Let's share warranty experiences

thepirate1wrote:

Marmot 0/10.  My gtex jacket, one of their most expensive, delaminated. It was hardly ever used, pretty much kept on a silk pillow (i.e. like new condition), and that was completely obvious to anyone examining it. After the first five calls, they said "guaranteed for the life of the product, not your life", which we have decided is past, even though that's 1/3 of any other jacket you've owned.  In the next two calls, they first claimed that I didn't wash it enough, then they claimed that I washed it too much.  Seriously, same person. about another 5 calls later, they emphasized how "generous" they were to offer me sooooo much:  a replacement jacket that only cost $175 or so out of pocket. That is one piece of sh--- jacket, bad, heavy, and cut very poorly.  HERE IS THE LESSON: Once a maker gets bought out by the vulture capital company (like 3 times in this case), STAY AWAY.  Their idiot consultant doesn't understand outdoor gear and doesn't see this as important point of competition (this thread proves otherwise). TAKE MY ADVICE - Stay away!

If the Gor-tex is delaminating you could try Gor's warranty. I have used it in the past, and got my purchase price back.

Outdoor Research 10/10 - Lost a pole out of a bivy bag and couldn't find them in stock anywhere. Called to see if I could backorder directly from OR and the guy just asked for my address and sent me one for free. No Charge for the pole, No charge for the shipping. I wasn't even trying to get it replaced under warranty and they warrantied it anyway.

Chaco 0/10 - Strap pulled out of footbed on one pair, and leather strap disintegrated on another pair. Both have almost immaculate soles but are a few years old, so they claimed, after a bunch of jumping through hoops and getting the run around, that they were out of their lifespan and offered a 20% off full price discount. 

Gregory 10/10 - Repaired some holes, at no charge and no question, a 10+ year old pack. Also probably the most comfortable packs out there. 

Mountain Hardware 10/10 - Repaired at no charge and no question the zippers on a 10 year old tent. 

arcetryx 2/10: Jacket seamed leaked due to the new goretex pro membrane, they refused to warranty it, at least they were willing to send it back to me but the process was all very slow.

Had a misshapen beanie sent to me, they replaced it they just asked for a picture of the beanie cut up.

Goretex 10/10: They replaced that arc'teryx jacket with a new one after I sent it to them, resolved within a week.

MSR 10/10: my stove came without a little support stand (not my fault) and I melted the lid of my stove(my fault), they quickly sent out the parts for free.

Mammut: Bought a 70m dry core duodess and managed to be an idiot, core-shotting it (3-5m from one end) less than a week later. They sent me a brand new replacement and didn't even ask for me to return the original. I still feel like I cheated the system on this one getting 2 bi-color dry ropes for $300...

The North Face: 5/10. I sent in an old tent (yes, their policy is only for manufacturer defects but they are an "outfitter" "helping people get into the outdoors") because it was no longer water repellant and one of the poles was splitting. They mailed me a letter asking for me to call them. I called and they deemed it unrepairable and offered a 50% discount. As an employee, I already get that discount so I laughed. I asked about the pole repair and they would contact me about the cost. No one contacted me and I found my tent at the doorstep. At least they paid for shipping? But the poles were not repaired.

Mountain Hard Wear: 10/10. I sent in a rain jacket (~5 years old) that was no longer water repellant. To my surprise, they gave me credit to buy a new rain jacket. I had to alleviate my guilt and purchased an extra item at my expense (haha).

Osprey: 10/10. Seriously, you can't beat their almighty repair.

I've got a couple recent ones.

Mammut: 3/10. To be fair, they do state that their warranty is good for two years. But that's pretty lame compared to most other quality companies. My wife's zipper on her fleece started opening from the bottom, so when I contacted them they said it didn't fall under their warranty, but they offered a company in Seattle to fix it. I'd expect more, but it is what it is.

Arcteryx: 5/10. My wife and I have a fair bit of Arcteryx gear, and I've had some very good experiences with them in the past, from fixing zippers on Atoms for free, to replacing a delaminating hardshell that I bought used for no cost, without me even asking for it. I've been dreading the day when I'd finally have a negative one... Recently my wife's hardshell has been coming unglued in the wrist cuff, which they're going to look at and I assume most likely cover. However, her backpack (Maia 65L which is an older model, probably 15 years old) had a hip strap stabilizer come unglued from the pack, and apparently the pack is too old to be covered by their 'Limited Warranty.' Like others have said, it really seems like it all depends on which representative you get with Arcteryx. It may seem like I expect a lot from warranty policies, but a big motivation in spending the extra money is knowing that if/when my gear fails, it'll be covered as long as it's not obvious negligence. 

Probably doesn't fall under warranty, but previously sent in a bunch of cams to Black Diamond to be reslung, got back two brand new #3s among my old cams because "the old #3s could not be reslung" (No additional explanation, maybe recalled? Out of the correct color sling? Broke/lost them in the process?) Not going to complain...

Primus 10/10: I had one of their pots whose lid cracked and eventually broke (I used and abused it countless times. For being so light/plastic I wasn't mad at all). I asked to purchase a replacement, preferably metal. They just sent me a new metal lid for free!

BCA 10/10: Didn't realize I left ice cream in my car, and it melted thru a backpack onto the plush of an old climbing skin (but only one skin from that pair). Asked to purchase a single skin, they asked why and I explained it. They said they didn't have that skin but could give me an updated version. Within a week I had a BRAND NEW PAIR!! Of their newest/fanciest skins!! They didn't even ask for the receipt. These skins were at least two years old and I bought them second hand. Their stuff isn't cheap but I am now a customer for life. 

REI: 7/10. Yeah one year no questions is nice, but they don't repair stuff at all. I've had some glove liners tear at the seams and they just say too bad that is "wear and tear", which is BS as I've taken good care of all those liners. 

Elan skis: 0/10. Only warranty if you are the original purchaser with receipt. I bought skis almost new, they delammed under my feet (after being skied hard but no large impacts etc.), no help. 

REI 10/10: Never had any issues returning here, and I’ve had some weird returns with coupons, store credit, etc.

Marmot 10/10: Had my Scree pants restitched twice, no cost except for shipping. Had jacket repaired too.

I think a lot of discrepancy comes from employees, not policy. But then again employees are the face for a company.

Black Diamond- 0/10 bought pair aspects. Lace loops blew out in after 4 days of climbing.  Dropped off for evaluation with receipt that showed 2months old but was told they were out of warranty. Picked  them up and and that when I was told the warranty period was 1 year. So frustrated I didn't complain. Just will not ever buy from them again.

Osprey 10/10.Had backpack that got eaten up by mice on a trip. They had me send in my old bag and a week or so later a brand new bag aswell as the old one that they patched up a bit.

I also had a 0/10 experience with Chaco. Bought sandals with a particular herringbone texture strap that were abrasive on my feet. Was told it was a fit issue.  I'll get my sandals elsewhere in the future. 

Had a 5/10 experience with Patagonia with bad pilling on the first generation Nano Air. They told me they knew about the issue and recommended I use a razor to take the little balls off. It works, but ....

Commenting to follow

I’ll give REI another 2-3ish out of ten. They were great before they sold me one of their house-brand Flash sleeping pads, which were new at the time. I used it for sleeping in the back of my car, and never once took it outside, let alone on rock. The thing didn’t hold air consistently the entire time I owned it, and I switched to another pad.

Eventually I got around to returning it, and was told by the desk employee, “Of course we can return this, these have pretty obviously had QC issues in the seals.” She went into my account, found the purchase, started the process, and then stopped. Her tone immediately changed: “You’re one day post the return window—we only accept items within one year now. Thank you, next!”

The idea that there was a clear design/quality issue with a rather expensive REI branded product, and they wouldn’t stand behind it left a sour taste in my mouth. I threw out the pad and my membership card right there in the trash can next to the greeter and haven’t shopped there since. Why deal with that when Backcountry etc have much better selection, frequent sales, and fast shipping?

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

My experience with Patagonia: I bought a mid layer ski jacket (Made in USA) from Patagonia Dublin store in early 2000s. Over the years I have used it regularly. Last year the inner cords broke. I contacted Patagonia via email, shared the pictures, and described the problem. They simply booked a free repair service, no questions asked. I got my jacket back in a week. However, it was not fully fixed. I contacted them again. This time they arranged a prepaid collect service. I got my jacket back in a week. This jacket is now almost 20 years old and still looking good. 10+/10 

Sprinkle McSparklecamswrote:

I’ll give REI another 2-3ish out of ten. They were great before they sold me one of their house-brand Flash sleeping pads, which were new at the time. I used it for sleeping in the back of my car, and never once took it outside, let alone on rock. The thing didn’t hold air consistently the entire time I owned it, and I switched to another pad.

Eventually I got around to returning it, and was told by the desk employee, “Of course we can return this, these have pretty obviously had QC issues in the seals.” She went into my account, found the purchase, started the process, and then stopped. Her tone immediately changed: “You’re one day post the return window—we only accept items within one year now. Thank you, next!”

The idea that there was a clear design/quality issue with a rather expensive REI branded product, and they wouldn’t stand behind it left a sour taste in my mouth. I threw out the pad and my membership card right there in the trash can next to the greeter and haven’t shopped there since. Why deal with that when Backcountry etc have much better selection, frequent sales, and fast shipping?

Why did you wait so long to return an obviously defective product? Then you have the gall to criticize REI after you ignored the terms you agreed to?

Thread could very well be called “Let’s share warranty experiences, you petty, cheap, miserly and resentful bastards!” If that bothers you, it probably applies to you   

Have had great warranty experiences with Arc’teryx, Black Diamond, Outdoor Research, MSR, and Patagonia. All were full replacements for clear manufacturer defects.

10+/10 Metolius. I bought one of those Gripsaver Plus squeeze balls from Metolius. It has a rubber contraption sort of unique in that you put your fingers into so you can work your finger opposition flexors. I live in a humid area, and eventually the rubber got old and snapped. Just like any rubber band does if you leave it laying around in your bathroom near your shower -or if you just let your car tires site there, the rubber naturally degrades. 

I looked everywhere and couldn't find a replacement to buy. I reached out to Metolius and asked where I could buy a couple of replacements. I was looking for a "Oh, climbersdreamstore carry's them" or some such. They said: "What's your address we'll send you a couple, no charge". 

Damned if they didn't do exactly what they said. I love Metolius. Oh, sorry, might be the wrong place to put this as it wasn't a warranty issue, my squeezer ball was just old as heck at that point. Did I mention that I love Metolius?

10/10 BlueWater. Had a small defect on a rope, they immediately sent a replacement. Great company to deal with. 

9/10 BD. I called looking for a replacement buckle for a pack and trigger keeper that mysteriously fell off a larger cam. Was super easy and arrived quick, almost too quick… -1 for the heinously massive box they sent it in that could’ve fit in an small envelope.