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Topic: Outwell wolf lake 9 - perished valves

alison of somerset

02/10/2021 at 6:21am
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Hi, can anyone out there help me?
I need to know where I stand with Outwell.
4 years ago I brought an Outwell Wolf lake 9 Air tent.
With the extension and carpet it was £2000.
We camped 3 times before lockdown and one our first trip out in May (4th trip) we discovered 2 of the rubber valves at the end of the air tubes had perished. On our return we contacted Outwell and after 3 weeks and 2 more emails from us they replied telling us they no longer supply the tent or the spare value or even air tubes! There was no alternative available either.

I explained the amount of money spent and the lack of use and not having spares of any sort after 4 years was not acceptable.
Another 4 weeks before I received a reply offering me 35% off a new tent purchased from them. Annoyed by their lack of concern I explained we had saved for 3 years to buy this tent and were advised how wonderful it was, how many years we would enjoy it.

5 weeks and another 3 emails from us we received an offer 65% off a new tent. Ok some would say that is not a bad offer but that still left us out of pocket by £700. Thats £700 we haven't got. After all this is not an issue with our neglect but a fault in manufacture.

After more emails and more weeks waiting they said this was their full and final offer. I looked into buying one of their cheaper tents but found other retailers were selling the same tent for 40% less than the Outwell site, so not 65% off but just 15%.

Has anyone had the same problems with outwells air tents? Or with Outwells disregard for customer service and satisfaction ?
Any ideas how I can proceed with outwell ?
Many thanks
Mike

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lidds0

via mobile 08/10/2021 at 8:01am
Location: Yorkshire
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Oh dear, that's not good!

Isn't this Outwell's top of the range tent, with the thicker fabric flysheet? Where did you purchase it? Were any representations made at time of purchase, regarding durability and longevity?

Why are you dealing direct with Outwell, instead of with the retailer? I presume the retailer sent the tent back to Outwell, for inspection? Do you have the support of the retailer? I'm guessing the retailer has told you this is now a warranty claim?

How many weeks of use has the tent had, and does the condition reflect this? It's a difficult one to prove, since you could have used the tent for 2 weeks a year, or for 52. It might be worth getting a report from a specialist, to support your claim.

I'd ask the retailer (who may reply more swiftly than Outwell) what they consider to be a reasonable life expectancy for this model, and go from there, pressing for repair or replacement.

lidds0

via mobile 08/10/2021 at 8:13am
Location: Yorkshire
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See this article on Trading Standards.

To reiterate, I'd contact the retailer (and Outwell) to get some written confirmation on expected longevity on this model of tent, then contact Citizens Advice.

I suspect you may not be entitled to a full refund, but it sounds like a partial refund would be better than a 65% reduction off a new tent direct from Outwell, given that their prices are full RRP.

Would you want another Outwell, given the problems you've encountered?

Jim1977

08/10/2021 at 11:00pm
Location: Leicestershire
Outfit: Karsten 380 Veranda

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You could try Scottish Mountain Gear, they were always one of Outwells repair and spares partners for the UK. I once enquired about spare beams from them. They could supply but in the end I sold the tent.

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suns

09/10/2021 at 9:31am
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I had issues with them years ago. There replys and customer services were dire in 2012

Jim1977

09/10/2021 at 9:36am
Location: Leicestershire
Outfit: Karsten 380 Veranda

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Suns - what amazes me is that those grey connecting pipes were cracking and failing back in 2012. They were doing it in 2014 when we bought one and quickly sold it after we found out, and it seems they are still doing it now nearly 10 years later! Use to love our rock solid Bear Lake 6 but not sure what happened to Outwell after about 2012!

Monty15

09/10/2021 at 10:28am
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524

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There was I believe a recent change in the law regarding duration of product liability from manufacturers/suppliers. I'm not sure when it comes into effect, or if it's retrospective, but certainly worth looking into more.

Your situation is pretty disgraceful, the product life is not in proportion to the nature or cost of the product, and the lack of spares/repairs availability is contemptible. I would have expected better from a premium brand like Outwell!

Would think you had good grounds for a civil case through small claims court if no other avenues open to you, companies often bluster and resist such claims initially but buckle under before final court hearing as they don't want the precedent set in court if they lose the case.

Good luck.

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Basichendo

30/11/2021 at 9:37pm
Location: Essex & Suffolk border
Outfit: Holtkamper Aero & Karsten 300

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Quote: Originally posted by Jim1977 on 09/10/2021
Suns - what amazes me is that those grey connecting pipes were cracking and failing back in 2012. They were doing it in 2014 when we bought one and quickly sold it after we found out, and it seems they are still doing it now nearly 10 years later! Use to love our rock solid Bear Lake 6 but not sure what happened to Outwell after about 2012!

Totally agree, I love the stuff we have now but kinda miss the BL6 and all the features… was also nuke proof.

-------------
Hendo
****************************
Holtkamper Cocoon Aero
Karsten 300 + CA, RA

hankakampa

24/3/2022 at 6:27pm
Location: uk
Outfit: Karsten - sun storm - doesnt matter!

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Iv seen other " air tents " suffer from failure of the air components that parts are no longer available and thus rendering the tent only fit for the recycling center.

a common fail point is where the inlet / outlet valve meets the tube - that is a weak part.

At least the air tents with separate individual beams have less joints and weak points to leak, and each beam is more likely to be replaceable than a interlinked one point inflation type of tent.

The only exception to this type of failure is a Karsten tent where the tubes are more akin to truck tyres - Karsten tents need their 2 tubes inflating to 55psi rather than the 7psi in mainstream air tents,and the valves are the same as you will find on your car or truck. Failure of a Karsten is more or less unheard of, but if it should happen, they still make the same tubes used today as back in the 80s and its worth keeping this in mind if purchasing an airtent today.

Im sorry but also not surprised at the op s dilemma, to render a £2k outwell tent to the bin after such a short life all because Outwell do not support spare tubes for longer than they sell a model of tent - thats quite shocking.

Ihateoutwell

via mobile 29/6/2022 at 7:49pm
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Hi,
We also have a wolflake 9e that needs 2 replacement airtubes (rear two), but we are being offered nothing at all. I’m so cross that we have wasted so much money on a tent that is useless after 5 trips!!! The customer service is dire- they couldn’t care less. What did you do in the end? Do you have two functioning rear beams that you might be interested in selling?!

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