A&E Restoration Using Sunbrella Fabric

[Datta]

Hello out there in Airforum land!

We custom ordered a replacement awning canopy from Dometic with Sunbrella Fabric, but it appears that (despite the fact we gave the factory our awning's exact measurements) both the canopy and the awning cover they shipped us are each about a foot shorter than the old stock awning fabric and the coil tube we are trying to put it on.

This doesn't seem right, but on the other hand, the folks at Dometic were super nice in making the custom canopy in the first place so I would rather not come off as ungrateful or unreasonable, or worse yet, ignorant. So before I call them up, is there something I am missing here?

Also, does anybody think it odd that the brighter side of the fabric was positioned on the underside of the canopy instead of the top side? I'm wondering if this a tradition I didn't know about or just an oversight by whoever was working at the factory the day they sewed it.

Inquiring minds want to know...

[NJtoNC]

no, that does not seem right. do you have an invoice or paperwork with the measurements you gave them?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Datta

Also, does anybody think it odd that the brighter side of the fabric was positioned on the underside of the canopy instead of the top side? I'm wondering if this a tradition I didn't know about or just an oversight by whoever was working at the factory the day they sewed it.

I'm actually kind of surprised that it has a bright side and a dim side. You might have gotten Sunbrella Plus instead of regular marine-grade Sunbrella. Sunbrella Plus has a polyurethane under-coat to improve water resistance. The undercoat may make it look brighter.

Does the bright side have a different feel than the dim side? If so, that would probably be due to the polyurethane under-coat.

[Melody Ranch]

Call 'em.

[AWCHIEF]

Datta, that they made the cover for you is not being "super nice", it is business. It is what they do. If they screwed up the sizing it is on them to fix the problem. Contact them as soon as possible.

[Datta]

Thanks all! Your observations and comments pretty much mirrored what my thoughts were on the matter as well.

I called the folks at Dometic regarding the fabric direction issue and they quite cheerfully agreed to replace it at no charge. Best of all, they agreed to make the replacement awning a foot longer like it should have been in the first place. Whether it was me or them that screwed up the length never really came up in the conversation, and it was nice to be able to let sleeping dogs lie.

Bottom line: Dometic gets 5 stars from me for customer service. As do all of you, my fine forum friends

Cheers,
Datta