JetPilot Dissappointment

Last January I bot a JetPilot Stance vest from Overstock.com. Last weekend I was boarding in FL (a real treat since I live in CT) and I noticed that the white logo on the front of the vest was leaking/bleeding all over the place. I called JetPilot yesterday, and they insisted that I contact the "place of purchase". So I called Overstock.com, and they said that they are out of stock on the item, and they could only offer me a 50% refund. So I called JetPilot again, and they said there's nothing they can do for me, and that basically once an item leaves their premises it's no longer their responsibility! When I told them that I would be posting my experience here on Wakeworld, they didn't care. I just wanted to vent publically about this experience, and eventhough I have several wetsuits and 2 other vests from JetPilot, I will not be purchasing their products again. Hard for me to imagine that a co. like JetPilot would have this kind of customer service!!!

I really am surprised by that. Call JP and speak to Christine she is the one that does warranty claims. She has always been more than willing to warranty anything I've had. However, most products are only warrantied for a year which sounds like you are getting real close to a year. If you have a receipt you may try another boardshop. Occasionally some are good about warranting product even if you didn't buy it there. But keep in mind that a yeaar on this vest could have had alot of abuse in that time. Hope it works out and JP makes a truely great product and hoe you dont quit just because of one incident. However I am truely shocked if they did handle the situation as you said.

Thanks for the response Jim...actually Christine is the one I spoke to @ JP. As far as the 1 yr warr. I received the vest on 1/17/06, but, being that I live in CT it didnt see the water until April, and only used it thru Oct. and with the weather the way it was this year, it didn't get nearly as much use as it could have. As a matter of fact, over the summer when the vest was only 6 months old, I noticed a white substance on other vests and wetsuits, but only this past weekend did I actually make the connection to the JP vest in question. So basically the vest "failed" much sooner than 1 year, unfortunately I just noticed it the other day, so that made my phone call exactly 1 day past the warr. date. But Christine didn't even let me get that far, she said there was nothing she could do, and that it was the responsibility of Overstock.com.

I am sure a JP rep will see this post and do something about it.

doesn't overstock buy "last years" models and such. Buying form places like overstock and ebay you run this type of risk IMO. Stick to buying from authorized retaliers and I doubt you'll have these type of issues. There is a reason why overstock is so cheap.....you may have found out the hard way one of those reasons.

evan-try calling JP back and ask to speak to a manager or supervisor or someone higher up than her. Remember to be POLITE and just tell them your concern and you have other JP products and even if they would discount you a new vest just to resolve the issue. But yes I agree with Sam this is a risk you take. I would still try another boardshop just in case. I know Bill @ Performance in Orlando is very good and understanding about warranty issues. I am not speaking for Bill just saying in the past Perf has went way beyond call of warranty to fix a problem. Maybe try someplace like this next time. Good luck

Hi Sam...I am not sure about the buying procedures of Overstock, it's not quite the same as buying from a private individual on Ebay. Having said that...it's still a "product defect" in my opinion. I bot an '05 Hyperlite Premier on Ebay, and when it started leaking ink out of the bottom (as many do) Hyperlite had no problem standing behind their product. It's hard for me to sit by and watch JP walk away from any responsibility like this.
And Jim thanks again for your help, but, I did ask Christine if I could speak to a supervisor, and she said she handles all warr. claims, so there was nothing else i could do.

(Message edited by candlebu on January 19, 2007)

(Message edited by candlebu on January 19, 2007)

Evan, buy a Helium life vest, they are great vests and Helium stands behind their product and IMO they look and function better anyways.

IMO, if you would have bought from your local boardshop or one of the shops on this site, you would not be having a problem returning it. Overstock buys from all over, not just manufacturers. For all you know what you bought could be a fake JP Vest. Not saying it is, just a possibility, along with a lot of other possibilities, and if so, why would it be JP's fault.

Byrd is exactly right. Overstock.com sells unsold inventory from other companies and even factory seconds. I hate to say it, but you're probably SOL.

By the way, if you're strike out with your JP, check out GreenHouse's clearance vests. Some pretty decent deals: http://www.greenhouserideshop.com/shop/home.php?cat=444

(Message edited by o2binvallarta on January 19, 2007)

Buy from Wakeside.com, they got me a new one when I had a problem with my JetPilot vest. No problems.

I'm sure that you've already burned the JP bridge when you told them that you were gong to post this on Wakeworld. If you bought the Stance at Overstock, you couldn't have paid more than $40-$50 for it, so write it off as a learning experience....no more Overstock and don't tell companies that you're going to bash them in a public forum.

We always warranty the JP vests as soon as we hear about a problem. If it happens to one vest it will usually happen to another. We want to make sure JP knows this so they can make an inline change. I have never seen them bleed. I think that is definitely something to do with the quality of stuff overstock receives. Good luck.
Thanks,
Spencer
Wakeside Vest Closeouts

Two sides to this story.

IMO, JP is well within their rights to say you are SOL related to it being out of warranty. Warranty is not related to where you live or how often something is used. JP has done NOTHING wrong here. The vest was out of warranty.

If I was ever treated like this by a company(one day out of warranty and not taken care of), I would never purchase another product from them. Done deal. I would also go out of my way to make sure that others knew of my experience.

With that said, it seems that JP is not willing to work with a customer who has purchased numerous products from them and had an issue with 1 product that was 1 day out of warranty.

I have 4 JP vests on my boat. They have served their purpose well. When I purchase another vest, I am sure this story will pop into my head.

Just my $.02........

First let me start by saying thank you to everyone who took the time to add constructive input.
Byrd: The old "would have, could have" really does not help at this point. I have purchased thousands of dollars of merchandise thru shops listed on this site, and I have 1 board shop within 30 minutes of my house, and they are only open Memorial Day thru Labor Day so that does not help much during the rest of the year...And as a matter of fact, I found the JP vest on Overstock thru a link someone posted here on Wakeworld. As far as the vest being a fake, I spoke to Overstock, and they said they do not sell seconds or imitations, and I distinctly remember the vest coming with all the proper JP tags, and even a JP sticker.

o2b: see above regarding the merch. that Overstock sells.

Michael: I only told JP that I was going to post my experience in a public forum AFTER they told me that they were not going to do anything for me, so at that point THERE WAS NO BRIDGE to burn. And yes this has been a learning experience, I have learned that JP may produce an occasional inferior product, and if they do, instead of implementing quality control, and preventing it from reaching the market, they sell it and then don't stand behind it.

Deuce: thank you for looking at BOTH sides...I too have many JP products, and all but this one have been great. The purpose of this thread is to do just what you said, and have this experience "pop into my head" next time you go to purchase a JP product.

Oh just to add one more thing...Christine @ JP actually suggested that I "try to return the vest somewhere else, either a local shop or online retailer, and see if they will take it back". To think that she would actually try to pawn this problem off on a third party that was not even involved with the initial transaction blows my mind. When in fact if I did bring the vest somewhere else to return it, that retailer would wind up sending it back to JP and having to deal with this themselves.

Does it still float ya? Is it just the logo bleeding that bothers you. After a year of use, and warranty (and the fact that you did not buy from an authorzed JP dealer), I can see why JP said no. If they said yes to every cosmetic issue on out of warranty product, they would be out of business. Hell I have 3 or 4 I could send in because a stich is comming loose, or the color faded. Maybe if your issue was more than just cosmetic....

well Tackleberry, if it was just cosmetic I wouldn't care either...however, the bleeding logo is dripping on and ruining anything else that gets near it once its wet, ie. board shorts or anything it's near in the boat.

Sorry, still on you. For all we know, the vest could have been hit with gas, battery electrolite, or some funky sunblock...

Can't wash it out of your shorts? Still cosmetic....

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on January 19, 2007)

you are right it could have (but it wasn't) so at least let JP take it back and look at it to determine if something like that happened...instead they just chose the high road.

Out of Warranty...

The lesson here:

Out of warranty
+
Not purchased from an authorized dealer
+
cosmetic only
=
not a legitimate beef....

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on January 19, 2007)

thanks Tacklberry you're being very helpful. We already established the timeline, and the fact that the vest "failed" while still under warr, however, the phone call was made 1 day after the warr. expired since I was out of state.

(Message edited by candlebu on January 19, 2007)

Cosmetic = failed...not

If you read a little more carefully instead of just trying to prove your point you would have seen that I said it "STAINS" so NO it does not wash out...so to me if an item leaks onto other things like shorts and other vests and stains them that qualifies as more than just "cosmetic". and if you disagree, maybe you could refer to a small company called Hyperlite, and how they deal with a similar issue that I discussed earlier.

http://www.heliumwake.com/

The reason I said what I did is that I have a few JP Jackets as well and they have never bled. Yes the logo has flaked off, but not bled. Something may have dripped on it that would void the warranty anyway. That is why I said what I did regarding a fake. Would you really expect Overstock to say they do sell inferior products? IMO, you should be pissed at Overstock, no JP. They are the ones that sold you the vest, so they are the ones that should stand behind it.

BTW, I did not have a good experience with Overstock.com, and that is why I posted what I did. They did sell me an inferior product and when I busted them about it, it took forever to get my money back, and they did not reimburse shipping. Out of warranty means it is out of warranty, take the 50% refund from Overstock and go buy something else from a rep. shop.

Hyperlite does not replace out of warranty boards that have faded.

Agree w/Byrd, never seen the logo bleed. Must be a chemical reaction, or not an authentic JP

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on January 19, 2007)

Byrd thanks for the .02...I am in fact taking the 50% from Overstock, and doing just what you said. And yes I am pissed at Overstock, and won't buy anything from them again. However, I also feel that JP at should least have had the courtesy to look at the vest and see if I did something to cause this or if it is a manufacturers defect.

To be honest, I think it should have been warrantied by JP, but it was not, so it is what it is. I think you learned your lesson on buying from a non authorized dealers, because if you woulden't have, you woulden't be on here, because it would have been taken care of buy the shop.
Live and learn bro.

Tackleberry...are we in the same conversation?!?! The Hyperlite issue I am talking about was not a "FADED" board...nor is my JP vest "FADED". And I didn't know that you have seen EVERY JP vest to come out of production. I have never seen a person with 6 fingers on one hand...does that mean they don't exist?

Jeff--absolutely "live and learn" I am a man of my word, and I told JP that I would be posting my experience in a public forum...so hear I am.

What I will think about when I make my next JP purchase:

JP makes quality stuff, and stands behind it. Evan whines alot.

IMO that is the biggest thing here. I "think" JP should make an effort to at least look like they care. Regardless if it is going to work out or not. Fact is, replacing the vest would be easy and painless for them.

I would be interested to know how many situations like this a company like JP has. I assume most of the time, the vest just gets the dumpster. So the very few and far between, doing a little PR goes a long way.

But you should have said you bought in on a trip to Florida, don't remember the shop. Just needed it short notice and bought it. Please help JP..... IMO, JP lost interest as soon as they heard Overstock. If they would have heard Marine Products, they would have been MUCH more receptive.

Just one mans opinion.

Deuce...I hear ya...in hindsight I should have made up a story to JP so I could return it, but like Jeff said "live and learn".

Tackleberry: Or should I say Jeff? What I will think about is that you are one of those people that flaps their gums alot, trying to stir the pot, then when they can't make a point they try to make an insult...in my experience a real man makes insults in person not over the internet from 3000 miles away...

(Message edited by candlebu on January 19, 2007)

(Message edited by candlebu on January 19, 2007)

Recognize this? "The purpose of this thread is to do just what you said, and have this experience "pop into my head" next time you go to purchase a JP product."

Not an insult, just an answer...(don't get your panties in a bunch just 'cause I won't buy into your crying)

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on January 19, 2007)

FIGHT...FIGHT!!!

Ok, I just ready through the beginning of the post again. Evan, is it possible that there is something funkie in the lake you ride in? Seriously...your Hyperlite Premier leaking ink and your JP bleeding. Maybe acid rain lake water? Chemical plant dumping? Not rinsing of your ProActiv well enough?

Yes Jeff, I recognize it. I also recognize that, looking out for fellow wakeboarders by alerting them to a "potential" defect...would not be considered whining. But you'll probably have a problem with that too...Everyone else out there have a great weekend, IT'S MILLER TIME!

This isn't the first problem of this sort for you, Evan? I see a trend here. Very entertaining.

Oh Jeff...glad to see you started reading...yes I had a problem like his once before with a Hyperlite board, as I mentioned several times, that must have been difficult to figure out. Have a great weekend.

Great weekend to you too.

good thread till tackleberry chimed in.

Yeah, it's too bad that tackleberry tried to show a little common sense here...

I have had a JP jacket for 3 years and it works great. PS buy for a local pro shop

we should give the kids some neon colored spray paint and let them express themselves on tackleberry's boat. im sure he wouldnt mind, its only "cosmetic"

Just wash the damn logo off and use the vest. Clean the cat piss out of your boat...

JP quality isn't really that great. There have been more than a few threads on WW addressing this. My JP CellBlock vest started in with the same "bleeding" right at about one year. It was not exposed to anything other than lake water. TX cook, funny shiat man. It's easy for someone to chime in and say how it's only "cosmetic" when nothing of their's has been ruined...lame!

I'm sorry, you guys are right. We should all buy products from unauthorized dealers, wait 'til warranty expires, then throw a fit in a public forum about the manufacturer not tossing out a free one over a miniscule problem...

Take the 50% off from Overstock.com and buy yourself a new vest. You used it for one season it sounds like you got some good use out of it. At least half your money worth. I feel your anger on the warranty thing with JP, but Overstock.com sells a lot of last year model stuff and probably voids that 1 year warranty. The logo doesn't make you look good boarding, the boarding makes you look good.

"good thread till tackleberry chimed in."

"I see a trend here" lol

In JP's (and Christine's) defense we have not heard her side of this story. Could be completely different. This is a great thread maybe end of 2007 could be considered "thread of the year"

I think the marine and especially the wakeboard industry has quite a ways to go in the customer service depts.
A few years back, I purchased $1200 in merchandise from an "authorized" dealer, and they "accidently" double charged me. I recieved two of each product that I purchased. So they said to send back the extra products, and that they would reimburse me when it arrived. I called 2 weeks later wanting to know why I wasn't credited back my money, and they said they never charged me twice. Two months later I finally get my money back, but not without a huge fight. The only thing the owner could say was that I shouldn't use a bank card to make these sort of purchases! Basically that it was my fault.
I'm not naming names because not purchasing from them ever again is a big enough loss for them, not me.
I don't think you should have ever came on a website and started ripping a company over a $50 purchase a year ago, no matter how frustrated you were. Don't buy the product ever again, and if someone asks why, then you can tell them.
Just my 2 cents. I can understand your anger though, I was there.

...

My first jacket was a JP and the white logo bled on mine a little but never all the way. It did not stain anything I just figured it was from the hot Florida sun. Really not a big deal though it just bled a little. Plus I think It's best to buy from local shop's and support them.

evan, I think you do not have a reason to complain since you don't even know if it is authentic jp.

However, let us see some pics, show us how bad it is and some overall pics of the jacket

Hey there Supra...thanks for the input...not interested in posting pics since the point of this was just to let other people know about my experience, and I have already spent too much time on a vest that cost me $60.
Jim T: I would love Christine to come and post her side of the story!
From what I have read it seems like some other people have had similar experiences, while others have not, you can all be sure that I won't buy anything from Overstock anymore. However, in my opinion JP could have done a little more in the customer service dept....but you all know the old saying "opinions are like ••••••••• everyone's got one, and they all stink!"