These guys (Turtlepac) make petrol and inflation bags. The products seem to be very high quality, and come recommended by a bunch of people. I’m thinking of getting one to add capacity to my bike.
It’s a shame that the website is so unusable. Every product page is akin to a paper catalogue – nothing is clickable and PDF’s abound.
Looking for motorcycle bags? – It’s buried under the Sport Aircraft Portable Auxiliary Tanks and Collapsible Jerry Cans section. And the aircraftFerry section – neither of which are actually linked to, but from links I received in an email from them.
Some of those pages even will not vertically scroll in Safari. Or Firefox. I’ve never see that before. To view those pages I actually had to “email the page” from safari, and look at the page in Mac Mail.
Prices? no – we don’t show those on our website – we make you ask us for a quote.
Want to Buy now? – Well – just fill out the quote form, incomplete with no drop down box for product type.
Want to pay? simply email your credit card number, and they will look after you. Yup.
Now surely these chaps are selling most of their stock through other channels, but when I see a business like this, all I can think of is opportunity:
- Opportunity to make some extra sales.
- Opportunity to save on customer handling costs.
- Opportunity to have thousands of people link to your products.
- Opportunity to take the company over, put in a decent website and then sell the company
Lance Wiggs 
I like the last opportunity!
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same… seems like a sitter…
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When I went to the website, I noticed you could use your arrow keys to scroll up and down the pages.
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Turtlepac…. whooohooooooo…..
Turtlepac is the company that sold me an unlegalizable tank, which dispenses fuel smell all over my plane and when criticizing that I think it wasn’t fair to sell me a tank which cannot be legalized, they said I should just sell it to someone else.
Turtlepac, btw, is not the favourite choice of most pilots, as the rubber wears down quite quickly and longevity is poor. If you want a one-way solution, you will find cheaper ones. If you look for something sturdy, go for a rigid solution.
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Hello There Gentleman.
Are you having FUN ??? Knock – knock – KNOCK our site.
You see there are two things in life what counts one is called MYTH and other is REALITY. To avoid confusion by some gentleman on this great chat site. I hope I’m allowed to answer. I sent one and was “discarded” so I’m not sure If I’m the owner of the site allowed a reply.
Here is the try:
1.) “nothing is clickable and PDF’s abound.” Actually if one goes to the product pages link is here:http://www.turtlepac.com/sportdetails.htm then on top of the page for print button to open up the PDF. Here is that link: http://www.turtlepac.com/pdf/airsport.pdf PRONTO !
2.) “Prices? no – we don’t show those on our website – we make you ask us for a quote.” Most of our products are air shipped by UPS or FEDEX or Post or airfreight UPS has 8 zones FEDEX use 9 zones and charges made up of variations of fuel surcharge 6.5% to 24.5 % and currency fluctuations. So we adjust prices to be as fair as we can on these factors then send over a price list. Otherwise we charging too high or too low. We work hard to be up to date. Without delivery the price has no meaning. Anyone can order by send an Email or phone up or fax we do not care how you contact us.
3.) “Want to pay? simply email your credit card number, and they will look after you. Yup.” Nothing is charged till we send price and receive order back than we charge the day before send product. Any how charge back can be issued for any mistaken charge. No such event ever recorded. We are small enough to pay attention to every client.
4.) “Opportunity to take the company over, put in a decent website and then sell the company” HEY go for it just buy us!! Here is the price I make it easy for you Lance. US$ 3 million in cash – gold bars (certified) – or bank transfer. I be happy to take up sailing again the world. Lets do it Lance a great buy and lifestyle for you!
5.) “Turtlepac is the company that sold me an unlegalizable tank,” aircraft tanks are used since 1991 and here is the link to the ferry companies using them for 10 years of so each tank these pilots rely their life on Turtle-Pac tanks not one ever failed and all flights are legal and insured. See the link and talk to any of them: http://www.turtlepac.com/aircraftferrylinks.htm the name Karlos is not the real name, this is the person who used the tank without following the instructions and neither followed the rules how to use the tanks legally even that info is Emailed to all who enquires about our tanks before buying anything. I spent lots of time trying to talk sense to him but some are just slow learners…
Well then Gentleman you have a great day and beyond enjoy life for many years!
Laszlo Torok
Founder/owner of Turtle-Pac
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Thanks for the comment Laslo
I’m sorry if another comment didn’t make it – perhaps the WordPress spam filter caught it – but I don’t delete real comments and certainly not from business owners.
> Are you having FUN ??? Knock knock KNOCK our site. Actually no – I’m trying to help. I think you have a great product, but a lousy website and great potential to sell a lot more if you fix a few things. My post is about identifying those things and pointing you in the right direction.
> 1.) nothing is clickable and PDFs abound. Actually if one goes > to the product pages link is here:http://www.turtlepac.com/sportdetails.htm > then on top of the page for print button to open up the PDF. Here > is that link: http://www.turtlepac.com/pdf/airsport.pdf PRONTO !
That’s just proving the point – pdf’s are not great for a website – it’s the equivalent of printing a brochure and placing on someone’s doorstep rather than opening a shop, inviting people in to look around, chatting to them, allowing customers to help each other and so on. Your site is very much in mid to late nineties style, and you’d sell a lot more if you retain a good designer and web developer. Make the site engaging, interactive and drive to sales. I know a bunch of people that would be happy to help, and like me they’d see how cool the products are and the potential for growth that you have.
> 2.) Prices? no we dont show those on our website we make you > ask us for a quote. Most of our products are air shipped by UPS or > FEDEX or Post or airfreight UPS has 8 zones FEDEX use 9 zones and > charges made up of variations of fuel surcharge 6.5% to 24.5 % and > currency fluctuations. So we adjust prices to be as fair as we can > on these factors then send over a price list. Otherwise we charging > too high or too low. We work hard to be up to date. Without delivery > the price has no meaning. Anyone can order by send an Email or phone > up or fax we do not care how you contact us.
Every other business has the same problem – from Amazon to all those hundreds of thousands of sellers on eBay. They solve the issue – these days it is easy to use a postage calculator based on where you live, the product and the delivery service required. Most eBay sellers seem to overcharge to make sure postage is covered, and your buyers would probably not mind as well. Where you have exchange rate risk then you can price in the correct currency and covert at the point of sale.
> 3.) Want to pay? simply email your credit card number, and they > will look after you. Yup. Nothing is charged till we send price and > receive order back than we charge the day before send product. Any > how charge back can be issued for any mistaken charge. No such event > ever recorded. We are small enough to pay attention to every client.
Emailing credit card numbers is not secure, and many people will simply refuse to do business with you as a result. For a start each point that the email touches is a point where the credit card number can be copied, and then you are asking your clients to trust you with that card. There are plenty of online services that will securely capture that transaction for you, and a good developer will integrate one very quickly.
> 4.) Opportunity to take the company over, put in a decent website > and then sell the company HEY go for it just buy us!! Here is the > price I make it easy for you Lance. US$ 3 million in cash gold > bars (certified) or bank transfer. I be happy to take up sailing > again the world. Lets do it Lance a great buy and lifestyle for you! I’d rather you built your own business up to be worth a lot more than $3m. $3m means about $300,000 of profit a year, and you could be doing a lot better than that with these products.
> 5.) Turtlepac is the company that sold me an unlegalizable tank,
No comment – you seem to have dealt with it.
Laszlo – once again the post is there to help you – I post about companies that I want to succeed, and you are in the company of outfits like Telstra, iiNet, Contact Energy, eBay and so on. I know it is a bit negative, but overall the potential is there for you to unleash if you desire.
Lance
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I have dealt with Turtle-Pac on 2 separate occasions and have No complaints.
Yes they offer a personalised service.
Noel Duffy
White Realm Diving
Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia
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Any installation on aircraft under FAA rules needs an \”STC\”, a Supplemental Type Certificate. To my knowledge, Turtlepac does not own one.
Laszlo might call me a slow learner in order to avoid dealing with the legality of turtlepac tanks in aircraft, but will not show here and in public how to legalize his tanks and proposed installations.
Just contact any of his associated companies listed on http://turtlepac.com/ferryinstallationlinks.htm and ask them to install a turtlepac legally. They will not do it and will not be able to do it.
The page, the system and the bladder simply do not what you would expect from them and Laszlo will find a good reason and 1000 ways of talking his way out instead of working on it.
Btw, wordpress works fine for me. No problem with the posts at all.
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Greetings all,
I too found this page about Turtle-pac bladders very interesting.
I’m shopping for about 37 gallons of additional fuel for my Mooney.
I have to say, I found turtlepac’s website frustrating as well. Having no knowledge of teh product (I’ve seen them at Oshkosh) I have to say writing in for a quote is very underwhelming to say the least.
REmember Laszo, you are not dealing with stupid people. Post your prices in australian dollars and we can do the math. I sent you an email to this effect.
I will take Karlos’ suggestion and contact the various Ferry Pilots that TurtlePac’s links refers to.
Best regards,
dano
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Hi There Lance!
WEB SITE WAS UPDATED AS OF 18TH OF MARCH 10 WHY NOT LOOK AGAIN AND IF YOU LIKE TO KNOCK IT A LITTLE. That is OK too.
Some more stuff for bikes.
Main site is; http://www.turtlepac.com
Jerry cans for bike link is: http://www.turtlepac.com/products/collapsible-jerry-can-fuel-tanks.html
WHY NO PRICES UP ?? Because we are not Woolworths where you can find no one to help you in store – neither we are Amazon.com where they take your money then no phone number to complain if they sent you the wrong book or sent you nothing!! The on line solution is as scam and going in circles. Only way to find a consumer service is by ask the bank to reverse the charges on your card.
Also we include delivery in all prices and we sell to far corners of the world. One item cost more to ship than few together and might use EMS being cheaper for light stuff than FEDEX for heavier items. Unless know where your are and what you think you migh need price makes no sense as delivery can be from A$ 50-00 to A$ 500-00. Why show misleading prices as 2nd hand car dealers do so you walk in ?
Are we expensive ? Not for what it is. But forget about comparing with China made garbage or moulded PE tanks they are dirt cheap as made dirt cheap. Inflatables for tanks are never ever cheap if they last for years.
Also it is not alwalys easy to know what works best and if you tell us what you are to do we can tell you what will work and choices if too if there are some.
We are not Amazon.com we pay people to answer the phone happily we have no problem to spend money to serve our clients as many home based so called “on line stores” really only agents who stores nothing and can not return any thing to… hiding behind mobile numbers and Email addresses etc. LOSERS !! Lets get rid of those crooks !! Even the big ones as Amazon.com if they take your money why not have phone line to talk to clients ask questions etc ?? I love being served by professionals.
Love getting good stuff for the first time not making mistakes by choosing the wrong gear.
We are real, in a real building see address and see me in person at any of the shows we list or at factory paying real young aussies to make cool stuff. No imported China made garbage here.
We are not hiding prices but hell complicated as is to keep prices correct.
We shall keep them as low as we can by selling direct using very few agents cutting their margin out from the start.
Happy Riding !
Laszlo
Cheers.
Laszlo
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I liked the bladders from http://www.liquidcontainment.com.au. Definitely better than the turtlepacs I have seen. All my buddies have changed to liquidcontainment time ago. Turtlepac were one of the first in the market, but haven’t learned.
If you want to spend a bit more, try http://www.atlinc.com/rangeextender.html. They are in the US and Europe with a focus in Marine use.
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Well Bernie.
Both of those you list failed in less then 12 months due to ethanol or other addatives in unleaded so as long you need short time use those might be your answer.
My turtle-pac tanks are some pushing 10 years and still OK
Cheers. Steve
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So, they failed both in the last 12 months? Maybe both tanks they sold to you? ;) What are your sources?
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THis is for Karlos’s Benefit,
My main job is certifing designs & repairs to FAR23, 25, 27 & 29 aircraft. I have certified many TurtlePac ferry tanks used to ferry many aircraft around the world, Laszlo has been very helpfull with each of these.
You are correct TutlePac do not hold an STC however they do not need one as they are installing ferry tank systems which means they do not have to comply with all the FAR rules because it is a ferry fuel system. Refer to NZCAA AC21.5 or FAA equivalent and educate yourself…
Therefore an STC is not required because the aircraft is on the resticted category when conducting ferry operations.
In addition to this I have also certified these tanks as part of auxillary fuel systems and they are great, maybe you should look at who completed the installation for you rather than the tank supplier to find out why you are leaking fuel vapour.
In addition ask why your aircraft was released to service with unapproved modifications installed on it and why you have flown it with unapproved modifications installed on it and if the answer is it was not required to have them approved then ask why you are complaining that the tank can not be certified, when it can be if you came to a decent part 146 organisation.
BTW the Turtlepac website works fine for me but I am more interested in real engineering problems…….
D.
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D,
have you looked at the dates of this thread? If you are interested in real engineering problems as you claim, this thread might not be adequate for you. Also, the thread is outdated, turtlepac has improved its website now and it seems they sorted out their less real problems, as you might call it. (maybe thanks to Lance Wigg’s webpage and this thread they finally were convinced to do some changes, who knows?)
Now, the turtlepac I bought diffused smell badly in my small plane and Laszlo Torok’s attitude how to deal with a problem I addressed to him was quite arrogant and huffy. A friendlier approach to the problem I tried to sort out with him instead of his “kiss my ass” attitude would have helped a lot. Nevertheless, time goes by and I would have forgotten about this until you digged this thread out again.
I rest my case.
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I came across this posting looking for other water bladder related information, and found the thread interesting. What started out as a post on helping a company’s website improve seem to turn more into a discussion of after sales service and companies take on feedback. Customers can be hard to win these days, so it is very important for any issues with a product to be dealt with quickly and in a friendly manner. As everybody knows, an unhappy customer is more than willing to tell everybody about it.
The company I work for make tank liners, water bladders and other liquid containment systems (http://www.fabricsolutions.com.au). I’ve seen them repair or come to the party on job where the installer is at fault, in order to keep that customer happy, even though they the are not necessarily obligated too. While not every demand from a customer can me met (sometimes they can me unrealistic too), I think a lot of companies don’t realise the importance of keeping a good relationsip with a customer, even after the sale has been done.
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