help me decipher hh marketing speak!

[kobold]

ok, i'm obsessive about my gear; basically i want to know everything there is to know about it.
right now i want to know what does it mean in case of a hh survivor to be a "Berry Amendment Compliant product" and a "GSA compliant product"?

what are exactly & technically the differences between a compliant and non compliant hammocks, the detailed set of standards they used and WHERE can i access these specifications. what makes these hammocks different?

stuff like, is it treated w/ a fire retardant? if so, what exactly and how much, toxicology and so on.

it annoys me when someone makes me read meaningless buzzwords/TLAs without being able to provide real backing to those claims. Even more annoying is to find my inquiries ignored. Unfortunately my correspondence on this and another unrelated issue (damaged fly) was ignored by HH both times - makes me think they suck at customer support.

[angrysparrow]

Berry Amendment

Basically, those products were developed by HH so they could be sold to the U.S. Military, which places production restrictions on certain items they buy under contract. It applies especially to textile materials. While that's interesting info, it means almost nothing to an end user/consumer in Austrailia like you.

Those hammocks aren't 'treated' with anything you need to be worried about. Mostly it's about the point of manufacture and materials sourcing. Follow the rabbit hole of the link above for full info.

[kobold]

Basically, those products were developed by HH so they could be sold to the U.S. Military, which places production restrictions on certain items they buy under contract. It applies especially to textile materials.

So it's just a bureaucratic version of 'made in the usa'?

thanks!

[angrysparrow]

Yep, that's the crux of it.

Sadly, simple bureaucracy doesn't quite encompass the inane complexity it represents.

[Rat]

it annoys me when someone makes me read meaningless buzzwords/TLAs without being able to provide real backing to those claims. Even more annoying is to find my inquiries ignored. Unfortunately my correspondence on this and another unrelated issue (damaged fly) was ignored by HH both times - makes me think they suck at customer support.

Well, get used to it. Companies all over the place do it. It isn't Tom Hennessy's job to educate you on what Berry and GSA compliant are; it's enough to know that if you require Berry or GSA compliant products theirs meet those requirements.

I can see the ignore on the GSA stuff but I have always heard Hennessy had pretty good customer support for their hammocks. I own a Hennessy but have never had to use the CS.

[Silverlion]

I have used Hennessy CS a few times. Once for a question about the bottom entry digging into my leg. They gave me a few things to try and told me I could trade it for a side zip if I felt the need. The other 2 times were just quick questions about products and the sort. Best customer service I've ever had. A few businesses in the US should follow their example.

[kobold]

I have used Hennessy CS a few times. Once for a question about the bottom entry digging into my leg. They gave me a few things to try and told me I could trade it for a side zip if I felt the need. The other 2 times were just quick questions about products and the sort. Best customer service I've ever had. A few businesses in the US should follow their example.

glad you had a good experience, but it didn't worked so well for me. hope it was the exception to the rule.

[DiscoveryDiver]

Good to hear this about the HH products.

...I own a Hennessy but have never had to use the CS.

This aligns with my personal philosophy regarding customer service...the best CS is that which you never have a need to experience...

[kobold]

Well, get used to it. Companies all over the place do it.

i refuse. i prefer to be obsessed :-)

It isn't Tom Hennessy's job to educate you on what Berry and GSA compliant are; it's enough to know that if you require Berry or GSA compliant products theirs meet those requirements.

that may be so, but a quick clarification would have been enough on the gsa issue + obviously tom is not running things alone, it was andrew i was writing to.
re the fly: while it was easy to apply a quick-and-dirty fix, if nothing else one would hope they value customer feedback on tarp weaknesses (the ripstop hooks didn't stop ripping (on the very first use)).

fwiw, the hammock itself is performing well after 8-9 nights and the fly is way more water proof than my tent.

[ChrisH]

I've emailed them several times and they have always answered within a day or two. Sorry it's not going so well for you.