Tent & Awning Warranty’s – The FAQ’s
Disclaimer – this is not a “fob people off blog” – its just a lot of common questions we get asked that are not warranty issues or faults – and the genuine faults as well, which can and do occassionally occur.
If your tent has a defect, then don’t panic, just get in touch and we can help solve it quickly and effectively.
Each Monday I spend most of my morning dealing with tent returns or queries – not because the product is not any good – – far from it – but for a multitude of reasons. I have to say 50% of tent queries are not usually faults. I have opened and set up thousands of tents in my time – and I have only found a handful with manufacturing faults. I have caused damage myself through error or accident. These things happen and are easily fixed 99% of the time.
Most queries are just first-time campers who don’t understand the technical nature of a tent. After getting repetitive strain injury typing the same emails back – I decided to write a handy blog about what to do if your tent is faulty, or what might be covered under a tent warranty. Or mainly – common misconceptions of faults. Of course, there are the common faults as well, a list is below. If you are unlucky enough to encounter a fault – the best thing to do is send us an email, preferably with photos and your Order ID.
FAQ's
Tent & Awning Warranty Questions
How Long is the Warranty?
-
It depends on the manufacturer, but most are 2 years.
-
You can get an extended warranty from Vango, for the third year free of charge by registering your product on their website - www.vango.co.uk.
-
Zempire also offer a three year warranty.
-
Outwell offer two years
-
Coleman offer two years.
-
Outdoor Revolution - 1 year
I bought my tent ages ago – has the warranty gone? Do I have rights?
You have the right to claim a fault at any point – but the warranty will cover two years from point of purchase.
I’ve Lost my Receipt.
If you bought your tent from us – that does not matter – get in touch and you should be on our system for two years. We just need your name and address, and we can locate your order, and let you know the process to go on with.
Common Faults / Issues
-
Twisted Air Beam - very easily fixed by unzipping the sleeve attached to the tent, and straightening the beam.
-
Missed pegging points - missing parts such as the odd missing pegging point.
-
Pegging point not sewn properly and coming away.
-
Water ingress - usually coming in heavily at one point where taped seams have been missed.
-
Zip coming apart - easily fixed by any manufacturer.
-
A small hole in the groundsheet of fabric caused by the tent being caught in manufacturing.
-
Stains on the tent panels - often from it being dragged across the ground in manufacturing.
-
Shock cord snapped between poles - it means a parcel carrier has dropped the tent on the end.
-
Moon shaped holes in the tent bag - same as above - the tent has been dropped from a height.
-
Poor stitching / missed stitching.
-
Deflating Tube - usually replaced under warranty.
These are classic examples of faulty tents – a tent goes through 400 processes during manufacture, and 1200 people can work on a production line – we only need one person to have a bad day – and we have a faulty tent. However, rest assured, all tents are checked in China to install the airbeams and / or the inner tents – therefore the Quality Control team on the ground pick up the faults – but the odd one can slip through of course.
What’s not a Fault (these are all issues I have come across in my time – don’t laugh!)
-
Dog shaped holes in a mesh door.
-
Chewed fabric or zips.
-
Cigarette burns
-
Knife cuts in the groundsheet fabric (dropped knives whilst chopping food)
-
Change of mind.
-
Storm Damage from excessive weather
-
Condensation
-
Mouse bitten holes in the groundsheet.
-
Mould
-
Weld Lines along the groundsheet - on larger family tents we need to use several rolls of groundsheet, and they are welded usually in a straight neat line.
Common Misconceptions
My tent is wet in the mornings, is it leaking?
Maybe, but in truth – probably not. Condensation is the most likely factor – especially if the tent is a polyester tent, with a sewn-in groundsheet or an Airbeam structure. See our blog about condensation vs leaking tents, to see a handy informative guide on how to know if your tent is really ingressing water. If you are not sure, it can be sent for testing.
There’s a patch on the base of my tent, is it faulty?
The most common one – I answer this question about ten times a week in the summer. Absolutely not a fault – its meant to be there, its a reinforcement patch, and there can be several on a tent with a sewn-in groundsheet. Again, we’ve written a handy guide about the patch on the bottom of a groundsheet.
Why do I need to send my tent back clean and dry? – My garden’s not big enough to dry it.
Its just Health and Safety, standard procedure. Bacteria thrives in damp conditions – and the smell of a wet tent after a few days is pretty bad. So all manufacturers insist the tent is sent back dry. If space is an issue, best to take it to the park for an hour and dry it off. Also if we are testing for water ingress – the tent needs to be dry. If it is returned wet, I am sad to say it will be returned to you without attention from the supplier.
My tent’s been blown away by a severe storm. Is this covered by a warranty?
If there’s a Met Office weather warning across the country for seriously heavy rain or heavy wind, or rain and strong wind at the same time. My professional advice would be to cancel your booked trip and wait for sunnier spells unless you are camping in a smaller profile tent or a 4-season tent, or you are an experienced camper with a top-end tent. No tent manufacturer will ever cover storm damage. What do I mean by storm damage?
-
Guylines ripped out of the ground or from the tent.
-
Severe wind ripping a tent.
-
Tent blowing away in the wind.
-
Tent poles snapping in excessive winds.
-
Tent collapsing due to excessively windy weather.
If the weather forecast is really, really bad or there is a Met Office severe warning or a risk to life, do not risk your tent – cancel or go home early. Most campsites are understanding and will allow you to rebook. Or the alternate option is to insure your tent in case the worst happens with camping insurance. Sometimes your tent or awning may be covered by your house insurance. Your warranty will not cover camping in a severe weather event.
Can a Manufacturer tell if its storm damage? Yes – its very obvious. And most likely they will charge to fix it. The truth is your tent can probably take some poor weather if it is pitched properly, but every product has a ceiling. Also, the safety of yourself and those around you is more important. Losing out on pitch fees is going to cost less than a brand new tent or awning.
What to do if you Suspect or Know your tent is faulty?
Contact us on [email protected].
We need your Order ID, Some photos if possible, and an explanation of the fault. We will respond within 24-48 hours during the working week.
Disclaimer – this is not a “fob people off blog” – its just a lot of common questions we get asked that are not warranty issues or faults – and the genuine faults as well, which can and do occassionally occur.
If your tent has a defect, then don’t panic, just get in touch and we can help solve it quickly and effectively.
Each Monday I spend most of my morning dealing with tent returns or queries – not because the product is not any good – – far from it – but for a multitude of reasons. I have to say 50% of tent queries are not usually faults. I have opened and set up thousands of tents in my time – and I have only found a handful with manufacturing faults. I have caused damage myself through error or accident. These things happen and are easily fixed 99% of the time.
Most queries are just first-time campers who don’t understand the technical nature of a tent. After getting repetitive strain injury typing the same emails back – I decided to write a handy blog about what to do if your tent is faulty, or what might be covered under a tent warranty. Or mainly – common misconceptions of faults. Of course, there are the common faults as well, a list is below. If you are unlucky enough to encounter a fault – the best thing to do is send us an email, preferably with photos and your Order ID.
FAQ's
Tent & Awning Warranty Questions
How Long is the Warranty?
- It depends on the manufacturer, but most are 2 years.
- You can get an extended warranty from Vango, for the third year free of charge by registering your product on their website - www.vango.co.uk.
- Zempire also offer a three year warranty.
- Outwell offer two years
- Coleman offer two years.
- Outdoor Revolution - 1 year
I bought my tent ages ago – has the warranty gone? Do I have rights?
You have the right to claim a fault at any point – but the warranty will cover two years from point of purchase.
I’ve Lost my Receipt.
If you bought your tent from us – that does not matter – get in touch and you should be on our system for two years. We just need your name and address, and we can locate your order, and let you know the process to go on with.
Common Faults / Issues
- Twisted Air Beam - very easily fixed by unzipping the sleeve attached to the tent, and straightening the beam.
- Missed pegging points - missing parts such as the odd missing pegging point.
- Pegging point not sewn properly and coming away.
- Water ingress - usually coming in heavily at one point where taped seams have been missed.
- Zip coming apart - easily fixed by any manufacturer.
- A small hole in the groundsheet of fabric caused by the tent being caught in manufacturing.
- Stains on the tent panels - often from it being dragged across the ground in manufacturing.
- Shock cord snapped between poles - it means a parcel carrier has dropped the tent on the end.
- Moon shaped holes in the tent bag - same as above - the tent has been dropped from a height.
- Poor stitching / missed stitching.
- Deflating Tube - usually replaced under warranty.
These are classic examples of faulty tents – a tent goes through 400 processes during manufacture, and 1200 people can work on a production line – we only need one person to have a bad day – and we have a faulty tent. However, rest assured, all tents are checked in China to install the airbeams and / or the inner tents – therefore the Quality Control team on the ground pick up the faults – but the odd one can slip through of course.
What’s not a Fault (these are all issues I have come across in my time – don’t laugh!)
- Dog shaped holes in a mesh door.
- Chewed fabric or zips.
- Cigarette burns
- Knife cuts in the groundsheet fabric (dropped knives whilst chopping food)
- Change of mind.
- Storm Damage from excessive weather
- Condensation
- Mouse bitten holes in the groundsheet.
- Mould
- Weld Lines along the groundsheet - on larger family tents we need to use several rolls of groundsheet, and they are welded usually in a straight neat line.
Common Misconceptions
My tent is wet in the mornings, is it leaking?
Maybe, but in truth – probably not. Condensation is the most likely factor – especially if the tent is a polyester tent, with a sewn-in groundsheet or an Airbeam structure. See our blog about condensation vs leaking tents, to see a handy informative guide on how to know if your tent is really ingressing water. If you are not sure, it can be sent for testing.
There’s a patch on the base of my tent, is it faulty?
The most common one – I answer this question about ten times a week in the summer. Absolutely not a fault – its meant to be there, its a reinforcement patch, and there can be several on a tent with a sewn-in groundsheet. Again, we’ve written a handy guide about the patch on the bottom of a groundsheet.
Why do I need to send my tent back clean and dry? – My garden’s not big enough to dry it.
Its just Health and Safety, standard procedure. Bacteria thrives in damp conditions – and the smell of a wet tent after a few days is pretty bad. So all manufacturers insist the tent is sent back dry. If space is an issue, best to take it to the park for an hour and dry it off. Also if we are testing for water ingress – the tent needs to be dry. If it is returned wet, I am sad to say it will be returned to you without attention from the supplier.
My tent’s been blown away by a severe storm. Is this covered by a warranty?
If there’s a Met Office weather warning across the country for seriously heavy rain or heavy wind, or rain and strong wind at the same time. My professional advice would be to cancel your booked trip and wait for sunnier spells unless you are camping in a smaller profile tent or a 4-season tent, or you are an experienced camper with a top-end tent. No tent manufacturer will ever cover storm damage. What do I mean by storm damage?
- Guylines ripped out of the ground or from the tent.
- Severe wind ripping a tent.
- Tent blowing away in the wind.
- Tent poles snapping in excessive winds.
- Tent collapsing due to excessively windy weather.
If the weather forecast is really, really bad or there is a Met Office severe warning or a risk to life, do not risk your tent – cancel or go home early. Most campsites are understanding and will allow you to rebook. Or the alternate option is to insure your tent in case the worst happens with camping insurance. Sometimes your tent or awning may be covered by your house insurance. Your warranty will not cover camping in a severe weather event.
Can a Manufacturer tell if its storm damage? Yes – its very obvious. And most likely they will charge to fix it. The truth is your tent can probably take some poor weather if it is pitched properly, but every product has a ceiling. Also, the safety of yourself and those around you is more important. Losing out on pitch fees is going to cost less than a brand new tent or awning.
What to do if you Suspect or Know your tent is faulty?
Contact us on [email protected].
We need your Order ID, Some photos if possible, and an explanation of the fault. We will respond within 24-48 hours during the working week.