I was this '' close to ordering my new bonzer recently.
Malcolm Campbell was over in Cornwall shaping at Nigel Semmens factory.
I found out a bit late in the day and contacted UK rep Guy Penwarden.
After a long chat, I was given till the next day 'at the latest' to consider my options but they'd "def squeeze a board in for me". Great :)
Would it be a contemporary bonzer shape, something in the 6'3"x19x2/5/8 region taking me back to my thruster roots - heaven forbid!
But I do occasionally wonder how I'd go on a skinnier board once more...
Once you've learnt to generate speed and spray on a bumblebee stub, everything else feels like a toy with little effort required.
Then Guy began to wax lyrical about the new bumble bee with pulled in narrower tail and less volume...might be worth considering?
I'd make up my mind and made the call early on the following day.
No reply...
3 more calls, a voice message and 2 texts later I gave up.
There's only so much chasing a man can do!
So there we go - No new bonzer - A shame but at least it's saved me some money.
To say I was pissed off with Mr Penwarden would be an understatement ;)
You can't represent Bonzer vehicles UK - 'be mindful', 'be peaceful' and all that other gubbins and then piss off some of your more 'mindful' customers by ignoring their phone calls and board orders.
My last board took 2yrs to arrive and came with the wrong rear fin.
He then buggered off early on the very day I was due to collect the damn thing - A 4 hr drive for me, so I had to wait a further 3 weeks for it!
How are we supposed to order boards - using telepathy?!
Does this spell the end of my love affair with the bonzer concept - No.
Will I be ordering boards via Guy in the UK - probably not.
I think I'll take the hit and pay for import charges instead from now on.
What was I going to order? Time will tell
But I am beginning to realise now why the humble bonzer has not taken off in the way it should have done, 'globally'.
Last time MC came to Europe (UK only then) a few years back, I tried to get an order from me by e-mail with Mr. Penwarden. I was living in Barcelona so calling was therefore quite expensive (no skype back then). Anyway, Mr Penwarden replied to my e-mails but never gave me the prices nor how to pay a deposit. Obviously when MC left Europe i was left bonzerless.
ReplyDeleteThis year i tried to contact Guy and sure enough he replied my e-mails at first. But then i had to wait almost 4 weeks for the pricelist as none was coming. I was having a "déja vu" feeling. Then one day I found out that MC would also be shaping in Portugal. I contaced the shaper (Manila surfboards)and by the next day I had the pricelist and all the details. One week later the shaper had the order for 6 orders (mine and my fried's). Sure enough Guy contacted me with the pricelist the day after we had paid the deposit to the portuguese shaper. Just a wee bit too late, but this time I am not being left bonzerless, adn Manila has even sent me some photos of the blanks already shaped. Great!
Guys, Bonzer is just a fin system that will go on any board. Any competent shaper will do a decent job. My first was a campbell stock board in cali, it was great.Then mC built me one through Guy on a uk trip. I didn't like it at all. I built 3 myself and loved them. Alex from Barrell surfboards in france makes a good bonzer as do many other shapers
ReplyDeleteThe same happened with me. Try to contact Mr Penwarden by email and telephone to no avail. Next time I wont be bonzerless, it will come from Portugal or from California if necessary. It's a shame bonzer boards dont have better service in the UK.
ReplyDeletecheers fellas.
ReplyDeleteNice to know I'm not the only one missing out. Customer service is everything in this day and age.
Great product, poor sales care.
Thanks for the tip - I'll get my next bonzer from France in that case :)