Hi All,
Was hoping to post a review on my two new Slingshot Fuels, what I previously considered the best kite ever made. I have ridden them since 2007, owning 07, 08, 10 vintages.
Unfortunately I have had a very bad experience with Slingshot.
Brand new 13m Fuel ripped from leading edge to trailing edge within first three minutes of flying in mid flight. The kite did not even touch the water, it just tore in the air as I unhooked and loaded up for the first time. Obvious manufacture fault by the little man at the sowing machine.
Not overly worried at the time being fully aware of Slingshots much publicised 1 year warranty, I took a heap of photos and submitted a warranty claim direct to Slingshot explaining the situation.
SS response is; "tears to the canopy are not covered under warranty, but don't worry as it should only cost you between $75 - $200 to fix at your local repairer"... (At least that amount as the tear has gone through the leading edge.. not to mention the adverse flight characteristics with a repair of that size - I would have just use my old ones if I wanted a dodgy kite!)
What deceit from SS, and almost morally criminal in my humble opinion.
Lesson learnt, myself and my mates who ordinarily buy quivers of Fuels will never go near Slingshot again and nor should anybody reading this, including Slingshot die hard faithfuls, I was one of you only 1 week ago. It is just not worth the risk.
I have now experienced firsthand why SS is losing market share and the previous mantle as the quality manufacturer.
Rant over, Slingshot fans please accept this as a lesson learnt at my expense as opposed to a derogatory dig at SS.
Cheers,
Sam
did you give them the full story how youve been using and possibly promoting their brand since 07, if they dont come to the party then move on to another brand that gives the service you want , sounds like a bum deal to me mate , maybe bypass all the knobs and go through the regional importer, surely if theyve got a brain theyd do something for you, but unfortunatly this seem to be the way that brands deal with their clients not only in kite equip but most goods today, they are happy to take your money then go out of their way to shaft you when you have an issue, im happy to say my kite brand of choice are the complete opposite, good luck
I guy I new had the same thing happen (tore mid flight) only he doesn't unhook!
Use to see heaps of slingshot kites around 4 or 5 years back. I haven't seen anyone with a new one in the past 2 years except a guy who is sponsored by them.
Yeah gave them the whole story, I have bought 8 x Slingshot Fuels since 2007 and let anybody who cares to listen know how great SS were. Not anymore.
I went straight to Slingshot in the US, the warranty guy obviously was unable to see the big picture... Not sure what a kite costs them but they just lost the direct sale of a further 4 kites this year alone.
In reality most of the brands would probably deal with this the same way, I suppose they get guys crashing them into a tree and trying to claim warranty.
I actually tried the 9 yesterday, the canopy itself has a flat or tight patch on one side but not the other, not even going to bother trying to resolve that issue!
Live and learn!
time to look at another brand, you hear of **** like this then other brands going out of their way , i dont fly flexifoils but repaired one for a local, he god fobbed off with a bladder issue 1st they couldnt repair it then said they didnt make them anymore, i phoned flexifoil in the uk for him and they went through the old stock tracking one down , they must of phoned me 4 times from the uk in the day keeping me up to date, bingo they found 2 billed for one $59 and sent the 2 now thats customer service
Do you self launch your kite ? You can put small holes in your kite when launching from sticks, shells etc and then the kite rips open when it's up
And flying .
No not self launch, well aware of what dragging along the ground can do to a kite canopy.
No I purchased the kites from the US, less than half the price. Given the SS warranty does not cover canopy tears and the shop would be dealing with SS direct to get the warranty actioned, I do not consider there to be much more a shop could do.. Happy to be proven otherwise?
Sucks to rip a new kite but honestly .. Unless you can actually prove a manufacturing fault that have no obligation to repair it.
Imagine how many calls they get from kiters who swear they didn't crash the kite and it just tore in half in mid air........
all true posts but if you bought from your local dealer you can bet they would of sorted it out. So
i guess you may not of learnt your lesson
yeah a dealer would of helped you out for sure. There's no way any reputable dealer in aus would have left you with a brand new 13m torn in half after maiden flight.
Without the dealer backing i think any manufacturer in the kiting industry would of done the same thing.
I bought a 2nd hand slingshot in the canary islands a few years back without checking the stitching with a microscope. Within a day of using it in big winds the stitching along the whole leading edge was coming apart.
The repair chap who fixed mainly windsurfing stuff, ridiculed me for buying slingshots, he told me it was their kites he had to fix the most. I have never looked back..
BTW i have one for sale, comes with some decent stitching ;)
Send the link of this forum page to them and tell them this is just the start of the protest!
I was a diehard like your self untill i tried one of the cheapest kite brands on the market and fell in love, slingshot is just a name. quality and service has since long disapeared.
That is really poor service mate. It doesn't matter where you bought the kites either as the warranty is world wide. Maybe take your issue to trading standards as all products should have at least a 1 year warranty.
I had a win recently with fairfax. They were uncontactable and I was dealing with computer auto generated responses. Basically I was lodging a complaint with fair trading australia and gave them one last opportunity to resolve. It's amazing when you talk to the right person what they can and are willing to do. Fair trading are helpful on the phone. Give them a call or you can lodge an online complaint. Not sure where you stand with overseas supplier, but Internet purchases are so common now on a variety of products, they would have protocols in place. Surely if you talk to the right person in slingshot, they would offer some kind of assistance. Although I support Ozzy retail; I'm sure most of those retailers have had overseas purchases either by web or when travelling. Your warranty should be good. They are losing a good promoter of the brand (in the past) if they dont. I'm surprised no other retailer has stepped up to offer you some deal. I haven't had a slingshot since my original 13m fuel I learnt on and they were great to deal with then. Good luck!
The whole concept of not covering a canopy for repair seems like bull****. Canopies could be just as subject to manufacturing fault as any other area of the kite. It's easy to see manufacturing faults vs damage because you can normally see a point where the damage actually occured. I.e. a puncture point which may have started the tear if it was crashed into something.
Hi kiting
Sorry to hear of your issues with your SS kite. We have had historically very few warranty claims with the Fuel given the numbers that are on the water as it is well known for its performance and durability. As you highlighted you have obviously used them for many years with no significant problems its a shame that you have had a not so favourable solution for this issue.
As highlighted it becomes an issue when people decide to purchase overseas as if you had gone local you would of received the backing and support of the local agent/ supplier. This is very solid when you have an established relationship with a shop but people decide to buy overseas, also as highlighted all kite brands are inundated by people making false claims about the kite that " miraculously exploded" even though they won't acknowledge that it had been slammed repeatedly.
A warranty that is submitted has a lot more weight when it is backed by the local agent or supplier who can back the claim and more often than not there is a favourable outcome when there is a clear issue identified.
Where people develop relationships with their local retailer this negates the potential for " grey areas" as the rep will know the individual and their abilities. This is especially the case where the individual is a longtime supporter of their local dealer.
I suggest you contact the company you brought this kite from if you have dealt with them on numerous occasions and Pursue your claim.
Boardcrazy -Slingshot Australia
It makes sense that retailers here would point the finger and profess the buy local mantra. but alas I do agree with this sentiment.
But... This guys history with fuels should have been enough for SS to at least offer him to send it back for a review of the damage.
I see both sides. It is still poor service regardless.
In Australia we have the Trade Practices Act which protects consumer rights. You can make a complaint to the ombudsman, however usually mentioning "ombudsman" to a supplier can lead to resolve.
In the US they have the FTC. I don't know much about how they work, but you could have a look around on the website. There is a complaint section for example:
www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0341-file-complaint-ftc
Defiantly very poor service.
The kiteboarding industry seems to backwards when it comes to warranties, when you compare it to other sports, or is it just in Australia.
Couple of years ago I had a problem with a snowboard binding while in France, so I went into a shop in Chamonix that sold Ride gear, and they replaced the broken part under warranty. I had never been to this shop before, hadn't purchased it in Europe and I didn't even have the sales receipt with me, but Ride warrantied it without any problem. Big ups for Ride I'll always continue using their snowboards.
An international company should have an international warranty.
Anyway Kiting look on the bright side, even if you have to chuck your 13 away, if you got 8 kites at half price you are still the cost of 3 kites ahead. 
When you say you purchased the kite from the US was it from an authorized SS distributor?? This is not clear from your posting. Why didn't you, and why aren't you pursuing the matter via the point of sale??
My experience has always been to go back to the point of sale 1st they have a lot more to lose sometimes than the manufacturer. If this fails, which it rarely has for me, I then escalate it to the distributor or manufacturer, and include the lack of support I have received from their retail point of sale. They don't like it when the retail sector is giving their product a poor name.
