Joe W.
Defective Solar Power
The Sidekick solar generator I purchased in February charged fine off a wall outlet. But, after using the generator I wanted to try charging it up using the solar panel. After picking a couple of bright sunny days and charging it for over 14 hours the generator was only 27% charged. I contacted 4Patriots and thinking it was the solar panel they sent a new one. The new panel was DOA. The panel never charged the generator and doesn't even stay on when exposed to sunlight. I'm disappointed in a company who supports our veterans would have such faulty equipment. Come to find out also the equipment isn't even American made (China and Viet Nam). Understandably, it may be difficult to find this equipment made in America but the quality control over what they sell is lacking. I will be returning all of the equipment.
Response from 4PatriotsApr 10, 2024
Hi Joe, thank you for your review and feedback. I'm sorry to hear that the Patriot Power Sidekick has not met your expectations when it comes to charging via solar. To fully charge the Sidekick using only solar power, you can expect to need 8-10 hours of direct sunlight. That is with moving the panel as the sun moves during the day to keep optimal sunlight on the panel. After reviewing your account, I do see that you have spoken with one of our representatives and concluded that you wanted to return the unit and were given the return process. While we make every effort to source products domestically, some product categories, particularly those electronic in nature, are difficult or impossible to find adequate manufacturing in the US. This is not just a cost issue, but a supply chain, engineering, and manufacturing capacity issue. Very few products like computers, cell phones, televisions, etc. are made in the US, and we're not a large enough company to build or re-engineer the appropriate production to do the advanced technology work we source and our customers demand. While many customers would prefer all products to be American-made (as we would too), the reality is very few customers are willing to pay 3-5x the cost to make that happen. We insist that our 4Patriots food products and (Patriot Health Alliance) supplement products are produced in the US. But we're able to do that because the appropriate partners exist today.