In reply to D.Russell:
Not much help I realise but I was recently interested in a getting a #9 VG. I did some research beforehand and came across this thread. Others seem to have experienced similar issues to you, as well as other quality control issues.
https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/112447299/valley-giant-issues
Despite being somewhat dated, , the thread essentially put me off taking it any further.
I may be wrong, but as I understand it, Valley Giant is pretty much a one man show. The lack of a contact phone number on the website may or may not be significant.
Why not register and post your question on the Mountain Project forum and see if you get any more relevant responses/feedback?
Dave
Post edited at 13:22