At 4:33 PM -0500 7/28/99, QCC Kayaks wrote: ><Giant Snip from Matt Broze post> >>If at all possible don't buy a kayak without trying it out, preferably in >some wind and waves! <snipola> >I agree that there is an added element of risk for the buyer purchasing >sight unseen. However, there are things that can be done to mitigate the >risk. I'm sure there many stories to be told about unhappy kayak buyers who >purchased from retailers as well. Personally I won't buy anything from a >local store, catalog house or Internet store unless they will give a 100% >satisfaction money back guarantee, including shipping both ways. That tells >me that returns are rare and they stand behind what they sell. The other >thing is how I'm treated as a customer prior to purchasing. We regularly >receive comments from folks that they received better service, more >knowledgeable help and better answers to their questions than they did in >their local store. I'm sure Matt Broze would concur with this and receives >the same type of comments. Imagine trying to sell a boat where there is little opportunity to try-before-you-buy and before the customer even gets to try the boat he purchased, he must spend 200+ hours in the basement building it. I would love people have the opportunity to try my boats, but they basically need to visit me to do it. I would gladly refund any money they sent me if they are not happy, but I can not give them back their hours spent in the basement. Typically the only assurance they have that they are getting a good boat is my inflated opinion of my own work and their uncertain knowledge of their own ability to execute the plans. I don't want people to be disappointed in my designs but I know some people will be. I try to be accurate in my description of performance, but my idea of good performance is not neccessarily the same as someone elses. And as John has pointed out perception is a funny thing. In the past week someone said of one of my designs that he found it a little unstable, but the tracking was great. Someone else said of the same design that the stability was amazing, but he had problems with the tracking. This is a design I sold with the understanding that I had not tried it myself and that they would be taking a greater risk than normal. Now I don't know if the design needs fixing or what to fix about it. I am grateful that people are willing to take the risk. It is definitely fun for me, and I hope fun for the people building my designs. However, I hope people will at least try a selection of other boats before they start searching for a boat. Even if they can not try the boat they are interested in, they will have a better idea of what they like so they can ask informing questions. Nick Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 10 Ash Swamp Rd Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 659-8847 Schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ >>>>"It's not just Art, It's a Craft!"<<<< *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Jul 28 1999 - 18:58:31 PDT
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