Buying a foil

[comeu]

Hi,
here is a long story, just to say sometimes it's better to buy products that have been used by many, that have good feedbacks, from companies with a solid customer service, + to buy from shops that can help their customers rather than to try to cut intermediaries to save some cash.

Nov 2017, K. said they'll start making hydrofoils and they'll do "zoner offer". I mailed K saying I was interested.
April 2018, I sent the money.
May 12, I received my hydrofoil.
June  10th, "I wish I never had to write that message.
But today I lost my foil. I don’t understand how it broke.

Here is what happened : after I received the foil, I installed 2 rails on a old windsurfer (fanatic skate 110l). Today was the 3rd time I tried it.
Day 1, no wind. Mounted everything, 10 min ride in 3knt.
Day 2, wind was too light, maybe 5knt with a 5.8 sail (I’m 86kg). 30 min session, nothing particular happened. Could fly at all.
Today I took my larger sail, 7.8, it was like 9/14knt. After like 20 min sailing I realized that the mast was broken, it was still connected to the board but I could see the foil bended on the side. At that point I was by myself, 300m from the shore, in middle of a strong current. I focused on getting back to the beach, but after 20m I lost the mast, I jump to get it but it drawn, I tried to look for it underwater, lost a contact lense and couldn’t catch the foil.

The board started to fly out of the water maybe twice today. That’s all. I used it very little. Never dropped it neither hit anything.
I don’t know what to think of it.

[comeu]

Sorry, I can't post pictures...
The mast broke at the top, maybe 6 cm from the top, 2 or 3 cm outside the adapter (to  2 rails/US box).
This is a full carbon mast.

K replied "You're claim of a solid carbon fiber mast simply snapping in half on it's own is a little hard to believe...in fact it's not believable. "

I don't know what happened, I didn't feel anything specific while riding my board, I couldn't get enough speed to lift, just twice it started to lift but not enough to fly the whole board. I didn't fall...

after a few weeks of mails exchanges, K offered me a 50% discount on a new foil. I couldn't afford it at that time.

[comeu]

One year later, I saved enough money to get a foil, K told me their new version is ready, and that I could have a discount on it.
I sent $870 in July (2019).
On September7th,  I received the foil I ordered .... Without the adapter (that connect the mast to the board). I was told the factory forgot to ship the adapter, then they had no adapter left, finally they had no mold to make the adapter so I had to wait the factory made a new mold...
An adapter arrived on october 18. It didn't fit to the mast, it was clearly too narrow and slightly different shape. I had to send back the adapter to the factory in China. It took 5 weeks to arrive (thanks Chinese customs).

At that time I asked if it was possible to get a refund. K said the factory was ok with it, I had to send them the whole hydrofoil, then I'll get a refund.
It was around January 2020, the Pandemia was hitting China, I asked for more details over shipment ( I needed complete name, phone number of the person in charge...). K didn't reply. some friends told me to be careful, that I 'll never get my money back (I didn't give banking information... don't know how they planed to refund).  So I thought Paypal could help to find an agreement. it was too late for Paypal to do anything.

K and Beyondsurf (the Chinese factory) ignore all my mail/messages.

Doesn't anyone wants to buy an hydrofoil, never used, without adapter, 870$?

[comeu]