Review on Stay Cool And Protected: Introducing The Wikiwiki S Series Cantilever Patio Umbrellas With UV Resistant Fabric And 360 Rotation by Angela Kutzler

I like to write my reviews well after having owned the product long enough to have an educated opinion of the product. We have had this umbrella for a year now. Early on it worked exactly as we wanted. But as mentioned by a few folks in previous reviews, you don't want to have it up in strong winds. We went to use it this summer and found that the main horizontal pole that attaches to the top of the umbrella spire had a plastic connector break. It is the main part that connects the umbrella to the horizontal extension pole, AND is responsible for the majority of the horizontal stability of the umbrella. I am quite surprised this part was made of plastic. While we did not try to use it in winds at all, I believe that over the course of time, and with normal breezes, this part just weakened and eventually broke. The only other knock on the product is that the dark blue canvas lost a LOT of its color and faded. You can tell from parts that are not exposed to the sun vs. those parts that are. Vast difference in color. These are the only negatives that we had for the umbrella. Yes, the piece breaking is a deal breaker, but it worked fine until that broke.The positives from this purchase are that the customer service from WIKI is absolutely outstanding. Not only were we refunded the cost, but they readily accept input from their customers for product improvement. They are already working on an upgraded fabric to be more resistant to UV light. They also took some input regarding the part that broke. IMO, at a minimum, it should be metal like the rest of the umbrella framework, especially considering this particular part is so critical for umbrella stability.I would definitely purchase from WIKI in the future knowing the upside of their customer service (which can be VERY lacking in today's times). If they upgrade the fabric, and fabricate that critical part with metal instead of plastic, I would give it another go and buy the umbrella again.-------------------------------------------------------------------UPDATE 1-12-22: Wiki has been in contact with me for the duration of our issue. And they have gone above and beyond in today's world of customer service. They have taken the recommendations/suggestions that myself, and others, had noted previously and made upgrades accordingly to their 2021 model. They have asked me to try a new umbrella and asked me to offer an updated review based on the improvements they have made, and I accepted. As a result, I am upping my review to 4 stars (from 3) not only for the exceptional Customer Service we have experienced in working with Wiki, but also the fact that they seem to care enough about their customers that they would not only accept recommendations, but act on them as well. Looking forward to the new version. I will update here again after we use it for a while to see how the improvements hold up!