From: "Stewarts Baskets & Balloons" <sculpture@netrover.com>
To: <timv@pioneerballoon.com>
Subject: Drastic Change in the Quality of Qualatex Balloons
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 17:25:36 -0800

We have noticed a drastic difference in the quality of 11" balloons.   The
balloons we have bought since the New Year and as recently as today are
sticky and very difficult to work with.  The colours that we are using right
now are Quartz Purple, standard Yellow, Lime Green, and Periwinkle.

The balloons coming right out of the bags looked old and have lost their
polish.  They looked as if they had already started to oxidize.  When we
were using them to make arches, they stuck to each other making them
extremely hard to work with.  When making some clusters and tying on the
monofilament line, the line was even sticking to them.  As a result, before
we even left the job, a number of the lime green balloons had deflated and
had to be replaced.  We checked the dates on all of the bags and they were
manufactured in December 2000 and January 2001 in both Canada and the U.S..

After discussing this with our distributor this afternoon, we have learned
that there may have been a recent change in the last step of the
manufacturing process that affects the polish of the balloon due to concerns
regarding helium float times.  Is this a permanent change, a temporary
trial, or something that you are even aware of?

We have not changed the way we use the balloons in 11 years and as you know,
we use very large quantities of your product.  We would appreciate your
feedback on this issue at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Colin and Jeannie
STEWART's Baskets & Balloons
Tottenham, Ontario, Canada

www.stewartsballoons.com
manufacturers of the RELI-A-DROP drop net systems