Purchased Jade 87s from skiboards.com. One skiboard from the new pair had a small gap in-between the metal edge and the base on the bottom of the skiboard. I call, they agree to send a new pair and to inspect them before sending. Once received, I find that one of the replacement skiboards has the same problem. I ask to keep one ski from each set sent to me that doesn’t have that problem. They agree. I put in new RVL8 receptor bindings on the two skiboards I kept. These bindings are compatible with all 4 hole insert skiboards. I notice that on the bottom of one of the skiboards there are two upward indentations directly where two of the inserts hold the binding in. There were no indentations for the other two inserts on the same board or on the other board even though the bolts were all tightened the same. I call, they tell me that the problem with the original two I sent back is not a problem (the space between the metal edge and the base of the skiboards) and they tell me that the RVL8 bindings caused the problem and that I should order RVL8 skiboards. I correct them and let them know that the base of the skiboards should be finished and that if the RVL8 receptor bindings were the cause of the problem, it would have happened on all four inserts on each skiboard (which didn’t happen). They tell me to return the skiboards (at my own cost) to get a refund.
The refund was given. My issue is that when you buy something new, whether it affects performance or not, there really shouldn’t be anything wrong with it. No one sells you a new coffee cup with a chipped handle. Just because it works doesn’t mean it couldn’t become a problem in the future and something should look good when you spend your hard earned money on it. When it comes to the problem with the inserts, there’s no reason why this should’ve happened other than the skiboard having some kind of internal defect. Otherwise, the same thing would’ve happened on all four inserts on both boards. There was no hot waxing involved and nothing but my hand was used to screw the bindings into the inserts. I did not use any extra force to tighten the bindings to the skiboards. Now maybe the skiboard with the indentations would’ve been safe to ride, but that’s not the point. First off, there should be no maybe(when I’m flying down a mountain, I’d like to be confident that my binding will still be attached to my skiboard) in regards to the skiboards being safe to ride, and second, I just bought these new and this shouldn’t happen with a new board.
I don’t think I was being unfair and I hope people will read this and take another look at their skiboards if they order new skiboards from Summit. Their customer service was poor and the company tried to blame everyone else but themselves for the shoddy quality of the skiboards I ordered. You might end up getting a good pair of skiboards from them, but I can honestly say taking the chance and going through what I went through is certainly not worth it.
The refund was given. My issue is that when you buy something new, whether it affects performance or not, there really shouldn’t be anything wrong with it. No one sells you a new coffee cup with a chipped handle. Just because it works doesn’t mean it couldn’t become a problem in the future and something should look good when you spend your hard earned money on it. When it comes to the problem with the inserts, there’s no reason why this should’ve happened other than the skiboard having some kind of internal defect. Otherwise, the same thing would’ve happened on all four inserts on both boards. There was no hot waxing involved and nothing but my hand was used to screw the bindings into the inserts. I did not use any extra force to tighten the bindings to the skiboards. Now maybe the skiboard with the indentations would’ve been safe to ride, but that’s not the point. First off, there should be no maybe(when I’m flying down a mountain, I’d like to be confident that my binding will still be attached to my skiboard) in regards to the skiboards being safe to ride, and second, I just bought these new and this shouldn’t happen with a new board.
I don’t think I was being unfair and I hope people will read this and take another look at their skiboards if they order new skiboards from Summit. Their customer service was poor and the company tried to blame everyone else but themselves for the shoddy quality of the skiboards I ordered. You might end up getting a good pair of skiboards from them, but I can honestly say taking the chance and going through what I went through is certainly not worth it.
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