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jamieinnyc



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 108

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 11:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

w8n4wind wrote:
ive got a 20 yr old megacat still in service, its seen a lot of abuse over the years.. in the ocean, and great lakes, and its been in conditions it was never intended for..including shorebreak..
http://www.exocet-original.com/2013/selector.php


In fairness to board manufacturers, your Mega Cat was more expensive outright when purchased 20 years ago than the WindSUP is in today's dollars. If the WindSUP were $3k, it would be built as well as your Mega Cat no doubt.
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westender



Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 1288
Location: Portland / Gorge

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 11:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually in fairness to the consumer, the only thing a manufacturer cares about these days is the bottom line. It was more than 20 years ago that the important thing was the best product for the best price. Everything is throwaway now. The retailer and the consumer are the quality control dept. and that is called increased worker productivity. Rolling Eyes
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jamieinnyc



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 108

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

westender wrote:
Actually in fairness to the consumer, the only thing a manufacturer cares about these days is the bottom line. It was more than 20 years ago that the important thing was the best product for the best price. Everything is throwaway now. The retailer and the consumer are the quality control dept. and that is called increased worker productivity. Rolling Eyes


Consumers set prices more than manufacturers, in that they are willing to pay x, and if a product is more than x, they won't buy it. Consumer demand for more products at cheaper prices does lead to lower quality, obviously - but that's what people want. Not everyone, but most people. I don't think Exocet set out to make a lower-quality product - on the contrary, I think they have very creative and innovative designs that speak to a passion for what they do. How else do you get to something like the Kona brand (now sold), or like the Exocet D2, which by the way is sensibly priced above $3k - a highly specialized product, though. To manufacture and ship a longboard of high quality for the $1600 price of the WindSUP is a challenge, I suspect. Who manufactures it - cobra?

Personally, for these broad-appeal longboards, I think BIC has the right idea with their green-friendly(er), French-made Ace-Tec boards - but such is the power of scale. I doubt Exocet could undertake their own manufacturing, however much incidents like these might make them want to do so.
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GURGLETROUSERS



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 2643

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 5:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another factor, often vociferously stressed by one of our angry (at the current state of windsurfing) ex importers is that the building of longboards to both perform and last is an acquired art, which reached a peak in the old longboard era and which was forgotten when longboards were generally abandoned and ignored by the industry. (The people who built them had moved on, and the skills were lost.)

When Cobra reintroduced longboards they had no experience of the necessary construction techniques, and the first Phantoms couldn't 'take it', fell apart, and had to be recalled. Cobra do now seem to have 'got it' and the current Cobra longboards have struck a better balance between weight, cost, and durability. Whether or not they are 'up there' with the best of yesteryear, time will tell. (The 20+ year old Ace-Tec Bic Bamba mast track is fettled, and back in sevice.)

In longboards, the stresses of surf and chop pounding are such that there is little room for skimping on construction and decent materials, and reports seem to suggest that some S.U.P. boards are not being built to the same standards as proper longboards.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gentlemen your discussions are turning to what drives sales, one product over the other. The construction details, ie how much glass, carbon, Kevlar and how thick the pine, cost of manufacture mean little when they

don't stand behind the product, meaning good olde Customer Service to back up the sale with support. The assembly staff is another matter, who are probably under pressure to build so many each day, so

quality control gets a back seat over a daily number out the door.


In that respect we do have a throw away product base nowadaze, I am constantly baffled why I can not purchase replacement parts, being told they don't exist.

what goes around comes around

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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 1:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well it's getting interesting, I just got another email from Patrice, he's concerned about the bad publicity and requesting additional information.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 1:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beaglebuddy wrote:
Well it's getting interesting, I just got another email from Patrice, he's concerned about the bad publicity and requesting additional information.

Let's hope he does the right thing, and I don't mean simply caving to public pressure. The real issue should be whether an owner abuses a product beyond its intended, rational and stated purpose, not how much users complain.

When Pontiac Motors Zone Manager Ton Sanden absolutely F-ed me on a warranty in 1966, the ONLY thing that kept me from hitting him was the certainty of breaking his jaw and going to jail. OTOH, if I break a lightweight slalom board by jumping it too much, that's not the manufacturer's fault. Just because a product is within its warranty period doesn't mean it is morally, legally, or rationally bombproof.

BTW I've never had a reason to file a warranty claim on a mass manufactured board; my failures, including some total and permanent hull failures, have been on full-weight custom Gorge jump boards.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 2:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beaglebuddy wrote:
Well it's getting interesting, I just got another email from Patrice, he's concerned about the bad publicity and requesting additional information.


I would post , if you are inclined, on the BOARDS UK forum or France

http://www.directwind.com


or Hot Sails , which have more International presence

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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I started this thread back in October I had not yet contacted my dealer or Exocet, I was just trying to gain information as to what the problem might be.
Then I contacted the dealer and gave him the link to this thread, he contacted Exocet but wasn't getting the response that would help.
I have purposely been quiet about it until recently giving them every opportunity to make it right.
Actually I'm surprised the moderators let this thread continue, several years ago someone busted up some Naish SUP boards in the surf and he was upset about the quality, he reported on it a SUP forum and it was immediately pulled, so he started his own website about it somewhere.
My desire is not to run down Exocet, I'm just reporting the facts and letting everyone else comment, let the chips fall where they may.
Hopefully the outcome will include getting both my own and Boardsurfr's boards repaired or replaced and this possible design or manufacturing problem solved.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beaglebuddy,

You know, this whole issue is about fairness in business between a buyer, a retailer and the manufacturer or brand. That's why warranties come with the product. Warranties legally hold the manufacturer responsible for maintaining their side of the obligation. In your situation, the case was not being handled in a timely manner, and it was understandable that you were unsatisfied. I know I wouldn't be.

I guess the question you need to ask yourself is whether bringing your issue to a public forum was a good path. In fairness though, your initial posting was more a question about what might be going on with your board. The actual crossroads though came with Patrice's response. Do you keep the contact between you, your retailer and Exocet, or do you bring it to the public. Nothing wrong with bringing it on a stage of sorts, particularly if you are unhappy and question whether you're being treated fairly. It's a given that public media is used regularly to bring attention to many things and to elicit a response or feedback.

Like I mentioned earlier, Patrice's initial response was lame. The suggestion of side shore winds being a warranty busting factor just made my eyes roll. Side shore winds are what most of us wish for when we show up at the beach. The fact that you were using the WindSUP seems to suggest to me that the wind was most likely on the light side, otherwise you would most likely been on lower volume board more dedicated to planing and maneuverability.

One of the most important parts of a warranty is whether the product performs as designed, and whether it fulfills its intended purpose without failure. Seems quite clear to me that the board is showing evidence of failure in an important area, and there doesn't seem to be any obvious evidence that you mistreated the board. While such a failure in construction may not necessarily dictate the board's replacement, at a minimum, I think that it would warrant an appropriate repair by someone qualified to do such work.
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