I was kind of partial to creating this thread, but I'm honestly pretty upset and disappointed. This is going to be a long-ish read.
So last year, I sold off my old, beat JJ's and bought a pair of the first model of K2 Pettitor's with the hellion bird on it in a 179. I ordered them off EVO.com when they were like 65% off on 12/02/13. I understand the amount of days one skis a ski can be subjective with no real solid proof, but I skied them twice last year. Mainly on groomers with the girlfriend.
I took them out two weeks ago for a 3 day, skiing weekend. 2nd day I on them I was cruising through some pretty mellow trees, and as I came out I did a front flip off my face- I had hit a hidden stump under the fresh snow. I carried on like nothing happened. Long story short, is upon hitting that stump, I bent one of my Pettitor's (now on it's 4th day of total use).
I took it to my local K2 dealer and of course they gave me shit for not buying them locally (kind of a snooty shop I've never cared too much to support). They said they would contact K2 and follow through the with what I need to do to get them replaced. Turns out K2 only warranties skis for exactly one year (even though in a most places, winter isn't year round). Luckily for me the time I had contacted them was exactly a day before the transaction. The girl at my shop tells them I came off a jump onto a log though.
I jumped through the hoops of relocating my receipt for proof of purchase and having to get a hold of my shop on and off again. Just to have K2 say they don't cover impact damages, just factory defects. After having my Pettitor's returned to me, I immediately looked up K2's number and made contact with a guy named Raphael. I needed to call him back when I wasn't driving to get his e-mail so I could send him pictures. I called back as soon as I could, asked to be transferred to him and left him a message.
2 hours skate by and no return call. I called back and had a much more pleasant individual named Brad answer. I decided to work with him. He told me best thing to do is go through EVO first and then check back with them. So I get to EVO's warranty form, and decide to call them first to see how long it takes for them to get it and contact me back. So I called, and another kind individual named Ali answered and told me I could fill out the form, but they go directly to K2 with warranty issues so if it might be moot if they already said no.
Coming back from the hill today, Raphael calls me back and tells me he talked to the shop and they for sure can't warranty them. I simply said, "No worries, I wouldn't want another pair of shit skis anyway" and we said our goodbyes and here I am.
I understand that a company (especially a company that outsources products) would only cover factory defects. To me though, a ski bending after only 2 hard days of use, 4 days of total use when going through one of the most classic of crashes IS a factory defect. K2 pretty much invented the rocker and have three of my favorite athletes (McConkey, Pettit, Morrison). But after discovering what an outsourced ski will do and how a large company is all about keeping more money in their pockets, I will never be caught on another pair of K2's again. I know nothing will change, but I had to say something.
/rant
Has anyone else ever had issues with a ski company that you're positive other people have had nothing but good experiences? I mean really bad, where you lost respect for a pioneer brand and pee a little?
On one note, the Pettitor was super fun while it lasted. Was my favorite ski until all this shit. I'll post pictures of it, if NS still supports imageshack.com and if anyone wants to see.