Nick&Trish Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Our Eglu's Winter Shade, which we purchased only 18 months ago, is now looking somewhat tatty. It has faded to the point where it no longer matches the Eglu, and it has worn through and ripped in four or five places. We have tried to repair this with rip-stop nylon repair tape, but the shade is now so thin that attempts at further repair are pointless. It is perhaps worth mentioning that it has been cared for, washed and rinsed using soap and water on a regular basis (no solvents), and that our Eglu is shaded by trees and a 6' brick wall for much of the day. We found this somewhat disappointing as, at £20, it wasn't cheap (no pun intended) - and we could not believe that this is the normal life expectancy as we have used good quality nylon tarpaulins as boat covers and they seem to last forever. As we assumed that our shade must be faulty in some way we decided to contact Omlet for their comments. An e-mail was sent on August 1st, and when no acknowledgement was received after a couple of days the e-mail was re-sent, with a request to confirm receipt. We know that the e-mail was opened, as we attached a read receipt, but Omlet have still not responded after more than a week since we sent the email. We find this to be very disappointing. It may be the holiday season, but just how long does it take to type the words "Your email has been received, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can."? Anyway, we have now found a much better, cheaper and longer-lasting alternative. The details can be found on the Omlet Gallery here http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=15967 - and hopefully you'll find this useful. We'd still like a reply from the Mangement at Omlet - we're quite happy to have our faith in them restored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Looks good .....could do with a few more details though.....like what dimensions and source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick&Trish Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 All those details are already included. If you open up the photos you'll find all the information you need in the additional text. I've now changed the text on the second photo to make that clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 That looks brilliant - and thanks for sharing the information which other Eglu and Cube owners, I am sure will really appreciate. I don't think that the run cover sounds faulty sadly, but normal 'wear and tear' I never washed mine, but left them in situ so, although they faded, they stayed in one piece. I used shower curtains on top of my eglu run too - to allow light in the winter and to make it waterproof. The tarpaulin you have fitted looks really good - well done for finding an alternative. My chooks live in an open to the elements pen, with shelters around for dustbathing and just chilling out. If I still had my eglus I am sure I would get some of that tarpaulin - in fact I think I will to cover my garden furniture -thanks for the link Hope you get a speedy response from Omlet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 All those details are already included. If you open up the photos you'll find all the information you need in the additional text. I've now changed the text on the second photo to make that clear. Smashing! I didn't click on the photos before. My shades all are a bit scruffy now so when I get round to replacing them I shall be pinching your ideas. Ta muchly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy-Mama Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Thanks for that it looks really good in the photo's. I've only just ordered my eglu and winter shade etc but if it wears like that will definately be giving the tarpaulin a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah 2 Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 The shade looks great, but what about the lack of light getting through? Not that my girls spend much time in their run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 That's easy - you can just peel it back as far as you want to and hook it onto the run with the bungee hook things I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick&Trish Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 Either that, or you can buy a white or blue tarpaulin, which will let more light through. We wanted our girls to be shaded, as they seem to like the shade (except when they're sunbathing) - and as green matches our Eglu that seemed the best way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 We have the summer and winter shade. It has faded but no rips or tears. The tarpaulin looks good, but I would worry that it wasnt "breathable" (is it?)and allowing air to circulate in warm weather With the omlet shades, I know they are expensive, but in the warmer weather they "lift up" in the breeze and are not completely covering the run. Is the tarpaulin plasticy? We bought our girls a garden parasol to cover the end of the extended run, its actually quite good (and very posh ) as it keeps out the rain and keeps the sun out but its still high enough to let a lovely cool breeze get in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick&Trish Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 Hi Chelsea I don't believe that the tarpaulin is breathable, as it's designed to be completely waterproof, windproof, rot-proof and fade resistant. The only times our girls are locked in are at night, when that's not an issue, or when we're away for any length of time - and it's probably better for them to be shaded then than being forced to sit in the sunshine. Most of the time they get to free-range around our garden. I think part of the problem with the Winter Shade may have been due to it's porosity - it seems that grime and mould has penetrated the fabric, which may have caused the breakdown. Our Summer Shade, which has been fitted since day one, has not exhibited similar problems, hence the conclusion that our Winter Shade must be faulty. We STILL haven't had ANY response from Omlet! Perhaps one on the Moderators would be kind enough to bring it to their attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phenna_family Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Hi Nick and Trish, Wow that new cover looks great, we have only had our winter shade for a couple of months, due to all the wet weather we have had recently and even ours is starting to fade in colour and look quite drab the same with the summer shade. Thanks for the info! Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Great idea about the parasol for summer chelsea - we have a spare just sat in the shed and it makes sense to stick it up at the end of their run as our garden is in full sun all day till about 4pm and we've got the summer shade and a couple of old towels pegged to the run so they have shade at the moment which doesn't look very attractive! Definitely will be investing in one of those tarps for winter too, as we don't yet have a winter shade to protect from rain, don't want to think about winter this early in the year, not that we've really had a summer to speak of bar the last couple of days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jak Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Where else can you get the 'grappling hooks' to fix the tarp with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick&Trish Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 The company that sell the tarps have various fixings available. They don't show hooks, but it's probably worth a phone call to see if they sell them. A quick search on Google for bungee hooks brought up a huge number of options. This http://www.bannerbox.co.uk/products/accessories/accessories.html was the first one, but you'll probably find something closer to the originals with a bit of searching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jak Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 When the school holidays are over hubby & I will go to Ikea armed with a list (metal feed bin, 9 milion clear shower curtains for the run, a new lamp for his side of the bed since one of our DS's broke it etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 That looks great Nick and Trish! I'll certainly consider getting some of that tarp in the future - I am in the process of replacing the eglu runs with a larger run, but not sure how I'm going to cover it yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Wow! What a super idea. I shall certainly be investing in a green tarpaulin for the winter. They look much smarter than my faded winter shade which has only been on since the eglu arrived beginning of June! Not to mention it will blend with the laurel hedge! Pity they don't do them in purple for the guinealu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick&Trish Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Well, it's nearly 2 WEEKS since our original email to Omlet regarding the poor quality of the Winter Shade that they supplied. We STILL have not had the courtesy of a response, or even an acknowledgement. Do other Omleteers feel that we are being unreasonable to expect some form of reply? Do you feel that it is acceptable for Omlet to completely ignore the legitimate questions about product quality that are asked by existing customers? Sorry to darken the mood here, but we have always had a warm, cosy feeling about Omlet as a company, and this is now being replaced by a feeling of extreme disappointment, and a realisation that we may all just be account numbers, rather than valued customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 email barbara@omlet.co.uk ...she will work her magic I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starboyhull Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think you are perfectly right to expect a response and one that meets with whatever your requirements are. As you bought it long distance you can request a refund if you think the quality is not upto standard. The only dealings we have had with Omlet have been good but they do seem to be having a few problems, even though they have now recruited more staff. I would probably give them a call and ask why no-one has responded to your email. Email should be a perfect medium for communication with a company that has an online store and there should be no problems with them receiving emails. As I have previously said email is a very reliable tool. I'm sure Omlet do care for their customers but as with any expanding company sometimes things get put on a back burner...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I agree, I've not had any problems with omlet, I expect that over summer there are likely to be less staff about with people being on holiday etc. I rung them and left a message a couple of weeks ago and they rung me back the next day so it may be better just to give them a call, the people on the phones are really helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think it is poor that Omlet have not replied: they may be very busy, but it doesn't take long to write a quick email. It may be that they are about to bring out the new shades that Johannes told me were on the cards back in May. They are aware of the defects of the current shades. My shades are very shabby and brittle, and are a dirty colour. I wouldn't dare wash them in anything, as just moving them would make them crack. Does anyone know anywhere online where you can buy cheap tent material? I fancy trying some of that attached to my Omlet hooks. As my hens spend most of their time under the shades, I don't want it to be too hot for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharonS Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 How about a cheap tent? http://www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement/en/ I would imagine you could make something from this at a small cost. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
