Told to Destroy My Inflatable PaddleBoard?
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- I was surprised when the company asked me to destroy the paddleboard, but did end up cutting the read fin box portion of the board out.
iRocker Ultra Boards - bit.ly/3QA6T8s
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Love it Trip! I feel like you did a good job on managing the awkward/tough situation. I am glad it seems to have turned out on the positive side for everyone. Thanks for the video buddy.
Real world review and follow up regardless of who's feathers get ruffled. Very appreciative of the truthfulness
Yea.... I felt like it was important to put it out there. No need to leave anyone wondering about why Trip is maybe using different boards?
I have had my Blackfin XL for a couple years and I love it. I fish on it and take it out often. I keep it inflated now to not compromise the seams. I saw the recall but mine is not in the range. I still like the iRocker brand and love the accessories. Thanks for the videos. Very informative
Glad to hear that Ryan. You are welcome and I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment!
Not the case with ISLE, they recognized a problem with my SUP and sent me a new one without having to destroy the old one. Old one still working!!!
Very nice!
My first iSUP is from an outfitter on the Tallapoosa River. I'd used rigid Bic boards until then. I love the convenience of transporting an inflatable, so I pumped it up and used it everyday during the month of May, started fishing for bass (>40 that month).
As I learned that practically all iSUP brands are constructed in the same Chinese factories (pictures showed inventory of alleged top tier/superior brands/logos stacked with budget brands nearby), I ordered one 11'6" of touring/racing profile at 1/3 of the price of the first shop-purchased 10'6" "surfboard shape, because I've come to love River SUP'ing.
My newer pointy-ended board is so suitable to my style, that I ordered two more, then three more of the exact same description. I've been adding a few more, different graphics, colors, lengths, to appeal to a variety of paddlers.
Summing up: carefully shopping for the features I want, I have 21 inflatable boards now, and *none* are the hyped-up name brands; they're all supposedly mid-grade.
Every new board got the same treatment: careful unboxing, reviewing all contents, then inflating to 12 PSI and leaving it inflated for at least a week or more, as I put it through the paces, alternating with my favorite go-to board.
Whereas I've not purchased an iRocker or BodyGlove(Costco special), and have had no DRAMA,
I'll happily purchase what works consistently for me and my constituents.
It seems that the big names pass along a big price tag to cover a lot of advertisement *hype*. No regrets.
Matt Hall at Cherokee Bluffs,Tallapoosa
My Blackfin XL has been properly destroyed and claim submitted. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long to get the replacement. I thought it was interesting that after submitting my picture of the center fin box cut out, it recommended recycling projects like coasters, beach bags, etc. You could make a nice dry bag out of the material.
I had the exact same issue with my board that was shown in your video with the burst right on the seam. It happened a month ago. I contact the company and learned that my board which was purchased at the very end of 2019 was no longer in warranty. They offered me $50 towards a new purchase. But in my opinion having a board that can only last 2 to 3 years is not worth the money. I did purchase the board after watching your video. I was going to message you but I myself thought maybe it was just a freak incident. I do not blame you. I very much myself loved the board while it was working. And like you also was recommending the board to my friends
I’m a loyal brand follower and the fact they I find out about a recall from watching a RUclips video is not very impressive. Thank goodness we were not in this recall, but the fact that I had to do the homework to find out after spending close to 1k is not very impressive. Just last week you found out about bad lettuce from a 5 dollar burger from Wendy’s. You’ve also lost me too Trip, that you didn’t share with your audience about the issues. We purchased based on your recommendation of the iRocker brand. Happy that you are getting free boards sent to you, we had to pay for ours.
Totally understand your point of view Don..... it's a tough situation. I knew that I had an audience who were getting in on Blackfins. So when my board had an issue, I was wondering if my board was just a blem that passed through QC? I wasn't going to start talking bad about Blackfin as a whole to my audience when that could have been the case. It could have hurt the company unfairly.
But I was doing some research as I said to try to determine if it was a widespread issue or isolated. If I would have seen it happened all over the place, I would have made a video about my experience.
Then, very soon after I was made aware of the recall, I put out the video explaining the situation. I try to be honest and upfront about everything I do and any recommendation I make to my audience as I value the trust I have gained through that relationship.
He is just as guilty cause he knew about it but kept quiet to save his a...s and now he speaks out about it .after we all bought the boards based on his recommendation.
@@nancyyeeting2176 also not impressed with Blackfin either, when I called them they were a bit smug about it. I get it when you buy a hamburger for 5 bucks, but when you spend over 1K on a product, you would expect a bit of customer service. We will not be purchasing or recommending this brand. Totally agree with what you said, we purchased based on Smith as well.
It's ridiculous that we have to destroy our board to get the replacement process even started, and then go without a board until March 2023! We paid thousands of dollars. They keep trying to push the Ultra, that is a big down grade in my opinion.
My wife and I purchased 2 iRocker paddle boards based on your reviews and experience with them. Hopefully we don’t have any issues and if we do that iRocker takes care of their customers. That’s how you build brand loyalty and repeat customers. I don’t blame you though if their product fails and don’t treat the customers right. Love the content!
Well, I checked my Blackfin XL and it falls in the recall serial number range. It's going to be painful to have to cut this thing up.
You won't say it Trip, but many are saying it, and it is ALL OVER the web with actual photos and documented stories, not just random people complaining about them. iRocker is NOT handling it proper, and they are guarding their brand over their loyal customers. I love my XL's, and have older ones that are bullet proof. Word to the wise, don't sugar coat it to your loyal base here on RUclips, followers lose trust, and you won't get it back. iRocker should be offering refunds instead of inferior replacement boards not equal to the Blackfin XL. You are spot on though with manufacturing. Most are Chinese made, and most brands even in the same factories. That is no secret. I think iRocker needs to me more honest, bite the bullet, and come out stronger when manufacturing is fixed. Class action lawsuits are business enders.
I guess I haven't looked in a while Arthur. I'm not sugar coating anything, I'm just sharing my current thoughts based on what I know. But I don't know what I don't know.... and I don't know about a widespread number of failures. After I slowed down my research, I figured if it was happening then customers would probably be reaching out to me? BTW, iRocker had no idea I was creating this video and of this situation ;) It's all just my honest experience.
they had some really bad apples working for them not long ago. my buddy went through the ringer trying to get his stuff resolved as well. once he finally got a competent associate, things went smoothly. but man some of the responses from the first gentleman were just plain rude
My step father (here in Dothan) just went through two of the exact board and they told him to destroy his second replacement board. Apparently his is in the same range of numbers as the recall. I figured out that it is a discrepancy in what the manufacturer says should be the PSI and what the board actually can withstand. These model boards say they want something like 14-18 PSI but I filled mine to 7 and it does great. They keep popping on people (and yes it is very systemic) because of that miscommunication.
@@TripSmith Fair enough 😄
Hey trip. My board blew up on me and my roommates did also. Luckily ours fell in the recall numbers also so we will be getting new ones. PS you did the right thing. See you at RAD
Love my i rocker! Have the black fin XL. 5 years and still going strong!! Love this board!
I got my board recalled and did the whole cut the finbox out thing. they sent me a 2023 blackfin as a replacement, which has some really bice improvements. I like it so far.
Mine popped Monday morning in the water at Ginnie Springs. The wife's was recalled in the fall and her replacement was beside mine and is so far fine. I had to cut the finbox off and take a pic and I'm getting another one in a couple weeks
I have the same Blackfin XL and I got the Ultra for my wife and we had to go through the same process. It was a nightmare trying to get ours replaced because their customer service was non existent at the time. Now that they finally made the situation right, I will say that I couldn’t be happier with the product overall. As long as they hold air, we love ‘em. The Blackfin is awesome for fishing. 🤙🏼🇺🇸
Yea, customer service was a struggle for them for a while. Heck, it may still be for all I know? But I'm glad you are happy with them and I agree with ya.
Mine blew out on me, both of my boards were listed with the serial numbers, destroyed them both and still waiting on replacements. Pretty lame
Yep, I agree with you Raymond. I heard from someone today that it will still be a few months before they ship to him they said.....
with river rafts you let a little air out when they get off the river or they explode. setting them in the sun makes the pressure go up too far.
If something needs to be deflated while I stop on the beach for a couple of hours and then reinflated when I want to use it again, I don't want to own it lol
I still need to check mine to see if it is a recalled board. Seems to be holding up but not worth the risk. I really love it so I hope they all make it right for the people affected(which might be mine too) I still am thankful for your recommendation since it's served me very well during covid.
Love my pre-COVID Blackfin XL…have used it 2-3 times a month for the past three years w/ no complaints. I blame my SUP addiction on Trip. I now own 2 more epoxy boards. One for touring and one for surfing🤘😖🤘
I had exactly the Same Problem , Same Board, Same Colour . Bought lots of accessories also ..
I was Most disappointed, on a SO CALLED QUALITY BOARD..
Sent the Whole Lot Back for Refund ....
SAMPHIRE ,, ALSAFE , Boards Now , Brilliant ,, Certainly NOT IROCKER again........
ditto!
I have the older Blackfin XL also and would gladly pay a premium price to be able to buy another one just like it. Obviously the new colors are nice, but the old board is definitely tougher. Love your videos Trip!
You know why blow up are called board boards they blow up LOL
Ha, well, they aren't called blow up boards....
I bought a blue XL 21 because of your video. Loved that board but the deck padding delaminated so they gave me an Ultra. I love it but not as stable. Next I bought an ice grey 22 which is on the recall. If the Ultra holds up and the recall board is good I will stick with them.
I think iRocker could have done themselves a lot of good by the CEO making a video and communicating
Oh wow Scott, that's interesting. I agree, it would have been interesting to see a video from the CEO maybe. I'm sure they were weighing their options and are handling it the way they are for a reason. I have to assume there are other ramifications (that I as an outside can't see) that risk the future of their business if it was handled different.
@@TripSmith the trouble is, the way irocker have handled this recall has left thousands of customers bitter and frustrated. I bought a blackfin after watching all your videos, I bought another as I was so happy with the first one, my2nd board and all the ones my friends bought(on my reccomendation have all been recalled). I initially thought well of irocker for doing the recall and thought they were a good company for trying to rectify their problems. But 6 months down the line with no board and or communication, I could never recommend irocker ever again. I don't know when the new board will arrive or what colour board it wil be or what quality .... all I do know that if it does arrive it will not match the old fins, paddle or bag that I have to use as part of this fiasco of a recall.
Just some simple communication about changes in their manufacturing process, time scales, alerts of when boards are produced, being shipped out of China, arrival times in USA etc. Giving matching fins, paddles and bags to the boards. Basically doing something to make their customers feel as if irocker cared about them. If they did all this I'm sure they would have kept their reputation and kept most customers happy.
Hey Trip this is Yusuf Ali. Have you received your new board yet? It’s been 3 months and when I called them today they stated they wouldn’t be sending out my new board for another 3 to 4 months. The customer service pretty much told me deal with it and wait patiently. I was one of those bought this board as many as many others because of your videos. Not your fault at all! I also got my neighbor to buy 4 of these and theirs blow up as well. I just won’t recommend this board to anyone else! to spend a $1000 + because I bought all the accessories is just bad business and a serious lack of communication on their part.
Hey bud, I have not gotten mine yet... To be honest, I haven't even thought about it! Another 3-4 months is crazy.... I don't know if I could recommend them either and wish they handled the issue a little better. Sure, they can't control everything but they can communicate better with their customers huh?
I agree, We bought 2 of these and spend almost 3,000.00 including all the accessories.! Customer service sucked! Very disappointed with IRocker, The boards are very heavy and we are always having problems with the fins other then the seams splitting. We will never buy this brand again.
So I’m thinking we haven’t seen a good paddle board video in awhile. Am I wrong? Hope to see one. If not we will see you at Rockadock.
You're not wrong bud. But they don't perform as well as other videos (people don't watch near as much). These days, I have to look at this like a business most of the time, and creating the best performing videos is the right path to success. I enjoy them all so I'm ok with that
@@TripSmith you keep it going because the more successful you are the more content we have to view. I was just curious about some of the choices of content. Thanks for the honest answer, I can always count on you for that.
@@SpaniardCat yes you sure can 🫡. I'll keep hustling
My 2019 Blackfin XL failed on me all at once just recently. Mine was not in the recall. 4.5 years. Dead defeated due to seam leaks. i. Sad trombone - iRocker told me not to bother to try and fix the seams, because it won't be safe. Bummer.
Not sure if anyone else has had this issue, but I bought a blackfin for my wife in 2019 and it wore through and got holes in the fold sections (we fold it up for storage in our apt after each use). Pretty disappointed in the quality for the price we paid. Also, when we contacted iRocker, they essentially blamed my wife saying she must've scrapped against something when it was clear in the pictures the same wear was at each instance of the fold and some just happened to develop holes.
Well that's interesting. I'd love to see those pictures for myself if you still have them R May - tripsmith.live/contact Sorry about your experience.
@@TripSmith Thank you for the interest and just to be clear, I in no way feel mislead by you/your channel. I appreciate how genuine your channel is and has been for years.
I will see if my wife still has the pictures she took and will also take pictures of the other areas that look similar but haven't developed into leaks (yet) because we've since patched the leaky spot and a couple others that were questionable. The odd thing is she only uses the board at most 5x per year for a couple hours at a time (so probably 15-20 total uses and at most 50 hrs of total use) and the only two locations used were in the sound side of the outer banks, NC and the Occoquan River...so the board was never really put through the ringer like you do with your boards.
@@rmay3186 I feel ya, thanks.
Yea, that's why I'd love to see the photos if you have them. Especially if the original leaky spots before they were repaired. But any of them would do 😉👍
I'm down over $3200 because of this issue...
We love our blackfins, and they had some bands and ours were in the numbers that it was in between, so we got them changed thru blackfin and we dint have a problems with the customer service,, we still love them,
Awesome!!! Happy to hear that!
I would love to see Bote HD 11'6 compared to blackfin, from what ive seen once paddle and pump are added to blackfin board the prices are near equal
Prices are pretty close these days, but it hasn't always been that way. Id paddle a Bote just as equal as I'd paddle the Balckfin
good video bud. I just had a small puncture in my blackfin. I got mine in 2019 so it's almost as old as yours and has been put through the ringer probably harder than yours. well it finally met its match when it bumped a dock. must have had a nail poking out or something I didn't see. it hit right where they show off the carbon rail. it held air for my 4 hr leisure paddle that day but I'm having a hard time narrowing down how to fix. I'll be shooting you a Instagram message. I need the board up and working before rockadock!
The new ones are the Ultras, very compact,, love them to,,
Yea, I'm looking forward to checking one out at some point.
Thanks for doing this video...I just bought a new blackfin that I'm looking forward to using. Largely cause of your videos with one.
I got the new Ultra model though. 👍
Which also comes with an electric pump. Lol
You're welcome!!! I saw that they include the electric pump, that's pretty cool!
Wow ! Im seeing some problems with boards in the comments. I also bought a board durring the pandemic. It is a Bluefin 15' from the U.K. its been great !
I just cut open and destroyed just as they asked, two brand new boards.
I hope I get my new ones soon.
Can anyone tell me where the serial number is located?
Trip you're so awesome. Really appreciate your videos. I love iRocker so I'm glad to hear the defects were limited to boards manufactured during a specific time frame. Just bought the All Around 11 Ultra. Can't wait to hear you thoughts on it.
This is why I don't use blow up boards
Ya I'm not buying a blow u board
Have a serene life inflatable from Amazon since 2017 use several times a year. No issues been on salt also..
Manual pump was junk went electric
They have been trusted by white water rafters for years..... and the military.... (inflatable watercrafts) I figure they are tough.
THANK GOODNESS THAT NOT HAPPEN WHEN YOU WERE USEING IN THE OCEAN
True!
@@TripSmith how are you doing comeing back down to 30a any time soon
You would never throw them under the bus or the SUP?
Funny enough, I was considering buying one until they were out of stock. One day I checked the website and the blackfin xl was gone. Guess this is why
It's possibe. Right now, their stock is looking pretty weird....
Just bought a 2023 ultra xl hope they are better now 😂
I hope so too! I have a new one in the box that was sent from this claim. We shall see!
how did you recycle your faulty cut up sup? From an environmental pof its very disappointing . Ive had a few friends go through this with this brand. The quality will never be close to say, hydrus, seagods, red paddle, starboard, nrs or even aqua marina or zray. many companies are doing welded fused seams. cheers
I saved the top padded sections and should be able to find a use for them
@@TripSmiththat’s awesome !
I drove through Dolthan yesterday on my way home from Florida to St.Louis. Which we would have seen ya.
Oh wow! That would have been cool. Hope you enjoyed your vacation!
It's actually like over 85% of the market is built in the same factories if you want something nice get something handmade in the United States highly recommend flying fish best purchase I ever made
THAN YOU FOR TELLING US
You betcha!
Maybe it’s just me but I would have contacted them back and let them know right when it happened. Unless you thought it was something you had done? Looking forward to some new adventures like you used to do.
That's probably what I should have done. But I didn't want "Hey, let's send you out another board and give it a try..." Then maybe I would have gotten one that wasn't a lemon and could have possibly been promoting poor products. So I figured I'd sit back and see what happened and not get myself in the middle of something.
@@TripSmith I see, I just assumed you would have mentioned in a video that you had an issue sent it back, they sent you a knew one and then talk about the return process. That way we would know there was an issue but they corrected it. Everyone does things a little different. For me personally to have an issue with a product, I am more likely to continue with that manufacturer if they have good customer service. Hope you get the new board soon, looking forward to some more paddle board videos!
They’re all going to blow out eventually just like air mattresses.
Eventually, yes they are. But I wonder how long they will last? (without recall issues)
Nice camera man
Thanks Luke!
😢
It's not all tears my friend
I suggest never laying blowups next to the fence where the sun hits it directly it will swell and rip at its weakest points
If you can't lay something like that in the sun, they shouldn't be selling it. Imagine not being able to do things like letting it ride in the back or top of a vehicle, sitting on the beach, the sandbar.... It's an piece of equipment intended to be used on sunny days
Interesting. Probably stored too long in an extremely hot shipping container. My board instructions say not to store in the heat.
Hmmmm, that certainly could be a possibility..... Great insight!
You over inflated it and let it sit in the sun.