The XP5500EH has a lot of positive points. It's fairly powerful, it's dual fuel, and it's affordable. Less positive, though, are the few generators that don't work, or fail, for one reason or another either on arrival or after some time.
However, the need for standby power continues to grow each year. While people understandably don't want to overspend when money is tight, a portable generator is an investment and an insurance policy for when an emergency strikes. And that might not be very often.
Are manufacturers not very good when it comes to customer support? Evidence abounds about dissatisfied customers across all makes of portable generators. But there is also plenty to say that it is not all bad, and it is possible that some customers may be demanding more than is reasonably fair. Nevertheless, all customers need and should expect excellent customer care, and expect manufacturers to go the extra mile in resolving genuine issues.
In terms of the warranty, most manufacturers have similar conditions, and while having to pay freight costs when returning a unit is common, in many circumstances, and for many buyers, this practice cannot be said to be fair.