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
