I received my Kraken on 4/25/24, and it failed just 15 months later, only three months beyond the 12-month warranty. I had hoped this was an unusual case that might lead to a quick and reasonable resolution, possibly a simple and affordable repair.
Instead, I was told the unit was unrepairable, with no clear explanation of what actually failed. That was frustrating on its own, but what disappointed me even more was the response regarding a replacement. In lieu of repair, I was offered a new unit at a slight discount. Given how recently the failure occurred after the warranty expired and how much I’ve invested in the HYDROS ecosystem, the discount felt inadequate and frankly insulting.
To be honest, the handling of this situation has left me extremely disappointed. Other companies like Neptune and Ecotech have exceeded expectations in similar scenarios, providing full replacements even a year or years past warranty. I understand that this level of support is not required, but it does foster long-term customer loyalty. Unfortunately, this experience has done the opposite.
I currently own two Launches, two Wave Engines, an XP8, XP4, and the Kraken. I moved away from my Neptune Apex setup largely because I was excited about the upcoming Maven. But with the Maven still unreleased and this being the second hardware failure I’ve experienced (the first being a Wave Engine that failed under warranty), I am seriously reevaluating whether continuing with HYDROS is the right decision.
I expected better.
Most importantly, this experience highlighted what I now see as a significant weakness of the Kraken. For me, it became a single point of failure. It powered my XP4, two Wave Engines, two return pumps, and multiple 12V and 24V components. When the Kraken failed, it took hours, essentially my entire weekend, to get my system back online. That kind of vulnerability is something I can’t ignore moving forward.
Instead, I was told the unit was unrepairable, with no clear explanation of what actually failed. That was frustrating on its own, but what disappointed me even more was the response regarding a replacement. In lieu of repair, I was offered a new unit at a slight discount. Given how recently the failure occurred after the warranty expired and how much I’ve invested in the HYDROS ecosystem, the discount felt inadequate and frankly insulting.
To be honest, the handling of this situation has left me extremely disappointed. Other companies like Neptune and Ecotech have exceeded expectations in similar scenarios, providing full replacements even a year or years past warranty. I understand that this level of support is not required, but it does foster long-term customer loyalty. Unfortunately, this experience has done the opposite.
I currently own two Launches, two Wave Engines, an XP8, XP4, and the Kraken. I moved away from my Neptune Apex setup largely because I was excited about the upcoming Maven. But with the Maven still unreleased and this being the second hardware failure I’ve experienced (the first being a Wave Engine that failed under warranty), I am seriously reevaluating whether continuing with HYDROS is the right decision.
I expected better.
Most importantly, this experience highlighted what I now see as a significant weakness of the Kraken. For me, it became a single point of failure. It powered my XP4, two Wave Engines, two return pumps, and multiple 12V and 24V components. When the Kraken failed, it took hours, essentially my entire weekend, to get my system back online. That kind of vulnerability is something I can’t ignore moving forward.
