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O dear......trying to put awning on trailer tent on friday night and we were managing fine, all the poles were in and we had the canvas half over the frame when the man in the next pitch came over and started giving us a hand, then the man from the caravan across from us came over and then the man from another caravan came over, and of course the wives and family.  So all in all there were ten people.  So because we hadn't extened the adjusters out yet one guy decides it's a pole short, the other says its round the wrong way and then they start taking poles out!!!  I may be a woman, but i've put this awning up three times, the poles are colour coded we've got hand written instructions and diagrams, the springs are old and do need to be moved about once the poles are in so it sits right, i know there was nothing wrong with the frame, the poles were all in the right places, there were none missing, it just had to be adjusted!! Despite my protests of it's fine thanks, they continued to dismantle the frame while the canvas was folded out halfway across the frame.  So the first guy picks up the pole that is described as the wardrobe pole and start trying to pull the hanger out saying this is the pole that is missing, and attempts to fix it the main frame!!! Needless to say it didn't last and fell off and landed on one of the windows and then they pull the awning in, rrriiiiippp :(  This went on for over an hour taking poles out putting them in somewhere else, an absolute mess,  my protests of what goes where went unheard.  Half the awning was on the ground and they were walking over it and is now covered in muddy footprints! I was in total despair but, what do you say to these people who think they are helping you when in fact their doing more worse than good.  Eventually they gave up, and the awning was left half standing for the night.  We get up at 7am to dismantle it before anyone else tries to help us!  So really i need to know if we can repair the window???? and as ive never never needed to clean the canvas before i am a bit clueless as to what to use without doing anymore damage.  Does anyone have any advice???????? 

Quote: Originally posted by crazystraw on 17/8/2008

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 Does anyone have any advice???????? 

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Next time this happens, get the step, stand on it and yell at the top of your voice for them to  p**s off NOW? I'd have gone totally mental at anyone trying to "help" out like this ie not listen to me organising the erection of MY tent.  Whose tent did they think they were wrecking? Did they offer to pay for the damage? Grrr.....gawdsake, even when I'm helping someone else put up their tent and can see they're making a guddle of it, I'll only offer suggestions. I'd never just ignore them and what they wanted to do.

But....

If it's only a smallish hole, try Tenacious Tape. See-through and sticks to anything. Mud does brush off when dry...try a child's hairbrush. Then sponge the marks down with plain water. Should get most of it off.

Yes the thought did occur to me to just tell them all to bugger off, but i just couldn't as they all seemed to think they were being that helpful.  I was in despair.  I thought about clear sellotape, it's more of a slash about 4 inches long and no doubt next time i erect the awning it will stretch further.  Don't know if i would be able to claim on my insurance??

Tell you something though, it's totally put me off going away with it again to a site, the thought of 'helpful' people again is going to give me nightmares!!

Funny thing is though, i know that if nobody helped us, we would have had the awning up, clean and in one piece!!

Maybe it's the fact i'm a woman and therefore not supposed to know how these things go up............who knows!!

Scour the interent today and see if there is some sort of solution........