Brand new board quality issues?

[TheMassaB]

Hi all I know it seems I'm brand new here but Ive been stalking the forums for years and never had to post for advice thanks to the search bar. This post is independent to me however and I could do with your experience and advice.

So ordered a Lib Tech Swordfish from a UK shop that arrived today and upon unpacking Ive noticed several slight blemishes in the finish, hairline marks/cracks on the rails and scratched fin boxes. Now I'm not sure if all brand new surfboards come like this because I have never bought one but I do have a second hand Duranbah Wombat that was shaped over 5 years ago (estimate) that I bought whilst in Australia and that has less imperfections than this.

I'm aware that lib tech once offered the option to buy factory second boards for a cheaper price direct from their site so I have a gut feeling the shop i bought this from may be making some moves and trying to pull a fast one. Either that or its been returned? Maybe even a display model thats fallen over a few times.

A heads up I have 24 hours to inform the shop as it could have been "Damaged in transit" so I would appreciate as many responses as possible.

Heres a list of issues:

1. Indentation on the Stringer line by the board dims of what looks like it has been filled and sanded over, I can feel it dip when I run my finger over it.

2. Centre of the board on the top deck has a dull thumb sized oval mark that looks like has been sanded as its completely different finish to the rest of the deck. Over this area there is a mark that looks like its been wiped with a cloth, you can see a clear line across the deck again a different finish.

3. Fin boxes have scratches in them.

4. Hairline cracks that i can feel with my nail down the rails.

5. Lastly the wrap doesn't finish right up to the nose?

Thanks in advance.

Here are the pictures.

[Naeco78]

That sucks. It doesn't look like any of the issues were from shipping, from the looks of the packaging.

If it's a known manufacturer blemish, reputable shops like Real mark them down 5-10% and separate them out from the regular stock. And that's just for cosmetic imperfections in the material, rather than damage etc.
https://www.realwatersports.com/collections/used-blem-surfboards

Seems like they have some explaining to do..

[dtc]

They are small issues and I don’t think will affect the board, but if you aren’t happy with it then return it. Otherwise it might annoy you- at least up until you drop it taking it out of your car...

Some of them eg the fin box are clearly not normal for a board, even one that has been in a shop and perhaps handled by customers etc. Those scratches are of no concern, but they aren’t normal. Some of the others seem to just be not awesome quality control but within the realm of something you might see on a new board.

[Lebowski]

I think you're being a bit picky tbh. The only one that's of any concern is possibly the rail cracks. I can't tell from the picture if it's actually cracked or just a slight mark.

The scratch in the bottom of the fin box is irrelevant.

The nose looks completely normal.

The imperfection by the dimensions looks incredibly minor.

The slight pressure ding on top is minor and will be covered in wax unless it's a display piece.

It's up to you but not worth the hassle in my opinion.

[TheMassaB]

UPDATE: Called Boardshop the following day after sending them several images and my initial complaint. Response from the shop couldn't have been any better, they've agreed to collect the board free of charge and have offered a full refund, a replacement board, or an exchange for another one they have on the shelf. Ive gone for a full refund due to them not having any more Swordfish in stock.

The lads there couldn't have been any more apologetic and said that the board should never have left the warehouse in that condition so its likely it was damaged in transit.

I was initially skeptical about the company after reading views online but in this instance I cant fault them at all.

Again thanks everyone for the advice it really helped.

[BaNZ]

Glad you got it sorted out!