Hobie Cat Company

The customer
purchased a used kayak in August that developed a leak during
use. The problem was reported to us by one
of our dealers who placed a warranty claim on our system on 10/22/2014.
Our warranty
policy provides full coverage for years to the first owner The
boat in question is years beyond warranty and the customer is not the first
owner
Through our
dealer, we offered a 20% discount on a new replacement hull of the same model or
optionally, a 40% discount on a blemished replacement hull of a different
model. We feel that these are fair
offers for a subsequent owner of a used boat that is years beyond warranty
coverage
*** ***
CFO
Hobie Cat Company

Attached are three images. The first one is a screen shot of a post on a forum from a Hobie employee discussing the defect. 
 
The second image is of the cracked cam column in their product. This was the reason for my initial warranty claim with Hobie. Their first response was a method...

for me to fix it myself or sell me an old blemished product, that was also a lesser model for a ridiculous price. I tried the repair and it seemed to be successful. 
 
The third image is of the new crack. This occurred a few hours into my first trip after the Hobie suggested repair. Upon further research, I have found out this crack is referred to as "The crack of death" in the Hobie community. There is no remedy.
 
Since I repaired the first piece to fail, the next weakest area (due to "faulty plastics" and poor design) failed, leaving me "Dead in the water." 
 
I kept my written complaint precise, concise, and professional but I can tell you that The kayak was filing with water faster than I could pump it out and I had thought about just leaving it and swimming to shore with my life vest. It would have been much easier than what I had to deal with.
 
Thank you for your help,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
A 20% discount on a replacement hull meant I had to pay about $1200.  I do not think the offer was fair given the extenuating circumstances regarding the bad materials and design within the product.
 
They claim the product was 5 years out of warranty but they had extended their 2 year warranty to 4 years, and then extended it another two years (prorated) due to the prevalence of the known defect in a certain range of their products.  I was not the original owner but the product was purchased as used from an authorized Hobie dealer.  It was properly cared for and well maintained.  They stated "the product developed a leak." The leak did not simply develop, a structurally important piece failed during normal use and this caused the leak. 
 
 
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: The product failed due to a known defect. The damage was not caused by the end-user. This defect is not being covered under warranty. Since the MSRP of this product is much more than similar products, the consumer would expect this product to last many years. I was surprised and outraged that Hobie Cat ( a large, well established company with a great reputation for quality and customer service) is not assuming responsibility for the damage and I am being charged an unacceptable amount of money for a replacement product. The product almost sank in the ocean putting my health, and even my life in jeopardy. Luckily I am good physical shape and I was able to propel the product to shore before it sank completely. It was an extremely stressful situation that no one should have to endure.Desired Settlement: Hobie Cat should cover the costs of a first quality replacement of the same model, including freight charges.

Consumer

Response:

Attached are three images. The first one is a screen shot of a post on a forum from a Hobie employee discussing the defect.

Review: Poor warranty coverage. Product has a defect and damage was not caused by end-user, and Hobie doesn't cover the defect under the warranty, so I'm being partially charged for a new product. If the issue was related to end-user damage, I'd expect to pay for it, but if it's due to a weak, stress point in the product, then the manufacturer should assume responsibility for it. Very shocked especially given the age, quality, and reputation of the manufacturer. The product is only 5 years old and the MSRP is much more when compared to similar models, but usually the higher the cost, the higher the quality of the product, which a consumer would hope would last longer than most or at least 10 years at a minimum.Desired Settlement: Hobie should cover the costs of the new replacement including freight charges. This product almost sank in the ocean and almost took my life in the process. Luckily, I manaaged to save myself and the product, but honestly, it would've been very frustrating to see it sink and be gone forever due to unknown reasons. After pulling it ashore, I located a "finger-nail" size crack which allowed enough water to fill the hull in only a couple hours on the water.

Business

Response:

June 14, 2013Revdex.com of San Diego4747 Viewridge Ave, Suite 200San Diego, CA 92123Dear Sirs:Please reference your file ID #[redacted]The customer contacted our website on April 26, 2013 and notified us that he had a leak in his kayak.On that same day one of our service techs directed him to take the boat to his local dealer in Florida forinspection and was advised that there is 100% warranty for 2 years on our kayak products. Thecustomer took the kayak to the dealer on April 28, 2013. The dealer inspected the boat and submitted awarranty claim on April 30, 2013. The claim provided us with the serial number of the boat involvedwhich showed us that the product had been sold in October of 2008 making it over 4 years old and morethan 2 years past normal warranty coverage. On April 30 we advised the dealer that we would providepro-rated warranty coverage for 80% of the kayak's regular price so that the customer could receive anew boat for $254 plus freight from California to Florida of $175. The current retail value of this modelis $1,899.00. The dealer confirmed the coverage and we shipped the boat to Florida on May 8, 2013 andit was received by the dealer on May 16, 2013. For a boat almost three years beyond warranty we feelthat this is a fair offer for a product that has been in service for nearly 5 years.Respectfully,[redacted]CFOHobie Cat Company