OutdoorPlay return policy sucks. Help with Mafia Kayak.

[COUNT]

Sometimes it's difficult to tell people's gender online, but I gotta admit, "Serendipiti" does sound a little more like a dudette than a dude .

[Electric-Mayhem]

I've never ordered anything from outdoorplay so I can't say anything other then that they seem fairly high priced in general. I also try to give local shops the money rather then buy online anyways.

That said, Drago boats are great, and so is DragoRossi as a company. I'll start out by saying that I repped for them a bit last year, but now that they have moved to the whole direct ship thing and such, I am no longer affiliated with them other then that I still choose to paddle their boats, even though it will now cost me quite a bit more. When it comes to customer service, Drago seems to really care about making sure the people who buy their boats get what they payed for.

To be honest, this is the first time I have heard of any issues with these boats when it comes to quality control other then nigly bits that were fixed and remedied quickly, such as the hatch buckles (the Mafia I got came with 4 extra ones, and they have moved to a new system this year) or a batch of the thigh braces that had bubbles and were breaking (new ones got shipped to the problem boats asap). I haven't heard of a single one breaking or oil canning, or any other issues with the hulls themselves though.

I've beaten the hell out of both my Fish and Mafia, and they have held up as well as any boat I have ever paddled. It sounds like you might have gotten one of the original batch that had some issue with the outfitting and such, and might account for the uncomfortable feeling. No idea about the oilcanning, but if its a brand new boat there is no excuse for it to be like that. Most likely it was how it was stored (bottom of the stack or something) or how it was shipped. In proper form, the Mafia is a badass boat that is super easy to paddle and roll, and should last you a while. Its really too bad that you had this crappy experience right off the bat, but hopefully it will get figured out.

I think putting that e-mail in to Corran is good, as he might be able to add some pressure to Outdoorplay to remedy this situation. Have you actually talked to someone on the phone at Outdoorplay or was it just e-mail? I find that people are more reasonable and its harder to deny someone if they talk in a more personal media. Good luck, and if you are ever in the Upstate New York area and want to boat or try this boat in its proper form, let me know.

Josh H

[Corran]

Did you get my email about this. I spoke to NRS and we're ghoing to work something out with you.

Sorry about the instructor... sonds like a bit of a tool... the backband releases with a finger on the ratchet, and the Mafia, even at your weight, is most certainly a superb creeker for you for class 5 and more.

The dent on the other hand.... that we will most certainly take care of for you.

Corran

[tomrefried]

Nice job Corrran, It really sucks when have to bend over backwards for a someone who is wrong(didn't read return policy in big red letters), but is still a customer. I've done more work for free(or cheap) just to keep some pain in the ass quiet and make him go away. You know they will not be a returning customer, but they have a big mouth, and nothing but time to talk about how everyone screwed them on a deal.
The customer is allways right.

[SurfinGator]

Originally Posted by Electric-Mayhem

I've never ordered anything from outdoorplay so I can't say anything other then that they seem fairly high priced in general. I also try to give local shops the money rather then buy online anyways.

That said, Drago boats are great, and so is DragoRossi as a company.
Good luck, and if you are ever in the Upstate New York area and want to boat or try this boat in its proper form, let me know.

Josh H

I try to support local shops as much as possible, but no true kayak shops here. Therefore the problem with actually trying out a boat before purchase.

All of my research defined DragoRossi as an excellent company and top of the line boats. I didn't spend $1700 with OutDoorPlay foolishly, other than selecting them to purchase this boat. I don't travel north much, lived in Chicago for awhile and that was enough cold weather for me. But if you ever head to the Ocoee in TN or out west, holler at my email address and I will be extremely happy to join you.

Corran, I talked to Ellis at NRS. I believe he is trying to contact you. I will discuss any options NRS may have when he calls back. Frankly, I did not contact you or your firm in this matter because OutDoorPlay is the responsible party in this situation. They supplied a damaged product on delivery, possibly a used item sold as new. Therefore legally, their return policy is irrelevant in this matter.


TomRefried, there is only one L in always. There is a Spell Check button right below the message body you can use before you post.

[tomrefried]

There are two L's in always if you leave your finger on the key too long. Do spelling errors bother you that much?