sense as to why the warranty wasn't honored..

zooman72 · 11/29/2016, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slief

The OP is either a troll or is misinformed. Note that he just registered here and his only 2 posts were complaining about Kessil not honoring his warranty when in fact, his warranty had expired...

Yeah, something smells "fishy" here....

Although, TBH, I also remember seeing references to a 2-year warranty somewhere, although it is obviously stated clearly above and on their website.

timnem70 · 11/29/2016, 07:58 PM

All great responses

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

cbear9494 · 11/29/2016, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timnem70

All great responses

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

He posted identical post on Reddit/r/reeftank

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

timnem70 · 11/29/2016, 08:59 PM

Too much Craigslist swapping going on out there for companies to be lax on warranty. Knowing that a company like Kessil, who I have heard everything good and bad about in regards to spread and PAR but never includes any "just stopped working for no reason" crap.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

marineMentor · 12/03/2016, 06:03 PM

Hey all, thanks for the comments.

To clarify a few things:

- I bought the lights brand new and provided a receipt to Kessil.

-Yes, I just signed up here recently to share my experience with this issue specifically. I wanted to let people know about my bad experience with Kessil.

- I haven't provided any false information on my OP. If I'm wrong about something, it wasn't malicious. Again, I wanted to share this mishap because, as you can imagine, I am pretty disappointed with them.

- I think I will go back to the LFS and see if they can help me. I just didn't initially because I thought I had to deal with the warranty issue myself. Maybe I'm wrong.

minus9 · 12/03/2016, 07:02 PM

I've never had a problem with Kessil and their warranty. In fact, I had a light that I bought second hand and was having an issue with it and they offered to replace it for a reduced price. The other light, which was under warranty, they replaced without question. They took my cc#, sent me a replacement and I sent the faulty light back to them. After all this, I found the problem wasn't the lights, but a bad control cable from my apex. In my book, once the warranty has expired, you're on your own, but it's nice knowing that they stand behind their products and are willing to work with their customers.

slief · 12/03/2016, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marineMentor

Hey all, thanks for the comments.

To clarify a few things:

- I bought the lights brand new and provided a receipt to Kessil.

-Yes, I just signed up here recently to share my experience with this issue specifically. I wanted to let people know about my bad experience with Kessil.

- I haven't provided any false information on my OP. If I'm wrong about something, it wasn't malicious. Again, I wanted to share this mishap because, as you can imagine, I am pretty disappointed with them.

- I think I will go back to the LFS and see if they can help me. I just didn't initially because I thought I had to deal with the warranty issue myself. Maybe I'm wrong.

There is no warranty if the lights were more than a year old as you stated. The warranty on the lights is 1 year. As mentioned above, this is the warranty card from my nearly 2 year old Kessil 360WE's. I pulled this right out of the original boxes. If your LFS is willing to help you, I would talk to them but as I said, the warranty is 1 year as far as I am ware in both the US and Canada.

jpfishfan09 · 12/03/2016, 08:36 PM

My kessil a160we had a two year warranty. I called and they sent me a new one after a year and a half because 4 of the diodes were out.

slief · 12/03/2016, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpfishfan09

My kessil a160we had a two year warranty. I called and they sent me a new one after a year and a half because 4 of the diodes were out.

Interesting. Marine Depot states 2 year warranty but the above warranty card came from one of the boxes from my 360WE's. Maybe they changed their warranty period.

GrampaDon · 12/03/2016, 10:59 PM

Same positive experience here. I had a problem with a fan on a 8mo old unit. Kessil paid shipping both ways to fix it. and had it back in a week.
The 3 360W's are now 2 years old.

moondoggy4 · 12/03/2016, 11:00 PM

His argument is mute He lives outside the US so no warranty, no different if someone in Canada buys a Tunze,. Tunze will not honor the warranty.

ComforablyNumb · 12/04/2016, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moondoggy4

His argument is mute He lives outside the US so no warranty, no different if someone in Canada buys a Tunze,. Tunze will not honor the warranty.

That is incorrect about Kessil warranty in Canada. They just replaced an A360WE for me when the fan stopped working and it kept shutting off. Only had to pay postage from California ($35), they did not even want the broken unit back.
In speaking to them, they said they usually honor 2 years in US, 1 year Canada and Europe.

MarineDepot · 12/05/2016, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slief

Interesting. Marine Depot states 2 year warranty but the above warranty card came from one of the boxes from my 360WE's. Maybe they changed their warranty period.

We contacted Kessil this morning after reading this thread and confirmed the warranty is indeed 2 years.

zooman72 · 12/05/2016, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarineDepot

We contacted Kessil this morning after reading this thread and confirmed the warranty is indeed 2 years.

Then what reason does Kessil give for not honoring the warranty?

MarineDepot · 12/05/2016, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zooman72

Then what reason does Kessil give for not honoring the warranty?

Not sure. However, if the OP purchased from MD we are happy to work with them to get to the bottom of things. Give us a call or shoot us an email.

MarineDepot · 12/08/2016, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarineDepot

We contacted Kessil this morning after reading this thread and confirmed the warranty is indeed 2 years.

We just wanted to follow up to clarify the warranty coverage since I incorrectly presumed we were just talking about the United States. So here's how it works:

US Warranty - 2 years when you register your product and buy it from an authorized distributor.

International Warranty - 1 year in most countries. Check with Kessil directly or contact an authorized distributor in your country to be sure.

Hope that helps!

11/29/2016, 03:54 PM	#1
marineMentor Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 4	Kessil Warranty Fails Me Hi, I just wanted to share my experience with a broken A360W Tuna Sun E-series light. The short version: It broke, was still within the 2 year warranty (1.5 yr old), and they did not warranty the light. Instead, I was offered one at $210 USD, plus $30 USD shipping, plus $56 CND duties paid. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed in Kessil as a company. The long version: I own two A360W E-series tuna sun led lamps. One recently failed after 1.5 years of use on a 90 gallon planted tank. It just stopped working. All I get is a flash of light when I plug it in. Then nothing. And it won’t repeat that flash until I leave it unplugged for 15 mins while the transformer resets itself. I maintained the light and dust it often using compressed air in a can. The light shouldn’t have failed, but it did. And it was under warranty, but a replacement wasn’t offered. As you can imagine, I’m very disappointed and expected these (supposedly?) high quality lights to work hassle free for years. I was even more disappointment when Kessil’s turned their back on me (i.e., warranting the light and sending a free replacement) when the light was still under the 2 year warranty period. I was also denied access to repair service because I live outside of the US (in fact, all international customers are denied repair services). Instead, was offered a special “one time deal” which I begrudgingly bought, but am now second-guessing my decision. I contacted Kessil first by email and then by phone. Both agents (and I spoke to the customer service manager on the phone) offered the same solution—I could buy a light at a reduced cost. The first offer was $270 USD and the second was $210USD (Plus $30 USD shipping and $56 CND duty at the door). So after all the fees and exchange rate to canada, the light cost me nearly $400 dollars—the same price as my original light cost. Has anyone else had similar poor experiences? Or the opposite situation—did Kessil’s customer service blow you away? It’d be nice to find out if I’m a ‘one-off’ or if this is the norm. Cheers.

11/29/2016, 04:46 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	What reason did they give for not honoring the warranty? __________________ Who me?

11/29/2016, 05:51 PM	#5
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	I thought kessil was a 1 year warranty. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

11/29/2016, 06:43 PM	#9
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	There are LOTS of references to a 2 year warranty (on the internet which is always the truth) when lights purchased through authorized dealers,etc... I can't find anything on the Kessil site (except for the hydro section and it states 1 year).. Being out of the warranty period would certainly make sense as to why the warranty wasn't honored.. __________________ Who me?

12/03/2016, 10:59 PM	#19
GrampaDon Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Fort Wayne ,IN Posts: 636	Same positive experience here. I had a problem with a fan on a 8mo old unit. Kessil paid shipping both ways to fix it. and had it back in a week. The 3 360W's are now 2 years old. __________________ 165+29 Sticks N Zoas / Kessil + t5 / Ecotech 260 in the works. 84X30X25

11/29/2016, 03:56 PM	#2
toothybugs In Memoriam Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: The smallest county in Illinois Posts: 1,986	Did you have proof of purchase? They were awesome when my A160 blew out after 7 months - quite literally snap, crackle, puff of smoke. New light in hand 3 days later.

11/29/2016, 06:04 PM	#6
timnem70 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 462	The box comes with paperwork that takes you through the process. It specifically notes that without specific proof of purchase and send in the warranty card, you are out. Its also only, like your cellphone, good on only manufacturer defects. Its pretty straightforward about it. I hope you get this resolved. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

11/29/2016, 06:08 PM	#7
timnem70 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 462	Also, I run a Kessil A360 we Tuna Blue with T5 supplementation it's great for the application I have. Again, I hope this is a fluke and you just got a bad light. Frankly, the company didn't have to do anything, unless you did in fact send in the card and were the one who bought it new. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

11/29/2016, 07:58 PM	#11
timnem70 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 462	All great responses Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

11/29/2016, 08:59 PM	#13
timnem70 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 462	Too much Craigslist swapping going on out there for companies to be lax on warranty. Knowing that a company like Kessil, who I have heard everything good and bad about in regards to spread and PAR but never includes any "just stopped working for no reason" crap. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

12/03/2016, 06:03 PM	#14
marineMentor Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 4	Hey all, thanks for the comments. To clarify a few things: - I bought the lights brand new and provided a receipt to Kessil. -Yes, I just signed up here recently to share my experience with this issue specifically. I wanted to let people know about my bad experience with Kessil. - I haven't provided any false information on my OP. If I'm wrong about something, it wasn't malicious. Again, I wanted to share this mishap because, as you can imagine, I am pretty disappointed with them. - I think I will go back to the LFS and see if they can help me. I just didn't initially because I thought I had to deal with the warranty issue myself. Maybe I'm wrong.

12/03/2016, 07:02 PM	#15
minus9 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: I'm in the Valley, Dude! Posts: 1,349	I've never had a problem with Kessil and their warranty. In fact, I had a light that I bought second hand and was having an issue with it and they offered to replace it for a reduced price. The other light, which was under warranty, they replaced without question. They took my cc#, sent me a replacement and I sent the faulty light back to them. After all this, I found the problem wasn't the lights, but a bad control cable from my apex. In my book, once the warranty has expired, you're on your own, but it's nice knowing that they stand behind their products and are willing to work with their customers.

12/03/2016, 08:36 PM	#17
jpfishfan09 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 88	My kessil a160we had a two year warranty. I called and they sent me a new one after a year and a half because 4 of the diodes were out.

12/03/2016, 11:00 PM	#20
moondoggy4 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: menifee So cal Posts: 11,042	His argument is mute He lives outside the US so no warranty, no different if someone in Canada buys a Tunze,. Tunze will not honor the warranty.