[also posted in alt.energy.homepower]

In any off-grid home, there are several key pieces that keep the system going.

And in the summer, the failure or down-time maintenance of any of them isn't as urgent with long days and warm nights, as it becomes when the leaves are long fallen from the trees, and your breath becomes visible in the morning air. Like, say, November in Quebec.

I had just such a problem. Easily solved, of course, with a quick e-mail to OutBack. Immediately, the repair part was sent out, and the whole issue was destined to become a funny story to tell clients, how I screwed up, but OutBack saved my bacon. And while admirable, and laudable, and increasingly rare these days, that isn't what I want to praise the 'da boyz' at OutBack for.

Last weekend, without warning, UPS Canada went on strike. Suddenly, immediately, freezing every package in transit, holding them *hostage* to maximize the outrage and cost of their strike, for as long as it may go on. Now, I'm a big fan of democracy, and all the freedoms that go with it, including the right to strike. But it would have taken NO EFFORT AT ALL for UPS CANADA to just stop accepting packages destined for Canada, or inter-Canadian destined ones. That would still have cost their management lots of headaches, and although mildly inconveniencing their loyal customers, it wouldn't have spit in their faces.
But no, they also had to *confiscate* and hold *hostage* packages from honest clients that entered into legal, honorable delivery agreements. Everything stopped moving.
Is you house going to freeze if you don't get this package? UPS CANADA doesn't care.
Is somebody going to get sick if you don't get this package? UPS CANADA doesn't care.
Is some little boy or girl's birthday going to be RUINED because grandma's special gift from Florida is in a warehouse somewhere? UPS CANADA doesn't care.

Sorry, going off on a rant there .

Back on Topic! This is supposed to be a HAPPY post!

So, here's where OutBack showed that not only do they "talk the talk", they "walk the walk".

I started to get worried. What to do? I again sent a hurried email off to OutBack, telling them the predicament that UPS Canada had put me in, all the while, hearing my Mitsubishi genset running outside.

The next morning, I get an email back. "Sending out another part immediately."
No problem, don't worry. We'll sort everything out later.

Running a small business, living in an off-grid home, I get enough worries in my life to fill a good work-day. It's nice when somebody else takes care of things.

SO DAMN RIGHT, KUDOS TO OUTBACK!

So remember my little experience when you're looking at the wide variety of offerings in the renewable energy equipment field. You'd do well to also look PAST the microprocessors (as impressive as OutBack's are in comparison, however) and take a good look at the company behind them, and how tall in the saddle they sit.
It's an old saying, "It's in adversity that you see who your friends are".

And remember my little experience, too, the next time you need to send something somewhere. Again, look past the fancy jets and trucks. See how some companies treat their clients when they're feeling agrieved.

I know I will.

DJ