 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What was the date on the cylinders that you used for your test fire?
If they were pre December 2014, you may have now introduced swarf into your system and there is no guarantee that it will work next time.
IMHO, we need to wait until we have new cylinders to do the test.
And indeed, they seem to be in very short supply.
Andy
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Markymark29, did you get an answer on testing/fixing at Jennwien? Do you know if it's possible to upgrade steel to carbon there? I have one carbon and one steel, may as well get a second carbon if poss.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@ajdetpwm, isn't the issue only with steel cylinders and not carbon which is what we used for the test fire?
The only time we tested was the initial warranty test fire which was steel (which is what most have done), after the initial test fire we then upgraded to carbon, which is what we used yesterday, with the issue being that since that initial test fore with the steel we may have been riding around with a dud pack.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Mt, not got an answer yet, will give them another couple of days and re-email.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Weathercam,
Quite right, my mistake - didn't consider that you had used carbon
Looks like you are sorted then.
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@ajdetpwm, in fact mate just sent me an email about how Snow Safe can refill http://www.snowsafe.co.uk/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=23&products_id=490 though really weird as the mobile site has it within the navigation but not the desktop, hence me pasting the link.
I'll be calling them tomorrow as £30 is worth the expense if it avoids all the hassle of sending it back to Germany etc even if it is FOC
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So the saga continues, called SnowSafe and what a surprise they can't offer the service as they have no canister's available, as they do not hold any in stock as they send them off to be refilled.
So looks like back to plan A or was is B 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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This seems are real mess.. Feel realy sorry for you folks that have bought ABS bags, almost went for those ourselves last year.
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Still no reply to my email from ABS, lousy customer service! It's unbelievable you can spend 2x £700 for 2 potentially life-saving rucksacks, you get a message to tell you it may be faulty and you can't get a reply to a simple email you send........ 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I sent mine on 2 January and received it back today. Quite ok, i feared it might take much more time.
Cheers
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Chevagi, sure you don't work for the PR Company of ABS 
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Good god, no  . PR has too much work with (not) answering customers' emails. I wanted to share the approximate return time - I was afraid they might be even slower than this year's winter.
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You know it makes sense.
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Still no reply......not impressed.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Markymark29, that's disappointing. Their brand manager / marketing department needs a kick up the 😮
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've sent two emails now and apart from the automated response after the initial submission, zero there after!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Weathercam, Yet ive emailed twice and got responses within 24hrs. I find a few sympathetic and nice words help to get a better response - its not their office staffs fault afterall (not suggesting your sending nasty emails btw)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just in from a mate, who sent his off before Xmas....
"Oh and my ABS bag came back today by courier with a new trigger and a letter in German telling all about it!"
From little acorns........................
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm beginning to lose patience with ABS, I emailed them firstly on 8 January and had an immediate automated email reply, nothing since despite 2 emails requesting a reply. I now have phoned themtwice and on each occasion it goes through the automated voice message thing and you wait 2 minutes (at my call cost) only to be answered in German, despite me pressing the 0 for English speaking, and ask in German to speak to a colleague in English regards a recall issue, and my non-answered email, perfectly civil. On each occasion I get cut off! So now I not only have 2 potentially life threatening unfit for purpose £750 airpags I also have Jennwein in St Anton wanting to charge me 50€ for a test fire and recall check-out that they are permitted to do but want paying - plus have now spent about £5 on phone calls.
I'm going away next Friday for a week of deep powder shredding with my wife and neither me nor she know if our bags will work if required, I've spent £1500 on the bags which may not work in emergency, and now £5 on calls and £40 potentially on paying for a rcall which is their fault, FFS! All because I dont want to sent bach to Munich becasue I dont think they could potentially come back in time, I may as well have flushed £1550 down the WC!!
ABSolute idiots 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Markymark29, I know how you feel, it is a total shambles, "German efficiency" - my back bottom
I am still thinking that I will take mine with me in a few weeks, hope for the best (!!!) and then return for the recall work in the spring.
Surely they will be able to get them back to us by next season?!?
Obviously this is far from being an ideal situation and "hoping that we don't die", is kind of what we were attempting to avoid when we spent a small fortune on the bags in the first place.
I am slightly reassured by the fact that there have only been 3 reported cases of bags failing, which must be a very low percentage of all the ones out there, multiply that up by the small chance of being caught & buried and we will have to be having a very bad day for both to happen.
None of that mitigates the total and utter disaster that they have made of the process so far, they obviously haven't done anything like enough in terms of staffing up to handle the mountain of bags pouring back into the factory.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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oh thats quite funny
The snowheads machine automatically changes "my back bottom" into "my back bottom"
the word i typed started with an "a" and had 4 letters ending in "rse"
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im sorry that people have had hassle, i sent mine off to Germany between xmas and new year and got it back last week, just in time for my trip next week. I had to phone them to get an update but I had no difficulties spoke to a very polite chap with impeccable English who kept me updated with the delivery process so i've got no complaints and i'm happy with the service 
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Shipped mine on 22nd December and still nothing. Sent 2 emails with no reply.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Shipped mine on 23rd, signed for on 24th, two emails and telephone call later still no bag! Worried might not be back for 4th Feb.
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@JamesN, @PP, also sent mine 22nd and nothing back either. Seems some who sent them at the same time and after have got them back but not others. Plan on giving them a call next week if I have not heard anything by then. Fortunately I am not away next until March.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@scski, good luck trying to ring them, think I got a numpty who couldn't use the phone system! This company really worries me, hope if I ever need their product it works better then their customer service. Never seen such useless service from a German supplier......I'd be really wary of sending them my bags.....
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Markymark29, cheers, part of the reason I have not called yet is denial that there may be a problem.
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Haven't sent mine back yet, as I thought I'd take it to Jen in SA. @Markymark29, Gutted to hear they are charging, why aren't ABS covering the cost at service centres?
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You know it makes sense.
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@Mt, no idea, can't get to speak to anyone. I'm going to email Jennwein direct tomorrow and see if they can get hold of ABS directly and set up an arrangement, they hopefully can apply some pressure but unless you've bought the ABS from them (and we didn't) I don't really see why they shouldn't charge, I would!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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When I spoke to them before Christmas they said they hoped to not have it with them for more than 2 weeks - now this was when the recall just started. Factor shipping either side of that and your talking close to a month at best.....
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Markymark29, don't get me wrong I expect Jen to charge. I just thought that since ABS are obviously swamped and they won't be paying for my bag to be couriered to them they would pay their service centres a charge directly. It's a win win. Happy customer, less hassle and they can use they're network to help spread the load and regain some customer satisfaction.
I really don't see why I should pay to test fire my own bag due to a recall, I've already paid £35 this year doing it in prep for winter.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Not having much luck on this recall malarkey, just checked the serial number on my Nikon d750 and that's part of their recall. Aargh.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Mine just arrived back. Checked and it is still the same bag too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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So yet more problems trying to send cylinders / canisters back to ABS from the UK evidently !
Email from ABS to my mate in UK
"Basically I think we need to send it directly to an address in the alps – shipping filled cartridges to UK is hard to handle, that causes a lot of time. Would this be also okay for you?"
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I am starting to wonder if the cylinders are the problem
Both in terms of new unaffected stock and delivery
Would be interesting to know whether those that have had their bags back were just bag checks only with no cylinders to be replaced.
Or has anyone had new cylinders back yet?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Had an email back from Jennwein, they are going to do the recall checks on behalf of ABS and because we are good customers FOC.....what great service!.......unlike ABS who have never come back to me.
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| Markymark29 wrote: |
I'm beginning to lose patience with ABS, I emailed them firstly on 8 January and had an immediate automated email reply, nothing since despite 2 emails requesting a reply. I now have phoned themtwice and on each occasion it goes through the automated voice message thing and you wait 2 minutes (at my call cost) only to be answered in German, despite me pressing the 0 for English speaking, and ask in German to speak to a colleague in English regards a recall issue, and my non-answered email, perfectly civil. On each occasion I get cut off! So now I not only have 2 potentially life threatening unfit for purpose £750 airpags I also have Jennwein in St Anton wanting to charge me 50€ for a test fire and recall check-out that they are permitted to do but want paying - plus have now spent about £5 on phone calls.
I'm going away next Friday for a week of deep powder shredding with my wife and neither me nor she know if our bags will work if required, I've spent £1500 on the bags which may not work in emergency, and now £5 on calls and £40 potentially on paying for a rcall which is their fault, FFS! All because I dont want to sent bach to Munich becasue I dont think they could potentially come back in time, I may as well have flushed £1550 down the WC!!
ABSolute idiots |
I did a test fire in December on my bags before the canister debacle. One bag deployed internally ripping the interior compartment- quite difficult to breathe with an airbag deployed within the bag! Found a page on their website, which they have since appeared to have taken down offering a DIY fix for bags with a range of serial numbers that might not deploy- apparently a velcro problem.
I emailed suggesting that i wasn't about to carry out a DIY fix on a piece of safety equipment and asked them why they hadn't emailed me as they have the bags registered. No reply to that email after over six weeks.
Now we have canister problem i've sent bags back, no hint of when they might return and refused to give a voucher for a replacement bag for the destroyed one.
Snowsafe initially showed signs of being helpful but very quickly have washed their hands of the two recalls on my bags.
Unless i'm mistaken this is the 3rd recall on these bags.
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Update after my ABS recall test at Jennewein in St Anton on Saturday. They couldn't have been more helpful, my wife's powder line passed the activation test and valve visual check with flying colours. My Vario had 3 test fires because they weren't sure, on each occasion the bags inflated but stuttered a bit and there was visual steel debris on the valve.
They immediately told me that they wouldn't let me take the bag and said they woukd send it to ABS Monday (today) along with another that failed on test while I was in the shop. They have rented me another, which I intend to get costs refunded from ABS and were totally professional......unfortunately I never got a reply in the 3 weeks I was waiting from ABS prior to my trip, just hope Jennewein can work their magic and I can get my bag back for when I get back 20 February.
I was pretty convinced mine would be fine, was pretty shocked when it wasn't.......GET YOURS CHECKED OUT GUYS, THIS IS SAFETY CRITICAL.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I heard from a Swiss mountain guide last week that the pile of ABS bags being tested is growing and growing and there is a distinct possibility that there will delays till at least the end of the season.........
Feel for you guys
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Progress - of sorts.
In chasing up my two replacement cylinders and handles
I have got through on the ABS helpline to talk to someone in English, gave her my reference number and explained that I have been waiting 7 weeks and need these back before we go in two weeks.
She said there is no way that they will be able to ship those to me by then.
So took the address of our chalet in France and said that she would ship them there in next few days.
Obviously there are issues with shipping of the hazardous goods to UK that don't exist with going to France.
We will have to wait and see if they are there when we arrive on 15th Feb!
On a side note I asked her what the current turn around on checking packs is and she said "three weeks" !!!
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FAQ
