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Vans Wing Skin Shipping Error

I received my RV14 slow build wing kit about a month ago. I did a thorough inventory and noticed my wing skin part numbers didn’t exactly match but were close to the numbers on the inventory list. I assumed it was a typographical error on Van’s part. About two weeks later I got an email from Vans stating that they had shipped a number of RV14 wing kits with RV10 wing skins included. I immediately went back and checked the numbers and the numbers shown in the email were the same numbers on the wing skins in my kit. They were in fact, the RV10 wing skins.

Vans immediately shipped me the correct wing skins. They were crated in a box with a screw down top so that I can reuse the crate to ship the RV10 skins back to them. Everyone makes mistakes now and then but when a company like Vans makes one the take care of it quickly, efficiently, and at no charge. Their service in my opinion is second to none! The wing kit is the first kit in my build and I’m already convinced I bought my kit from the right company. Regardless of which kit you happen to be building if it came from Vans you will be taken care of when problems occur.
 
My outboard wing skins were from a -14 and I'm building a -7. Did the swap and all was well. That was in 2016.
 
Also a similar experience - ordered an outboard leading edge skin & received a fuel tank skin in error. Vans was very prompt in replacing it but after they researched what return shipping would cost, they told me to just keep the tank skin & find a good home for it.
So... I have a Rt tank skin for a RV-9 available N/C if someone wants to pay the freight...
 
Yep... they are very good at fixing these issues however it must be costing them a fortune.

In the last 24 months every shipment we have received (over two RV-12 Kits) has had errors and while we can accept that there is a HUGE inventory of parts that go into all of their kits and that some errors are likely to happen, some of them make you wonder - like receiving two left hand gear legs. Or no top right hand wing skin at all. The cost to then ship one wing skin all the way to NZ is significant. Or to ship one gear leg. Or the multitude of other parts that get sent as back-ordered fulfilment.

It appears to me that they're experiencing some growing pains at present and I hope they get on top of them because the cost of this lack of quality control is enormous. We want these guys to be around for years to come.
 
I received my RV-14 wing kit 9/28/22. I did the inventory right away and found that they sent me RV-10 wing leading edge skins. I called and confirmed, then they sent me the correct leading edge skins with the other items I was missing after I completed my inventory. I believe I was one of the first ones to have this issue recently because they sent my -14 wing skins in a cardboard box and told me I didn't have to ship back the -10 wing skins. Then just last week I also got an email saying they may have sent me the wrong leading edge skins. I'm guessing this must have happened to a handful of people on a recent batch of parts that were crated and shipped.
 
I'm guessing this must have happened to a handful of people on a recent batch of parts that were crated and shipped.

That's about accurate. And, for the record, we identified the cause of that particular issue and addressed it.

New staff, high volume and several other reasons/excuses could be listed here, but in the end the only thing that matters was the wrong parts went to some folks. We will always make good on those mistakes, and (of course) we're always working to prevent future ones from happening!
 
That's about accurate. And, for the record, we identified the cause of that particular issue and addressed it.

New staff, high volume and several other reasons/excuses could be listed here, but in the end the only thing that matters was the wrong parts went to some folks. We will always make good on those mistakes, and (of course) we're always working to prevent future ones from happening!

Vans does a great job. They made it right for me.
Thanks,
Greg
 
I ordered all three RV7 kits at once - QB fuselage and wings plus finish kit. Inventory was crazy and there were a few items missing. One was a WD-640. I didn't even know what it was when I called. After being told it was the canopy frame :eek:, I understood why there had been some odd pauses in the conversation. They sent one and made it right.

Thank you Van's.
 
Exact same thing happened to me with my RV-14 wing skins. Van's was super nice and efficient in swapping them for the correct parts 👍🏼
 
Just me

I never inventoried the hardware bags because Vans normally does a very good job of kitting hardware.

But I have found some bolts that were no where to be found when I started that section; and I did find an engine bracket missing. I assumed I had lost the bolts, so just sourced them locally; I just ordered a new engine bracket instead of bothering them with a claim. No harm, no foul.
 
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