Review on 10FT Patio Offset Umbrella - Large Hanging Market Umbrella With Crank, Cross Bar & UV Protection For Backyard/Garden by Tony Ledbetter

The GOOD:• The umbrella’s *Cherry Red* is BEAUTIFUL & VIBRANT.Unfortunately, that is the *only* positive thing I can say about this product.The BAD:• Quality control SUCKS. On one of the pieces of the cross-base, the pre-drilled holes were so off-center (off by at least 1/2 inch) that they were nowhere close to the holes in the pole’s base. After the company FAILED to respond to emails, we were forced to fix the issue ourselves, and drill the holes in the proper place. Luckily(?), the nuts that were spot welded to the base popped right off with little effort. [The fact that someone actually welded nuts under such abysmally placed holes is another quality control fail.]•They make a point of saying the product has a "Double Screws Fixation”. mine definitely DOES NOT! My umbrella post has only ONE support screw— and it’s closer to the bottom of the pole than I would like. If they hadn’t made the "double screws” a selling point, I wouldn’t be as annoyed by this. But if you are going to call it out as an upgrade compared to your competitors, then MAKE SURE YOUR PRODUCT MATCHES THE DESCRIPTION! Quality control FAIL again!• Unlike most cantilevered umbrellas, this model cannot adjust its tilt or lock into place in a tilted position. Instead, it has a ball-type joint that allows it to swing freely when the wind blows it.• It is also unable to be rotated around it’s post so that you can account for the position of the sun and keep the shade where it’s needed. Rather, the entire umbrella, including cross-base & weights, must be lifted and turned in order to adjust where the shade will be. Every similar umbrella we looked at in the store had this capability— they could all be rotated on their post in some manner… usually just by loosening the screw on the post, swiveling the post in its receiver, then re-tightening the screw. With their *supposed* double screw construction, this should’ve been an even better securement to allow for this.• There is also no way to adjust it vertically (make it be higher or lower). The mechanism on the relevant joint is designed so that it can only be locked in at only one height. Again, similar types of cantilevered umbrellas at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Walmart, ALL had this functionality. (Heck, even the typically cheesy, seasonal offerings set up in front of the grocery store had multiple points of adjustment.)• Nothing is mentioned in the product description about the umbrella having NO potential for adjustment in any manner.• ALL of the locking sleeves on the joints are made of plastic. and not even thick, high quality plastic. In the sun, these sleeves will inevitably become brittle & break. Likely within a single season, & almost certainly within two.• If the posts are CAST IRON— as they represent several times in the description— it is the lightest weight cast iron I’ve ever seen. I suspect it is basic steel-alloy sheet metal. I cannot prove this… however I am disabled and have limited upper body strength— but I can lift this umbrella easily (beyond it being unwieldy due to length). I would be surprised if the umbrella, together with the post it’s mounted to, weighs more than 20-25 lbs. The base portion is even lighter weight. The cross members seem likely to be powder-coated aluminum… if they are steel, it is very, very lightweight.The UGLY:• In the end, we did manage to get it assembled, and set up on our patio. for about 1 hour. 😢 Then as soon as it experienced the first *light* breeze — less than 2mph for our area according to National Weather Service. I checked— CATASTROPHIC FAILURE! The base bent severely in THREE places which has rendered the umbrella UTTERLY USELESS! I watched helplessly, as it "fell” to the side in a bizarre sort of slow(ish)-motion, as I hurried over from 30 or 40 yards away to try to catch it. We had weights on the base, but it made no difference.• As depicted in the photos, one of the cross members of the base bent at 25-30 deg. angle. Associated with that, the flange that bolts to the base bent as well. (My husband was attempting to pound it back flat before I got the picture, but it is still *clearly* visible how badly it had bent. and that was just the one corner. The diagonally opposing corner bent in in the opposite direction— one corner up, the other corner down.)• At this point, there is no way the umbrella can be repaired and *still be a portable unit*. We would not even trust to bolt it down directly to our deck/patio, because the flange the bolts pass thru is so flimsy and soft that it would just bend again. The only possible way we could salvage it would be to embed the flange into concrete as it is poured, say for a patio or pool deck. Of course, that severely limits the item’s usefulness at that point, because it would only give shade to the desired spot for a brief interval during the day due to the third problem listed above under "The Bad”. Not to mention it would be permanent, so it’s really not a viable solution.• The purported "1 year warranty” is only useful if the customer is able to contact the manufacturer/seller. Fruiteam has not responded to my emails. And email is the only contact method they offer.Unfortunately, due to the timing of my purchase, months ahead of my need, I am now outside of the Revain return window. 😢😠When I saw this product was *finally* available in the "Cherry” color late in the fall, I jumped at the chance to purchase it even though it was not needed right then. (It had been out of stock every time I had checked prior to that time.) Admittedly, I should have opened and examined it immediately, whether I intended to use it right away or not. If I had, I would’ve at least noted the manufacturing defect. Then I could’ve returned it within the 30 day return window.However, if the cherry color had still been available, I would likely have chosen the option to have it exchanged… which would ultimately not have solved the remaining problems that weren’t evident until it was in actual use. If I had fully assembled the replacement, I suppose I might’ve noticed the issues around the lack of adjustments. Would I have then been able to return it for that reason? Idk. 🤷‍♀️ I’ve never tried to return a product that I’ve already returned for exchange.Regardless… as of *right now*, I am stuck with an umbrella that is UNUSABLE! 🥺The best I can hope for at this point is that #1) my review saves someone else from making the mistake of purchasing this product & #2) maybe(?) the canopy portion can be saved to serve as a replacement for any future umbrella I buy… that seems like it would be a pretty big "?” though. I’m not gonna hold my breath.