User Review: Tarptent Cloudburst 2

Regarding the review by Demetri Kolokotronis:

We need to respond publicly to Demetri's complaint. Here is a copy of the letter we sent him and a link to photos of the destroyed Cloudburst 2 he sent in for "warranty" repair:

http://www.tarptent.com/kokolonis.html

March 11, 2009

Dear Demetri,

Enclosed is your unrepairable Cloudburst 2 tent body and a replacement Cloudburst 2 body. The Cloudburst 2 body you sent back, unsolicited and unapproved for return repair, is clearly far outside our stated policy “to repair or replace products that fail due to defects in workmanship or materials.” The mesh is utterly shredded and is what appears to be heat-destroyed. If I had to guess I would say that the mesh was first attacked by a cat and then destroyed due to heat damage in a clothing dryer. In any event, your tent was destroyed by you and we are in no way responsible for repairing it.

Just so we are clear about the purchasing chain of events, you purchased your original floorless Cloudburst in August ’04. Three years later, in Fall ’07, you reported a manufacturing problem with it. Rather than repair it for you, we sent you a new floorless Cloudburst 2 tent body. We did that at our discretion and as a show of good will. Then, in August ’08, you sent it back to us in a plain box with no note, no description of the problem, and no follow up phone call or email to tell us to expect it. We neither asked you to sent it back nor did we approve its return, it wasn’t covered under warranty, and you made no contact with us to discuss possible outcomes. At that point, as far as we’re concerned, we owned it. Finally, 5 weeks later, you sent an email wanting to know if we received it.

We are sending you a replacement body although we are under absolutely no obligation to do so. We have now incurred considerable expense on your behalf. Since your original Cloudburst 2 was destroyed by you, we no longer have a business relationship with you and the enclosed Cloudburst 2 is a gift. We will not provide service for it should it ever need any.

Sincerely,

Henry Shires
Tarptent