Has anyone had any experience of the alloy poles cracking on these tents. I purchased 2 Omega 350 tents for a trip to the UK and for use in NZ on our return home. We have only used these tents 4 times and a number of the poles have fractured at the point where the poles have been indented to hold the inner section in place. I have e-mailed Vango and they are not interested in what I consider to be a manufacturing fault.
Thanks for your email and I'm sorry to hear of the issues you have had with your pole / poles of your . Very rarely but occasionally we have a problem with a pole. This looks like one such occasion.
Due to the "wear & tear" poles receive during pitching and striking, they are not covered under the warranty, and there is generally a small charge for replacement pole sections or complete poles.
We have subcontracted our pole repairs / replacements to the tent pole and spares specialist; Tent Spares- www.tentspares.co.uk
And now the latest contact from Vango which is a little better, but doesn't resolve the fact that I believe there to be a fundamental fault with these poles which is eventually going to occur on all of the sections:
Hi, Tim.
Thanks for your mail.
If you can advise me how many sections you require, I will arranged to send you some new sections and shock cord. They are fairly easy to re- string (instructions will be included). However i should point out at this time that i can only send these to a UK address. I don't have the ability to ship items internationally.
If you have any problems please feel free to call our pole team on 0141 773 5482.
I have added some pictures of the fractured poles to my gallery. If anyone is considering purchasing a Vango omega 250 / 350 please consider this issue carefully before having to rely on this tent for shelter!
Really wish we had read this before we brought this tent for out son, he has only used it 5 times and poles have shattered, he as camped all his life so knows how to put a tent up, poles so expensive will look at buying a different make
There first reply stating there would be a "small charge" for sections or replacement poles. My "small" charge was £21.99 for the smallest pole on a Vango spirit 200+ .
I am a big fan of Vango equipment and have been for years but was really peed off at that cost for one small pole..
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
I have a Vango Equinox 350. I think the poles are pretty much the same. Although there are some good reports and the tents are DoE recommended there have been many reports of pole failure even a couple here
As some folk get excellent use from the poles it looks as if Vango have a serious quality control issue on their hands. Pole failures like these are totally unacceptable.
-------------
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell
I think a combined effort assault on vango is in order here, there clearly is a design fault.
Also it is illegal to exclude part of a product from the sale of goods act.
I have alloy poles from an old terra nova(fabric eventually gave up the ghost after about 20 years) that tent has been subjected to 70mph winds and for a period of about 5 years was used just about every other weekend and the poles are still in perfect condition.
Time for a much stronger letter to Vango I think.
Faults that develop within 6 months are deemed to have been inherrent at time of manufacture, I would say their minimum requirement would be to replace FOC
I think Vango are totally out of order and should be held to account. However for those whose tents are out of the guarantee period this might help a bit. Won't help if all the sections are faulty though - better to get a replacement pole set altogether
-------------
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell
I don't know of any tent brand that cover there poles under there warranty,
There are far too many factors in which poles can break.
-Miss pitching
-Male and female parts not put together
-Wind Damage
-Dropped to hard when in storage
plus many many more
They can go on the 10th use, they can go on the 1st or second use.
Poles break now and again, that's camping. there are plenty of posts on this forum explaining.
If a manufacturer replaced every tent pole that broke under normal use they would never have a business left or tent prices will be 2-3 times the price to cover them.
I think Vango have done well with the above and i would be happy with that. If you sacked of every brand that dismiss you because of a pole break, you will not be buying any tent i know on the market.
Quote: Originally posted by kopte4ever on 22/8/2013
I don't know of any tent brand that cover there poles under there warranty,
There are far too many factors in which poles can break.
-Miss pitching
-Male and female parts not put together
-Wind Damage
-Dropped to hard when in storage
plus many many more
They can go on the 10th use, they can go on the 1st or second use.
Poles break now and again, that's camping. there are plenty of posts on this forum explaining.
If a manufacturer replaced every tent pole that broke under normal use they would never have a business left or tent prices will be 2-3 times the price to cover them.
I think Vango have done well with the above and i would be happy with that. If you sacked of every brand that dismiss you because of a pole break, you will not be buying any tent i know on the market.
With respect I think you are trying to teach your fathers how to suck eggs!
I for one have nearly 50 yrs experience of camping/backpacking and I think the other guys who mentioned the poor quality poles will have similar, we are not rookies complaining for the sake of it.
We are justified in our complaint given our vast experience with equipment and expect a better product for the money we pay, considering we look after our equipment.
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
Funny isn't it that for some brands you never seem to hear of pole breakages.
For DoE recommended equipment where inexperienced handling by young people coupled by use in sometimes challenging environments there should be pretty much total reliability I think.
FWIW I haven't got a downer on Vango as both my old Micro and Micro 3 have stood up well although after many years use the ground sheets are now porous. The numbers and nature of failures we hear of for Omega and Equinox types however is concerning.
-------------
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell
Quote: Originally posted by kopte4ever on 22/8/2013I don't know of any tent brand that cover there poles under there warranty,
There are far too many factors in which poles can break.
-Miss pitching
-Male and female parts not put together
-Wind Damage
-Dropped to hard when in storage
plus many many more
They can go on the 10th use, they can go on the 1st or second use.
Poles break now and again, that's camping. there are plenty of posts on this forum explaining.
If a manufacturer replaced every tent pole that broke under normal use they would never have a business left or tent prices will be 2-3 times the price to cover them.
I think Vango have done well with the above and i would be happy with that. If you sacked of every brand that dismiss you because of a pole break, you will not be buying any tent i know on the market.
Can't agree with that. Storm damage is one thing as is blatent mis-use but I agree with the above posters. I have pitched god knows how many tents god knows how many times and could tell when there was afault in a product, and there clearly is here two people having identical issues, also do a search on the internet for vango pole problems and it appears otheres with similar poles are having similar problems.
Whilst they might not cover their poles under the "waranty", they can't exclude them from the sale of goods act, and so they must be of suitable quality in material and manufacture and fit for purpose.
Whilst we all expect the odd breakage we don't expect a catastrophic failure after a couple of uses under benign conditions.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Vango Omega Poles
