When was your order placed, and what was the time between then and physical delivery?
If by chance you cancel your order, count your days carefully as Trakās pre-purchase agreement states they have to receive written notification before the 90 days are up.
It does not state if written notification must be sent by post to their mailing address in Canada or if email would suffice. You might want to ask this question.
āNinety Day Cancellation: You may cancel your Kayak Order up to Ninety (90) days from the Order Date (the ā Cancellation Date ā) by providing TRAK with a cancellation notice. Your cancellation notice must (i) be in writing; (ii) reference the Kayak Order; and (iii) be received by TRAK prior to the Cancellation Date.ā
Iād also be concerned about the language in that agreement that states neither the deposit nor full purchase price are refundable.
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Status & delivery chart as of late October 2019:
Status & delivery chart as of late February 2020:
**Note: Green highlighting is theirs, not mine.
My invoice number is in the later range of 26xx dated & paid in full mid April 2019. I canāt be certain whether this is the same as the āorder numbersā listed as no one has ever been proactive enough to tell me this. Needless to say, I have little optimism at this point.
Thanks Rookie, definitely points to consider there. I would certainly expect that within the 90 day ācooling offā period a full refund would be a legal obligationā¦but I cannot say for sure.
Okay, so I think Iāll get back in touch with Curtis and give him the URL of this thread; no-one has voiced opposition to that so far, and at the end of the day if some well deserved explanations/clarification might be offered to folks here, I canāt see the harm.
I participated in one of the crowd funding schemes so sometime in 2017.
If you add up what Trak sold in both crowd funding schemes, they sold 436 boats and raised $1,321,220 (US $) which they got up front less fees and expenses. Thatās a lot of money.
I donāt think a million three is āa lot of moneyā if youāre a manufacturing company. And it comes to ~$3030 per boat. If thatās all they took in, itās no wonder theyāre floundering.
Updated time frame above. My delivery is now pushed back to the Fall. A year later than promised delivery when I ordered my kayak. Glad they have learned to communicate honestly with customers, but at this point nothing will change my opinion of them. They showed a tremendous lack of integrity. Iāll take my kayak and want nothing else to do with them. If someone asks me if they should buy one of these kayaks, Iāll say: buy at your own risk!
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The real question is what they are telling new and prospective buyers. Iāll bet itās still ā6 monthsā, which they know to be impossible.
Just spent a month in Mexico with my Trak II and didnāt use the sock. Why would I?
If not using the sock, best to have float bags installed. I nearly lost my first generation Trak when doing rescue practice without a sock nor float bags. If all the air goes out, the Trak can fully sink.
To back up Peterās comment, hereās a video about an attempted self-rescue. Paddler admits in the comments he didnāt have a sock or flotation bags.
I donāt think that was the kayakās fault. He didnāt keep this weight towards the paddle float.
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Missed point. Kayak filled up with water and almost sunk. Sure the entry was bad. Looked like a first time effort.
It is why the Greenland original hunters in skin on frame boats learned all the rolls.
So many things wrong with that self rescue. Had I not known what was to come, Iād have already had some doubts watching sit-in beached launch. Hard to say whether there were bags in there or not, as the boat didnāt sink right away when the coaming was dipped into the water and he was trying to climb up the side. Iām pretty sure you can expect more water inside with the flat bags than a comparable bulkhead boat.
I really hope that person realizes the errors and works toward improvement.
No, the TRAK does not have any bulkheads. Float bags, sea sock, maybe both to be used depending on the situation. It will be an adjustment for me, having only owned boats with bulkheads for the most part. That is, IF I every get the frigginā thingā¦
I suspect delays have increased. Maybe this will give them an excuse to give new and waiting customers a more accurate/realistic projected delivery schedule.
Because, though I am a pessimist, I know Iāll still be around to paddle itā¦ Or something else if the company foldsā¦lol
Pretty amazing since they havenāt delivered prepaid orders placed a long time ago. Caveat emptor.
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I just received this mass email:
RE: Important TRAK Pre-Order Update
First off, I hope that you and your family are well, and navigating this truly bizarre time. Secondly and importantly, this email is to update you on TRAK, where we stand, and how it relates to the timing of the āvery overdueā delivery of your kayak. I will update you here, but understand that nothing will replace the delivery of the kayak that you have paid for. We get that (full stop). That being said, we will be compensating you for this wait (see this section below).
Iād like to start by assuring you of our commitment to fulfill all of the pre-orders. Reflecting on 2019, which was a year that we delivered over 450 kayaks worldwide, we put a big dent into our order backlog and there are hundreds of people truly enjoying their kayaks, as they should. In the first 3 months of 2020, we shipped and delivered another 80 kayaks, mostly in North America and in Europe. There are now about 220 people still waiting for their kayaks (your pre-order is in the first third of these in sequence of order). We are now in the process of making the next 300 kayaks, in the next large batch of production. Unfortunately, your preorder is caught up in this 2020 batch of production, which is now even further delayed.
The Current Situation
Earlier this month (for most), we all found ourselves at the start of a bizarre situation, globally, with the impacts of this pandemic. Our factories in Shenzhen, China temporarily ceased operations back around the Lunar New Year (late January), but have now reopened recently and are starting to get back to normal, albeit with reduced or changed staff and needing to catch up themselves. Our main factory is a very well reputed outdoor gear factory in the Philippines. We share that factory with the likes of Patagonia, Yeti, Gregory, Arcāteryx and other top outdoor brands. As of 2 weeks ago, they have ceased their operation until further notice. They are targeting May for being back to work, but there is still obvious uncertainty of that timing. We will be monitoring this situation and are in constant contact with our team there. There are also other elements of our supply chain that need to come together for the production run to be completed.
So what does that mean to you? One thing I want you to know is that weāre here. We have had to go into a mode of fortifying and adapting, and as is good practice and much like many other businesses, we are also applying for Canadian government support, where that may be possible. We are moving the yard sticks of bottlenecks where we can, and are adapting to this. We feel itās important to stay calm and focused, in the midst of this storm. But it is not easy, and it will take everyoneās contribution, however modest, to make it through this.
We completely understand that the delays weāve experienced in our delivery timelines have been unreasonable. Due to the extent of the delays and our commitment to everyone in the TRAK ecosystem, we need to āfortifyā to protect everyone (the entire group) that have pre-ordered their kayaks. But we have also recognized that this should not come without ābalanceā.
Compensation
We have looked at this very closely as a team, and have decided to compensate the groups that have experienced more extensive delays, within your pre-order time frame. We are offering a further discount (credited to you as a cash refund) of US$250 (per kayak) or a credit of US$400 toward future TRAK gear/store items or TRAK Camps & Tours. If you prefer the cash refund credit, it will be transacted prior to delivery.
We feel terribly about the impact of this on you and others. It is not lost on us, whatsoever. We are doing our very best, with a small focused team, given the circumstance we are faced with. Things are looking very good for the long term, but at this time, we just ask for your understanding, patience and support as we follow through on getting your kayak(s) in your hands.
Adapting
In the meantime, as part of our adaptation, we will be offering some community-based access and events, to help with your preparation and training, and also to get ideas from other TRAK paddlers and our TRAK Pilot community around the world. We invite you to participate in those kinds of activities, if that is of interest to you. Also, we endeavour to improve our communication, and with that in mind, we have a new team member at TRAK HQ. You may be hearing from Curtis Harren, who is heading up our Customer Support and Pilot Program. You can always check the updates, periodically at your discretion at this link (enter your first name and email):
https://www.trakkayaks.com/pages/pre-order-update-request
We wish you well, encourage everyone to get out into raw nature as much as you can, and do the things that help build your immune system and help you thrive and feel vital through this time.
With sincere regards,
~ Nolin & the TRAK Team
Well, maybe youāll get it in time to celebrate your 75th birthday.