Paul in Idaho
Well-known member
I had an unpleasant surprise yesterday. I don't want to post negatively about the company, so will not name it, nor the product. I'd like your thoughts on how my situation was handled.
I have used this particular piece of backpacking equipment for several years, and really like it. Last year, it stopped working while I was hunting. I contacted the manufacturer, and was informed it has a lifetime warranty and I could send it in for repair or replacement. The rep told me this item was no longer made, and if they couldn't repair it, it would be replaced with the closest item currently in production.
Before sending it in, I decided to see if I could repair it myself, so I could use it for my last hunt of the year. Sure enough, I got it to work normally. It had just been jammed.
Since this item was well-made and I expected it to last a lifetime, I decided to go ahead and send it in to them this spring for a tuneup. In an email to the same rep, I explained it was now functional, and I just wanted them to lubricate it. When I shipped it last week, I included a note with it in the box that all I wanted was a cleaning and lubrication.
A couple days ago, I received a package from the company. I was impressed by their fast processing. However, when I opened the box I found, not my gear, but a replacement for it. The replacement is nothing like the original. Mine was a lightweight, carefully engineered and crafted piece. The replacement is more than twice as heavy, twice as bulky, and has the aesthetics of a brick.
I immediately emailed the same rep again and asked what happened. His reply was that their policy is to destroy items they can't repair, and send a replacement.
So, without warning, my item was destroyed and replaced with an item costing less than 1/3 of what I paid for mine. I told the rep they should have informed me of what they would do. His reply was that he told me in November it would be replaced if it wasn't repairable. I said that since it was functional when I sent it in, they should have told me that they considered it unrepairable before destroying it.
What do you think?
I have used this particular piece of backpacking equipment for several years, and really like it. Last year, it stopped working while I was hunting. I contacted the manufacturer, and was informed it has a lifetime warranty and I could send it in for repair or replacement. The rep told me this item was no longer made, and if they couldn't repair it, it would be replaced with the closest item currently in production.
Before sending it in, I decided to see if I could repair it myself, so I could use it for my last hunt of the year. Sure enough, I got it to work normally. It had just been jammed.
Since this item was well-made and I expected it to last a lifetime, I decided to go ahead and send it in to them this spring for a tuneup. In an email to the same rep, I explained it was now functional, and I just wanted them to lubricate it. When I shipped it last week, I included a note with it in the box that all I wanted was a cleaning and lubrication.
A couple days ago, I received a package from the company. I was impressed by their fast processing. However, when I opened the box I found, not my gear, but a replacement for it. The replacement is nothing like the original. Mine was a lightweight, carefully engineered and crafted piece. The replacement is more than twice as heavy, twice as bulky, and has the aesthetics of a brick.
I immediately emailed the same rep again and asked what happened. His reply was that their policy is to destroy items they can't repair, and send a replacement.
So, without warning, my item was destroyed and replaced with an item costing less than 1/3 of what I paid for mine. I told the rep they should have informed me of what they would do. His reply was that he told me in November it would be replaced if it wasn't repairable. I said that since it was functional when I sent it in, they should have told me that they considered it unrepairable before destroying it.
What do you think?