KUIU hardcore gear or expensive toilet Paper?

[jryoung]

Did I miss it or did KUIU provide any other comments regarding the failure of the seal on the zipper or just that it smelled?

With the anecdotal evidence increasing, as well as growth and sales I think Jason is going to make an effort to get better front office staff of establish better lines of communication with regarding to product issues. Obviously that comes at a cost that will be born by the consumers, but it is a cost of doing business if you want to be an industry leader.

 

[Bambistew]

Here's the reply to the thread on Facebook.

I posted a comment to this but it was either deleted, or I'm not smart enough to opperate a computer. Basically I said, why not trash it and send him a new one, and start a reputation for customer service instead of giving him the run-around.

We're always open to hearing constructive criticism at KUIU. We take all feedback seriously, and use it to help better our business every day. We stand by our lifetime warranty against all manufacturer defects. We've found that requesting images be emailed in to our Warranty Department for review is the quickest and easiest way to determine the best route to resolve the issue, rather than requiring the product be mailed in like many other companies require. The seam failure your brother experienced is covered by our lifetime warranty, and we are happy to take all necessary steps to repair it. As we discussed with your brother, California law states that products accepted for review must be clean. Due to the unclean state of your brother's jacket, our employees were unable to handle the garments, and were prohibited by law from sending the item out at that time for repair as the repair service would have refused the garment in that condition. They too are unable to handle outdoor apparel that is not clean. We understand your brother's frustration with this process, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused him. We still stand behind our warranty, and will be happy to repair the jacket as soon as it can be returned to us clean.

 

[noharleyyet]

Dink, you might wanna to decline Bambi's arbitation offers in the future. Tact ain't Ivan's strong suit.

Oh, and send your brother some unscented Tide..

 

[Dinkshooter]

If he has washed it twice, I wonder how many more times it has to be washed before it is acceptable? 4more times? 6?

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat…………….

A very convenient time of year to be shipping crap back and forth in a clean contest, the office staff must live in TIDE COUNTRY.

I need to get a FB account to see this crap.

 

[thecrittergitter]

I agree it sucks if this type of thing happens to you, but guys that say they won't buy a product based on a handful of negative reviews compared to thousands of positive ones make me chuckle. If that was your standard on everything you'd never buy a single product. I've never seen or researched or bought anything, no matter how much it cost, that didn't have at least a few negative reviews.

There is some truth to this, as I've stated before, every company has their lemons, they just need to stand behind them when it happens..............True that if you base your opionions off a few when 10 x that amount have been positive, hard to say they are not worth buying becasue of that.

That being said, I've got a lot of KUIU stuff and have been impressed with it so far........would I have it if I was paying retail for it...........not a chance. But since I didn't and I really like the gear, I will stick with it....

And I think the response to Drakes issue was ridiculous, and Dinks bros situation is ridiculous as well.

 

[Dinkshooter]

I have to go look at my HARDCORE KUIU guide coat tonight. One thing I noticed right away is the light color of the Camo stains easily. If the stains are there I’m gonna smack the wife and tell her not good enough, wash it again woman!

Makes it a life time warranty on non-used stuff, in a nutshell.

Sorry for your frustration.................................

 

[thecrittergitter]

The "sheep" mentality makes me chuckle more.

Can't say that I've heard of negative customer service from Leupold, Swaro, Big Agness, MR and even REI just to name a few. .

For the record too...........everyone, no matter the company will dissapoint someone at some point.

I'll tell you as long as I've been a MR fan and for the most part, still am, I had a "negative" customer service issue with them very recently...............enough to make me consider getting on the list for a Stone Glacier tryout.

So, even the good companies have their moments.........

 

[noharleyyet]

What I've Learned From This Thread

I am the only sucker in the US paying retail for this gear....when I can find it in stock.

 

[thecrittergitter]

I am the only sucker in the US paying retail for this gear....when I can find it in stock.

Ebay brotha!!

 

[CabinFever]

And I think the response to Drakes issue was ridiculous, and Dinks bros situation is ridiculous as well.

I certainly agree with this. I guess in my post I was speaking in generalities, and I admit my comment was a little off topic as I meant it more about reviews on the quality of gear rather than quality of customer service, and I would agree that dicey customer service is much more of a drawback than a few defects here and there. I'd sure be upset if these situations happened to me. Maintaining premium customer service is difficult for companies that grow super fast, but its obviously extremely important if they plan to continue growing at the same rate.

 

[CabinFever]

The "sheep" mentality makes me chuckle more.

Can't say that I've heard of negative customer service from Leupold, Swaro, Big Agness, MR and even REI just to name a few. Kind of odd that our small community on HT has had such bad luck with one company dedicated to hardcore hunters. I'd be willing to bet that all my hunting cloths combined costs less than a coat made by Kuiu (maybe even the sweet sheep hat), and I don't see myself failing/dieing in the field because I don't have the latest camo fashion or material. Its all a gimic to make you part with more of your hard earned cash. Serriously if it comes down to super clothing being required to kill animals... you suck as a hunter... and should be asking for the matching purse and high heals.

Buy what ever you think you need, we're all guilty of it, but come on... if you're going to pay $40 for a pair of underwear they better give me a free "massage".

If they won't stand behind thier products, I won't purchase it. Its pretty simple really.

Yeah, sorry my comment was a little off as I wasn't necessarily talking about customer service, which is what this thread is about. My bad...

If you're calling me a sheep though... well you might just be right as I think I have like 7 pairs of Kenetreks at my house, all because Randy tells me they're the best Although I don't have any Sitka Gear, MR packs, Howa rifles, or shoot Federal Premium Ammunition

 

[whiskeydog]

so why are KUIU's prices so high?? i though the whole goal of this company was to make quality gear at an affordable price by cutting out the middle man (retailer). most retailers probably mark gear up 25-50% depending on the item, right? KUIU is having their stuff made overseas and not in the US and shipping direct to customers to keep prices down...what would their prices be if they went through cabelas/sportsmans/etc? their merino wool shirt goes for $80 list price...i can by other major brand merino shirts through retailers for that price or less...where's the "cut out the middle man savings"? There can't be alot of overhead when your office space probably consists of a small warehouse and a handfull of staff...they've got to be making 70+% on this stuff...

 

[Fatrack]

interesting stuff to read here...I thought i was the only one getting the run around, I guess I should have known better. After waiting MONTHS for a backordered pair of pants, I finally recieved them to find that I got the wrong size. DOH! My bad, should have read the sizing instructions. I re-ordered the right size and shipped the others back. After two weeks of not hearing back from them about the return or seeing a credit on my cc, I made the call to see what was going on. The "really cool guy" who answered the phone was worthless...results of the conversation, they hadn't recieved the pants yet. I made weekly calls with no luck...my pants were "lost". I've pretty much given up on the returned pants and figured they were "lost in the mail"....but now I'm wondering if they were "lost in Kuiu"....

 

[Fatrack]

and really, whats all this crap with all the product not being available??? I mean seriously, come on. I ordered a pair of attack pants in May and still haven't gotten them! I would really like to write the whole damn company off.....but, I really like their gear

 

[jryoung]

so why are KUIU's prices so high?? i though the whole goal of this company was to make quality gear at an affordable price by cutting out the middle man (retailer). most retailers probably mark gear up 25-50% depending on the item, right? KUIU is having their stuff made overseas and not in the US and shipping direct to customers to keep prices down..

The fabrics come from Japan (outerwear) and New Zealand (merino) primarily and are assembled in British Columbia at the manufacture that use to produce Arcteryx. They do not ship direct but finished goods ship from BC to a warehouse in CA where they are distributed.

what would their prices be if they went through cabelas/sportsmans/etc? their merino wool shirt goes for $80 list price...i can by other major brand merino shirts through retailers for that price or less...where's the "cut out the middle man savings"?

Add 30-40%. But, your argument is flawed in that merino has different grades of quality. Based on my comparisons, KUIUs 185 merino is superior to 4 Core, First Lite, Smartwool, Icebreaker and Patagonia, but YMMV.

There can't be a lot of overhead when your office space probably consists of a small warehouse and a handfull of staff...they've got to be making 70+% on this stuff...

Office space, warehouse, logistics and most significantly payroll costs all add up. Payroll is nearly always the biggest line in OpEx. There is no way he could be making 70% on these products. Any comparative of retail prices from Sitka, Patagonia, Marmot, Arcteryx will tell you that. All their comparative products typically cost more.

 

[Bambistew]

For the record too...........everyone, no matter the company will dissapoint someone at some point.

So, even the good companies have their moments.........

Its amazing to me that for as great of a company as Kuiu supposedly is, they dissapointed a lot of guys right here. Its not like there are 1000's of posters here, maybe a few 100... 1000's of positive comments are worth something, depending on the basis on which they're made.

Can't say that you're wrong, about making everyone happy, but loyalty to a brand you spend a small fortune on (all relative) tends to skew ones perspective, I think. Take a look at reviews on line for any sort of gear. It could be a pair of 10x20mm Tasco bino's and you'll see 10x the positive reviews as negative. Would you trade in that pair of Swaro's you have for Tasco because the reviews are mostly all positive? I used to pack these exact bino's for years.

Just think 2-3 years from now, you'll be sporting the latest in fashion made by who ever the latest greatest manufacture is... Maybe I will as well, being consumers is what keeps our economy going, and we all have to justify "wasting" our money somehow. I have a hard time wasting it on something that isn't backed by a company that cares about its consumers.

 

[antlerless]

After a few emails back and forth to Kuiu they assured me two to three weeks and I would have the jacket back. Well next Monday will be three weeks and I still don’t have my unfixed jacket back. I hope it makes it here by Friday or I’m headed to Kodiak without it. Two weeks after sending the jacket back in I still had not received a phone call or email mail. I called them Monday morning when they gave me the news the jacket was being sent back to me. They also told me the jacket was dirty and smelly. According to the lady on the phone their standard policy is to just drop a note in the box no phone call or emails necessary.

I guess the no contact part is what really pissed me off. Why not call me and tell me the situation. I would have gladly paid to have it cleaned then fixed down there. If it takes then this long to just process and send a jacket back does this mean they have a warehouse full of returned gear? Now I’m going to have to mail it back down there and waste another three to four weeks. Why not send me a loaner jacket while I wait for it to be fixed? If Jason can afford to give every guide in AK his gear he’s got to have a few loaner jackets around. Again some contact would have been nice.

 

[antlerless]

Speaking of super HARDCORE maybe Kuiu should send some gear to my 65 year old father to test. After a three day goat hunt this is what his pants look like. Not a manufacture issue but not a strong argument on how tough the gear is.

 

[whiskeydog]

Add 30-40%. But, your argument is flawed in that merino has different grades of quality. Based on my comparisons, KUIUs 185 merino is superior to 4 Core, First Lite, Smartwool, Icebreaker and Patagonia, but YMMV.



Office space, warehouse, logistics and most significantly payroll costs all add up. Payroll is nearly always the biggest line in OpEx. There is no way he could be making 70% on these products. Any comparative of retail prices from Sitka, Patagonia, Marmot, Arcteryx will tell you that. All their comparative products typically cost more.

Hello Matt,

Wool is the favorite food of moths. If your Merino Wool tops are not stored correctly then moths get to them and will eat small holes in them. This is common for all wool and natural fiber clothing.

Best regards,


.

apparently moths prefer higher quality merino wool...

and there is no way that KUIU prices are 30-40% under comparable competitor models.

 

[CabinFever]

There is no way he could be making 70% on these products. Any comparative of retail prices from Sitka, Patagonia, Marmot, Arcteryx will tell you that. All their comparative products typically cost more.

I agree, there is no way they are pulling 70% from the margins. From what I know about outdoor gear, profit margins are much smaller on high quality products then the lower end stuff. I know for a fact thats true with boots, sleeping bags, compound bows, and firearms. I think you'd be surprised what it can cost to make quality. That being said most companies that produce this gear at the high price point also match the quality of the product with comparable customer service. Usually