Dr. Steve, Three months is a horribly long time for a board repair. Really, the repair on something like that should take about an hours work, between about six hours of curing time for the epoxy. In a nutshell, you got screwed!
Next ding, post up pictures of the damage, and we’ll walk you through the repair.
Treating someone badly is not a thing that a software program is going to fix. Its a take pride in your work, and every customer is a friend thing. And that is something learned at age six in the sandbox. If that lesson isn’t learned then, it isn’t ever going to get learned.
Was a small superficial chip in nose and tail. A dash of resin only in 2 spots. Was told it is 2-3 hours work. How could it have been in better hands? was how I rationalized it. I am not an expert but it seemed like two 10 dollar dings… for 35 dollars. Steep by Thai standards where even foreigners don’t get nearly the same salary as back home. A computer program could help to keep on schedule and maintain awareness of something you have an obligation to uphold. At least if the repair had been done in a timely hassle free manner paying through the teeth would have been more patabible. Its interesting since the damage ocurred on an airplane and not surfing. Sunova seemed very cordial in asking me to bring the board so they will fix it. Seemed like they were eager in a friendly way to fix it which even gave me a gut feeling of some level of courtesy on their behalf perhaps? I kinda shook my head in amazement being told the repair price, again I am not an expert. You’d think the company would have some level of appreciation for a surfer that jumps through the language and transportation hoops to make it out to their factory.in the boonies in Thailand vs the “how much money can we get from this guy” mentality.
The ding guy at Arugam Bay had the colors and the experience. Could have done it in a few hours after a days surf.
"I am not an expert but it seemed like two 10 dollar dings… "
I’m not an expert either but it seems like 10 dollar dings went out about the time you you stopped being able to buy gasoline for .29/gallon, resin for 3.00/gallon, etc., etc.
What do doctors charge these days for an office visit dr. steve?
I don’t know what the charge is for an office visit as I never had an office, always worked for an ER. I left my career and country to be close with my half Thai daughter whose status is “kidnapped”. I have been living modestly while exhausing much of my savings on lawyers in an international custody battle.
If you are currently employed I would say your income is considerably greater than mine.
I put the title in my name so there would be no question as to whether I am somehow affiliated with a competing company and just bashing them for business purposes. Rather than attacking doctors fees may I suggest you focus your energy on surfboards made in cheap labour countries for they may have hurt your business, medical care hasn’t.(Obamacare excluded)
Being that you decided to hit on my profession (other than surfing LOL) rather than focus on the issues with Sunova let me say this. If I neglected my responsibility and duties for a patient there very well would be a team of lawyers suing me. FYI I have never had the slightest involvement in a malpractice case. Call it luck or perhaps sound responsibility and reliability. Furthermore for arguments sake if I did neglect my responsibility I would absolutemy nullify charges to the patient, it is a “no brainer” I screwed up, period! Imagine offering a patient a discount on future visits to see me as the remedy LOL
I recall 10 dollar dings I did to help pay for university (in addition to student loans). a while ago but they involved cutting out foam and fitting new foam to fill the gap, then glassing. So my guess was a few ml’s of resin only might be worth 10 bucks today? Using your logic perhaps I should apply 3 months of what my income could be if back at home and send a invoice to Sunova for my lost time?
Perhaps it was actually a 100 dollar repair and Sunova gave me 2/3 discount for brand loyalty? and the normal ding turnaround time is 6 months but I got VIP 3 month service? I should be grateful and send them a thank you note.
Or holding off on the repair til the opportune time to organize their video shoot on ding repair that would serve to help their business/webpage.
A little defensive? I was only trying to point out that 10 dollar ding repairs are not realistic. My minimum is quite a bit above that. Don’t like it? Take it elsewhere.
You mention that a few mls of resin amount to 10 bucks. That doesn’t begin to account for shipping, handling, processing of said resin, tape, sandpaper, time, risk to health, etc. Get real amigo.
And I wasn’t bashing the medical profession. Just curious what YOUR time is worth these days. Seems like EVERYBODY’S time is more valuable than in days past?
Speaking of ‘valuable time’, you’ve probably spent about as much time bitching on Swaylocks about what a raw deal you received at the hands of Sunova as it would have taken to just plug those dings. If you know how to repair dings, wouldn’t it have just been easier to do it yourself? Grab a kit of 2-part 5-minute epoxy, fix those dings, and get over it.
I cannot fathom why someone who claims to have done ding repair in the past would go through all this trouble, effort and travel to have a couple of basically cosmetic dings repaired.
But, I also do not understand why anyone who’s been surfing for a while would buy a popout, in the first place.
I was simply responding in an analytically comparative way since you as another “non expert” made reference to my background. Were you joking when you say you are “not an expert” How many decades have you built / repaied boards for?
Let me address the points you made.
Living in Thailand and without a Thai medical license my time is not worth very much which is why I so highly value time being able to surf. Principle can be priceless.
I am in Thailand where many if not all of the materials are made nationally or regionally in China. In addition overhead is a fraction of what is in other places. Minimum wage here is about 10 dollars per day thus monthly salary about 200-250. The economic reality is one would not value a ding repair at the same rate as in Oz or US or Japan. .Last time they were glassing boards without respirators which I thought a bit strange, but I was told the stuff they use is non toxic and masks not needed.
In retrospect you are absolutely correct, it would have been much better to get some epoxy experience and do them myself.
Out of curiosity if you neglected a customers board for more than 1/4 year would you have handled it in the same manner?
All my ding repair is in PU construction. I must accept being quite unknowledgable regarding epoxy. I read about some foam used in epoxy boards absorbing water. This was also a concern. I was concerned about the possibility of the ding being a conduit for water to get inside. Basically these reasons made me feel less than comfortable with a repair. I also had pride in the board and maintaining it ok is more than acceptable to me.
Popout infers a board is made in some big automatic machine akin to injection molding. Is a CNC shaper not the same machine that shapes the foam many PU boards? or are most PU boards hand shaped today?
Epoxy with PU flex/riding characteristics makes sense to me in terms of weight and durability. Time marches on as well as technology. Removable fins are great for travel but in early days we only had glassed in fins.
Aside from the CNC shaping machine, the rest is done by hand.
Is the CNC not simply duplicated a shapers hand shape?
Just the lamination process, materials, foam that is different. Why would these be “popouts” Even highly regarded shapers offer epoxy boards. Glen Minami for one. I have rode several of his boards while living in hawaii.
Have owned Hobie, Rusty, Minami / Blue Hawaii, Allan Byrne(RIP), T&C.
“One of the problems with doing Boards overseas is you just can’t control everything.”
In defense of Sunova I have seen the factory and they do everyhting “inhouse” CNC, glassing, finishing with supervision by experienced board builders etc etc. it’s not necessary to fill a pallet with boards. Small orders are easily shipped expediently by shipping companies. In reality they are not outsourcing the production. Therefore it seems they have everything in their favor to get things done right.
Why hassle Dr Steve? Bottom line is that he got bad service and deserves to vent. 3 months wait and make him pay? $10 is a ton of money for a repair in Thailand, why do you think the factories there can buy USA made o r Australian materials, ship it there build a board ship it back to America and undercut us by 30 percent? Low wages. $10 for a repair is a ton of money there. Dr Steve, i am sorry to hear of your bad experience and feel am even more sorry that you have to defend yourself he re.
Kazuma, thanks for the support. Repair was 35 dollars.
By the way regarding what my time is worth; I have done lots of volunteer stuff in poor asian countries. Teaching at the 2 medical schools in phenom penh cambodia, one in thailand and at a nursing school. Non salary medical advisor at an orphanage in siam reap cambodia. aloha medical mission to Luang Prabang Laos, paid all my expenses with a team of surgeons, and nurses to perform free services for poor people. All that time “priceless”
Wow, that donation of your time and expertise is priceless to those poor people in need. Thank you for what you do. Good luck with everything, you deserve it.
How about if you guys at Swaylocks get together and build a somehow special board, nice art hand spray done by some well known artist, get the board hand signed by several pro surfers then get a press release out that the board is being auctioned and proceeds will go to Aloha Medical Mission. http://www.alohamedicalmission.org
Aloha Medical Mission literally take a small hospital with them that includes operating room equipment, anesthesia machine, etc etc etc. The volunteers include nurses, techs, doctors (multiple specialties) all pay their own expenses. They repaired cleft palates, goiters, fractures, much more too numerous to mention.