Wego Kite Tube of Death Accident

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by glatt

OK, so if you dig around on the website and find the owner's manual...

It's linked directly from the page you're complaining about. So is the instructional video. And having been around this sort of equipment in the past, I can pretty much assure you that there's a placard on the device itself someplace impossible to ignore when using it telling you not to use it unless you've read and understand the instructions and warnings.

Most shoppers probably aren't going to poke around for that stuff, and the company knows it.

If you buy it without reading the information provided on that page, and then discover after reading the instructions that it's not for you, then you should probably retun it unused and ask for a refund.

If you refuse to read the instructions, why should the company indemnify you if you screw up?

Originally Posted by glatt

The tube/kite is marketed as safe.

It is? Where?

Originally Posted by glatt

There is no hint that it can kill you. What would motivate a potential buyer to look for warnings about it if there is no hint that it's dangerous?

That's bullshit...go back and look at the instructions again. Can you imagine applying the standards you're trying to promote in this case for water skis? Snow skis? Automobiles?

Originally Posted by glatt

Also, the manual may say that the product is to be used at a lower speed. At the link wolf posted, there are a few people who say the kite won't become airborne at those lower speeds.

As the instructions state, the tow speed at which it beomes airborne depends on several factors, including the wind speed and direction, how it is inflated, and how much weight it is carrying. You have to learn by careful experimentation how all that works. Again, this is all explained in the instructions.

Originally Posted by glatt

So you have a company that is marketing a kite tube that won't fly unless you are going around 30 MPH

You don't know what airspeed it flies at because you don't know how heavily it's loaded. You alsodon't know what the airspeed is unless you know what the wind speed is and what angle the tow is to the wind.

Assuming the kite stalls at 30 mph airspeed (which sounds awfully high to me) , the towing speed can be zero in a 26 knot wind. I'm not suggesting you should use it that way (the instructions say not to use it on windy or gusty days), just pointing out the variable factors that make it impossible to claim "it won't fly unless towed at a dangerous speed".

Do you want to have a society where a product can't be sold unless it's complelely safe even when the instructions are ignored? Goodbye, lawnmowers...in fact anything powered with gasoline, including your car. Ditto things that use house current in the kitchen or bathroom. Sayaonara, power tools. Adios, any household chemical or cleaner stronger than bar soap. Boats are obviously too dangerous for "shoppers". You can forget about skis, roller blades and bicycles.

Even if you do want this, I don't think you have a right to impose it on others.