Important info for new Solarmeter 6.5 owners

[lilacdragon]

Important information for anyone who has purchased a new Solarmeter 6.5 UV Index Meter since September 2015.
A problem has been identified with the latest batch of meters, which is caused by a new component in the filtration system incorrectly allowing some longer-wavelength UVA through. This is causing inaccurate readings with reptile lamps and low level sunlight.
Solarmeter are resolving the problem as swiftly as they can. Please read this web page for details:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/Solarmeter6-5batch-problemMay2016.htm
Please share this with other reptile keepers who may have recently purchased a meter.

 

[CooperDragon]

Thanks for letting us know about this!

 

[Ed707]

Wow thanks for this! Looks like I'll be returning mine to get it fixed. Already emailed them

 

[diamc]

Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention Frances. It certainly is good to know that Solarmeter is working on solving the problem quickly.

I am fortunate that I purchased mine before 2015 and my serial number is older.

I made this thread a Global announcement to make sure everyone on the forum is aware.

 

[lilacdragon]

Thanks, Diane.
I've heard good news from Solarmeter, they are really wanting to help sort this out, they will definitely accept returns, replace the affected component and recalibrate the meter, as soon as they get the right replacement parts in stock. They also hope to have new meters for sale again within 8 weeks.
I've also heard from one distributor, that he is willing to accept returns from his customers and will send them as a batch to Solarmeter. Maybe other distributors will follow.
So if you find your meter is from the affected batch (serial number above 03325) maybe your first course of action is to contact the store or online store you bought it from.
If they haven't heard about the problem yet, please ask them to contact Solarmeter for assistance. It's all very new information and we are doing our best to help them sort it out.

 

[diamc]

Thank you again Frances. Great that they are working hard to sort this out.

I sent an email to Todd from http://www.lightyourreptiles.com to make him aware in case he didn't know and he responded.

We so appreciate you keeping us updated on this issue.

Diane

 

[Drache613]

Hello Frances,

Thanks so much for getting that important information to us! That is too bad, but at least they have caught it & are trying to fix it as quickly as they can.
Luckily, I bought my meter well before 2015 so I am safe.
I will definitely try to pass along the information to anyone I can.

Thanks!

Tracie

 

[amyemiline]

Fed ex just dropped my solar meter off yesterday and unfortunatly mine has a serial number within the defective ones.

I called solar meter directly and was told mine "should" be fine. Which isn't really a good enough answer for me considering the money I put into it.

So I emailed them again and haven't heard anything back yet.

Just wondering how long it was for any of you to get a responding email back from solarmeter?

Also I feel like they should be contacting recent purchasers of the 6.5 to inform them of what is going on, because if it wasn't for someone informing me on this forum i would have had no idea.

Which is kind of a big deal when you have a little life depending on this.

 

[Ed707]

I got a little conflicting information from them. I emailed them and called, during the phone call I was told it would be 6 weeks until they would get the new parts to fix them a responding email from them told me they should be receiving new parts by June 8th, which is about 3 weeks away. I'm going to call them again probably and reply to the email to find out when they can actually fix them.

 

[amyemiline]

Well let's hope it is June 8th! Then we won't have to wait untill almost September to get our stuff replaced.

I'm going to call them again if I don't get an email back Soon.

 

[lilacdragon]

Hi, everyone.
The people at Solar Light Company, who are the new owners of Solarmeter, have only just started to tackle this problem and this company has a wide range of other products so I don't suppose all their staff even know about the issue yet... those that are involved with the Solarmeter production certainly do know about it, responded the very next day, and are pushing to get the replacement parts as fast as they can. I don't suppose they can give an exact date yet because it's not like buying a spare part from a store - the sensor filters are individually made from components, some from Germany... Please be patient, they really are doing their best.
Your dragons are perfectly safe under their existing UV lamps without measurement, as long as you are using good quality brands at recommended distances

I'm writing today with a further update.
I've just had confirmation that some of the ZooMed "Digital UV Index Radiometers" were in the affected batch. These are made by Solarmeter, but ZooMed gives them different serial numbers.
Affected numbers are: 5228 - 5274.
ZooMed have immediately stopped distribution and sent me this email yesterday:
"We are working now to identify where our meters were shipped and to reach out to our customers with instructions on getting their meter repaired and recalibrated. (In the USA).. customers can reach out to Zoo Med by email to [email protected] to arrange for repair and recalibration."
In other countries we suggest you contact the place where you bought your meter, to arrange a return.

I have updated my web page accordingly:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/Solarmeter6-5batch-problemMay2016.htm

 

[amyemiline]

Ahh ok, that is completely understandable. That is good to hear! I was just getting frustrated with the lack of feedback I was getting from them, so thank you for the update

Glad to hear they're still working hard to fix the issue.

 

[lilacdragon]

I'm sure you will get a reply soon... Did you buy your meter directly from the Solarmeter website?
If so, then you need to ask for a return authorisation, so you can send it back. If you bought it from a distributor, you might want to contact them and arrange to return it to them... Some distributors are collecting up their affected stock and sending them back in one parcel.

 

[amyemiline]

Yes I did buy directly from the solar meter website. And I sent an email to the email address that was listed under contact info on my printed receipt.

I'm guessing they're probably just overwhelmed right now so I'm sure they will get back to me.

I'm just glad to hear they're aware of what's happening now and are working on it.

 

[amyemiline]

Has anyone heard anything about the 6.2 solarmeter?

Has it been tested for accuracy after the 6.5 issue, because I am considering just exchanging my new 6.5 for the 6.2 but wanted to make sure that model wasn't having the same issue.