Unreliable Windward III Fans

ComplaintsAppliancesHome Depot Hampton Bay Fans

Complaint

+1
Jack
Country: United States
Purchased 7 Windward III Fans and 5 of them can not run on high speeds.  Was told needed capacitor after replacing receiver and capacitor was back ordered.  For months capacitor was unavailable until the warranty on my fans expired.  I was then told I had to pay for the capacitors.  I have decided to change all of the fans in my house and replace them with a higher quality more reliable fan.  I do not recommend buying Hampton Bay fans - a waste of money.

Comments

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  • 0
    Orlando dude
    | 2 replies
    Wish I saw your post before I bought a Winward III.  Have the same problem with the one I installed. Only works on low speed.  dammit
    • 0
      Brian W replies to Orlando dude
      I have three old Hampton Bay fans they work flawlessly for years which is why I added one more to my home. HOWEVER... my new one has burnt motor already AND thought it would be safe to use just lights, WRONG loud pop and flash DEAD piece of junk.
    • 0
      Vinnny replies to Orlando dude
      I have a Windward 111 fan and it's a piece of garbage. The 'up' light goes on and off, and the 'down' light goes on when it wants to. All the remote controlled fans coming from China are total and absolute garbage and will last at best, maybe two years. As for Home Depot, they don't give a crap once you've bought and paid for it.
      Steer clear of all Hampton Bay fan products, they are, in my opinion the very worst on the market. We all know China has zero 'quality control' so anything coming down the line is shipped without testing. Go for an old fashioned wired fan or a pull chain. They still work when the china s**t is worn out after 6 months use.
  • 0
    Nick
    Beautiful fan with high tech features but I'm the third consumer with the very same problem.  My fan also does not work on the high speed. Wish Hampton Bay offered a recall on these fans. Buyers beware and dont take the chance.
  • 0
    Volusia Blue
    I have the Windward II (I think it's "II"; purchased a few years ago) and the fan and top lights only work intermittently now.  The bottom light does not work after replacing the expensive bulb and the ballast cannot be purchased anywhere as far as I know.  I emailed the original manufacturer Rhine a couple of weeks ago (in China of course) and they have not returned my email letting me know where I can purchase their product.  Does anyone know where parts can be purchased?

    Also, I called the store where I purchased it (Orlando) and they said that the Limited Lifetime Warranty requires me to bring in the fan and original receipt, and even then it is up to the manager's discretion whether or not the fan would be replaced.  What a hassle.
  • 0
    Volusia Blue
    I think there are more than 3 or 4 of us! =)
  • 0
    Karen
    I bought my Hampton bay Windward 111 in 05 and had to replace the receiver in 2008 and now the fan has stopped working again. In 08 the receiver cost $58.00. How much do I have to spend again?? I think it will be cheaper in the long run to buy a new and better fan. Don't buy this product!
  • 0
    Jose Ivan
    I got ^Windward III Fans and still having issues witht the capacitor and reverse module.  The capacitor was change in 4 of them.  Now was the reverse module that began to fail.  This capacitor and reverse module came together and they cost 25.00 dollars each.  I consider that those fans need to be recalled because they begin to fail due the the electricity fluctuations.
  • 0
    John Paul
    Similar issues.  I bought four fans and 3 out of the four stopped working.  I was told that it was either the capacitor or the receiver and that I would have to pay for both.  The lady from King of Fans (maker of hampton bay) was so perfunctory.  I think she has received these calls before.  In any case, Home Depot will no longer get my business.
  • 0
    J. Scott
    You can buy the ballast at efanparts.com. I have the same fan,but I have the Winward III model. Top and bottom lights stopped working 2 years ago and I just purchased a new ballast for it Nov 2011. Lights still not working. Might have a wiring issue as well. Hope this helps. Better late than never.
  • 0
    Been there done that
    Open the fan up , there is a is a white multi pen connector joining the lower electrical with the upper electrical components, the neutral line (white wire)  gang to one pen in the the plug which has over heated in the past.  When cool this pen will pass the electricity, when you put under a load by turning on both lights or putting the fan on high it get hot and "opens up" stopping the flow of electricity.

    Learning this involved an new remote control unit, testing my house wiring, cussing, and building a test jig.

    It never occurred to me that there where additional connectors inside the fan itself.

    Took the plug apart cleaned the male and female connectors, doped it with conductive grease, reassembled. Now it works like a champ.

    jrj
  • 0
    henry
    same dam thing happened to me-receiver broke so I had to buy it online and now it broke again-the speeds are lame too-its only low and medium then the high is medium too-

    gotta buy another fan-cheap crap
  • 0
    John P
    Bought my second Windward III in 2008.  Receiver just broke (just like the last one).  I wonder if it might just be cheaper to buy a whole new ceiling fan.  I will NEVER buy Hampton Bay again.
  • 0
    Mike F
    I have a Windward III, the high speed went out.  Had to replace the capacitor. Worked fine for a while.  Noticed recently the fans not turning as fast on high again.  What a piece of crap.

    I noticed Hampton Bay has a Windward IV out now which matches the Windward II exactly except that the Windward IV fan is 52 inches and uses a CFL bulb.  Take a look at the rpms/CFM.  Low/Medium/High=1900/3935/6779; respectively.

    The Windward III high speed is much slower than the Windward II and IV.  Only the Windward III has a light on top.

    Stick with the Windward II, the Windward III has a manufactor defect.
  • 0
    Ken
    | 1 reply
    Just for your information, the windward II was made by "king of fans", the windward III was made by "gossamer wind", and I havesn't looked up the windward IV since I don't have one.  Hampton bay buys the fans from whomever is the cheapest. That is why they have different manufactures.  I am a builder and I will not install anymore hampton fans in houses without a waiver of responsibility.  They all seem to have the same problem, the reciever buns out, or onthe windward III, the capacitor also might burn out.  The parts are costly as far as I am concern.  When I installed these fans, I did not buy them, the customer purchased them and had me install them.  I like the looks of the fans, but just too amny problems.

    Its just to bad that everything is designed to be used and then just tossed out when they go bad, unlike the past when you would call out a repairman and have the item repaired at a resonable cost and then it would last a long time.  

    I myself have older appliances in my house and just repair them.  Our dryer, washer, refer, dishwasher, etc. are at least 25 years old and only a few have ever needed repair.  I have friends who replaced there old with new and have already replaced the newer ones again.  Just like the fans!

    Thanks for reading!
    • +1
      Vinny replies to Ken
      Anything 'Made in China' is almost always total GARBAGE. They use CHEAP as their main selling points to outfits like Home Depot who will ONLY buy the cheapest crap they can find. Trump is right for once, 'American Made' LASTS, 'Made in China' is just landfill for the most part. I have a 30 year old GE Refrigerator with electronic readout that has NEVER had service. I also have a 30 year old dryer that works like new. China makes cheap s**t and that's all they sell. if you want stuff that actually works, buy European, Or American, and avoid ANYTHING coming out of China. They are in the dark ages as far as quality is concerned.
  • 0
    dm
    I too have the windward 111 and the fan started working intermittedly.  Remote was working but not talking to the fan.  Arbitrarily it would kick on..crazy..so frustrated
  • 0
    Linda
    I have a similar problem with previous reviewers. I had the Windward III for two and half years but remote doesn't talk to fan. I called and was told that I shall pay for a new receiver $58. I am going to take it down and return to Homedepot at least let other customer know this is not a reliable product.
  • 0
    Sybrina
    I bought three Windward III fans. I have replaced the ballast in all of them. I replaced the remote in one. One completely broke so I scavenged it for parts for the other two. Now only one works but the bottom light is burnt out and Home Depot does not sell them, even online. I found them on the internet for $14.55 + $8.95 for shipping. Apparently the lifetime warranty doesn't cover anything. They wanted me to pay for a new fan motor. At this point I am not fixing them, I am just going to replace them. And I won't be buying from Home Depot ever again. Whatever I buy will be sold at multiple stores so I can at least get parts for it!
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