Issues with Radar products

[Tomi]

Hi,

 

I just purchased a whole bunch of Radar stuff and had them shipped to me here in Finland. All good and nice, but...

 

My 2012 Strada boots were supposed to be size 10. Both are labeled as size 10, but the right boot has size 9 insole!

Also I purchased 67 Theory and 67 Strada skis... thankfully they are ok, but the Radar 67 inch bag that I also purchased for the skis is a touch too short to actually put a 67 ski into it!

 

So, I presume if I was standard US customer, I would have no issues getting the right size insole from the dealer and maybe even get a new, bigger bag, but since I am from overseas, the dealers will have issues since the cost of sending these back and forth is more than the products themselves.

 

Any ideas or contacts that I could use to get me going before summer is here?

 

-Tomi

[eddie_roberts_jr]

Have you contacted the shop that sold the stuff to you?

[Ryno]

I've had the same drama's with warranty issues with the RADAR Strada boots I have (liners shrinking and Radar logo on the boot falling apart). As I'm in Australia it'll cost too much money to return them to the US - I'll be better off buying a different brand that has better support for international customers.

[eddie_roberts_jr]

We have a distributor and many shops in Australia who sell our products. I would recommend buying in Australia and supporting your local dealer who can and will help with any issues you may have.

[Tomi]

Well, no dealers in Finland... anyway I contacted the dealer (waterskis.com) suggesting direct delivery from Radar for the correct size insole and maybe even a bag that fits. Let's see what they get as a response from Radar. I will keep my thumps up since I really like the company and their products, at least for now. It would be a shame if such a small issue causes a dent to a lifetime relationship.

[boarditup]

In case you did not know, Eddie Roberts, on the board here is the chief designer for Radar and a great guy to work with.

 

Buying remotely and selling to a remote customer, as I am also a dealer, but not for Radar, is always difficult and one bad shipment wipes out all your profit margin and ends up costing the dealer money. Be patient - both are for-profit businesses.

[MJE]

Seems to me if waterskis.com sent you incorrect merchandise, it's their responsibility to correct the issue and make it right no matter what the shipping costs them.

[Chuck_Dickey]

Eddie Roberts is the best in customer relations we have in the sport. Can't say enough good things about him and Radar skies.

[Horton]

Eddie is a friend and Radar is an advertiser so I am biased.... but their products are solid and customer service is great.

[Ryno]

@eddie roberts jr. The Australian Dollar is stronger than the US Dollar at the moment and has been very close to parity for the last couple of years, yet the price disparity between Radar product sold over here and in the US is massive. I can get a Strada boot from the States for $219 US, where as over here it is around $375 US. Multiply that by two for both boots, and even with shipping from the states, you'll save over $200 US to buy direct from the US.

In any case it shouldn't matter where the product is purchased, the manufacturer should stand by it's product, and in this case the boot is clearly defective - The 2012 design seems to have been changed to rectify these issues.

Another point to note is that my local distributor of RADAR products, doesn't even keep the Strada boot is stock, as they sell so few 'tournament spec' items.

[Ilivetoski]

What case for the ski did you buy? Was it the sock or the case? If it is the sock, they are one size fits all. I had the same issue with mine. Next time you are skiing, dont dry your ski off for one set, and wet the sock and put the ski in it. It will stretch it out. Also if you do have the sock, put it on with sliding the tail in, and stretching the tip part. Much harder the other way around.

[Ilivetoski]

Also you will get a positive response from Radar. They are hands down the best in customer service. Never had a complaint with them. One of my RS-1 bindings started peeling in the back (probobly from use) and Radar replaced it for free even though it was out of warrenty.

[MattP]

@Tomi have you looked at buying from other shops in Europe? I know a few that I could recommend for you to talk to, they could possibly do a trade or something for the gear you need.

[Horton]

I second that. Volker is great to deal with. He is the owner of Razor but also deals other brands. I do not know if he does Radar.

[Tomi]

I am indeed very encouraged by the commenting here. I never really expected this issue to remain unsolved, but the lack of customer care contacts on the manufacturer site lead me into path of doubt. Thanks for your support and help! I will keep you posted on the progress.

 

@Ilivetoski The bag is Strada Padded Bag 63-67. The bag is long enough but the zipper opening does not allow for 67 ski :D

@MattP Please do recommend. This time I also ordered a new windshield to my MasterCraft to replace a broken piece so I practically got all the other stuff shipped for free in the same container, but normally I would definitely consider European stores if available. Hotwater.cc bookmarked so far but they don't carry Radar...

[MattP]

Talk to Gerard at http://www.g-manwatersport.nl/index.html I think he usually keeps some Radar gear in stock, if not he can get some. @eddieroberts can you recommend any of your dealers in Europe? I am trying to think of some off the top of my head and they are eluding me at 2am

[auskier]

As someone who has worked in waterski retail in Australia for 5+ years (selling radar products), I can assure you @Ryno that retailers and distributors understand the current status of the dollar. I believe the warranty coverage for Radar products given to Australian customers to be excellent, and arguably better than any other brand sold in Aus. Even in cases where the user, not the product has been at fault replacements have been given. You should also be able to get the strada boots cheaper than the price you have mentioned. For many products, it is now not worth purchasing from online stores from the US once you include the cost of shipping. With excellent warranty coverage, I believe its now a no brainer.

[Ryno]

@auskier - If you can give me the details of this Aussie retailer that can get close to matching the price in the US, I'm all ears. But my local retailer (in Nowra) can't get close, so I'd have to get it freighted from within Australia anyway and that's going to add to the price.

In any case this isn't really the issue at hand. The thing that annoyed me was when I messaged RADAR in the US about the sides of my boots (around the logo) falling apart, they said back that it is only a cosmetic issue and won't effect the performance of the boot.

Maybe I'm the odd one out on here, but I take pride in my ski gear, and when you buy a premium product (like a top of line Strada boot) you expect that they shouldn't look like a homeless mans shoe after less than a years use.

[Tomi]

Radar has promised to send new insole and bag to dealer. For some reason my proposal for direct delivery has not been considered. I guess they think someone must keep the UPS's and Fedex's of the world in business by making unnecessary shipments here and there. So stupid!

Still need to sort out the shipping to me. Dealer proposes that I should pay. USPS is max$60 for the whole lot. Not a lot to eat, but it's a matter of principle. I did pay for it once already and to no fault of mine, did not get what I paid for.

[Tomi]

@eddieroberts btw... there seems to nothing wrong with the padded bag. Looks like a design flaw with the zipper. If you indeed have ties with Radar design, you should consider changing the specs to 63-66 and request dealers to offer the longer bag for 67 skis. Or change the way the zipper is placed.

[jipster43]

I'm glad things seem to have gotten resolved for you Tomi!

 

@Ryno I used to work for K2 and we always preferred to work through dealers and not individuals. It is rare for a manufacturer to do otherwise. When you purchase from a local dealer you not only strengthen your local economy, you get the piece of mind that the dealer will cover all the headaches. In other words you get what you pay for. Lots of times a shop will have an advertised price but will be willing to move closer to internet pricing when you're able to document such.

[sixball]

I picked up a pair of Vice gloves last spring and they fell apart after three sets. I sent a note and never had a return. The dealer is 100 miles from my home so going back cost as much as just getting new gloves. I did not think it was good customer service. I am going to look at another brand this spring.

[Ryno]

@jipster43 Local dealers in Australia seem to have their hands tied in trying to compete with pricing in the US. Maybe the Australian distributor takes too much of a cut before shelling the product out to dealers, or maybe a container load of ski gear from the states just ends up doubling the price.

Whatever the reason here is an example:

A mate of mine runs a ski shop here in Australia, I bought a wakeboard with bindings from Wileys about 18 months ago (when the dollar was a little weaker than it is now) and with shipping it turned out to be $50 cheaper than his 'cost' price here in Australia. Now I'm all for supporting our local dealers as they are promoting this sport here in Oz, however it's not fair on him to make almost no margin to be competitive. With the world wide web making international purchasing so much more accessible, the distributors here in Australia need to work out how to be more competitive.

[jipster43]

@Ryno I would have a hard time putting my money where my mouth is under those circumstances!

[MattP]

@Tomi bag sizes really depend on the shape of the ski. I have a 66 O'Brien bag that fist one of my 66'' O'Brien skis but does not fit my 65.5'' O'Brien ski because it is a bit wider and takes up more of the bag space and the rear of the ski will not go in the bag. I bought a larger size bag that work just fine.

[Tomi]

@MattP Well the label says Strada padded bag, so the at the minimum you would expect Strada ski to fit... right? So, something in the product design phase was not tested too thoroughly, since my Strada ski is next to impossible to put in the bag. Small thing and most likely mainly an issue with online sales only, but quite easy to find when the product was initially created.

[MattP]

@Tomi you could have received a miss labeled bag... it happens a lot in mass production.

[skierjp]

The 67 inch ski will not fit in the 67 bag. You have to purchase the 68 - 71 bag. Performance Ski and Surf took great care of me. They know about the poroblem. Bill sells a ton of Radars here in Florida.

BTW my label just started coming off the Radar Strada boot. I've had them for over 2 years, not bad. I didn't buy them for the label.

[Horton]

I am going to "sink" this thread.

 

We get it. @Tomi Because you do not have a local dealer you are kind of screwed. Most skiers are very happy with Radar and most skiers have dealers standing behind what they sell. I hope you get what you need.

 

What I am getting from this thread is be careful when doing mail order over seas.

 

Here in the US Radar has a really good reputation and makes a solid product. Is Radar perfect? No... No ski company is perfect.

[The_MS]

snowboardcory is on this site and works for waterskis.com. See if he can help with shipping.

[Tomi]

Thanks. I kind of took Horton's thread sinking for real so I closed this already...

 

Anyways, I sent back my liner (I have all this time referred to it incorrectly as insole) and bag back to dealer at my cost. They will send replacements to my buddy in US who will carry them over here on his next trip. Kind of ok. I offered the dealer to buy some additional parts for my boat and pay for shipping to Finland if they had allowed me to keep the bag as sending it back increased my cost, but they would not go with that. Now they ship at their cost to US. As far as I can count, they lost some money and opportunity to make repeat business, but that was their choice. No real rocket scientists there. But I have no complaints. Radar played it's part just fine but did not actually shine either. I hope I did not cause Radar advertising at BOS any harm with my comments.