Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I used this for a captain post on a tandem bike and was quite happy with it, purchased in the spring 2015. Rode about 5000 miles over 1.5 years (3500 touring loaded). All seemed well until one day without warning it broke in two near the insert clamp, sending us tumbling to the pavement in confusion. It was our extreme good fortune that we were on a peaceful side road at the time, 6 mph, having just started up a short, steep grade. I contacted Origin8 rep in October last year, days after it broke, and received a very cordial reply to a note bringing this failure to their attention and requesting nothing more than a simple refund. This was readily agreed to, and a UPS label was emailed with a note stating that a refund check would be issued as soon it was received. In good faith I sent it in. A few days later, another note came in stating that it had arrived and a check would be forthcoming shortly. And that was their last communication, nothing more. I wrote follow up emails, and then called in December and happened to catch the rep I had been in contact with earlier, Gary Mendenhall at his Origin8 (AKA J&B Importers, Inc) office in Florida, as he was on his way out for lunch. His on-the-fly response was something to the effect, "Oh sorry, I soon as I hear back from the factory I'll get a check off." That was not my understanding. In February I decided to simply ask for my seatpost parts back and emailed again. Still nada, now in April. It's only a token $27, and I'm ever so grateful that we are still in one piece! But their mysterious non-support and communication is maddening, leaving me to think they've stuck their head in the sand, hoping that I and whatever imagined liability concession would simply go away. It is unthinkable the potential for fatality or really serious injury if this had happened in a high traffic situation. I see another review stating sudden failure on just a single bike. Is the alloy too brittle, the walls too thin? There could be other reasons, but for those who purchase this post, keep your eyes on it. And definitely do not trust it in a tandem application. Regrettably, I will no longer consider Origin8 products. Who knows where these nice looking parts come from?