Highly upset regarding ProAngler - HOBIE are you listening?!

I ordered a PA17T in early July which included half the money down as a security deposit. No problem! I was informed the kayak would arrive by mid October at the latest, no problem! During this timeframe I ordered all the auxiliary items such as a MotorGuide trolling motor 80lbs thrust, Lowrance Ti2, two Dakota batteries and more. I wanted to order everything early knowing that most items are on back-order in todays world and once the kayak arrives I'd have everything in place and ready to install. All the items I ordered arrived safely and quickly months prior to the PA17T arriving - awesome! I was advised by the dealer multiple times leading up to the deadline that the PA17T was going to arrive on time. The last time I visited the dealer they mentioned the PA17T was going to be discontinued and kidded about how lucky I was to have ordered it in time. I requested that they make sure the kayak will still be made and delivered, Hobie confirmed the kayak will be produced.

Today, a month past the deadline, I receive a call from my dealer that he was informed I won't receive my PA17T. Needless to say I was extremely upset. The dealer said he'd be happy to provide my deposit back, however I'd like the kayak I ordered and was promised. I've sent an email to the company and figured I'd post a message on this forum as well in hopes someone will reach out to me. I let the dealer know I'd like a PA17T, as I've placed 1/2 the money down and have been told it will be delivered. This is totally unacceptable, I'd like to have the kayak I ordered ASAP.

I own a company, I'd never ever treat my customer this way. I'm blown away that Hobie thinks this is okay. I've been a loyal Hobie customer and I'm on the verge of going elsewhere with my business. Hobie, I'd ask that you contact me and resolve this issue in a timely matter.

Regards,

Lance Miller

It’s typical Hobie. Their customer service sucks. They refer you to the dealer to resolve stuff when the dealer has no say. So they don’t have to answer to the customer. A company with good customer service would have let you know they were discontinuing the product long ago and given you options. A good company would not have let this post sit unanswered for a couple of days damaging their reputation. I love my Pro Angler but I’m not sure I would buy another unless it was used.

I used to be the one that highly promoted Hobie products until I got tired of being burned on the accessories. Now I only buy where I can find a deal used because at least it worked.

I might suggest that you find a used one if that is the one you want.

Thank you, I’ll continue to try and work with Hobie on this situation. I feel they are obligated to fulfill their obligation. However judging from feedback it doesn’t appear I’ll be very successful. Again, thank you for your feedback.

Sincerely,

Lance

Uhhh it was a weekend?

If we discontinued production on the 17, likely the mold became unserviceable. They have been struggling with that model for years and boats just don't come looking good. Aluminum cast molds distort over time and use. This mold was looking pretty ugly and we have received a bunch of quality complaints about the molded boats.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I was informed later in the day on Friday, I understand it's the weekend. Hence I wanted to wait until today to find out how I can proceed. I spoke to Lisa earlier today at Hobie, she was nice and she's checking into the supply of PA17t's at various dealers near my local area (NJ). I'm in high hopes we can get this issue resolved, I've been patient and obviously frustrated with the phone call I received last week.

Thanks for your response. I'll be sure to keep people posted as we progress.

Regards,

Lance

The Weekend bit was for my buddy MemoryMaker. He is always yanking my chain. I now have 13,874 posts in these forums to try and help or inform folks. I am not in social media. I run our parts and accessories business, tech support and warranty, so I don't always get through the forums on a daily basis.

I confirmed that the mold is no longer serviceable. They could not get good parts out of it. That really is too bad. We also had that happen to the Hobie Getaway sailboat this fall. The mold also was damaged and distorted.

Hopefully you can find a 17.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Weekend ? ........ so what ........ the guy ordered awhile ago and Hobie had the order for awhile. Hobie cancels the order after he was told it was coming leaving it to the dealer to inform him without any suggested recourse. It’s the same deplorable customer service that I’ve been pointing out since I experienced it with you. Hobie has the most expensive kayaks and has the least respect for it’s customers. A customer oriented company would have reviewed it’s outstanding orders and checked countrywide inventory then directly contacted the customer to try to work out a solution to keep him happy. Instead, you do nothing but cancel the order leaving him with accessories he bought for it and no yak or even a call from Hobie to him. Please explain how this could possibly be good customer service. This is the same attitude and poor customer service Hobie has done for years. I’m not going to rehash the previous issues but if you are interested, Please look up some of the old posts and see. You guys spend tons in advertising ......... maybe you should hire someone to teach you what customer service should be.

Memory Maker,

I know you have a history beef, but this is not a reason to attack Hobie at every opportunity. This is not a situation that anyone is happy with and yes, Hobie staff has been trying to locate a boat for him. Doing the best they can under the circumstances. We are all hard pressed as sales have been through the roof due to Covid on top of popularity. It is pretty insane. The kayaks are sold out through June 2021. It is pedal to the metal to try and please everyone. We are not a large staff either...

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Sooooooo ........... just ignore the obvious over and over and over ...... got it. When will you start thinking about the customer that obviously didn’t happen here ........ or with the other examples that continue to happen.

Glad to see Hobie is that successful .......... maybe you guys can now hire someone to improve your customer service.

No comments from the original poster here recently, but I understand he is being taken care of.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I'm working with Lisa, she's been a pleasure to work with. We are still working out the details, but the good thing is - I feel confident we'll get this resolved in a timely fashion one way or another. Hobie has been nothing short of a pleasure to work with, I understand the mold issues it's a shame my kayak didn't come in as originally planned. However things happen, thanks for stepping up to the plate Hobie.

I'll update my post once it's fully resolved with how everything ended up.

Regards,

Lance

Hobie and I worked it all out, I’m extremely satisfied with how things ended up. I wanted to be sure to take a minute and pass on my kudos to Hobie and their team (especially Lisa) for all of there assistance.

Sincerely,

Lance

........ Great ..... glad you worked it out. It’s a shame it took posting here to get their attention.

Wow, a bad cast mold is a pretty damn good reason IMO. Hobie doesn’t want to intentionally put out a POS product so you can’t be mad at that. It does suck you waited so long, but I would agree quality is #1 priority. Most mfgs have forgotten that these days.
Glad to hear you got the issue resolved!