How Does the Process Work?
- Fill out a repair ticket online
- Ship your kite to one of our two locations
- We fix your kite
- You pay online through your ticket
- We ship the kite back
Do I really have to fill out a repair ticket?
Please fill out a repair ticket. No kite is going to get fixed without a ticket, it’s how we keep track of kites and assign them to repair techs. We need to know who’s kite is showing up in the mail and we need to know what’s wrong with it. If your kite shows up without a ticket we’re going to put it in the corner until we feel like dealing with it. When we do finally deal with it we’re going to assume that your time is more valuable than ours and that you’ll be fine paying our hourly repair rate for us to do your paperwork.
Can you give me an estimate before I ship the kite to you?
Remember that ticket you filled out? If you give us good pictures and a good description of the damage to your kite we’ll be able to give you an idea of what the repair will cost before you ever ship it to us.
How should I ship the kite?
We don’t care how you ship. You can use UPS, FedEx, US Postal Service, or a private courier. We will normally ship back via FedEx (domestic addresses that is) because some of the other carriers have lost kites over the years with very little remorse. That said, we’ve yet to have a kite get completely lost before it gets to us. Whichever service you choose be sure to keep your tracking number so you can follow your kite to us.
I don’t have a box can I ship it in the bag?
Sure, but it’ll cost you more. FedEx and UPS always surprise us with $13 or $16 surcharges for kites shipped in without being in “corrugate”. If you requested a label from us and you don’t use a box expect that surprise surcharge added to your bill.
I have the box my refrigerator came in, can I use that?
Sure, but it’ll cost you more. UPS and FedEx charge what they call “dimensional weight”. That means they measure your box and charge you as if it weighed some amount proportionate to the size. The price goes up as the box gets bigger even if the weight doesn’t go up. When you choose a service faster than Ground it goes up exponentially as the box gets bigger. So, if you’re getting a label from us please don’t round your numbers down when putting in dimensions. We might just surprise you by adding whatever we got dinged with to your repair bill.
Would you recommend I put packing peanuts in the box with my kite to protect it?
Please no. Peanuts don’t do anything to protect your kite and they make our life miserable. If you really want to protect your kite we suggest buying a 24 pack of the best IPA and line the interior of the box with the unopened beer bottles (don’t expect the bottles to be returned full).
Can you match the colors perfectly?
Many times we can but it’s not a guarantee. There are just too many kites with too many colors and a limited amount of original cloth imported by the distributors. If we no longer have an exact color match we’ll do our best to use a complimentary color.
Can you make it so that it looks exactly like it did when I bought it new?
We do offer the invisible repair option. The option runs between $1200 and $2200 depending on the kite. The kite will arrive in a brand new box, the colors may be different, and the kite may even appear to be a newer model year, but you’ll be stoked because the kite will appear to be brand new.
Will it fly as good as it did before it was damaged?
Now you’re asking the question we like to answer. Absolutely, the kite will fly like it did prior to the damage. We think performance is way more important than aesthetics so we take great care to assemble the kite with removable tape, inspect to make sure we have the original shape, and then we overlay it with the kite cloth that gets sewn in place. Once new cloth is sewn in place we cut out the bad fabric.
I’m in a hurry, how fast can you fix it?
If it’s just sewn repairs that need done to your kite or wing we can often times provide you overnight service (for a fee of course). Why the fee? We put you ahead of everyone else and if we can’t keep up with our repair schedule because we ask someone to stay and work late.
If you ask for an estimate and either don’t give us enough info to quote it before the kite arrives or you don’t approve your repair quote before the kite arrives we can’t offer overnight service. If we need to diagnose bladder issues we can’t offer overnight service either. If it’s a straight bladder swap and you’ve told us which bladder it is we may be able to do overnight.
The premium overnight service is charged on a sliding scale. Repairs normally running less than $50 are billed out at double the normal rate. Repairs between $50-$75 are billed and additional 60%-75%. Repairs over $75 are billed an additional 60%-50%.
When do I pay for the repair?
If you’ve stiffed us in the past, are putting all new bladders in a kite, or going against our advice and investing $500 in a 15 year old kite we may ask for payment ahead of time. However, most often we fix your kite and then ask for payment when we have a total.
How do I pay for the repair?
Remember that ticket you filled out? We enter line items for your repair and return shipping (if applicable) and then activate a payment button. You click that button (once we’ve made it active) and can pay with MasterCard, Visa, or Discover. If you’re picking up and we aren’t dealing with a pandemic we’ll accept cash or cold beer.
Is shipping back to me included?
Nope, shipping is your responsibility.
Can I provide the return shipping label?
Absolutely. If you provide a return label with the kite when you ship it to us we’ll use it to ship your kite back.
Can you ship to another address?
Remember that ticket you filled out? That’s how we communicate. If you want us to ship to another address you can post a note and we’ll ship accordingly.