Hennessy hammock warning!!!

[Bushmaster]

the only time this has dumped me was when i tried to get in drunk !
Pumbaa

): ): Ha hahahaha!!!! Been there done that Pumba.....Happy memories:uu: Thanks for the mental image.lol
Geoff

 

[Stuart]

Adi700 - these center lines you've seen break, is it that the line breaks in the middle or at the ends?

The breaks occurred at the attachment points where the centerline joins the main suspension lines

On the first hammock that broke we were forced due to the conditions (pitch black, late at night and deep in the forest) to re-tie the center line with no success, every time we put the hammock up the line would snap in another place a little further down)

chris - This is something I feel you should be talking to the company about, give them a chance to do something as they have great reputation.

Hennessy were contacted when the first hammock failed and provided a replacement, I will of course inform you of their response with regards to my notification of its subsequent failure

Whitebuffalo - might I point out that with BCUK's interest and pointed advertising of the forth coming Bushbag that you mentioned as being better in your warning you might be miss read as less than honest at least that is how it at first struck me.

I'm sorry whitebuffalo but you have me a little perplexed, might you do me the honor of pointing out where in my post I made reference to the "Bushbag that you mentioned as being better in your warning" as I am unable to find mention of it, and as such I am concerned that my honesty is being called into question based upon a reference to which I can find no evidence.

BUSHCRAFT UK has nothing what so ever to do with the Bushbag (a product still in its development stage) in fact only 2 people associated with BCUK have even seen one.

Whitebuffalo Surely you would be better suited to have the faulty items sent back to the parent company for repair or evaluation rather than openly complaining (in a potentially damaging way for BCUK and the company in question) a product many of us have and use without fault regularly.

The original hammock was sent back to hennessy for repair and evaluation and no mention of that was made on BCUK, only when the second hammock failed did I make mention of it. Further to the point I did not:

'Openly complain"

because, as you put it

"you wanted to moan about a product"

I did however publicly recede my recommendation of it.

Whitebuffalo Many outdoor shops stock these items as do many of the outdoor schools and such claims based on two examples against the likely 1000's sold could be seen in a less than flattering light by some.

Due to my line of work I have been in the position to hear a number of complaints (from individuals who's opinions I hold in high regard when it comes to the subject of outdoor products) with regards to the recent drop in quality of hennssey hammocks, I have not however been able to witness and substantiate these complaints and so withheld judgment on them.

However when I witnessed the failures that I refer to in my initial post, which coincides with the recent rise in complaints I decided to remove my recommendations until such time as I am satisfied that the quality of the product has been restored.

I note you make reference to "a product many of us have and use without fault regularly" and "the likely 1000's sold" may I remind you that I have used hennessy hammocks without fault for over 6 years and 5 of those probably thousands were bought by me, thus my decision to retract my support for them is not taken lightly

Whitebuffalo this being the case or not it still doesn't show BCUK in the best of lights as Stuart is a moderator who should be deemed to act more professionally.

Again you have me at a loss Whitebuffalo are you insinuating that I am acting in an unprofessional manner to remove my personal recommendation of a product that I have championed in the past, but due to changes in the quality of manufacture have lost faith in??

I feel that it would be far more guilty of unprofessional conduct if I was to keep quiet about my findings in order to defend my pride.

if you do a search of the BCUK archives you will find at least 26 posts in which I make mention of and recommend hennessy hammocks, it should then be obvious that it has been embarrassing for me to have to publicly retract my past praise and as I said this is not a decision lightly taken.

I recently used a hennesy hammock for two months in the jungles of Borneo and at times found my self so far into the interior of the forest that it had taken a one and a half hour flight in a light aircraft to a remote jungle airstrip and a 5 day walk to get there, had my hammock failed there it would have been a serious inconvenience.

if someone used a recently bought hennesy hammock in similar conditions based on my recommendations and it had failed them in the manner I have witnessed....... well to say I would be embarrassed would be a vast understatment

basically my current thinking is this:

will I use my hennessy hammock? YES defiantly its my favorite way to camp

Would I buy a hennessy hammock at the moment? NO not until I am satisfied that these problems are resolved

Do I think hennessy will improve its quality to its past high standard? I hope so, and I can appreciate the problems that they are facing in their attempts to keep up with demand and the difficulties at come with moving your site of manufacture.

 

[chris chris]

Thanks

 

[leon-1]

Stuart, I have been thinking about buying a Hennesy, I also appreciate your honesty on this, as you say you have championed them for a good while, I also appreciate the concern that you are showing for members of BCUK in making this thread.

I think that you are justified as the cost of a Hennesy is not small and I like many people would prefer to know if there are any potential pitfalls :biggthump

 

[C_Claycomb]

but I opted to replace the ridge line myself ...

I was wondering how you went about doing that? How did you re-thread the ridgeline and how tricky was it?

 

[MagiKelly]

I was wondering how you went about doing that? How did you re-thread the ridgeline and how tricky was it?

Mine broke at the point where it is tied to the loop of ridge line (this will only make sense if you have a Hennessy). So I still had the loop of ridge line. This loop should have twice the strenght of the line alone as under tension it has two strands to take the force. So I simply tied some stronger cord to one loop and attached a small clip to this cord, at the correct lenth for the ridge. This means I can clip or unclip the ridge line (to the other loop) when I want.

I unclip the ridge cord when using the hammock as a chair as this would break the ridge line for sure and sometimes when tensioning the hammock I will unclip the ridge line, just to be sure.

Like I said this will only make sense to HH owners.

I also have to say that I ony bought my HH a few months ago and it was after it was praised on this site (don't know if it was Stuart). When I had all the problems I was very hesitant about saying anything on this site as I thought it must just be me. Eventually I did. I am glad to see this thread as it shows that the recommendations I recieved were genuine and that when people have concerns they voice them.

 

[Great Pebble]

Break under heavy weight and can tip you out when drunk.... Dont think thy're going to be of much use to me then.

 

[Brendan]

Yeah, my 300-350lbs? rated heavy duty explorer asym deluxe ripped on the seam with the mesh, and I was being carefull and not too wasted!
I had to sleep with the dog for the rest of the night on the deck.

Thanks Mr Hennessy!

I'm not moaning I'm just telling it as it is.

 

[Stuart]

why did you sleep on the floor? the hennessy still functions as a hammock even with the mozzi mesh compleatly removed.

 

[Moonraker]

I wonder if others who had problems with the Hennessy hammocks contacted HH to let them know of the problems or considered returning them for replacement as Stuart did?.

On their web site they state this:

Guarantee:

With proper care, our hammocks will last for many years. When you receive your hammock, please remove it from the package, set it up, inspect it to ensure that it is complete and test it for suitability. Please retain your receipt. If there is any question please contact us within 10 days of receipt of your hammock and we will forward you a form to include with the hammock for a repair, return, replacement or exchange. (Check your hammock stuff sack for weight limit and remember that our hammocks are guaranteed for use by one person.) We will process a refund as soon as we have received your hammock and inspected it(estimated time 30 days).

Our hammocks are guaranteed for defects in materials and workmanship for one year. Damage due to wear and tear can be repaired for a reasonable charge. Please contact us at 1 888 539 2930 or by email to discuss warranty and/or repairs before shipping. We will then email or fax you a repair form. When we receive your hammock, we'll inspect it and contact you if there are any questions.

Returns:

All hammocks must be accompanied by a return/repair form which we will send to you by fax, email or post. If you have a concern about your hammock, call us at 1 888 539 2930 or 250 539 2930 or email us at so we can send you a form.

US returns MUST be shipped to:
Hennessy Hammock
145 Tyee Drive
Point Roberts, Washington 98281

Canadian and International returns:
Hennessy Hammock
637 Southwind Road
Galiano Island, BC V0N 1P0

Please include a purchase receipt with your form. If you can’t find your receipt, we will need to verify your purchase. Please include your name, address, phone number or email and the approximate date and place of your purchase.

source: http://www.hennessyhammock.com/customer-service.htm

Even with self repairs it is important to contact them or the supplier, so that they are aware of any issues and have a chance to resolve them directly or in production/QA etc.

In Europe you also have other rights including buying online if supplied from here.

Can someone confirm if it is possible to return any HH product under guarantee to an UK address for those in the UK or Europe? Rather than pay for the cost of shipping to Canada which is not cheap. I understand they have a London depot for sending stuff out but the only address on their web site if the British Columbia one in Canada (see above).

 

[MagiKelly]

I wonder if others who had problems with the Hennessy hammocks contacted HH to let them know of the problems or considered returning them for replacement as Stuart did?.

I was meant to receive Snake Skins with my original order and sent HH about half a dozen emails about this. No reply. Pointed out I would need to get my credit card company to refund me. No reply. Then when the ridge line broke (it was about a week before I could try setting up the hammock) I sent an email all in capitols really ranting. I got a fairly quick response to this offering to replace it. I replied saying I had carried out a repair myself and said that if they confirmed I had not invalidated my guarantee I would just keep the hammock. I also asked about the snake skins. I got a reply saying that my guarantee would still stand, that they were crediting me for the snake skins and that the snake skins were on the way anyway so I could keep them with their compliments. I thanked them for there email. No Reply. The snake skins have never turned up and I have sent them over half a dozen emails asking about the snake skins. No reply.

I am very happy with my Hennessy Hammock but I have to say that their customer service is poor and their communication is the worst I have ever had to deal with. It really annoys me when emails go unanswered. It is so easy to hit the reply button and type a quick message.

Rant over.

 

[Paganwolf]

Moonraker, try this person keltie15@telus.net i think they are the london rep for hennesy, it was the contact i had when i had a problem geting my hexifly :roll: got it now and all seems well with the whole bit of kit..

 

[rapidboy]

I am very happy with my Hennessy Hammock but I have to say that their customer service is poor and their communication is the worst I have ever had to deal with. It really annoys me when emails go unanswered. It is so easy to hit the reply button and type a quick message.

I had a problem with my hammock and Ann at Hennessy eventually sorted it out (it took a long time) but only after intervention from the retailer that i purchased it from.
The unanswered emails added insult to injury and as Magikelly said the product is good but the customer care really suck's.
Ann told me she was going to send me a few accessories and i was not surprised when they did not arrive.

 

[Moonraker]

Moonraker, try this person keltie15@telus.net i think they are the london rep for hennesy, it was the contact i had when i had a problem geting my hexifly :roll: got it now and all seems well with the whole bit of kit..

I had similar problems with my hex fly replacement JP :roll:

I do have a couple of email addresses but it was really asking if it is possible to return a hammock to UK address rather than CA because it cost me quite a bit to sent stuff back. I was thinking more of the people who have actually returned stuff for replacement might know.

Thanks for the advice though :biggthump

 

[rapidboy]

I had similar problems with my hex fly replacement JP :roll:

I do have a couple of email addresses but it was really asking if it is possible to return a hammock to UK address rather than CA because it cost me quite a bit to sent stuff back. I was thinking more of the people who have actually returned stuff for replacement might know.

Thanks for the advice though :biggthump

My replacement tarp came from the UK distributor but i got the hammock from the US