Oru Kayak

Great folks here making origami-style foldable kayaks. Excellent design and customer service, we left as very happy Oru customers!

I love my ORU kayak (Bay model) and the support I received. I have been kayaking with it for 1.5 years or so. It is so LIGHT WEIGHT and easy to dismantle that I am off the river well before my friends. When it is necessary to portage for various reasons, I groan when helping friends with their normal sea kayaks, but mine seems lighter than air. I did have to spend an hour or so learning how to set it up initially, but the youtube instructions were excellent and now it is a snap. Everyone admires it! There have been a number of unimportant failures on straps and connections points which ORU addressed by sending me free replacement parts. Lately, ORU determined that it was probably best to just replace my entire kayak under their 3-year warranty and they have done so. I wouldn't have wanted to switch to another brand, so am thrilled.

UPDATE: I eventually received a refund multiple months later. That being said, the company responded THREE YEARS LATER to my original review. I think that's everything you need to know about Oru Kayak. Do not purchase a kayak from Oru. I recently ordered a kayak and the original time to process my order was two weeks. A week in, I emailed the company for an update on my order, and a week later I still have not received a response back after multiple emails. Their kayak might be amazing, but the customer support is lacking at best. I highly recommend anyone not spending their money with Oru until they improve their customer support. I’ve heard similar stories from other customers. I’ve gone ahead, to dispute payment to Oru until I receive a update on my order.

Worst customer service ever. Very slow to respond and completely unapologetic about it. I never even opened the box because I couldn't get anyone to return my emails etc. I was so frustrated, I just started a return (of the unopened box). They then took 4 days to send a return label (via email mind you). When I objected once again i was told "our return department gets very busy!" That's not a good sign. After all that they kept approximately $85 per their "policy". So I interpret that to mean their "policy" is to gaslight their customers, waste their time, and charge $85 for the pleasure. It appears that Oru is way more into their cool folding kayak technology instead of their customers who just want to float. Too many options out their. Save your money, time, effort, and most of all your sanity. Don't deal with these guys. You aren't cool enough for them.

Lots of problems. First - good luck calling them or sending a message. - they don't respond. Second - they shipped the paddles separately from the kayak and it took them 4 extra days from when they printed the label to actually deliver the box to UPS. Now I have a kayak with no paddles for this weekend. Third - their instructions and videos are out of date; they have made changes to the graphics on the kayak, so they tell you to look for markings that are no longer there.

Oru Kayak is a grand disappointment. The company cancelled an order of mine per my request. I placed another order, which was subsequently cancelled after the company and I both confirmed that the second order was legitimate. They said it was a “system error” even though everyone knows that startups use manual workflows in customer service. After multiple attempts at a resolution, the company would not honor my order. Omar feigned customer service, but always failed to contact me when he said he would. I highly recommend you take your business elsewhere.

Their trial period should be longer than 30 days and they should offer some sort of trade in or exchange option. The haven I received is next to impossible to assemble and the support I received was substandard. I have yet to be able to use it and am just going to sell it on Craigslist. I wish I never bought this.

Their product is very innovative. They’ve given me an option I haven’t had my whole life.

I bought the Bay ST last spring, and absolutely love it. I switched over from a plastic sea kayak (Perception Sea Lion) which I'd paddled for over a decade, but got to the age where I was more interested in something I could easily transport than paddling rough water. Coming from a sea kayak, I wanted something reasonably serious but didn't really trust the the folding design in open ocean, so saved $500 by choosing the Bay over the Coast and accepted the limitation to fairer weather conditions and calmer water. It does take a bit of practice to put together, but I can do it now in less than 10 minutes, which I'm perfectly happy with given how easy it is to carry. With the gel seat it's very comfortable, and more durable than I expected, though I wouldn't ram it full speed up a rocky beach. The negative reviews seem to be about customer service, and I can't speak to that -haven't needed it. But I'm very happy with the purchase for a boat I can throw in the car without throwing out a shoulder, and go exploring new waters easily.

Beware their deceptive marketing and unethical/illegal business practices! I was shopping for a foldable kayak and the first thing that popped up online was a sponsored add from our kayak offering up to 50% off site wide. When I clicked the add and shopped my kayak, I noticed there was no discount when I went to checkout so I ended up not buying the kayak that night. The next day they sent me a text message advertising the same promotion but when I clicked on the link; again it brought me to a page where nothing was discounted. I ended up contacting their customer support who gave me the run around and told me they would not honor the promotion so I called and spoke to a representative and a supervisor who both told me they would not honor the promotion that they marketed to multiple times which amounts to deceptive marketing, false advertisement and unfair/unethical business practices. Really cool concept, too bad they cannot conduct themselves ethically and do right by their consumers.

Terrible design. Takes 2 people to assemble and takes an hour to do so. The buckles are inferior material and break. Complete waste of money. I just flushed $2000.00 down the toilet. If you want to squander your money, buy one of these kayaks.

I love my ORU kayak (Bay model) which I have been using approximately 1.5 years. I don't understand the negative reviews, and have met other ORU kayakers who, like me, love their craft. It definitely does NOT take two people to assemble, as one review said. I have had no problem with ORU support either. Weird. Specifics: I watched the youtube video on how to set it up. It took me several tries to learn it, and I made a written list to help me the first several times. I am a 70-year-old woman and can do it easily by myself. Dismantling it is even easier; maybe 30 seconds. Then I lift it and put it into my Prius hatchback, while friends are still struggling to get their "normal" sea kayaks out of the water and then heft it atop their cars. A number of times I've been on rivers where it was necessary to portage around obstacles. Again, the ORU is so LIGHT WEIGHT that it was no problem carrying mine (with help to avoid dragging it) while all the other kayaks seemed so heavy and cumbersome. I have had some connection issues with 'tightening' straps breaking while pulling them to set up the kayak. These failures did not affect the sea worthiness of the kayak but I had to do some work-arounds and I reported them to ORU which responded with immediate free replacement parts. Finally, and I mean this to be a positive, not a negative: there were enough issues that ORU offered to replace my kayak at no charge. I could have continued using the kayak as it was, but I am thrilled to have another new one. They offer a three-year warranty which is outstanding. NOTE: I could have shopped for another folding kayak but really like the Bay model and wanted to stick with it. It tracks well, and cuts through the slow rivers in Florida like a hot knife through butter. ORU doesn't always answer their phones but they do respond promptly with email or text.

Five stars for the cleverness of the concept. It's truly ingenious to make a 17 pound fold up kayak that's this easy to assemble. Negative five stars for Oru's terrible return policy. You have 30 days from the day you receive it to return it. If you try it in the water and then return it, there's a 10% restocking fee PLUS you have to pay shipping to send it back. I was given the Lake model for Christmas. Because the clock was ticking on returns (it was wrapped and sitting in our living room for weeks before Xmas), I basically had a week to try it--a week during which we have had unusually rainy / windy / cold weather, and there's a polluted water advisory. We called Oru, but they were not flexible and wouldn't extend the return policy. So out into the sewage-filled water I went. Unfortunately, when I actually put this in the water, I was disappointed. It zigzags back and forth, making it hard to get very far. It's nowhere near the experience of a hard shell kayak. Perhaps it would have been better with the optional skeg (fin), but because we were almost out of time on the return, we just had to return the whole kayak. Though frankly, I'm not sure the skeg would have helped much on such a short, lightweight kayak. Bottom line, it was a LOT of money to spend to test out this kayak, which ultimately wasn't a great performer.

A day after placing my order there was a promotion code that would have resulted in almost $100 off my order. They have free returns (other than shipping both ways) and my order hadn't shipped yet. You aren't able to cancel an order yourself, so I emailed them asking for the difference or to cancel it for me before it ships. They ignored my email. After 5 days, I emailed them again saying how shameful I found that behavior. Again, no reply. With business practices like this, Oru Kayak doesn't deserve your business. We were even going to be buying a second one so we can kayak together. We just wanted to get one first to try it out to be certain we liked it. We absolutely won't be purchasing a second one now. I should have looked them up on Yelp first. I hope others do and decide to avoid them.

Interesting business model: create a cool design with really crummy customer service. Let's disrupt the market with that stroke of genius. Yeah, that's gonna build brand loyalty. Best of luck if you attempt to contact these folks. Multiple unanswered calls, unanswered messages via social media, etc. have been my experience. I've received better service at the post office.

On June 14th, 2020 I emailed Oru Kayak about a part that had broken, and requesting a replaced...which I'd happy pay for. Its now August 10th, 2020 and no part. I've communicated nicely, in anger, and pleading for help. All I get are stonewall tactics; " really apologize for the delay on sending the replacement part you need, as I mentioned before, we were waiting for an upgrade version of the buckle(we had this issue several times) and we wanted to fix the issue before sending you a replacement. You should get the tracking number for the replacement by email. Again, so sorry for the inconvenience and the delay on this (July 25th)". I'm basically losing the summer in Oregon due to a small clip. Sheesh!

I placed an order with Oru Kayaks over two weeks ago. When I ordered, there website stated that it would take two weeks to process the order. About a week in, I emailed customer support to see if there was a status update on my order, and I have heard nothing back. After multiple emails, still no response. I did receive a generic email saying that orders are being delayed, but no timeline on how long the delay is. This company has zero customer service. I recommend that no one buys their kayaks. It seems like and amazing product, but if there is no customer support to support their products, then how can you trust the product to be worth the money. Do not buy their products. Extremely disappointed.

I love my XT. I bought a refurbished XT last year (November 2019) The only thing is that it came with two right thigh braces. I have asked Oru for a replacement thigh brace but I can't seem to get it replaced. It is now March 2020. The customer service response has been frustrating at best. I have repeatedly reached out to Oru for a replacement. I get halfway through the process when they just disappear. I have sent about 10 emails. I have now left a message and sent a text. I don't understand why they will not return my calls, emails, texts. So frustrating.

It's been 7months and ORU has yet to honor their 30 day policy. I have filed with my credit card, who ruled in my favor; YET.. their bank REFUSED to honor the 30 day policy. I've been trying to return their boat since I received it. I never even used it. WHY? cause they shipped it without a major part. THEN gas lite me to state I didn't need it. YET I knew I was right. FINALLY I get an email from the company stating the agree I was treated poorly and they will honor the return. YET.. nope I am still out close to $3k for a boat I never used. THIS company is dishonorable.

I ordered a kayak from them over 2 months ago. It has not been delivered and I have now been told that it won't be shipped until late June. I have tried by email and phone call and have not been gotten back to. Very disappointing. Trying to cancel my order with not luck.

Lo and behold, after posting my previous review, the office got in touch with me and offered to make good with some spare parts they had lying around, and even threw in a spare spray skirt as an additional gift. Of course, even that they couldn't fulfill without dropping off the map for an additional 10 days. Just cause, at this point, who would they even be without that? My spare parts did eventually come, but think and research carefully on the spare parts issue before buying.

I bought an Oru Inlet last summer and have been happy with it. However, one of the clasps broke and I have had to use velcro to keep the stern together. I have been calling for days and I either get a voicemail or the voicemail box is full. This is ridiculous that I can't even get a hold of them. Too bad because I was planning to upgrade my kayak but their customer service is so bad, I'm afraid to deal with them. You have a good product, Oru, why are you wrecking it with your terrible customer service?

I received an email on July 16th, 2020 saying my kayak "is on the way" and I received a link to UPS so I could track it. Today is the 27th. I have emailed multiple times to find out why UPS indicates that it hasn't arrived at their facility. I do understand that we're in a pandemic and that this may be the reason but I can't get a straight answer. The person who emails back does not make herself clear. I have no idea if the kayak has even been built yet. Because RV'ing has become so popular now due to covid 19, it's very difficult to get reservations at any lake campgrounds where I could use the kayak so I would very much like to at least get some idea when I might receive it so I can book ahead! Why will they not just give me some idea when I can expect it? Why?? I'm sorry I ever ordered it now. I should have saved my money and gotten an inflatable.

The product is terrible. Imagine cutting open a milk jug and sitting in it. Customer service is non-existent. You cannot reach them at any stage of the process except to take your money. My return has not been processed in 6 wks.

The worst customer service! My kayak was delivered on July 2nd with a broken seat back. After numerous emails and attempted phone calls to a mailbox that is always full, I finally got through to a real person on July 9th. I asked if they could possible expedite the seatback because I was leaving on vacation on July 12th., a kayak vacation in the Sierras. How is it that Amazon can get things to you in 1-2 days yet here I am at the end of my "vacation", July 19th, with no kayaking??? Today I was told that they are extremely busy filling orders and that I basically had to "just be patient". My response is that I'll be packing this seatless kayak back into the box and will personally drive it over the bridge and land it on the Emeryville's office doorstep. Again, the absolute worst customer service, I would think twice about ordering from ORU!

Never received the kayak No response to multiple emails and calls Will dispute the charges with the credit card company Terrible experiance DON'T BUY

So, I was very excited about my Oru Kayak and indeed it was great at first. HOWEVER - ultimately, this was a ridiculously expensive purchase for what I got out of it. I only used it 10 times before it was taking on water at the bottom seams. I am no novice. I am a prior sea kayak guide and program director. I own a high end carbon sea kayak and know how to take care of them. I stored it inside, away from UV. I DO NOT drag it across rocks or cement. I have the Coastal Oru kayak. I bought it so I could heft it sola onto or into car to paddle in San Francisco Bay. Luckily I was close enough to shore the last paddle so I reached shore before I was frozen and was in only 2 inches of water inside. I'm so upset. 10 times of use to render it unusable means each paddle cost me $219 plus tax. Total BS. I wouldn't have written this negative review except their customer service sucks! I called about the issue and spoke to Hector who asked to see photos. I took them and sent them to Oru. I emailed again-No response. I called and left message-no response. Supposedly the kayaks go through all the fold, refold testing. But seriously-i have holes in two places on the fold seams. So how am I going to fix that? Save your money! So so disappointed