Where Credit is Due: October 2011

I want to compliment ATN (www.atninc.com) on superb customer service. I bought a spinnaker sock from them five years ago and have been happily using it ever since. During a race this summer, the pennant at the top of the sock broke due to crevice corrosion. ATN had me send the sock back and replaced it with a Dyneema pennant and also repaired a hole in the sock, all under warranty. Great service from ATN!

Drew Scott
Papillon, F-27 #277
San Francisco Bay, Calif.

I recently purchased a Si-Tex GPS chartplotter (www.si-tex.com), and the unit worked perfectly until I put in my C-Map NT+ card. At first, the map and detail from the card showed up, but then the unit went crazy: The buttons on the chartplotter didn’t work and the unit was turning itself on and off every few seconds. This could only be stopped by disconnecting the power.

I called Si-Tex customer service and spoke to Allen Schneider. His immediate response was, “I’ll bench test a new unit and send it out to you today. Please send me the defective one.”

I received the new unit two days later, and it exhibited the same behavior once I put my card in. I called Allen again. He told me they had discovered a programing glitch with the card, and he sent me a new C-Map Max Wide. This is an electronics company that goes above and beyond in customer service and has gone to the top of my future purchases list because of their extraordinary customer service.

Ken Jacks
Edgewater, Md.

Recently my two Bosworth Sea-Lect Y-valves became very stiff and eventually impossible to operate. I contacted the Bosworth Co. (www.thebosworthco.com), requesting info on what to use to lubricate the valves. I received an immediate response from Cenza Wilson that the valves had been redesigned to eliminate this problem and that she would send me the necessary parts free of charge. There was no question about how old my original valves were. She also included a new handle to replace the one I broke trying to move the valve. Clearly the Bosworth company is willing to stand behind its products and will certainly receive my future business.

Paul Chatterton
Trinity, Freedom 45
Via email

When I bought my 1992 Catalina 28 in 1994, it came equipped with a Boomkicker from Seoladair (www.boomkicker.com). Just recently, the fitting that connected it to the boom ripped out because I let the boom rise too far without having the vang on. I contacted Seoladair and was told that they had updated this fitting in the mid-90s so that the Boomkicker would just fall out of it instead of ripping it out of the boom when the boom came up too far. Within a week, I had the new fitting sent to me at no charge. I can’t remember reading about any company that supported their equipment at no charge after 19 years. I am very impressed.

Lew Staub
Windeci$ion, Catalina 28
Merrick, N.Y.