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 Topic: Large Outwell Air Tents & Supplied Pump
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14/8/2015 at 11:54am
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Joined: 21/11/2009 Standard Member
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Quote:
How is Outwell responding to the other two incidents??
Hi superOzz,
Sorry to hear that you are yet another victim of an exploding Outwell Smart Air Tent. In my opinion, Outwell really do have a problem, and, it would appear they have tacitly acknowledged this fact by saying that in 2016 they will strengthen the beams. Why would you bother strengthening something that was OK in the first place?
In my review I endeavoured to be very honest and balanced to Outwell. I stated "And, to be fair, Outwell do make some excellent products.... " Alas the same cannot be said for OUTWELL'S CUSTOMER SERVICE.
When I first contacted them I received a rather robotic cut-and-pasted response which, amongst other things, talked about a tent I do not own and a problem that I do not have. When I pointed this out to them, they went quiet on me and, it would seem, have chosen not to engage in further dialogue with me.
When I returned to the UK I contacted the retailer from whom we had purchased the tent and they asked me to return the damaged Concorde L to them. Unfortunately this was not possible as, in order to continue with the remaining 3 weeks of our holiday, we had to take the tent to the local tip! (It was totally beyond economic repair anyway - and was too bulky to carry with another tent). Eventually the retailer offered a 50% refund which I accepted.
I suppose part of my decision to accept this was a nagging doubt that the fault, perhaps, lay with me. Had I known then what I know now, I would have held out for a full 100% refund.
There is still time for Outwell to do the decent thing and refund the balance - and if they do - you'll hear about it here - but somehow I rather suspect they will maintain their silence ...
In the short term, I know exactly how much I have lost. Longer term, Outwell may not be able to calculate the cost to their damaged reputation!!
Post last edited on 14/08/2015 12:19:18
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08/9/2015 at 2:19pm
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And here is an update of our "adventure" with Outwell.. we get a full refund but Outwell gives no answers to the questions we have. In other words: we will not buy an inflatable tent anymore. My parents have a Concorde M and do not trust it anymore and they have contacted Outwell directly. This was their response:
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Dear Reynhout6,
Thank you for your e-mail.
We are truly sorry for the late answer.
We are sorry to hear about your disbelief in our products and about the broken air tubes in your sons tent.
Out air tubes are of high quality and an air tube is designed to have a long life, just like a steel pole.
There are some guidelines to follow when having an air tent, just to be sure the tubes will not get damaged:
- always keep an eye on the air pressure during the day, as air will expand when the temperature is rising. Especially keep an eye on the tubes when the sun is out. It is better to take our some air before the pressure gets too high.
- If leaving the tent for a while, make sure to lower the pressure down to around 0.4 bars which will still have the tent standing strong, but will also allow the air to expand during the day without damaging the tubes.
- never zip open the tubes while they are inflated - this can provoke them into bursting.
I hope this answer has helped you.
Have a good day.
Best regards
Team Outwell
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I reacted to Outwell with the following:
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Dear Outwell,
Thank you for your response. Based on experience the Harrier XL tent is not designed to withstand strong winds when the air pressure is around 0.5 bars (see images attached!). These pictures are taken in Croatia, with hot temperatures AND a strong wind. The solution you propose is thus not realistic in these scenarios, you propose a choice: a collapsing tent or an exploding tent?? Or are these tents not designed for summer holidays?
And even if we would follow your advises, there is not even an easy way to check the internal pressure. Should we open all internal valves several times per day and attach the pump to check the pressure? And should that be the first thing to do after waking up when the sun is rising and temperatures increase? Of course the tent has to be inflated up to 0.7 bars at night to withstand potential wind gusts.. (for the record: in the German Alps day temperatures exceed 30 degrees while at night they go below 10 degrees and we were located on the shore of a large lake). By the way, putting 0.7 bars into the tent with the provided pump is not something you want to do daily....
So in my opinion the current Smart Air tents are NOT well designed for casual campers and serious improvements have to be made when Outwell wants to continue these products. We are still awaiting a suitable solution as we loved the design and ease of use and want to give Outwell another chance with their 2016 series. However, when improvements lack we have no other choice than buying a steel pole tent and warn other consumers on the risks of this system.
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And this reply just arrived:
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Thank you for your e-mail.
Thank you for the feedback, we are glad you share your experiences with us, as we always strive to improve and develop the highest quality possible.
I will make sure to forward your emails to our R&D department who will use it in future product development.
If you do not think your tent is fit for purpose we recommend you to contact your dealer where the tent has been purchased and ask them for their help as they are obliged to handle any warranty claim you may have.
Have a good day.
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In other words, they do not react in detail on our problems and do not seem to have an appropriate answer. My dealer is going to visit Outwell in two weeks, so I wonder what they will hear.. in the meanwhile we are going to look for another tent with poles.
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