Re: [Paddlewise] (paddlewise) Carbon paddles

Bob Denton wrote:
>I had a Lendal Carbon paddle with the crank shaft. I used it very gingerly
>for 3 months and the blade snapped in half. I sent it back to GRO and their
>response was basically...not our problem. Same with Lendal in the UK. I was
>able to reuse the shaft but the blades are not replaceable.


An employee of mine had both blades of his Lendal modified crank paddle
delaminate for several inches at the tips and felt he had done nothing to
cause this. When he called GRO he was asked if there were any nicks or
scratches near the blade tip. When he said there were a few small ones he
was told he had abused the paddle and the damage was therefore his fault.
Needless to say I never sold another Lendal Paddle in our store and now
won't sell any paddles that the manufacturer or distributor won't agree to
stand solidly behind. I think Lendal is making a big mistake with Bob and my
employee and should reconsider their policy for there own benefit. Instead
of a loyal customer they create a dissatisfied customer with a story to tell
and by blaming the customer they miss the opportunity to learn from them. In
the short run this may save a few refunds but in the long run it will cost
them in reputation, less sales and future quality problems.
With Lightning Paddles if a paddle breaks under warrantee (and very
occasionally a graphite one does) we tell the customer we will give them a
full refund, a new paddle or if possible repair the damage--even if the
damage was entirely their fault (such as accidentally backing over it with a
car). All we ask for is an honest answer as to how the damage occurred and
their understanding that a replacement paddle of the same model would not be
guaranteed, so they should choose a stronger fiberglass paddle (and a
partial refund) or be more careful with the replacement paddle this time.
Lightning Ultralight customers almost always decide to get another
Ultralight and be more careful. It is not as strong as the fiberglass ones
but they love its lightweight and promise to carry a good quality spare.
Lightning backs us up and repairs or replaces the paddle. By eliminating any
incentive to lie we and Lightning will know if the paddle needs to be beefed
up to prevent similar damage to paddles made in the future or it was just
subject to unusual abuse that could be expected to break a paddle. These
customers also have a story to tell but they become an even bigger fan and
promoter of the product as a result. You can't buy this kind of advertising.
Greg Barton also took very good care of a customer of ours who broke a
graphite shaft Epic paddle in the surf (the most likely paddling location
where a paddle might break--especially unfeathered ones). Greg replaced the
shaft with a slightly huskier one and told the customer he was now a tester
and to go ahead and use it in the surf again (something we warn lightweight
graphite paddle users against) and if he broke that one he would replace it
yet again.
Our experience has been that surfing (invariably it happens while capsized
and disoriented--and to an unfeathered paddle) or forcing (or slamming) the
shaft against a hard edge are what can break a lightweight graphite paddle.
Disclaimer: while we sold all the paddles mentioned we have no interest in
any of the companies (beyond how they treat our customers).
Matt Broze
www.marinerkayaks.com


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