FamilySherpa
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Tangled up in Rhododendron
Posts: 1,791
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Post by FamilySherpa on Mar 20, 2023 12:53:09 GMT -8
Well, Mountain Hardware decided that zippers delaminating from the shell was normal wear and tear and beyond the expected life of the product. Its my favorite windstopper shell, so i'm up for suggestions on a home fix or maybe using a repair shop.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Mar 20, 2023 14:50:40 GMT -8
Patagonia simply fixed my delaminating side zips by sewing them back in place so I’d suggest either a local tailor or Rainy Pass rainypass.com/If you’re concerned about waterproofing then seam seal the stitching. And delaminating is what I’d see as a manufacturing defect, and Both Big Agnes with a tent and Patagonia with a parka, agreed. BA replaced, Patagonia repaired: free. MH is disappointing.
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Post by downriver on Mar 20, 2023 17:17:01 GMT -8
Well, Mountain Hardware decided that zippers delaminating from the shell was normal wear and tear and beyond the expected life of the product. Its my favorite windstopper shell, so i'm up for suggestions on a home fix or maybe using a repair shop. Bad customer service from MH! Sorry to hear this, FS. Regards, DR
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FamilySherpa
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Tangled up in Rhododendron
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Post by FamilySherpa on Mar 21, 2023 4:41:10 GMT -8
Well, Mountain Hardware decided that zippers delaminating from the shell was normal wear and tear and beyond the expected life of the product. Its my favorite windstopper shell, so i'm up for suggestions on a home fix or maybe using a repair shop. Bad customer service from MH! Sorry to hear this, FS. Regards, DR The jacket is 11 years old, so i'm not sure I can gripe about the "expected product life", but they definitely did absolutely nothing to go above and beyond to satisfy a customer.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Mar 21, 2023 9:52:21 GMT -8
The jacket is 11 years old, so i'm not sure I can gripe about the "expected product life", but they definitely did absolutely nothing to go above and beyond to satisfy a customer. I would consider trying again with them in a couple of months. Sometimes bad management changes shake out and they go back to a better customer service model. Also when dealing with customer service reps I sometimes back out of the service request if I am not getting good results and then call back to get a different rep. Sometimes I do this even one more time. Trying at a different time of day can get you talking to better reps. There are shifts where the better reps get priority. Some reps are much better than others.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Mar 21, 2023 13:00:01 GMT -8
I've heard, but can't confirm, that Patagonia will repair items from other manufacturers.
I would also look into find a good local seamstress/cobbler/tailor that you can actually talk to, and who can either do the repair themself or recommend someone who can. I did that once for a non-backpacking item, and it was a bit of a gamble, but worked out well.
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Post by downriver on Mar 22, 2023 20:05:16 GMT -8
I've heard, but can't confirm, that Patagonia will repair items from other manufacturers. I would also look into find a good local seamstress/cobbler/tailor that you can actually talk to, and who can either do the repair themself or recommend someone who can. I did that once for a non-backpacking item, and it was a bit of a gamble, but worked out well. I have never heard or seen this happen at Patagonia. I also know Patagonia does not take any other manufacturers garments back for recycling. Regards, DR
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Post by downriver on Mar 22, 2023 20:08:37 GMT -8
Bad customer service from MH! Sorry to hear this, FS. Regards, DR The jacket is 11 years old, so i'm not sure I can gripe about the "expected product life", but they definitely did absolutely nothing to go above and beyond to satisfy a customer. Yes, terrible customer service. MH should have done something to help a customer. Unfortunately, they did not. In this business climate, it’s unacceptable. Regards, DR
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Post by leadbelly on Mar 29, 2023 9:59:27 GMT -8
Warranty experience to date: 1) 1990s North Face gore tex jacket delaminated - outer shell separated from the waterproof/breathable inner layer. Replaced free of charge. 2) early 2000s Patagonia H2No hard shell, the membrane became brittle and started to flake off; replaced free of charge. 3) Mountain Hardwear down phantom hood, the 'male' bottom of the zipper broke into pieces, couldn't zip the jacket; MH removed and stitched on a brand new zipper. Unexpected, and much appreciated. 4) outdoor research windstopper fleece gloves, seam opened up within a year of purchase. replaced free of charge. 5) Gregory Baltoro, a rodent ate its way through a zippered hip belt pocket to get at the clif bar inside, tore up the mesh pocket. I called Gregory about buying a replacement; they sent me a new hip belt pad/pocket, free of charge. Bravo, Gregory. That experience was on my mind when I replaced the old Baltoro with a newer model last summer.
I had plenty of situations where gear failed after long or hard use, so I purchased replacements. I only submit for warranty coverage if the fail feels inconsistent with my usage.
Pending: Arc'teryx Alpha AR gtx pro hard shell, an area at the top of the hood, about the size of my hand, outer shell has delaminated from the lining/membrane that is bonded to it. I sent in photos, including mfg. label that shows when the jacket was made, and they asked me to wash it and ship it to them for further consideration. Though it's several years old, it is clearly in great shape.
I'm pretty sure the delamination/waterproof breathable issues aren't related to misuse on my part. I have tested shells from a number of companies - a couple from Mountain Hardwear, Montane, Patagonia, The North Face - with no problems. the jackets all get stored on hangers in an air-conditioned home and don't spend long periods rolled up in a backpack. I also launder them consistent with manufacturer instructions, machine wash gentle with tech wash or something similar, then tumble dry briefly on medium heat to recharge the DWR, then hang them to fully dry. I think the early warranty issues reflect that the tech was relatively newer at the time. The pending one is a conundrum, I haven't had Arc'teryx waterproof/breathable shell pants or jackets delam before.
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Post by leadbelly on Mar 29, 2023 10:27:21 GMT -8
Regarding Mountain Hardwear and a zipper problem - see my post, they replaced a zipper on a down parka that failed. It wasn't a delamination; the bottom hard plastic 'male' thing you insert into the zipper disintegrated after maybe three years. I'm guessing most manufacturers eyeball warranty garment claims for wear/tear and look at the label to see how old it is.
i purchased an inexpensive sewing machine a few years ago and learned how to use it on garments that were heading for disposal. If you're going to make rookie mistakes, better off doing that on something you don't care about. you can buy good sewing machines for less than $100 these days. I've had some fun with it, repaired several pair of trousers, hemmed a few pair, revived some shirts where seams came apart. Haven't yet tackled a hard shell or tent fly, but I probably could if needed.
YKK coil zippers are maybe $2 per foot, and iron-on goretex seam tape costs about $20 a roll. if you don't want to sew yourself, I bet a decent tailor who could remove a long zipper on a women's dress could remove the old zipper and replace - you could do the tape job.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Mar 30, 2023 7:14:10 GMT -8
Straight zippers on non-stretchy fabrics are fairly easy. If it’s a fleece or the like, the ends may not come out in quite the same place if you aren’t careful/experienced, but it will work fine—just look a little funky. Repairing things with curved seams (tent zips, etc) is a lot harder, though I have a tent inn my sewing basket waiting for me to work up the energy to start replacing the nibbled mesh screens.
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Post by leadbelly on May 1, 2023 8:38:09 GMT -8
arcteryx recently agreed to replace a hard shell i sent back for a warranty review. The jacket was nine years old but was in good condition...except for the places where the outer shell had started delaminating from the gore tex layer. they agreed that wasn't normal for a jacket that age and issued me a credit to use on their website to replace the shell. kudos for supporting their warranty.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on May 10, 2023 10:41:10 GMT -8
NEMO replaced my sleeping pad for free, although I did have to ship it to them. $7
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Post by trinity on May 10, 2023 12:19:48 GMT -8
On the subject of warranties and customer service, I need to add a shoutout to Big Agnes. Several years ago, my Dual Core pad delaminated. I think it was about 13 years old. They gave me a BA credit for the full amount of the retail value of the pad at the time of purchase. I let them know that I had bought the pad on sale, and that they were actually crediting me, after all those years of use, with more than I had actually paid for the pad. They insisted on crediting me with the full amount.
Then a month or so ago, my son, who has behavioral issues, got angry and took a pair of scissors to the fly of my almost brand new Copper Spur HV UL 1. This, as you all know, is not an inexpensive item. I reached out to BA to see if they had a replacement fly available, since the rest of the tent was fine. They did not have one, but encouraged me to send in the whole tent for assessment. I told them, of course, that my child cutting up my rainfly was not something I expected their warranty to cover. But I sent it in. They confirmed that the fly could not be repaired, and issued me a $359 store credit, for a tent that cost me $400 plus tax. This, in my opinion, is over the top customer service. Most importantly, to me, is that they will be using the undamaged tent components as replacement parts, keeping them out of the landfill. I have become a big fan of Big Agnes.
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Post by downriver on May 11, 2023 8:54:09 GMT -8
Great customer service story, Trinity! Nice $359 credit…
Regards,
DR
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