I know last spring we have discsions about the solar foutains offered on QVC. I odered the Chatsworth Weathered Stone Finish 2 Tier. It worked great for a month or so then just quit. I called QVC today and got the number the number for Smart Solar 813 343-5775.

I called and was told the pump had been re-designed. Since there is a two year warrenty I don't have to pay for the new pump. I have read complaints about how people have ordered new parts and never recieved them. I do hope that I get mine. If I have to I will pay for them. I hate to have something that won't work.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

Dianne,
Sorry to hear about the pump dying on you. That is the one reason that I haven't ordered a solar powered fountain. I talked to a local garden center that also instals water features of all kinds and they told me they don't recommend the solar pumps b/c they just haven't perfected them yet. Hopefully your new pump will last for you.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I hope you get your pump. You can look at the reviews of an item before you buy it. It has helped me alot in my shopping. Let us know how it went

I will know in about 2 weeks. I am thinking about checking at Lowe's and stores like that to see if they carry the solar foutains. If they do I could possibly get replacement parts there.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

I bought one from the Pond Lady website and it only lasted one season. I'm through with them.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

My solar fountain qiut also after a few months. I installed a small elecrtic pump in it's place. Avian aquatics has some solar products.

Jana
Montverde,Florida
USDA zone 9

Jana thank you for the suggestion.



Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

I also will be needing a new pump for my solor powered fountain, so yes for those thinking about it you want to wait for a while. But I have about a 2ft birdbath even without fountain.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Dianne--- I have went thru the same process as you. I called the same number you listed after calling QVC to verify exactly when I bought mine and I am supposedly also getting the updated pump. If we have trouble getting our pumps then we need to get back with QVC and Im sure they will make it good which would include sending us another bath. Im sure they dont want any unsatisfied customers. At least thats the avenue I will follow If I have trouble getting the pump. They must have gotten a lot of calls to have already re-designed the pump filter. I bought mine on feb 21 of 08. I too have read some bad reviews on this. Even people who got pump replacements werent happy, but maybe they didnt get the updated pumps as that was last year or before. Good luck to us Dianne. Keep us updated

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Steve I wrote a negative review for my fountain last night. If don't get a new pump within a reasonable time I will call customer service at both QVC and Smart Solar again. I have never had any problem with any of my buys from QVC before.

Steve if I don't get my pump within a reasonable time I will start callind again. I really can't believe QVC sold something this shoddy. I wrote this in a negative review last night to them about the fountain. Many bad reviews. The customer service person did not have any trouble giving me the number. Like she had it ready.

Dianne
I just read some of the reviews on this fountain. Many of the people who contacted the manufacturer got the run a round and never received the pump or if they did, the new one stopped working also and when they called again they were put on a waiting list because they said the pumps were on back order but never got the replacement. Many of the reviews also stated that the bowl cracked or peeled.

I also checked out all of QVC's solar fountains and they are all by Smart Solar and the reviews for all of their fountains are pretty much the same...poor.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Dianne, Gosh, so sorry that pump bit the dust so to say...If it were me I would probably just either wait to see if you do in fact get the replacement part and if it works for a while great - if not a lesson learned that these are just not perfected enough yet. Maybe you will get lucky - if not like you say you could probably find something at Lowe's - who knows could even be a better deal...just my thoughts...

Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

I recently asked my nursery center about carrying solar pumps as I want one. They told me they will not be selling them until they are perfected. I was told that they do not last very long and have had a great deal of problems with very unhappy customers. Next year, maybe?

A plus if I never get it working again is that I do have a lightweight birdbath I can move around. Who knows I might get luckey.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

Leslie said:
"I recently asked my nursery center about carrying solar pumps as I want one. They told me they will not be selling them until they are perfected. I was told that they do not last very long and have had a great deal of problems with very unhappy customers. Next year, maybe?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was told the very same thing by a garden center in my area that does a lot of landscaping and pond installations of all sizes.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Dianne--- Yes that is a good attitude to take and I take the same one , even without the fountain working you do have a nice lightweight birdbath which can easily by moved also it is about 2ft across so it is a nice size. My bowl has not cracked or peeled and it has been outside all winter. I still have hope that the new updated pump will be better, if not I still have a nice birdbath. Its sort of like the hummer feeder that was causing hummers to get caught in them, they redesigned those and people still buy them although I dont , but I never bought any of theirs in the first place. I will definately update results with this birdbath.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Dianne and Everyone

As a further update I find more problems with the birdbath. After close inspection I find a crack in the main bowl of my portsmouth birdbath. So after filling the birdbath with water and watching it all drain out its back to the phone. In talking to the QVC rep. they referred me back to smart solor since it is under warranty. But I did relay my disappointment to the QVC rep about this product. So after calling smart solar back they will be sending the replacement bath plus the pump filter. They also told me that they were also telling QVC to tell their customers not to leave the birdbath outside during the winter. It was not in the original instructions to bring it in, but it is now quite obvious with so many pumps failing and bowls cracking that no part of bath can be left outside during the cold months. Im guessing anything below 45 degrees. So to anyone who is considering this birdbath , please reconsider.

I also related to the QVC rep that I belonged to several forums and the word of mouth will travel fast on this product and that I would be leaving feedback and the rep encouraged me to do so. Since I had already left a negative feedback before I realized the bowl was cracked I couldnt leave a second one. But I think and hope I relayed my feelings about this product.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Hallelujah and Amen!!!

Just talked to QVC again and told them how unhappy I was with this product and trying to talk to Smart Solar. The customer service rep told me she was sending me a return label. I told her I didn't have the invoice with prices and such. She can get the information off my account and all the information needed will be with the return lable she is sending.

Hey, I was ever so nice when talking to the lady.

Go for it Steve.

Now I will check out the plants offered by Cottage Gardens. I have not even got the credit yet and it is burning a hole in my charge card.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

Steve,
I had read the reviews on these bird baths last summer so I had no intention on buying one. Any water feature that I may purchase for the garden will be done locally so that it can easily be returned if there is a problem. I definitely won't be purchasing any that are solar powered nor offered by Smart Solar.

Dianne,
I agree, as a general rule QVC does go out of their way to take care of a problem that a customer has.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Yes they do. I was a member of QVC before it was QVC. I can't remember for the life of me what it was called. I do know that Kathy Levin and some big guy were two of the first hosts.

I even remember the 'tootie' horn used on HSN...and let's go lower on the price. Now that tells you how long I have been ordering stuff from these home shopping networks.

I remember Kathy Levine and Bob Bowersox and really wish she were back on there. How about Mike Rowe? He is now the host of Dirty Jobs. I seldom watched HSN but I always enjoyed QVC aja CVN,

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Penny, I miss Katy Levine too. She has a line of jewelry now and is on there selling that occasionally. I can't remember the exact name of the jewelry but it has the word vintage in it. She and Joan Rivers even did one show together selling their jewelry.

Linda
ne AL
zone 7b

Joan rivers and Kathy were great together when Kathy was still hosting.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39