Marmot: delamination, warranty, arghh

[Kate Magill]

Thought this story worth sharing… I'm not out to smear Marmot, but this really was one of the worst returns experiences I've had!

I drooled over the Marmot Crystalline (women's version of the Mica) for months and finally picked one up in September 2012. At first I was in love with the light weight and low bulk. And then, after two months, the inner layer started peeling away from the outer layer, causing some serious seepage. This is not a pleasant surprise when hiking through an all-day downpour in November!

Now, I'm used to WPB shells delaminating…after a few years of use! For a jacket to survive only two months (and go through only two legitimate rainstorms) is pretty disappointing. What's just as disappointing is Marmot's Warranty Department. I created an RMA and sent the jacket back on November 19th; they acknowledged their receipt of the garment on the 30th. And then…silence. I gave them the benefit of the doubt before contacting them, since it was the holidays and perhaps they were extra busy? I waited til December 17th to write them asking the status of my return. (Marmot's website does not provide a phone # for their warranty dept.) And again…silence.

I waited another couple of weeks and decided to try calling their customer service dept and asking them to put me through to the warranty dept. They forwarded my call and then I waited on hold for about half an hour before giving up. Mind you, I had already replaced the jacket with a different shell, so I was not in a huge hurry to receive my new one, and I didn't really feel like being aggressive, but I did want to clear up the exchange and move on.

FINALLY, on January 29th I received a message from a warranty rep telling me that someone would look at my jacket soon, and that it would probably be eligible for replacement. Yay! On February 5th, I received a notice that my jacket had been evaluated and I should call the warranty dept directly to request a replacement. The first time I tried to call, I again found myself on hold for a good 30+ minutes before giving up. The next time, a week or two later, I got lucky and my call was picked up right away. I mentioned the long wait and the rep on the other end mentioned something unclear about Marmot not processing warranty claims during certain months of the year. (My mother, who herself works in Returns, said that was probably some BS.)

I received Crystalline #2 without a hitch (unless you consider 3+ months of waiting a hitch), but between the product's lack of durability and the company's lack of service, I doubt I'll be buying more Marmot anytime soon. BTW, their Warrant Department is hiring: http://marmot.com/careers

[Colin Krusor]

I have read similar accounts of Marmot's customer service, so, when my Mica delaminated, I didn't bother attempting a return. Mine, like yours, began delaminating within a few months of purchase. It was the last time that I'll invest in a 2-layer or "2.5 layer" shell, and the last time I'll purchase from Marmot.

[Max Dilthey]

My super mica delaminated, then the seam tape came off, then the seam along the shoulders tore from shoulder to shoulder. Never again. Marmot has lost a customer. I would maybe consider a fleece or softshell, but I'd need a compelling reason to do so and with what I own now, I don't anticipate that within the next 5 years.

I now have a Patagonia jacket that is holding up much better. FWIW, I got my Marmot replaced through a third party warranty, Zappos.com. I never even tried calling them.

[Mike Stromsoe]

Same story with my Mica, although I first noticed the delamination and seam tape failure at about 12 months. Even if it's a 2.5 layer jacket, it should last more than one season, in my opinion. I threw it out after 15 months after I read here that Marmont doesn't replace or fix jackets after delamination. That's why I'm a happy owner of a new OR Helium II. I've read nothing but good things about OR's customer support and dedication to happy customers.

[james]

Sorry to hear about your experiences with Marmot. Funnily enough I sent in a jacket right around the same time as you last year. I had a 4 year old Marmot Aegis on which some of the glue holding the collar together had started to delaminate. I had taken good care of it, but to be fair, it had seen a LOT of use.

I decided to contact Marmot to see about getting it repaired (My parents hammered in the whole mend and make do mentality when I was a kid lol). I sent it in late November and by the 20th I also had not heard anything. After the new year I got a similar message saying t would be resolved soon. Then 4 or 5 days later (late jan) a brand new jacket arrived in the post. Anyways I was pleasantly surprised at this. I was also told that my old jacket would have been recycled which is good.

Anyways I think that while the turnaround might be a bit slow I don't think it's any slower than other manufacturers. It is likely that they don't prioritise warranty claims in any way, they simply deal with them as they come in so the severity of the problem and annoyance of the customer is not taken into account. As a result a new, defective jacket will be looked at in the same time frame as a 3 year worn out one.

Their service could certainly have been faster, but I now know for sure that I can rely on them honouring their product guarantee even after several years use.

[Anonymous]

A two month wait would have peed me off big time, and i'm a pretty patient person, but it's nice they sent you a new jacket.

[James holden]

which is why i buy from REI/MEC …

or manufacturers known for a decently quick turnaround and no questions asked warranty … like EB/OR/etc …

you KNOW yr covered regardless

[Troy Hawkins]

I haven't had any issues with Marmot's warranty, they've replaced two jackets without question. As noted though, it just took a long time. It took me about 4 months to get the last jacket back, and I think that's only because I contacted them asking what was going on with my jacket.

I have several jackets, so it wasn't really a pressing issue, but I can imagine it's rather frustrating for someone that relies on that piece of gear. I've share the same gear fixation that most people here have, so I've got back ups of back ups of back ups when it comes to jackets.

[Kate Magill]

Yeah, service and turnaround time should definitely be a factor, especially when choosing gear for an extended trip. I see a lot of people on the trail carrying Precips, etc (and often complaining about them); I wouldn't recommend bringing Marmot gear to someone who's going to be in the woods for many consecutive months, because it sounds like they are consistently inconsistent.

I should mention that my previous jacket was from OR and when it started delaminating after 3+ years they honoured their lifetime guarantee and I had a brand new jacket in about two weeks (which I then consigned in order to fund my Marmot purchase–oops.)

Now I'm shopping around and testing a variety of eVent and NeoShell jackets; sometimes I think the weight penalty is worth paying for durability and field performance. Especially since almost all of my hiking/outdoor time is in New England, Atlantic Canada, and the Pacific Northwest, there are plenty of times when my rain gear sees daily use. If I were in the desert southwest I might feel differently, but I'm reluctantly learning that maybe it's better not to be too stingy (ounce-wise and dollar-wise) with my shell choices. But I'm sure in the future I'll buy another stupid-light rainshell and regret it (I have not-so-fond memories of a Sierra Designs Isotope I stubbornly used for a whole season about five years ago…)

[Author]

Posts