All the struts on my 9m 2005 fuel had the seems tear at exactly the same spot, where the struts bend while the kite is sitting face down on the beach. My bodies fuel had the exact same problem.
It made the kite worthless on the second hand market.

You're seriously complaining about the wear and tear on an 8 year old kite?

You do realize that kite was manufactured 9 years ago and materials, designs and construction techniques have been fine tuned since then? But still, if you have to replace bladders on an 8 year old kite....you got your money's worth!

I've never had their Rider Service Hotline not take care of me...and I always get to speak with another kiter immediately. No voice prompts. No secretaries answering the phone. A kiter who has flown the product speaking to me in 60 seconds. That's good service! Sorry if you didn't experience the same it's the primary reason I fly the brand.

You have a point, of some sort.
Kind of annoying, but par for the course for a kite in 2005 imho.
They did have that problem on the old split strut.
I restitched the seams on the middle 3 struts of my 05 fuel, took about 5 minutes each.
Leaving a C kite flapping in the breeze will cause wear though, not a good plan.
Especially if it has longitudinal strut seams.

Even on the 09's, without split strut, they had a single strut seam in the middle that was prone to pulling apart, mainly on the center strut.

I fixed this on the 09 before any problems by gluing a strip of nylon webbing over it with aquaseal. This mod actually made the kite fly better by giving more rigidity to the canopy center - faster response to sheeting and faster turning once turn initiated. It was pretty bad-ass in fact.

By 2011 SS themselves put a strip of webbing reinforcing that seam so no worries there.
On the '12 and '13 models I don't know what they have done since split strut is back.
Or on the rpm either.
I would say like any kite, check your seams periodically, don't leave a kite flapping or bent out of shape to secure it, etc.

now that is just hilarious! why would member of the slingshot team have to speak to the ss hotline?
i see only two reasons, either he just wants to chat with his team buddies or he really does not not have a clue about what hes doing with the kite.

are you sure the primary reason is not being part of the brand?

Yup.
You're correct that I'm biased. You're wrong on why.

Call up the support line for whatever brand you fly. If you get instant support and you're happy with the kites. Stay with them. If you are bumped to a local distributor who doesn't get you the parts/support you need quickly, think about what you're flying.

Point is...the guy was making a judgement on a 2013 kite based on experiences with a 2005. If you do that with everything you buy, you're missing out on a lot of great stuff!

My 2009 rpm 10m is still awesome. As soon as i can i'm getting a. 2013. I also ride a 2011 14m rally. I had a couple of concerns and questions... Between the reseller and his SS rep all were responded to satisfactory.