Customer Service Policies (Updated February 2023)

As Canada's #1 source for Waterskis, Wakeboards, Wakesurfers, Wakefoil, Wetsuits, Drysuits, Vests, Water Toys, Towable Tubes, Stand Up Paddle Boards & Pickleball gear, we offer Customer Service Policies to ensure you have an amazing experince on the water or on the court.   We only offer refunds, when an exception is agreed to at the time of sale, however we do everything else possible to make sure you've got the right gear and are enjoying safe and fun-filled summers.

Competetive Shipping Rates: We have negotiated excellent shipping rates with a number of shipping companies to keep our shipping charges as low as absolutely possible. Unfortunately many of the items we sell will incur oversized charges. So feel free to ask for a shipping quote on anything you are interested in by sending us an email with your postal code and exactly what you would like to have shipped to you. We will rspond quickly to your inquiry, almost always within 1 business day.

Low Price Guarantee: Please note - With all the product shortages and shipping delays we're experiencing surrounding Covid we are not offering price matching. It actually only comes up once in a thousand transactions and even then there's usually nothing to match as our offering is better value and we actually have it in stock.
In the rare event that you find a lower price than ours, we will match the price of any authorized Canadian dealer, who also matches all the ways we stand behind what we sell. So if you can find a dealer, who'll do all of the following for you, we'll not only match the price, we'll give some free swag as well. This means the other dealer would actually have to have the exact same item in stock; they would offer free repairs on repairable skis & boards: they's also offer you 1/2 back for a year when your kids out grow something and offer you 1/2 back trade in value for a year if you're upgrading yours skis, boards or bindings. The other dealer would also have to offer a Performance & Fit guaranatee that ensures you're never stuck with gear that's not working for you (see details below).

Expert Advice From Skiers, Boarders And Coaches:
When it comes to providing the best advice to our customers, we believe we have a huge advantage. Not only do we get to see thousands of athletes using every type of equipment through our school activities, we also love to get on the water ourselves to gain a first hand understanding of what works best for different styles and abilities. It takes a lot of time to gain this expertise, but great customer feedback makes it worthwhile and .... we even get to have a little fun along the way.

Huge Selection Of Product Categories & Every Major Brand:
“I can’t believe how much stuff you have!” is one of the most frequent comments we get from customers. We keep a wider selection of gear on hand than any other dealer in Canada, including all sorts of things you will not find any where else. Being so involved in the sport allows us to stay on top of the latest innovations, trends and product development. In fact, we constantly provide feedback to manufacturers on how they can improve their products. Equipment makes a difference, and the right equipment can help the learning progression, reduce the risk of down time, and make things heaps more fun.

Performance & Fit Guarantee:
If your equipment does not perform as expected or fit properly, return it within 14 days of purchase, and we will exchange it for alternative, similar product. Products purchased as gifts, or during the off-season, may receive a grace period by merely asking our staff to add a comment to your invoice to that effect at the time of purchase. Sorry, guarantee does not apply to fashion goods.

Trade-Up Or Trade-In Guarantee:
Often people progress quickly and kids grow way too fast, so new equipment is needed. We make it easier to keep current.
(a) On waterskis, wakeboards and bindings we offer a 50% trade-up allowance for 1 year from the original date of purchase, when going up to a model higher up the line.
(b) On child and youth wetsuits and ski vests, we allow a 50% trade-in allowance for 1 year from the original date of purchase, when trading to a larger size or to a drysuit.

Ski & Board Demo Or Test Drive Program:
One of the best ways to make sure you’ve found the right gear is to try it out. We offer that chance on most of the skis and boards we sell. So we sell you what we agree should be the best setup for you and if you decide not to keep the gear after you try it, we charge you a uagse fee. Demo fees are: $70/day or $280/week on gear valued up to $799; $100/day or $400/week on gear valued from $800 to $1,499; $150/day or $600/week on gear valued from $1,500 to $2,499; $200/day or $800/week on gear valued from $2,500 and up. When we ship products out, if you choose not to buy the product, the fees apply from when you receive the product until the date you ship it back to us. The same as if you came to us and picked it up.
Terms And Conditions For Trade And Demo Programs:
Product is returned in physically and cosmetically clean, working condition, with only normal wear (No slider use, no dock/beach starts, no damage from board racks or any other product damaging activities), and the original bill of sale must be presented in legible condition. So take care of your gear and receipt for at least a year!

Specialty Competition Gear:
With many active competitors on our team, we are well aware of the difficulties competitors have trying to get their hands on some of the specialized gear they use to compete. So we are constantly expanding our selections in this area. We've also come to know how much many other athletes can benefit from these unique products.

Waterski & Wakeboard Canada (WSWC) Member Discounts:
As a long time supporter of Waterski & Wakeboard Canada and its members, we offer WSWC members 5 to 10% discount off our regular equipment prices and 20% off on clothing. Sorry, there are a couple of products that are not discounted.

Better Than Any Competitors Boat Show Price:
We guarantee to match any competitive Canadian boat show price and add a free stuff bonus. This means you get all these great Customer Service Policies, most not offered by other dealers, plus a some supplier swag (to about 10% of the items price) and no delivery charges, or difference in tax. We do require all sales to be completed within 2 weeks of your area’s boat show. Due to high shipping costs, we may not be able to apply this policy to wakeboard towers, but check with us and we'll do the best we can.

US Price Matching - Apples To Apples - Wouldn't You Rather Shop Canadian:
Please note - With all the product shortages and shipping delays we're experiencing during Covid we are not offering any price matching. It actually only comes up once in a thousand transactions and even then there's usually nothing to match as our offering is actally better value.
We will match prices with any international authorized dealer once all the real costs of buying outside Canada are added. What follows is a bit long but it explains well, all the costs involved, that so many people discover too late. If you are thinking about ordering watersports product from outside Canada, please read this, then give Mike or Andrew a call.

Every year, too many customers tell us they wished they had never purchased items from the U.S. We hate hearing this because this is a lose, lose situation. The customer lost out because they actually paid far more than they expected, often more than what we sell it for, or because they had a warranty problem and had to incur the expense of shipping it back, or because they were shipped the wrong item, wrong size, something different than what they ordered, etc. We lost out because we didn't get a chance to make that customers experience as much fun as possible, and we lost a sale which weather dependant, heavily seasonal based businesses like ours can not afford lose, every customer and every sale matters to us.

#1 Real world, Price Match example on a Jet Pilot vest advertised for $119 US:
$119 + 2.5% (the higher exchange charged by credit card companies) + 8.5% (import duties) + $29 (UPS brokerage fee) + $10 (extra shipping cost from U.S.) = $171.34 (typical landed cost). Unfortunately, you still don't have a warranty in Canada, so we set a 10% value on Canadian warranty, therefore our US Price Match is $188.47 CDN. This item has a Canadian list price of $159 and was on our web site at $159 with free shipping in Canada .... but don't worry, we won't charge you the extra $29 or shipping :)

#2 Real world, Price Match example on a Hyperlite wakeboard package advertised for $299 US:
$299 + 2.5% (the higher exchange charged by credit card companies) + 8.5% (import duties) + $45.60 (brokerage fee) + $30 (extra shipping cost from U.S.) = $408.12 (typical landed cost). Unfortunately, you still don't have a warranty in Canada so we set a 10% value on a Canadian warranty, therefore our US Price Match is $448.94 CDN. By the way, this package has a Canadian list price of $525 and our everday price is $449. It's easy to see how the US price looks tempting but again, there really isn't any matching required.

#3 Real world, Price Match example on O'Brien trick skis advertised "Regular $420 - On Sale" for $349 US:
$349 + 2.5% (the higher exchange charged by credit card companies) + 8.5% (import duties) + $45.60 (brokerage fee) + $30 (extra shipping cost from U.S.) = $463.73 (typical landed cost). Unfortunately, you still don't have a warranty in Canada so we set a 10% value on a Canadian warranty, therefore our US Price Match is $510.10 CDN. These have a Canadian list price of $600 and was on our web site at $599 with free shipping in Canada. So we're happy to match the $510 and add shipping which will mean a savings of $20 to $60 depending where they are being shipped to.

#4 Real world, Price Match example on an O'Neill drysuit advertised "Regular $449 - On Sale" for $389 US:
$389 + 2.5% (the higher exchange charged by credit card companies) + 8.5% (import duties) + $51.20 (UPS brokerage fee) + $10 (extra shipping cost from U.S.) = $493.81 (typical landed cost). O'Neill U.S. will warranty it so no 10% for a Canadian warranty (you would still have to pay freight back to the US if there was a warranty issue). By the way, this drysuit has a Canadian list price of $460 and our everday price is $415. .... so we just saved you from making a $78 mistake :)

#5 Real world, Price Match example on a D3 slalom ski advertised for $1,299 US:
$1,299 + 3% (the higher exchange charged by credit card companies) + (no import duties, it's US made) + $51.20 (UPS brokerage fee) + $30 (extra shipping cost from U.S.) = $1,444.62 (typical landed cost). D3 do warranty skis sold into Canada so no 10% for a Canadian warranty (you would still have to pay freight back to the US if there was a warranty issue). Our US Price Match is $1,444.62 CDN. This ski has a Canadian list price of $1,550 and was on our web site at $1,399 .... so again, we won't charge you the extra $45 :)

For a more detailed breakdown of what's involved please read the points below.

Extra Credit Card costs: The extra costs of buying from the US start with an extra 2.5 to 3 % that Visa and MasterCard charge on the exchange rate above and beyond current posted exchange rates.

Import duties: There are Canadian import duties charged on products made in the Orient, Europe, the Middle East, etc., that range from 7.5 to 20%, and most watersports products incure import duties (high end slalom skis are one of the exceptions).
Even on products made in the US, because the US retailers often do not enclose a properly completed NAFTA form, import duties can be charged. You'll have to pay the duties to receive your goods and then it takes forever to get them back from Revenue Canada. We had something similar happend, our broker didn't catch it and it to us over a year to get the overcharge back.

Import /Brokerage Fees: Then there are higher shipping costs as well as brokerage fees charged by UPS and other freight companies. According to UPS’s "Importing into Canada Guidelines", brokerage charges on regular ground shipments are:
Value of $20.01 to $40.00 - service fee charged $7.00
Value of $60.01 to $100.00 - service fee charged $19.95
Value of $150.01 to $200.00 - service fee charged $30.40
Value of $200.01 and $350.00 - service fee charged $51.70
Value of $350.01 and $500.00 - service fee charged $57.50 and it keeps going up from there.
These rates are as of May 2018 and here is the link to confirm higher dollar value imports: https://www.ups.com/ca/en/shipping/zones-and-rates/customs-clearance.page

No Warranty on US Purchased Items: To support their Canadian dealers and to avoid issues with products they are not familiar with or chose not to import for various reasons, all major distributors have taken a strong stand on the warranty issue. They will not warranty anything not purchased from a CDN Authorized dealer, sending people back to where they bought it. So should any warranty problems occur, product will have to be shipped back to the US at the customers expense (warranties only cover one way shipping) and then when it is shipped back to Canada there is another opportunity for hassles. We've had numerous situations on small things where we did not think our customs broker was needed, where duties were charged on U.S. made goods, as well as PST and GST charged on items coming in or back from the US even when all the paperwork has been completed properly. When this happens it takes 6 months to a year to get those charges refunded, if you complete all the correct forms and they finally agrees to a refund. With all these challenges in mind we have set a 10% value on a Canadian warranty for Price Matching purposes and believe that is very fair.

With Price Matching, we do reserve the right to not sell product below our cost and if after all the purchase costs have been added, the price is still below our cost, we will offer a selling price on the item in question, then we'll leave it up to the customer, who they choose to support.

Supporting Waterski Wakeboard Canada (WSWC) and our sports' Athletes:
Since incorporating in 1994, we have been involved in all aspects of the sport, coaching, competing, judging, driving, event sponsorship, logging hundreds of volunteer hours and contributing both financial and manpower resources to helping develop our sport and its athletes. As we've grown into Canada's #1 water sports pro shop, our hectic summer pace has limited what we can do as volunteers, but every year we have increased our contributions to waterskiing and wakeboarding activities in Canada as well as our support for Canadian athletes. In 2012 our athlete sponsorship took another big step forward as we added a number of professional athlete to the Shuswap Ski & Board team. If you would like to know how you can contribute with your financial and manpower resources, e-mail mike@shuswapsnb.com and I'll be happy to help in any way I can.

So, what do you think all our Customer Service Policies are worth??? Since 1994, over 25,000 customers have put their trust in us. Thousands of them, and our staff, will tell you our service is priceless. We truly believe we offer the best service of just about any business anywhere, so please give us a call, an e-mail or a visit. We want to be the source for all your gear, not just for the next sale, but for years to come!

If you love all that we do for you, please tell everyone you know. If we ever let you down in any way, please tell me, so I can sort it out... it was probably me that messed it up anyway!

Sincerely,
Mike Gazley         Phone Toll-free (Canada or US): 1-866-955-0917         E-Mail: mike@shuswapsnb.com

President & founder, coach, judge, driver, bookkeeper, sales guy, buyer, parking lot sweeper, etc... luckily also still occasional skier.