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Disappointed in Mont-Bell


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  • #1297204
    John RB
    BPL Member

    @biggyshorty

    I just got a brand new Montbell jacket and it is showing a tear already – when I contacted them, they asked that I return it first and that they would replace or repair within 4 weeks time. This is incredible to me, as I am using the jacket daily and it is brand new. Has anyone had a similar experience?

    #1936673
    Konrad .
    BPL Member

    @konrad1013

    Outside of small cottage manufacturers, it's pretty standard to return an item for warranty first before a replacement is mailed out or a repair is made. How did the tear happen? Which model jacket was it?

    #1936674
    michael levi
    Member

    @m-l

    Locale: W-Never Eat Soggy (W)affles

    I'm not sure what the problem is here, they offered to repair it.

    #1936677
    John RB
    BPL Member

    @biggyshorty

    I know its standard practice, of a sorts, and I understand it (I own other montbell products I love, like the hugger sleeping bag). But seeing as how I literally JUST bought this (and directly from their site) it bothers me that there isn't an understanding that I'm not trying to rip them off, but that I want a functional usable jacket. I don't have another rain jacket to use for the 4 weeks (plus holidays/new year time?) that they'll take to turn it around. Just disappointed. Do you think I'm overreacting?

    #1936679
    michael levi
    Member

    @m-l

    Locale: W-Never Eat Soggy (W)affles

    Yes you are overreacting. You tore it, its your fault. You could easily take it to a fabric store and have them fix it in literally 2 minutes.

    #1936681
    John RB
    BPL Member

    @biggyshorty

    I definitely did not tear. The inner lining where the elastic is for the waist tore on its own. this is most certainly shoddy workmanship, not some user error. Your assumption that it was me is very curious.

    #1936686
    Travis Leanna
    BPL Member

    @t-l

    Locale: Wisconsin

    Did you purchase directly from Montbell? Or another retailer?

    #1936691
    John RB
    BPL Member

    @biggyshorty

    Read above please, I did buy from them.

    #1936693
    M B
    BPL Member

    @livingontheroad

    Your expectations are out of line.

    Send it in, so they can inspect and repair/replace at their discretion.

    If its clear it was a mfg defect and they do a repair that doesnt make it like new, then you would have a complaint.

    Not clear from your post where the tear is, etc. If it starts in a seam, its probably a mfg defect. If its in the middle of a panel, probably not.

    If it uses UL fabrics, tears are easy to come by, and repairs will be more unsightly than the tear possibly, although functional.

    I have a small hole in a nanopuff just from holding a puppy. Sharp puppy claws and fragile fabric dont mix.

    #1936697
    Steve K
    BPL Member

    @skomae

    Locale: northeastern US

    I fail to see how it's reasonable to expect that a company repairs (or replaces) your jacket *before* you send it in. In order to do such a thing they'd need to inspect it to see the correct course of action. This being regardless of whether or not the item is brand new, or whether it is a manufacturer's defect or not.

    #1936715
    Brett Peugh
    BPL Member

    @bpeugh

    Locale: Midwest

    They should have sent you a new jacket while they fixed the old one and just put a lean against your credit card for the amount until they can determine what went wrong with it. That is what Golite offered me one time with one of their products. REI also. 4 weeks is alot and I know where you are coming from as I have dealt with Montbell before and found their customer service and warranty to be less than stellar (mainly because it seems to be centered out of the back room of their Boulder, CO store by the sales floor staff). It should not take more than 2 weeks and a few days as they should be able to figure something out about the jacket within a day or two and it only takes a week to ship it to there and another back from any point in the contiguous USA. Montbell's stuff is great as long as it never develops a problem. I have had two issues with them over the past few years and will never buy anything from them ever again.

    #1936724
    Ryan Smith
    BPL Member

    @violentgreen

    Locale: East TN

    I agree that 4 weeks is a long turnaround time by today's standards. Unreasonable? Probably not. Them taking the time to decide whether to repair or replace instead of just replacing is OK in my book. This should make us really appreciate the cottage industry & the Golite's of the world and how over the top they go to please their customers. Solid example of good customer service vs excellent customer service.

    Ryan

    #1936737
    James holden
    BPL Member

    @bearbreeder-2

    montbell is not a cottage manufacturer … they are a pretty good size international brand

    companies like EB, OR, MEC, REI, etc … will take care of you regardless of anything very quickly … you can return, exchange for ANY reason at all

    so will retailers like backcountry

    buy from companies or retailers that make you happy …

    #1936772
    Konrad .
    BPL Member

    @konrad1013

    Eric,
    I don't think anyone was saying Montbell was cottage…we were saying exactly the opposite. I agree with you, there are def some big retailers that are an exception to the rule. I blew out a pair of OR crocodile gaiters, called them up, and they told me that they would have a pair mailed to me ASAP and to just to return my busted ones whenever I got the chance. Now that's trust.

    #1936778
    Greg F
    BPL Member

    @gregf

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    Are you still within the return window? If so i would just return the item and buy a new one and would expect the company to accept that. If the return period has expired than I think monbell is being reasonable. Although their are companies with better policies they are being reasonable.

    #1936786
    Jennifer Mitol
    Spectator

    @jenmitol

    Locale: In my dreams....

    I had an exped synmat UL7 for a few months when the baffles started to burst inside…creating a big hump in the middle. They asked me to take a photo of it and email that…then they just sent me a new pad. They told me to take a knife to the old one and that was that.

    Then after two years the leash clip on my dog's Ruff Wear pack harness started to come loose…again, I took a cell phone photo of a VERY worn and ratty pack that really needed to be replaced anyway…Ruff Wear just sent me a brand new harness…AND pack.

    I never expected that from either company…but it certainly was very nice to deal with.

    Perhaps try emailing a photo of the tear to their customer service and see what they say….

    #1936820
    James holden
    BPL Member

    @bearbreeder-2

    I blew out a pair of OR crocodile gaiters, called them up, and they told me that they would have a pair mailed to me ASAP and to just to return my busted ones whenever I got the chance. Now that's trust.

    which is why i buy OR stuff … or EB … or stuff from MEC/REI, etc … even if its not the "very best", or the flavor of the month at BPL, or the lowest price …

    theres a lot of people on here with stuff they found out didnt work or didnt meet their expectations, or just didnt fit em … and im always puzzled personally as to why they didnt just buy from somewhere with a total no questions asked guarantee …

    i suspect in the long run youll actually save money

    #1936825
    Arapiles .
    BPL Member

    @arapiles

    Locale: Melbourne

    Just to draw a distinction here – Mont Bell in the US is not Mont Bell Japan, it's their local distributor. I wouldn't expect Mont Bell in Japan to be quite so …. bureaucratic. So perhaps the thread should say "Disappointed in Mont Bell US".

    #1936862
    John RB
    BPL Member

    @biggyshorty

    I appreciate the reasonable responses on both sides here, but I really do think – like my experiences with OR or REI – that MontBell sending me a jacket, putting a hold on my card and waiting to replace it would be the easiest thing to do. I mean, maybe some people have multiple jackets, but the whole reason I spent so much time looking and researching for this jacket was that I wanted one with a purpose. I am very disappointed, and yes, maybe its MB USA, not the other MB.

    #1936868
    Brett Peugh
    BPL Member

    @bpeugh

    Locale: Midwest

    In addition to what Eric said, for head and hand wear I buy from OR. My rain suit is REI eVent. My wind jacket is from EB. My pants are REI Sahara. Socks are Darn Tough and Bass Pro Shop Redheads. Fleece layers are Patagonia. If I really wanted to I could warranty my Ex Officio boxers back to REI but I would feel really bad about that. It took me awhile to get there but I switched over to high quality items that are a bit more durable and where I don't have to worry about if they fail because I know I can easily get them replaced through great warranty programs.

    Unfortunately my down jackets are from Montbell. I am just holding on to them until I can try to sell them but that has been difficult. I would probably buy EB or Marmot to replace them.

    I would probably switch my glove liners over to cheap fleece ones when the OR ones wear out. I really have not found any shirts either that both do not smell after a few days and are going to last a few years also.

    #1936900
    Sumi Wada
    Spectator

    @detroittigerfan

    Locale: Ann Arbor

    >> I really do think – like my experiences with OR or REI – that MontBell sending me a jacket, putting a hold on my card and waiting to replace it would be the easiest thing to do.

    OK… did you tell MontBell this, clearly tell them what you wanted? Sometimes people are disappointed when they call customer service with a problem and don't get the "offer" they were hoping for. Most companies, in my experience, would rather have you tell them what you want — it's the surest way to a satisfied customer.

    #1936907
    John RB
    BPL Member

    @biggyshorty

    Yes, I clearly told them this, I offered this, they said it wasn't possible.

    The tear is on the inside area, where the shock cord tightens for the waist. Its definitely a defect, not some kind of fragile issue.

    #1937159
    Arapiles .
    BPL Member

    @arapiles

    Locale: Melbourne

    ….. By way of example, when I was in Japan earlier this year I bought a Mont Bell softshell. When I got back to Australia I realised that for some reason the cuffs did not have elastic in them. My wife emailed Mont Bell and they responded a day or so later that we could return the top, or since we were now back in Oz, we could have it fixed locally and they'd pay for it. I had it repaired by Remote Repairs (who do most of the warranty work in Australia) and they paid for it.

    #1937208
    EndoftheTrail
    BPL Member

    @ben2world-2

    Don't get too hung up on "4 weeks". Sellers — including MontBell — often quote 'ridiculously long' turnaround time to cover themselves. Chances are good (although not guaranteed) you will receive your jacket much sooner. Report back.

    As for reasonableness… I think it is quite unreasonable to expect MontBell to offer immediate exchanges — sight unseen — to anyone who calls in about a tear.

    #1937562
    Max Dilthey
    Spectator

    @mdilthey

    Locale: MaxTheCyclist.com

    The usefulness of immediate turn-around is why I sacrifice some selection to use Zappos.com. They ship out replacements with next-day shipping before asking you to send back the ripped item.

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