V12, and another leaking cover story.

No trolling from me.

On closer inspection and a bit more reading it seems more like the Gel coat is what's cracked and not the actual seam, If I wanted I could peal it with my nail. I've contacted the dealer and sent photos so I'll wait and see what happens.

And I'll bet that they won't do you the courtesy of acknowledging your email for something like a week or more.

Amazing how much better relations are if they get back the same or next day and say, 'Hi, have received your email and have sent the pictures on to .....whatshisname that really knows about these things.
Will get back to you as soon as possible'.

Instead of just letting the customer stew for a week or two, not knowing whats going on as they tend to do.

Hi,
Although I have had only limited experience with Epic Australia, I have to say I was amazed at their complete lack of customer service....in fact it was so bad it was almost comical and this wasn't over a defective product but a new sale!

I purchased a V10 2 years ago and within the first 12 months it had been replaced twice. Both faulty ski's had bad leaks.

After an hour paddle I would tip out about 1/2 litre of water from the hull. I couldn't find the leaks and Epic Australia couldn't find the leaks.

Epic Australia did however, replace the ski's pretty quickly and I was happy with that.

As for the cover!!!! I had 2 grey ski covers replaced after the duly shrank and turned into a paper like material. I could basically push my thumb through the material with little or no effort.

That didn't last long though as after a couple of months the ski didn't fit in the cover as it had shrunk drastically.

After numerous phone calls the response was that they no longer had the grey covers as there were issues with them (really?) and I would have to pay $350 for a new red one.

When questioned as to why they simply dropped responsibility for the product as it had been replaced I got a silence. She never answered or returned my calls after that.

I was happy with how they dealt with the ski issue but they dilluted any good impression with the bag issue. As a result I would go Fenn or Think next.

Anyone else had a cover issue?

I have had dealings with Jackie from Epic Australia numerous times over the past number of years and as recently as a few weeks ago. She has been great and the customer service has been excellent. I couldn't say a bad word about the way I have been treated and I'm a nobody in the paddling world. Thanks Rob

Good to hear balance.
I don't share your good fortune, but it nice to hear from both sides.

I hope to have the same excellent experience with Epic and I also hope to hear back soon or at the very least by the end of the week.

BenH wrote:

I purchased a V10 2 years ago and within the first 12 months it had been replaced twice. Both faulty ski's had bad leaks.

Great to hear they replaced the boats

Manufacturers giving instructions on how to epoxy take note

That period may have been the same period I am reliably informed was the time the chinese factory was substituting inferior materials for the good materials Epic was ordering and or supplying the factory.

Unfortunately either by placing too much trust in the factory, lack of quality control, or both, boats were going out that Epic wasn't happy with and by thier own admission they tried hard to sort that out and hence the eventual moving of thier production to another factory.

Dont be put off from considering Epic for your next boat as considering the amount of boats they are selling now I reckon there are very few issues.

As for Epic Australia, I too have heard issues regarding getting things sent out (new orders), and thats from talking to dealers and guys racing them that are competitive paddlers who need products pronto to get there before races. One dealer I spoke to had a shop full of items he didnt order or recieved too much of and couldnt get the things he did order

I am amazed how readily dealers will complain about lack of support from manufacturers (not just Epic), it's almost like they are seeking absolution for thier inability to support products they sell because they themselves arent being supported.

AR_convert wrote:


[/quote]

Manufacturers giving instructions on how to epoxy take note

ooooh Brett that sounds like a big dig at "think"!!!

In my opinion living in Australia I wouldn't buy another Epic ever, especially here in WA...........

Apart from the horrendous customer support...ie none!(both local & national), I have just recently seen faults and cracks appearing in more epic skis that "aren't covered in Australia under warranty"

I'm sorry but if a major manufacturer clearly states this on their website I won't give them a second look.

Compared with the Australian Think customer support which has been.............outstanding!!!!!!

(I'm sure this will ruffle a few feathers!! )

Okay, got me

but my idea of posting is to hopefully cause Think, Epic and anyone else who'll read this, to have a good look at how they back up thier product and what service they give, whether it be manufacturers or thier distributors.

As has been stated in the past, this forum is simply an extention of what we talk about over a coffee after our paddle with a group of mates, so if it's talked about on here, chances are it's already being talked about in those smaller groups, at least here the industry insiders get alerted to any rumours, inuendo or crap that is sullying thier brand

Another issue that hasnt been mentioned is that when you do a web search on particular ski's the posts from this forum often come up in the search results, an example is "DD3 ski", the manufacturers website comes up 3rd, while 4th and 5th results are posts about problems a customer on this forum has had....not ideal for the manufacturer but a good incentive to make the forum post resolve in a positive way

I guess I have been lucky with my boats so far, I'd hate to be in the predicament some of the forum members describe, but it alerts me to any possible things to look for when updating boats.

What issues have you had with your "think" that resulted in "outstanding" customer support

I can guarantee that if my Epic boat starts leaking or shows some other manufacturing related defect and Epic Australia do not give me satisfaction, they will end up doing the right thing in the end as I will for sure take them to court.

Now with the costs of them attempting to defend themselves in any way far outweighing the cost of many new skis, they would be just plain stupid to try.
Not to mention any fines they may incur.

Not only that but their reputation would be mud and there would be no way that Epic worldwide could continue to supply product to them if that happened.

I'm not sure, but even having the notice about not offering warranty may even be an offense if somebody were to notify Fair Trading about it.

You know all this thread does is show we need local manufacturers to stand up and make a world class boat that everyone will support because its ` local `.

This way we wouldnt be talking about china and companies thats head office are a long way away... and we are just - out of site and out of mind

Latman get off your arse and do it !! ( please )

Pete wrote:

You know all this thread does is show we need local manufacturers to stand up and make a world class boat that everyone will support because its ` local `.

This way we wouldnt be talking about china and companies thats head office are a long way away...

Well, In California we have Huki; although I don't own one of their skis, I'm told they (Jude) are exactly what you're suggesting--local, supportive and accountable.