Recently I purchased a new 270 awning, and the hinge of the the arms snapped off the first time I opened it up on my driveway. Yeah, real bummer... I'm not naming names, but this was not a cheap one, around a grand, plus over a hundred for shipping. I contacted the (well respectable) store I got it from, sent pictures of the damaged parts (bad aluminum casting on the hinge). The store sent the pics to the manufacturer, a rep contacted me a few days later, said he'd check to see if they have a replacement arm he would send me and I'd replace it myself. That was the last I heard from them, 4 days go, and he's not returning my calls. I have a trip coming up soon, and I was really hoping to have a nice awning for that.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that got a defective product, so what's the best way to handle it? I realize that return and replacement shipping on something that bulky is costly, so that complicates things. I have no issues with making the repair, but is it normal for the manufacturer to expect the customer to do it? Also, I like the awning, but the arm broke during the initial set up, so I'm not super confident how it would hold up in windy conditions or soaked in rain, so I'm not even sure I want to keep it...

Call them on the phone and talk to them?

File claim with your credit card and get a refund?

I didn't have much luck contacting the manufacturer on the phone. The store has been more responsive, but I'm not sure if I should just deal with them, and ask for a replacement awning, or deal with the manufacturer directly. Either way, I hope hope to get this resolved soon, without additional shipping costs for me.

Filing a claim with paypal or cc company would be my last resort, hopefully this won't get that far.