Where do you guys buy your waroos?

rich · Since 30 Nov 2005 306 Posts portland Obsessed

I want to pick up some new waroo kites. Do you guys just order them off the Best site? Or is there someone local?

NateDogg · Fri Dec 22, 06 6:30 pm

All Surf Industry still has some 06 roo's in stock for a killer deal, and I think a few shops in Hood River have the newer 07 ones.

bandito · Since 07 May 2005 178 Posts Photographer

New Wind in Hood River. Great customer service. Bars, lines, bladders and all the stuff you might need to keep you riding.
Bandito

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

New Wind in Hood River, NW'roo experts!

Don't try to go into the shop right now though because its closed for winter. Just email them: kiteschool@aol.com

They will ship the kites for free to you. Pretty schweeta.

tstansbury · Since 06 Jun 2006 649 Posts Rowena and P.C Addicted

new wind for sure.

jdk · Since 21 Dec 2005 333 Posts Obsessed

if you have time to keep checking ebay, it could be worthwhile. i got a brand new 06 9m complete for $550 2 weeks ago. not sure if you want 07 or not though

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

I would definitely go with the 07. The 06 kites are sweet, but they have tons of nice upgrades on the 07 kites and the price has even come down from last year.

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked

A reason to buy direct from the manufacturer:

I have a friend who bought a 2006 Waroo from a reseller. It ripped on a mild crash within the 90 day warranty period. However, the reseller was surprisingly unhelpful in getting warranty coverage.

To be fair, the kite did have unpatched holes on the canopy, but it was not clear that they contributed to the failure. Regardless of the condition of the kite, you would expect that a reseller would try to help you get warranty coverage. Instead, they went out of their way to point out the holes to Best and reported that the kite was abused and therefore should not get warranty coverage.

I couldn't understand why a reseller would not at least try to support their customer's case. But then I realized that in 2006, supply of Waroos was extremely tight. A reseller could make a lot more money if they were looked upon favorably by Best and allocated more kites from the factory. If there is short supply in 2007, the reseller wants to be on Best's "good" list.

Now when I buy Waroos, I buy them directly from Best. So if something goes wrong, I at least have a chance to present the case to Best without a reseller putting their own twist on things.