Excellent sales, but opposite service
The sales is excellent, a clear 5 star. But the service is the opposite.
The story short: it appeared to be impossible to repair a simple leak on my Gumotex kayak, even for me as an experienced 'dinghy saviour'. The answers from Arjan Bloem and the sales man from Gumotex were not to the point.
If you want to purchase something, go to Kanocentrum Arjan Bloem, because the sales department is top, professional. So I bought a kayak of 1100 Euros, including the paddles and the various repair kits.
But after two years of using it, a tiny little leak appeared. In my 40 years of experience, I know that this can happen. You fix it and a sustainable kayak as this one makes another 2,3, or many more years.
So I fixed it according to the manual. But the patch slowly blistered off. So the wrong repair kit was sold. This costs 1 star.
So I tried the second repair kit, patched it according to the manual (there is also a video on Youtube, but that is not very clear on everything). A pity but after a week it leaked again. This also costs one star, or...
Could it be that, despite the manual, I did something wrong?
I emailed a precise description of everything I had done, a text of about a sheet of paper.
The answer was: "Well well, long story that is..." and then from the Sales of Gumotex the advise to check that video, or perhaps, in stead of acetone, you use toluene". First, this is a only a very small nuance to optimize the bonding process. If it leaks again in less than a week, there is another problem. I guess this salesman doesnot know. Second, toluene is a carcinogen, and a warning would be on its place. Third, I can get Toluene if I follow a legal procedure first. This costs another star.
So I asked again if they could perhaps read my description first, because this is serious matter, if the patches don't hold, what kind of quality kayak do I have?
I got the advise to try other glues, and they can deliver them all. I checked them. The first glue is "for a quick fix on a ripped neoprene suit". and he mentioned aquaseal. That appeared to be series of six, all for non-inflatable stuff, all quick fixes from neoprene repairs to boot/shoe repairs.
The problem is, if it holds, it holds for a week, or perhaps even a month, but no chance it would hold sustainably on an inflatable. And every new try means sanding again, so the leak becomes bigger and bigger. This costs a next star.
I wrote a third email, clearly my final and insisted to give a thorough answer on the thorough description,
The answer was that he read this between the lines as 'unpleasant'. This also costs a star.
Finally there is one star left, but I hope it is motivated. I will by another kayak, but that will be a sustainable kayak, bought at a shop willing to sustain every sale with the necessary expertise.
