So, my wife makes fun of me all the time because I am NOT shy about exercising a warranty claim. I tend to be very difficult on gear and have to send broken crap back to manufacturers all the time. She tells me I'm cheap, but I know better - I'm just exercising my God given right to purchase gear - break it - and have the manuf. replace it (or give me credit to purchase more of their gear).
I took a peek and didn’t see any previous posting dedicated to warranties. Thought I'd share my findings thus far:
Here are some of the companies that I have had good experiences with:
DAKINE:
Generally make a solid product. They've replaced broken buckles, etc. on packs without any hesitation. And my first ski pack was a Vertex that I rode with for a decade, and then gave to a friend (My fatties wouldn't fit in the diagonal ski carry anymore). He still uses it from time to time as a day pack.
BCA:
The only product of theirs that I've had any issues with are their Alpine Trekkers (see review under Alpine Touring Gear section). BCA was phenomenal (though the product was GARBAGE)!
SMITH:
They have a solid warranty program – but I’ve stopped purchasing their stuff because I found that I was exercising the warranty all too often. A pair of sunnies should be able to survive a drop or two (or three…). Never really had any major issues with their goggles though.
PATAGONIA:
I bought a rain jacket of theirs a few years back for bicycle commuting. The zipper started coming unraveled after one month. I was pissed so I threw if in the back of my closet and forgot about it for three years. I recently returned it to them and ended up making $30 on the ordeal because they gave me more in store credit than I originally paid for the jacket. I promptly blew it on other gear (though not another rain jacket).
Slightly off topic – QUIKSILVER
They can’t make a surf watch worth a damn, but by God do they stand behind their gear. I’ve blown through a couple of their watches and have netted >$100 in the process of returning them.
Here are some of the companies that I have had horrible experiences with:
JOYSTICK:
Their poles are crap and their customer service is worse.
Again, slightly off topic – RIPCURL
They can’t make a surf watch worth a damn, and could give two shits about you (me). I received a really nice surf watch of theirs as a gift last year. Used it for its intended purpose ONCE and the f-ing thing broke. It took them well over a month and half a dozen phone calls on my part to get a replacement.
All that said, the best warranty is one that you never have to use. Companies that I haven’t had any issues with (thus far):
- Flylow
- G3 – We’ll see how my ION’s hold up though
- Marker
- Black Diamond
I’d be curious to hear what others have found in their warranty travels. Good, bad or indifferent.
I took a peek and didn’t see any previous posting dedicated to warranties. Thought I'd share my findings thus far:
Here are some of the companies that I have had good experiences with:
DAKINE:
Generally make a solid product. They've replaced broken buckles, etc. on packs without any hesitation. And my first ski pack was a Vertex that I rode with for a decade, and then gave to a friend (My fatties wouldn't fit in the diagonal ski carry anymore). He still uses it from time to time as a day pack.
BCA:
The only product of theirs that I've had any issues with are their Alpine Trekkers (see review under Alpine Touring Gear section). BCA was phenomenal (though the product was GARBAGE)!
SMITH:
They have a solid warranty program – but I’ve stopped purchasing their stuff because I found that I was exercising the warranty all too often. A pair of sunnies should be able to survive a drop or two (or three…). Never really had any major issues with their goggles though.
PATAGONIA:
I bought a rain jacket of theirs a few years back for bicycle commuting. The zipper started coming unraveled after one month. I was pissed so I threw if in the back of my closet and forgot about it for three years. I recently returned it to them and ended up making $30 on the ordeal because they gave me more in store credit than I originally paid for the jacket. I promptly blew it on other gear (though not another rain jacket).
Slightly off topic – QUIKSILVER
They can’t make a surf watch worth a damn, but by God do they stand behind their gear. I’ve blown through a couple of their watches and have netted >$100 in the process of returning them.
Here are some of the companies that I have had horrible experiences with:
JOYSTICK:
Their poles are crap and their customer service is worse.
Again, slightly off topic – RIPCURL
They can’t make a surf watch worth a damn, and could give two shits about you (me). I received a really nice surf watch of theirs as a gift last year. Used it for its intended purpose ONCE and the f-ing thing broke. It took them well over a month and half a dozen phone calls on my part to get a replacement.
All that said, the best warranty is one that you never have to use. Companies that I haven’t had any issues with (thus far):
- Flylow
- G3 – We’ll see how my ION’s hold up though
- Marker
- Black Diamond
I’d be curious to hear what others have found in their warranty travels. Good, bad or indifferent.
