Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a 28' Tipi at 615 sq. ft. from this company and they were scheduled to come build it on November 27th. When they come only three people came to set it up and after following them around it was obvious that only one person (the lead) had any experience at all setting them up. I even asked the other two workers if they had any experience and they told me this was their first job. The bolts and brackets being used were extremely small and bolts themselves were so short that less than a week went by before winds ripped it out from the deck and pushed a pole forward. I contacted ******* ********* (****** ***** ******** *** *********) about this and he agreed that the bolts were too short. I was advised that they were going to put in a warranty order and I would have to fix it myself after they sent in the new bolts. Shortly thereafter exactly 10 days after they finished building the tipi winds tore up the tipi and completely knocked it over damaging a good portion of the little household necessities I had left and fell right on top of my bed. I live in Walsenburg, Colorado. And it fell on December 7th. The $15k I gave them for the tipi was the last amount of money I had and I told them on repeat occasions that I needed at least some of my money back just to get to a friend's house in another state who is all I had left to help me. I have no family or friends in Colorado. And I am now living in my Sedan with my dog (labrador). I've had to sell a lot of my leftover possessions just to give us enough gas to keep the car on at nighttime so we wouldn't freeze. After calling their offices and sending multiple emails on the third day I finally got in touch with a *** and was flat out told I would receive no money back whatsoever. Now if I have any hope of surviving this winter I will have to depend on the kindness of others. I even asked for a very small amount $2500 of the total price..but they refused to even give me that and said that they did nothing wrong.

  Business response

  12/15/2023

  Customer purchased a 28’ tipi with several options and a pitch/installation service that would set the tipi on a customer built wooden deck at customers location.  At the time of sale, the customer was upset that his pitch date was late in November.  The customer had called for a projected pitch date and pricing, and by the time he authorized the order, our schedule had been filled with other customer confirmations. The agreed upon pitch date was to be Monday November 27th.  This customer sent an email after normal business hours on Friday November 25th stating he needed two more days, past the scheduled day, to complete the decking and asked us to move our crew out those two days or we could “volunteer our services” to help him complete the deck on the scheduled pitch date.  Early on the morning of the 27th, the pitch crew aborted the approximately 4-hour trip to the customer’s location per the customer request.  Two of the team members were then sent home as there was no work for them that day.  Unfortunately, without advance notice to the crew, we had to send the crew home. We have always agreed to pay wages with a 4-hour work minimum should we have a cancellation from the customer.  We incurred this added expense.  The customer was notified that same morning, November 27th, that we would have to reschedule but the next available date was not known yet.  We did not charge any additional fees to the customer for this delay to recoup our expenses.  Later that Monday morning, the customer contacted us stating he was able to finish the deck and needed the tipi still that day.  As we had already sent the crew home and we had a 4-hour drive to get to the customer’s property, it was then too late to send the crew.  After hearing from the customer several more times regarding the severity of his personal situation, we negotiated with some of our other customer installations to help this customer.  This move for the other customers resulted in the other customers accepting that their pitches could be significantly delayed due to incoming weather.  We were then able to expedite this pitch and started installing the very next day on Tuesday November 28th and completed on the 29th.  Our installation teams consist of a lead foreman that oversees the pitch and several crew that have different skill sets to assist on various types of installation.  It is not uncommon for a pitch crew to have three skilled laborers, one of which is an experienced lead foreman. 
  The installation was performed with our normal hardware and normal installation practice.  The customer asked the on-site lead foreman how much wind the tipi could withstand.  The lead did not give a specific wind rating.  We do not offer any wind or weather event ratings, warranty or guarantee on a tipi – a tipi is a tipi, not an engineered structure. 
  The customer notified us by email the evening of Saturday December 2 that one of the brackets started pulling away from the customer supplied deck due to the observed 40 mph winds and he didn’t believe we used correct hardware for his area.  Customer also stated winds of twice that speed was expected in the coming months. We do not offer any alternative type of hardware for securing tipi’s than what was used in its installation.  Two ¼” sized lag screws, 1” long, were installed into each steel bracket holding the poles to the deck.  Any longer of a screw could have penetrated through and out the other side of the decking material that was used. 
  The customer notified us Friday December 8 that the tipi was “completely destroyed”, “from the wind”.  Customer also stated, “I don’t want this anymore”, “didn’t hold up to 40 to 50mph winds” and asked that we “figure something else out” or come and pick it up and give him a full refund. 
  Upon reviewing customer supplied pictures, it’s evident that this property is in an extremely windy and unobstructed area of Colorado.  It also appears the installed screws and brackets held the structure long enough for the fabric to tear from the sustained winds.  If the mounting lag screws had failed, the tipi would have blown over with likely less damage to the tipi fabric.  Once the fabric tore open from the extreme wind, it would be nearly impossible for the brackets to withstand the force created by the open structure.  The extreme winds on a torn/open structure eventually pushed the tipi over and onto the ground.  It can clearly be seen how strong the wind is in the pictures as the material is being pushed between the poles.  It also appears the customer added a wind deflector on one side of the tipi to deflect this same wind. 
  Upon speaking to the customer, a refund was not offered, as we do not have any control of weather events.  The structure did not fail due to a manufacturing defect or installation error, but rather to a wind shear or extreme sustained wind event.   
  After hearing more about the customer’s current living situation and noting that there are no manufacturing defects or installation errors, our company still offered to immediately deliver and exchange the destroyed tipi for an in-stock large 16’x20’ safari style tent with internal metal frame.  The value of the tent is nearly equal to the tipi itself and we offered the alternative at no cost to the customer so he would have shelter in the fastest way we could assist.  The customer immediately refused the offer, stating that the winds are too great at his location for a tent and that he needed to consider an A-Frame style shelter.   
  This is an unfortunate event for our customer.  The tipi was destroyed by a wind event, and this was not related to a manufacturer’s defect or installation error.  There is no guarantee of wind ratings for a tipi.  It is not an engineered structure.  The customer chose the location and orientation for the pitch of the tipi.  In our experience, the damage to the tipi should have been directed to the customer’s property insurance as a claim due to wind damage as any structure would in this same situation. 

  Customer response

  12/19/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I was able to broker a deal with a fellow neighbor to assist me in my endeavor of getting anything back that can be beneficial to me not having to live in my car. A friend is able to take me in during the winter months until the weather settles down to a more manageable situation. In the meantime my fellow neighbor ***** has agreed to allow me to store the Safari Tent that ****** ***** is offering me until the spring time when it can be set up or sold. I would like to put this very distasteful experience to bed and move on with my life. I would like ****** ***** to send the Safari Tent with metal framing to the address below. I have also included contact information with my neighbor should they need to get a hold of him. My number is also included. Once he has received the tent I will be satisfied with the closing of this case. 
  
  ***** (******** ******** **** ***** ******* ********** ***** ******** *** ********** ****** *********** ******** *****
  
  *********** ***** ***** ********
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  *********** *****   

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

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