Atomic Blade Fins - FAIL; Atomic Customer Sevice - FAIL

[Rockne]

No, I don't think so, it is more like the third option, a spoiled cry baby. That is indeed you for sure.

I'm not taking the bait . Excellent effort, though.

---------- Post added May 7th, 2015 at 10:28 AM ----------

Do you expect that, when you get the correct shotgun, if the firing pin should break through a manufacturers defect on the 20th box of shells (I easily shot 20-40 boxes of shells every Saturday when I was shooting competitively) that the shop (maybe they are also a smith) will offer to replace the gun, repair the gun, or refund you when you ask to return it?

I think for a firing pin, it would be a repair. I think that would be analagous to a strap breaking. You need it for the item to to work, but it such a failure of the firing pin/spring strap does not ruin the integrity of the entire product. What failed on the fins (the foot pocket) is the equivalent of a barrel failure. If a barrel failed duirng that first 20 boxes of shells (and way beyond), I'd definitely want a replacement and so would you, I'm guessing.

 

[Wookie]

I certainly would want a worn out barrel replaced, especially after 500 shots. I'd want a new firing pin, right, analogous to a strap breaking. In neither case would I ask for a refund. I buy Bertelli's to shoot sporting clays, although I haven't shot a clay in anger in 10 years. Top of the line, like an Atomic. I have had 4 of them over the years, and numerous barrels after wearing them out.

I've never asked for a refund, even after some clerk sent me the wrong barrel, or the wrong firing pin, or the wrong fore end. I think you got caught in the standard response. You feel that, as a "good customer", you deserve better than the standard response. You feel that you deserve personalized service, and a person to track your problem from discovery to resolution.

That's cool that you want those things, but I think that it's a bit unrealistic to expect more than the standard response including a mistake by whoever answered your e-mail. There is some booy guy or girl out there somewhere with a mask issue that received a response for a set of broken fins.

I'm sure the reason you received the standard response is that, while you might not do this, there are people out there who would use and abuse their fins and try to ask for a refund, so Atomic wants to ensure you aren't one of those. So they want a picture. They want one of their dealers to touchie feelie the fins.

Step back for a sec and realize that you aren't special, you're just another guy who bought a set of dive gear. You get to be special when you charter the owners yacht for a month. You got the standard response because that's what you paid for.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Wow, five pages of bitching about fins and customer service. Hell I'm still stuck on the line from the OP "We'll probably dive 6 times in the next two years (the length of the warranty)" Where do you live, in central Siberia? There has to be some body of water near by in which you can get wet. As for the CS issue I am in the give the company a phone call category. I hate wasting my time. What the industry wants is for you to go to the selling retailer, and state your concern. The retailer will in turn contact there rep for a course of action. with this info the rep will stew over it for some time and maybe contact the manufacturer for a course of action. This processes just seems ridiculous to me when one phone call to the manufacturer and the problem can be solved. Just avoid the middle man all together and go right to the front of the line.

 

[BARdiver]

Just a bit curious why did you use email for the fins and phone call for the shotgun? Seems you got a better response with phone call, something that was pointed out in one of the earlier posting. By the way I have a pair of blades that I got about 3 months ago. I've had no problems after 20 dives.