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CB Business and Industrial Review of SunSetter Flagpoles
SunSetter Flagpoles

SunSetter Flagpoles review: Warranty on defective parts is a rip off! 3

J
Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
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I bought a Sunsetter flag pole with a 5 year written warranty on defective parts. When my pole would not operate, I contacted Sunsetter, who advised me that they would only allow me 20% towards replacement parts and the cost of the parts would greatly exceed the cost of a complete new flag pole. There was no mention of reduced coverage over time in the written warranty, and it is now reasonable to charge more for a spare part than an entire new assembly.

3 comments
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JohnRocket
, US
Sep 05, 2017 2:43 pm EDT

I've had this flagpole for a few years. Worked great for the first year. The plastic parts (bushings, locking collar at base) all have broken overtime. I called to order replacement parts and was quoted over 50 dollars for the three plastic rings. I was told "but that includes the Allen screws". Really?, these are about a dime. I passed and will go with another manufacturer. The company brags on their website how great their customer service is, not! I like the design of the flag, but the plastic parts are weak and they obviously don't care to improve this flaw. The aluminum sections continue to look great, what a waste! Costco no longer sells these, I wonder why?

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DavidW6
Fort Worth, US
Aug 03, 2012 9:22 am EDT

I have been using the SunSetter 20ft telescopic flagpole for about 1 year. I don’t have a flood light so I raise and lower the flag every day. I do recommend this flagpole for its convenience and price compared to a solid flagpole even though it does have some drawbacks. I installed the pole per the instructions with no problems. There is a lot of sway with the pole especially in high winds. In fact I only fly one flag and remove the flag in high winds to hopefully increase the life of the pole. I’m not sure that the pole’s tolerances could be any better than they are to stop some of the sway. I have tried different shims on the bottom of the pole to tighten it within the base and finally used some rubber shim. This really helped the sway.
After 6 months of use, one of the clear plastic bushings broke. SunSetter did replace it. About 2 months later the same bushing broke again. This time I put a clamp around the pole on top of the bushing to hold it in and keep using the pole. The next thing to break was the bottom cap on the #3 pole. This breakage now allows the pole to swivel within the lower pole which means you have to twist the pole until you find the hole for the spring stop to extend. The broken bushing finally snapped in half making the pole unusable. I called SunSetter and not only will they not replace the broken parts under warranty, she actually gave me the third degree about why the bushing, once replaced should be broken again. As an airvraft mechanic I really resented this young women questioning my technical capability. I of course ordered and paid for the two parts I need since the pole is useless without them. I feel the plastic parts are the Achilles heel for the pole and SunSetter makes money on the replacement of those parts. If they made aftermarket bushings made of aluminum I would definitely pay extra for them. If the pole continues to break at its weak point I will consider a solid pole and cut my losses.

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tjpap
Jamestown, US
Mar 06, 2009 6:43 pm EST

They do have a warranty that covers against any kind of damage for 5 years for 14 dollars, so im not sure why you would have to pay so much for replacement parts, at most you should have only had to pay for the shipping cost for these parts. And it does clearly state in the standard warranty of the flagpole that it is a pro-rated warranty and depreciates every year. It also states in that standard warranty that it does not cover weather damage, so if you are complaining about the standard warranty coverage, I believe you were getting a break at the 20% off .

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