Those of you who use AT paddles know how good their product is, but my recent customer service experience puts them in a whole new league.
After my my ferrule issue I called them:
ME: My ferrule’s kinda busted can you fix it?
AT: Yes.
ME: My warrantee’s over will you still do it for free?
AT: Yes.
ME: Can I send you my old paddle and upgrade to the newer lighter one?
AT: Yes (for a nominal sum.)
ME: Can I have my old paddle back too?
AT: Yes.
ME: All fixed and everything…?
AT: Yes.
These guys are fantastic. Even for a company that sells $400 paddles, this is extraordinary service. I am a customer for life.
BTW: the new carbon Xception SL is a work of art.
Great job, guys.
-Daniel
let us know how that turns out
AT is not known for excellent customer service and many whitewater boaters have sent in broken paddles only to wait months for repairs, etc. Hopefully they have turned a new leaf. Sounds like AT is basically selling you a better paddle for a nominal fee? I’ll believe it when a see it but good luck to you.
i see it and i believe it.
delivered today. a shiny new paddle and a nicely repaired old one (with a new carbon ferrule instaed of the old fiberglass one.)
i supplied the expedited shipping (got an outing this weekend) but the repair time was one-day.
the guys on the phone were as nice as nice could be.
the nominal fee? negligable is more like it.
wow, awesome!
– Last Updated: Jul-22-05 11:54 AM EST –
I'm definitely impressed and I hope they keep this up. Customer service concerns were one of the major reasons that I always favored Werner over AT as I think their paddles are equal in quality.
original Xception
i’ve been using the original AT carbon for several years and love it. what’s the difference between mine and yours (new carbon) ?
a couple of ounces…
and it’s all carbon. my repaired one is the original style too–it has those cool looking kevlar threads in the shaft.
the new one (which is also the OS oversized version) is all woven carbon. it’s a few ounces lighter still not quite as light feeling as the werner carbon paddles ( i think it’s 28oz vs. 26oz) but the AT feels way more bombproof.
i always felt the edges on the werner were too fragile. however, that may be more perception than reality.
Glad To Hear It…
they were getting seriously whacked for awhile by the WW crowd.
sing
just weighed it…
on a digital scale:
new SL carbon: 26.5oz
old carbon/kevlar: 30.7oz
2pc. 220cm.
so actually it’s about the same as the werner.
from the retail side
I always had really good experiences with at as a retail rep. But the consumer experience could be quite different.