Asolo boots fell apart after 300 miles, can't find contact info for Asolo

[Little Frog]

I'm having a frustrating time trying to get some help with my boots. I bought a rather expensive pair of full leather Asolo hiking boots a few years ago and have put only about 300 miles of section-hiking on them. Last fall on a 50-mile hike, the soles became detached from the boots halfway thru the hike. Duct tape and some shoe-goo got me home, but it was disappointing to have the boots fail like that after what I spent on them. There is still plenty of tread on them and several fellow hikers who looked at them said that it must be a manufacturer's defect for them to fail after only a few hundred miles and that Asolo should replace them free of charge.

Here is what the boots look like now: http://www.littlefrog.150m.com/asoloboots.html

I went to Asolo's web site at http://www.asolo.com but there is no toll-free number or even a customer service email address listed under the "contacts" link.

Does anyone know how to get ahold of Asolo without me having to make an expensive long-distance call to them? Also, does anyone have experience with their customer service?

[Stoker53]

Suggest you contact the retailer wehre you purchased the boots. They may be able to take care of this for you or at a minimum provide a name/number for Asolo or their Asolo sales rep.

[MOWGLI]

I'm having a frustrating time trying to get some help with my boots. I bought a rather expensive pair of full leather Asolo hiking boots a few years ago and have put only about 300 miles of section-hiking on them. Last fall on a 50-mile hike, the soles became detached from the boots halfway thru the hike.

Were you drying the boots around a camp fire?

[Little Frog]

Were you drying the boots around a camp fire?
Thanks, but no, I know better than to do that. I keep my boots away from campfires and wood stoves.

[MOWGLI]

Thanks, but no, I know better than to do that. I keep my boots away from campfires and wood stoves.

Just checking. A lot of folks don't know better. You see piles of boots around a fire ring all the time at shelters. Especially after a good soaker.

["ME & U"]

ya man! I can help. Go to your local EMS. 100% satisfaction garantee no questions asked!

[JoeHiker]

Just for laughs, try calling collect. You never know, they might accept the charges.

[Little Frog]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

Today I took the boots back to the retailer where I bought them. After hearing the details and examining the boots, the manager agreed that Asolo should replace them or refund the money. He got on the phone to Asolo for me right away. I was pleased, and looking forward to a good resolution to the problem. As the manager made the call, I browsed the new boot section and saw that Asolo has a new lightweight boot out, and kinda excitedly checked it out. I decided I was willing to give their boots another try if I could get a replacement of their new models.

But..the result of the call was disappointing. The store manager put me on the phone eventually. The Asolo customer service rep toed a hard line, quoting "policy" She insisted that since the boots were over a year old that "warranty didn't apply". I said I understood that, but since the boots failed due to a pretty obvious manufacturer's defect and that I only got 300 miles out a pair of boots that cost well over $200, maybe there was something they could do. Nope. No go.

The only option Asolo would do was allow me to purchase their new model at wholesale price, which basically just knocked 50 bucks off the price of their new model. And I could not just purchase them at the store I was at, I had to first pay to ship the old boots to them, then they'd sell and ship the new ones to me. I said that by the time I paid to ship my boots halfway across the country, paid for the new ones, and waited for shipping, I could buy a pair of their competitor's boots online at retail price for less $$ and have them arrrive by this weekend. The rep was polite but all business, didn't seem to care at all that they could lose a customer over this. Hard line all the way.

I realize that a brand-new pair of top-of-the-line (are Asolo's really that good anyway?) boots at wholesale price might be a good deal in another circumstance. But in this case I strongly feel that Asolo should have replaced the boots free of charge. They didn't "wear out", they failed.

Researching other manufacturer's boots now. Won't buy Asolo again.

[weary]

I started the trail with five-year-old Dexters -- mostly because an acquaintence said his pair had lasted two thru hikes.

The penalty was a few extra ounces.

Overall, I sense a good trade off. YMMV.

Weary

[ed bell]

Don't ever give up when dealing with a gear company. Try to contact multiple people until someone lends a sympathetic ear. They usually rely on the fact that 80% plus of the gear they sell will not be tested to the max. If you have an obvious early failure, accept nothing less than your own satisfaction. $200 boots need to act like $200 dollar boots. Delamination of the soles before NOTICEABLE tread wear is unacceptable, even if the boots exceed 1 year old. Remember that gear manufacturers NEVER want experienced, knowledgeable hikers to trash talk them out in the field. Keep on their ass.:D

[TakeABreak]

Try this contact for ASOLO #603-448-8827-105, I got that number from the online Companion @ www.aldha.com (http://www.aldha.com) , in the index of the companion. They have phone numbers there for most of the major gear manufacturer's.

[Stoker53]

Don't ever give up when dealing with a gear company. Try to contact multiple people until someone lends a sympathetic ear. They usually rely on the fact that 80% plus of the gear they sell will not be tested to the max. If you have an obvious early failure, accept nothing less than your own satisfaction. $200 boots need to act like $200 dollar boots. Delamination of the soles before NOTICEABLE tread wear is unacceptable, even if the boots exceed 1 year old. Remember that gear manufacturers NEVER want experienced, knowledgeable hikers to trash talk them out in the field. Keep on their ass.:D
Excellent point Ed !! The "all business" cust service person is NOT THE FINAL authority at Asolo. Keep escalating until you reach a person with the ability to do what is right....for you and Asolo.

[TakeABreak]

I have written more than one letter to a CEO, in my life time. I always start it out as much it bothers me to have a write such a letter, then I tell how much I liked their product and everything, but here is my situation and that I need their immediate assistance in helping me with the matter. Tell how hard it is to contact them, who you talked to when and what was said. Also include in there you have discussed with long disatnce hikers and they agree that the treatment you are getting is wrong.

Be cordial, polite, detailed but keeping the wording to a minimum, include in the end that you and are awaiting the response (this way you put the ball in thier court) also at the end of the letter, state that you friends want to know what they have to correct problem.

remember be direct, polite, professional, give them info of where & when you tried to resolve the issue, but to no avail. Like I said at the top, I have done this many times and you will be surprised how fast a good company and CEO, react, you probably will not get to talk to the CEO, but you get the attention of a lot of people i n the comapny, and if they care about the problem and reputation they will resolve it.

I have gotten many, many freebee's over the years, after getting the point to where no one listen and wrote the CEO, try it and let us know what they say.

[Little Frog]

Thanks everyone. I am working on a letter to Asolo right now, though I still don't have an email address to send it to.:-? I wonder why they don't provide a toll free number or email address on their website? That's very odd.

In the meantime while I am writing the letter and searching for an email address, can anyone recommend some other large well-read forums where I can post about this as well? I am still hoping Asolo will do the right thing, but either way they play it I think the hiker community might like to know what Asolo's customer service is like when a hiker really needs some help from them.

What other large forums are there other than whiteblaze.net?

[Little Frog]

http://www.littlefrog.150m.com/asoloboots.html

(the stuff that looks like dirt stuck to them is just bits of shoe goo and duct tape that I used to repair them on the Trail).

[dougmeredith]

Thanks everyone. I am working on a letter to Asolo right now, though I still don't have an email address to send it to.
You might want to consider sending it by traditional mail. It is much easier to ignore an e-mail message. Also since they know that you went to more effort than sending an e-mail, they may give it more weight.

Doug

[Mags]

You might want to consider sending it by traditional mail. It is much easier to ignore an e-mail message. Also since they know that you went to more effort than sending an e-mail, they may give it more weight.

Doug


Yeo, old fashion snail mail is more effective than an e-mail. E-mail is easy to ignore. A letter , esp. in this day of near instant communication, really stands out.

(Which is also why internet petitions and e-mails seldom work for talking to govt officials. But that's another story).

If it was me, I'd type out a letter, sign it and send it on its way. (Maybe by certified mail?). Do a follow up call.

It is totally unacceptable for $200 boots to laminate after 300 miles. Looking at your pics, it is oviously a defect.

Good luck!

[The Solemates]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

Today I took the boots back to the retailer where I bought them. After hearing the details and examining the boots, the manager agreed that Asolo should replace them or refund the money. He got on the phone to Asolo for me right away. I was pleased, and looking forward to a good resolution to the problem. As the manager made the call, I browsed the new boot section and saw that Asolo has a new lightweight boot out, and kinda excitedly checked it out. I decided I was willing to give their boots another try if I could get a replacement of their new models.

But..the result of the call was disappointing. The store manager put me on the phone eventually. The Asolo customer service rep toed a hard line, quoting "policy" She insisted that since the boots were over a year old that "warranty didn't apply". I said I understood that, but since the boots failed due to a pretty obvious manufacturer's defect and that I only got 300 miles out a pair of boots that cost well over $200, maybe there was something they could do. Nope. No go.

The only option Asolo would do was allow me to purchase their new model at wholesale price, which basically just knocked 50 bucks off the price of their new model. And I could not just purchase them at the store I was at, I had to first pay to ship the old boots to them, then they'd sell and ship the new ones to me. I said that by the time I paid to ship my boots halfway across the country, paid for the new ones, and waited for shipping, I could buy a pair of their competitor's boots online at retail price for less $$ and have them arrrive by this weekend. The rep was polite but all business, didn't seem to care at all that they could lose a customer over this. Hard line all the way.

I realize that a brand-new pair of top-of-the-line (are Asolo's really that good anyway?) boots at wholesale price might be a good deal in another circumstance. But in this case I strongly feel that Asolo should have replaced the boots free of charge. They didn't "wear out", they failed.

Researching other manufacturer's boots now. Won't buy Asolo again.

I had the same type of thing happen to me on my thru with a pair of Garmont lightweight boots. I think they busted after 3 weeks. I talked to 3 different sales reps about it. Now, I refuse to EVER buy ANYTHING from Garmont again as long as I live. Period.

However, I also had the same thing happen to a pair of Montrail's after about 3 weeks as well. Montrail handled it nicely, and I continue to support them.

[Skyline]

Mags & others are right--be persistent. You never know...

Other sites you could post to:

www.trailforums.com
www.backpacker.com (trail talk)

I had a similar issue with Lowa boots once. Obvious mfrs. defect, past the year-long warranty period. My local outfitter got Lowa to agree to a full replacement. I'm generally satisfied with Lowa (now on my 4th pair in 6 years, at least 1,200 mi./yr.) and was thrilled with how they handled my problem.

[Little Frog]

I finally obtained an email address for Asolo and wrote to them. The only positive thing I can say about their response is that it was prompt. Here is their reply:

>I understand your concern with the boots but please remember that Asolo
>has a one year warranty from the date of purchase. 300 miles is a great
>deal to put on boots, I am not sure of any pair on the market that will
>take that much of a beating on a trail especially the AT. What sort of
>mileage were you seeking to get out of them? You have had these boots
>for 3 years so I am not sure what you expect? This is general wear and
>tear on boots. I too am a hiker and have spent lots of money on boots
>but will not expect companies to replace a boot after 3 years of use.
>Christi's offer of a wholesale price on a new pair is very generous, you
>would be saving 50% off retail. So I am not sure where you are getting
>only $50 off a new pair? Again I am sorry about the boots and it looks
>like you have already made up your mind about what to do next.

Am I reading this right? Are they really saying that having the soles come off is "general wear and tear" after only 300 miles on the AT???

Is Asolo actually claiming that having your boots look like this: http://www.littlefrog.150m.com/asoloboots.html (http://www.littlefrog.150m.com/asoloboot5.jpg) is to be expected after only a few years and/or a few hundred miles???

[The Solemates]

300 miles is a great
>deal to put on boots, I am not sure of any pair on the market that will
>take that much of a beating on a trail especially the AT. What sort of
>mileage were you seeking to get out of them? You have had these boots
>for 3 years so I am not sure what you expect? This is general wear and
>tear on boots. I too am a hiker and have spent lots of money on boots
>but will not expect companies to replace a boot after 3 years of use.

Absolutely ridiculous. I wouldnt ever buy another pair of Asolo if it was me. Im a one-chance kinda person when it comes to customer satisfaction. 300 miles is not very far at all. i would expect midweight boots such as yours to last at the very least 1000 miles. I have a pair of leather merrells that are of similar construction and they have over 3000 miles on them and still going strong. the only hiking the sales rep does is probably 5 mile day hikes on saturdays. screw em.

ALSO: its not the fact that they have 3 yrs of use that matters...its that they only have 300 miles on them. you can put 300 miles on them in 2 weeks on a thru hike.

[Mags]

ALSO: its not the fact that they have 3 yrs of use that matters...its that they only have 300 miles on them. you can put 300 miles on them in 2 weeks on a thru hike.


This story should be posted on rec.backcountry, PCT-L, AT-L, CDT, trailforums, etc..etc.

300 miles is nothing. Even if you "only" did ten miles a day that is a mere 30 days of using boots!

Cripe. I get at least 600 miles out of a pair of $50 sneakers.

[Little Frog]

Absolutely ridiculous. I wouldnt ever buy another pair of Asolo if it was me. Im a one-chance kinda person when it comes to customer satisfaction. 300 miles is not very far at all. i would expect midweight boots such as yours to last at the very least 1000 miles. I have a pair of leather merrells that are of similar construction and they have over 3000 miles on them and still going strong. the only hiking the sales rep does is probably 5 mile day hikes on saturdays. screw em.

ALSO: its not the fact that they have 3 yrs of use that matters...its that they only have 300 miles on them. you can put 300 miles on them in 2 weeks on a thru hike. I know, I am just stunned at their reply.

Two hundred dollar full-leather boots aren't supposed to last 300 miles?? Geez, at that rate with the AT being over 2000 miles long, you'd go through SEVEN pairs of Asolos at a cost of over $1400 on the Trail if what this gear rep is claiming about their boots is true...

[TickPicker]

I finally obtained an email address for Asolo and wrote to them. The only positive thing I can say about their response is that it was prompt. Here is their reply:

>I understand your concern with the boots but please remember that Asolo
>has a one year warranty from the date of purchase. 300 miles is a great
>deal to put on boots, I am not sure of any pair on the market that will
>take that much of a beating on a trail especially the AT. What sort of
>mileage were you seeking to get out of them? You have had these boots
>for 3 years so I am not sure what you expect? This is general wear and
>tear on boots. I too am a hiker and have spent lots of money on boots
>but will not expect companies to replace a boot after 3 years of use.
>Christi's offer of a wholesale price on a new pair is very generous, you
>would be saving 50% off retail. So I am not sure where you are getting
>only $50 off a new pair? Again I am sorry about the boots and it looks
>like you have already made up your mind about what to do next.

Am I reading this right? Are they really saying that having the soles come off is "general wear and tear" after only 300 miles on the AT???

Is Asolo actually saying that having your boots look like this: http://www.littlefrog.150m.com/asoloboot5.jpg is to be expected after only a few years and/or a few hundred miles???
I'm not sure who your email was sent to but you should really ask for the name of the CEO or President of ASOLO. Apparently anyone less than that is only trying to save thier company money, not customers.

Steve
The land of the Dimpled Chad

[Little Frog]

I'm not sure who your email was sent to but you should really ask for the name of the CEO or President of ASOLO. Apparently anyone less than that is only trying to save thier company money, not customers.

Steve
The land of the Dimpled Chad Asolo doesn't list a toll free customer service number on their website, but I got one from the retail store I bought the boots from. It's 877-888-8533, BTW. I called the number and after wading through an automated answering system for a while, finally got ahold of a live person. I asked him what the email address for Asolo customer service was and he supplied it. That was the address I wrote to.

Something tells me it may be very difficult to get the name and contact info for the CEO...if anyone could help me find that info, that would be great.

[MOWGLI]

I know, I am just stunned at their reply.

Two hundred dollar full-leather boots aren't supposed to last 300 miles?? Geez, at that rate with the AT being over 2000 miles long, you'd go through SEVEN pairs of Asolos at a cost of over $1400 on the Trail if what this gear rep is claiming about their boots is true...

With all due respect to everyone elses opinions, I'm going to disagree a bit. If you actually owned the boots for 3 years and got 300 miles out of them, 50% off of retail is not an unreasonable offer by Asolo. Yeah, that line about 300 miles being alot, and there is no other boot out there,... is pretty lame.

If you bought a car and crashed it 3 years later, your insurance company is going to depreciate your vehicle. Similarly, if you have a car with a 3 year of 36K mile warranty, and after 3 years and 12K you have a malfunction, you're still stuck. You did get some use out of the boots.

In my time on the trail, I have seen an entitlement mentality with many hikers - especially thru-hikers. I'm not saying that's what you're all about Little Frog. But there is a mentality out there sometimes that say "I'm a thru-hiker - therefore I shouldn't have to pay for a replacement water filter or backpack, or boots, or whatever." Anyone who has spent any time on the trail knows what I'm talking about.

Yeah, 300 miles is not alot of mileage on a pair of full grain leather boots. You did own 'em for 3 years though. Did you never wear them off the trail?
I hope you end up getting a deal you're satisfiied with. The offer by Asolo is not unreasonable IMO. If you want an ironclad return policy moving forward, I would suggest you consider shopping at REI, EMS or LL Bean. Those stores will refund your money - no questions asked. LL Bean refunded me 110% for a jungle hammock after 4 years - no questions asked. That's right - 110%.

Just for giggles, why don't you post a photo or two of the boots in the gallery - including the wear on the sole. You go me curious about this.

[TakeABreak]

Call either the number I provided yesterday or the 877 number above, when you get someone on the line ask the CEO's and address, be nice but insist on getting the phone mailing address or fax number for the CEO. I have had to that a few times, sometime you have to let the person you talk to transfer you around a little bit, when they want to know say something to the affect that, I do not wish to discuss this anymore please just give what I have asked, always ask for the persons full name you are talking to, they will be extra nice & helpfull now that they know that you are contacting the ceo. and if anyone give you a hard time include what they said and wheni n your letter.

[MedicineMan]

Its too bad that Asolo didnt do their research to see how many thousands of hikers/backpackers visit Whiteblaze.net
This incident may escalate into a huge snowball that could really affect their sales in a detrimental way. Because of the pic you posted I would have to steer clear of their boots, and pass the word to any looking.

[dougmeredith]

I hate to point this out, but if the boots only had a one year warranty, I don't think you have anything to complain about. Certainly you would expect the boots to last more than 300 miles, but that is what the warranty exists for. It covers defects during a certain period of time. You found a defect after that time period.

If a car has a three year warranty, and you only put 500 miles on it five years and then the engine fails, what do you expect Ford will do? The reality is that they MIGHT still do something, but it will be their choice not your right.

I don't really find their wholesale offer to be unreasonable. But if you keep pushing you may well do better. Good luck.

Doug

[icemanat95]

I finally obtained an email address for Asolo and wrote to them. The only positive thing I can say about their response is that it was prompt. Here is their reply:

>I understand your concern with the boots but please remember that Asolo
>has a one year warranty from the date of purchase. 300 miles is a great
>deal to put on boots, I am not sure of any pair on the market that will
>take that much of a beating on a trail especially the AT. What sort of
>mileage were you seeking to get out of them? You have had these boots
>for 3 years so I am not sure what you expect? This is general wear and
>tear on boots. I too am a hiker and have spent lots of money on boots
>but will not expect companies to replace a boot after 3 years of use.
>Christi's offer of a wholesale price on a new pair is very generous, you
>would be saving 50% off retail. So I am not sure where you are getting
>only $50 off a new pair? Again I am sorry about the boots and it looks
>like you have already made up your mind about what to do next.

Am I reading this right? Are they really saying that having the soles come off is "general wear and tear" after only 300 miles on the AT???

Is Asolo actually saying that having your boots look like this: http://www.littlefrog.150m.com/asoloboot5.jpg is to be expected after only a few years and/or a few hundred miles???


Horsepucky!!!!

This letter would ENFURIATE me. Escalate that one right up to the top of the effing food chain and threaten to publish that letter to Backpacker Magazine, Climbing Magazine, Outdoors and EVERY other outdoor magazine that Asolo advertises in. 300 miles is a drop in the bucket for a good hiking boot. Limmers will go thousands. My Montrails went an average of 800 miles per pair of serious abuse and massive salt degradation (my feet sweat something awful).

Any company who'se customer service organization would come out and tell a consumer that they don't expect their boots to last 300 miles (the equivalent of about 7-10 weekend backpacking trips) is out of its frigging mind. They SHOULD be advertising and supporting their boots for a lifetime of service, not just a few normal weeks of backpacking.

DEMAND to speak to the next level up on the phone and send a registered letter to the General Manager, Asolo-USA, 190 HANOVER STR.
LEBANON, NH 03766-1020. Addressing this way with a registered letter ensures that the correspondence actually gets to the office of the head person. There the executive secretary of the General Manager will probably open and read the letter and pass it along. Having the actual name of the general manager or VP in charge of the facility would be ideal if it can be gotten. Be polite in the letter and explain the problem, as well as the utterly unresponsive treatment you have received from the normal customer service channels. Include copies of the photos as well as a copy of the e-mail sent.

Make it known that you have asked around several large online forums, about whether this sort of thing was common with Asolo boots because you couldn't imagine that a company as well regarded as Asolo would produce boots that did this regularly. I recommend the AMC's forum, because Asolo's USA HQ is in Lebanon, NH and there's a decent chance that they keep track of the AMC forum. Let them know that you did not find any anecdotes describing similar failures of Asolo boots, and that you are certain that this was a one-time issue, but that you do not feel that you should have to pay for such an obvious one-time manufacturing defect.

Chances are the moron who sent that email will be looking for a job within a half hour of the executive reading your letter. The comment about asking around the net will let Asolo know that you are tied into an extensive net of consumers and thus capable of doing them some PR damage before they can slap a court order on you.

Contact the gear editors at the magazines above and discuss the issue with them as well. They might be able to exert some pressure for you as well. Don't do it as an open letter, do it in a private letter...at first. This gives them the opportunity to help you without threatening an advertising relationship with bad publicity.

Let us know your progress, or lack thereof. This sort of stuff is really unacceptable.

[hiker5]

Sounds more analagous to the wheels falling of a car a few years out of warranty.

[icemanat95]

Yes the 1 year warranty is legally iron clad and they do not have to do anything for you, but 300 miles is ridiculous.

Asolo-USA is a operating subsidiary in the US of an Italian company. You aren't going to talk to the CEO of Asolo. What you can do is talk to the General Manager of Asolo USA. He's probably a VP level executive. Getting his name is difficult, but registered mail is good for accessing these folks. Address the piece to the GM and it'll at least reach his (or her) office.

BTW, giving you the wholesale price on a replacement pair of boots is no hardship for Asolo, that's the price they get anyhow. If that's the best they can offer you, then buy from someone else. The only person that plan hurts is the retailer you would have bought a replacement pair from. They don't get their profit. A fair solution would be a discount off of their wholesale price. If they sell the boot at 25% off wholesale, they will STILL make a profit and you'd go away happy. 50% off wholesale would be a fair act of contrition as they would lose money on the deal.

They are losing anyhow at this point, because they are ensuring a loss of sales due to bad PR.

[Little Frog]

Horsepucky!!!!

This letter would ENFURIATE me. Escalate that one right up to the top of the effing food chain and threaten to publish that letter to Backpacker Magazine, Climbing Magazine, Outdoors and EVERY other outdoor magazine that Asolo advertises in.

Let us know your progress, or lack thereof. This sort of stuff is really unacceptable. Iceman, would you recommend responding back to the employee who emailed me yesterday, or to just go right over his head without comment and let upper management know about the boneheaded email he sent?

I wonder how the General Manager of Asolo-USA is going to feel when he finds out that the hiker community has been told by one of their own employees that Asolo boots should not be expected to last more than a few weeks on the Trail?

[Granger]

Ok, it took some digging but here is what I found.

General Manager Bruce Franks
ASOLO USA INC.
190 HANOVER STR.
LEBANON NH (NH) - United States

Sources:

http://www.sportinggoodsbusiness.com/sportinggoodsbusiness/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000526500

1/2 of the way down the page.

I got his title from:

http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2004/01/19/local_news/1.txt

This is a report of an event that they sponsored.

Personally I would send a certified letter to him detailing the situation. Worse case is you wasted 5 minutes of your time.

Good luck,
Granger

[Mags]

Yes the 1 year warranty is legally iron clad and they do not have to do anything for you, but 300 miles is ridiculous.



That statement sums up the whole situation in a nutshell.

Doug and Mowgli are correct: On a legal level Asolo is in the right.

However, on an ethical level I think they are doing the wrong thing. The car anology is not quite correct. The wheels falling off the car anaology is correct.

Ford and other companies will recall and repair cars that have a factory defect, regardless if the car is past its warranty or not. I had an 89 Ford that was recalled to fix a minor exhaust problem well after its warranty exprired. The Ford dealership fixed it WITH NO COST TO ME.

The Asolos have an obvious defect. Asolo should do the right thing and fix the defect. Again, 300 miles on a $200 pair of boots is pathetic. Look at the pictures! It is not wear and tear..it is the boot falling apart. I would never buy a pair of boots and expect to last the equivalent of 10 weekend outings.

[hiker5]

I was going to bring up the recall aspect of the analogy when I refered to wheels falling off, but thought better of it. The auto companies wouldn't recall the vehicle unless it seemed to be a consistent problem, or they could resonably expect that it would occur enough times that it would be more expensive to pay the legal settlements than to fix the actual problem.

Is there a history or trend of Asolo footwear ( or this model specifically) having similar problems?

That said, I still think Asolo _should_ still take care of what was clearly a manufacture defect, but as others have said they are not obligated.

[SGT Rock]

Moral of the story, don't buy Asolo. Their waranty is more designed to protect them than to service the customer. With all the boot makers out there, there is no reason to get yourself stuck. Sure they have a right not to provide you new boots, and you also have a right to google for every place that sells them and see if the on-line catologue has a customer review section which has become very popular. Plus places like Whiteblaze, The Lightweight Backpacker, and probably many others have places for reder reviews. Tell it like it is. I would hate to think I better put over 300 miles on a boot before a year runs out just to see if I need to get them to honor a waranty.

BTW, I have more miles than that on a pair of Nike running shoes.

Ohh, and I also own some Asolo boots. I only put about 150 trail miles on them when the threads started to give in a couple of places. But I just super glued the threads and there was never an issue again. I now don'e wear them because they are way too heavy for my use.

Good luck.

[Little Frog]

Its too bad that Asolo didnt do their research to see how many thousands of hikers/backpackers visit Whiteblaze.net
Actually, they didn't even have to do any research. I told the customer service guy in my email that the defective boots and Asolo's customer service response was being discussed on several online AT hiker's forums. Yet he still toed the hard line, refused to replace the defective boots, and made the statement about boots not being expected to last 300 miles.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Moral of the story, don't buy Asolo. Their waranty is more designed to protect them than to service the customer. With all the boot makers out there, there is no reason to get yourself stuck. Sure they have a right not to provide you new boots, and you also have a right to google for every place that sells them and see if the on-line catologue has a customer review section which has become very popular. Plus places like Whiteblaze, The Lightweight Backpacker, and probably many others have places for reder reviews. Tell it like it is. I would hate to think I better put over 300 miles on a boot before a year runs out just to see if I need to get them to honor a waranty.

BTW, I have more miles than that on a pair of Nike running shoes.

Ohh, and I also own some Asolo boots. I only put about 150 trail miles on them when the threads started to give in a couple of places. But I just super glued the threads and there was never an issue again. I now don'e wear them because they are way too heavy for my use.

Good luck.
:clap Bravo Sarge! I absolutely agree, and add that if they gave me boots for life I wouldn't wear them after treatment like that. I'd go out of my way to tell everyone who would listen just why ASOLO boots suck. 1 burning equals 1 learning in my book.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

I'm having a frustrating time trying to get some help with my boots. I bought a rather expensive pair of full leather Asolo hiking boots a few years ago and have put only about 300 miles of section-hiking on them. Last fall on a 50-mile hike, the soles became detached from the boots halfway thru the hike. Duct tape and some shoe-goo got me home, but it was disappointing to have the boots fail like that after what I spent on them. There is still plenty of tread on them and several fellow hikers who looked at them said that it must be a manufacturer's defect for them to fail after only a few hundred miles and that Asolo should replace them free of charge.


Not to be a jackass, but carrying shoe-goo along hints that you knew these things were dead/dying before the 50 miler. As the story unfolds in subsequent posts I agree that asolo should have been more supportive but frankly those were some sorry looking boots that didn't show any signs of reasonable preparation or care. Full leather boots need some initial prep and periodic TLC to last.

[FatMan]

Since the horse is out of the barn, if you want results try emailing the horse to the company. Send them a link to this thread and it will get someone's attention real fast. As an Executive Manager, I can tell you this kind of public discussion will drive them crazy.

[Little Frog]

Not to be a jackass, but carrying shoe-goo along hints that you knew these things were dead/dying before the 50 miler.
Nah. Actually what I used was a tiny tube of Seam Grip that I always carry in my little repair kit. The stuff rocks. Just did a quick google, here is more info on it:
http://www.backpacker.com/article/1,2646,3910,00.html

[Bolivershagnasty]

How about we "HERE" at "white blazes" do our own petition and send to them. I am looking currently for a new pair of boots and was planing on getting Aslo's. Had them picked out and everything. Guess I'm going to reconcider sense I live in upstate SC and hike the AT and their boots can't be expected to last more than 300 mi of At. What was the e mail addy for them and we can all send them letters about your issue. Hmmmm.

[SGT Rock]

Well, sending them letters probably won't change their minds, but I still think the owner review idea is a very good one on a lot of levels. They probably have someone that monitors google alerts for the name Asolo, so they will see it popping up everywhere, other people may want to know what the service will be like before they buy and it might just make them move on to something else like Vasque, and it will at least make you feel like you are doing something.

[icemanat95]

Iceman, would you recommend responding back to the employee who emailed me yesterday, or to just go right over his head without comment and let upper management know about the boneheaded email he sent?

I wonder how the General Manager of Asolo-USA is going to feel when he finds out that the hiker community has been told by one of their own employees that Asolo boots should not be expected to last more than a few weeks on the Trail?


Don't waste any more of your time on him or her. Go right to the top of the heap.

[ga>me>ak]

FWIW
I had a pair of Merrel's that had less than your 300 miles, granted they were 4-5 yrs old.But, I kept them up and well maintained. Hiking north out of NOC last yr, the right shoe sole fell apart just like yours. Used d-tape and some titanium wire i always carry to repair it. Decided we better not head to Fontana and went south. The next day, the other boot also fell apart in the same manner. I hiked the last 2 miles down the Bartram barefoot.
Glad to see your post on Asolo as I, too, am in the market for some new boots. Thanks for the info.

[Granger]

Just to restate what has already been said a lot. Send a letter to Bruce Franks General Manager of Asolo USA. He is where the buck stops when it comes to Asolo in the US. Another option is to mail the CEO directly, but I am not sure how your italian is. :)

[Mags]

Just to restate what has already been said a lot. Send a letter to Bruce Franks General Manager of Asolo USA. He is where the buck stops when it comes to Asolo in the US. Another option is to mail the CEO directly, but I am not sure how your italian is. :) Just tell him : "Votro scarpe? Pezzi di merde!
"Persona di vendite? Un cazzone cafone!"

Might not be the most polite Italian, but it will get his/her attention. Alas, the Italian I am most fluent with is mainly impolite words, and dialect words at that.

[Little Frog]

This afternoon I obtained the email address for a supervisor in the customer service department at Asolo-USA and sent him the following letter:

***********
This is my third attempt to get some help from Asolo regarding replacement of my defective hiking boots. You can read all the details at the links below, but in a nutshell, the situation is that I paid quite a bit of money for the boots, wore them on a series of section hikes totaling about 300 miles over the course of a 3 hiking seasons, but the boots have fallen apart. Here is what the boots look like now: http://www.littlefrog.150m.com/asoloboots.html

After an unsatisfactory initial telephone encounter with Asolo's customer service, I visited several large online hiker's forums, including backpacker.com, describing my experience and asking for advice. Many hikers suggested emailing Asolo, which I did. I sent a letter to (employee's name/email deleted for this forum post) on Wednesday, May 18th, describing the problem and mentioning that I was sharing my Asolo customer service experience with fellow hikers on the internet. Again, I requested that the defective boots be replaced. (He) replied back with the following response:

"I understand your concern with the boots but please
remember that Asolo has a one year warranty from the date
of purchase. 300 miles is a great deal to put on boots, I
am not sure of any pair on the market that will take that
much of a beating on a trail especially the AT. What sort
of mileage were you seeking to get out of them? You have
had these boots for 3 years so I am not sure what you
expect? This is general wear and tear on boots. I too am
a hiker and have spent lots of money on boots but will not
expect companies to replace a boot after 3 years of use.
Christi's offer of a wholesale price on a new pair is very
generous, you would be saving 50% off retail. So I am not
sure where you are getting only $50 off a new pair?
Again I am sorry about the boots and it looks like you
have already made up your mind about what to do next."

As you can read for yourself if you visit the forums, the hiker community is stunned that, according to a written statement by their own rep, Asolo feels their boots won't last more than 300 miles and/or 3 years. Typical hiker responses to the refusal to replace obviously defective boots were that Asolo's handling of the situation was "absolutely ridiculous", "a disgrace", "lame", "infuriating", "unacceptable", "300 miles on a $200 pair of boots is pathetic", "I will certainly not buy a boot from a manufacturer that assumes 300 miles is a good life span". Other comments are "warranty, smorranty....if a pair of boots falls apart like that, the company should replace them....period", "no boots should blow the entire bottom off in that little of time", "Look at the pictures! It is not wear and tear..it is the boot falling apart".

Here are the links to where this is currently being discussed by the hiker community:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8909
http://forums.backpacker.com/thread.jspa?threadID=63099&tstart=0

I don't really have a lot more time to spend on this issue, and please don't write back quoting warranty and "policy". Regardless of any "policy', the bottom line is that Asolo should do the right thing here. If you listen to what the hiker community is saying, the right thing is to replace the defective boots. I am hoping that's what I hear back from you.

Looking forward to your response and a good resolution to this issue.

************

[TakeABreak]

Little Frog,

first good letter, especially about include the weblink and telling them you d o not have time to bother with them no more. I for one can tell you and anyone else reading this message, chance are I will not not ever buy a pair of Asolo's now.

Second when I am at an REI or similar store druelling over gear and other people hear me discussing pro & cons about and hear that I am 2,000 miler they often seek my advice and I for will surely let them know what you have been through with Asolo.

If they do not want to own to their mistakes, let's all hurt them where it counts and boycott them. Maybe then they begin to make a quality once again, but for me it will be too late, because once I hear about they treat one person in this kind of manner, they are on my black list forever.

[Mags]

If they do not want to own to their mistakes, let's all hurt them where it counts and boycott them. Maybe then they begin to make a quality once again, but for me it will be too late, because once I hear about they treat one person in this kind of manner, they are on my black list forever. I had good luck w/ a pair of Asolo 535s when I did the AT, but I would never suggest them now. The soles of my boots fell apart after 1200 miles or so. THAT is acceptable (and the uppers were still good)....300 miles? I think not. I was able to get 800 miles out of a a pair of Nike sneakers!

[TickPicker]

Well written letter Little Frog. I almost bought a pair of ASOLO's recently. They didn't have my size. I'm glad now. They were 160.00. I hope it works for you.


TickPicker
from the land of the dimpled chad

[Little Frog]

This story should be posted on rec.backcountry, PCT-L, AT-L, CDT, trailforums, etc..etc.

300 miles is nothing. Even if you "only" did ten miles a day that is a mere 30 days of using boots!
Thanks, Mags,

Anyone know anything about thruhikers.com? Just found the site but it appears to be under construction or something.

[gorpytoes]

Im shopping for boots for my pct thru next year does this mean ill need 8 pairs of thse aslos to go the 2600 miles or do u think maybe i could squeek by with 7? do they come in bulk?

[nickpvb]

I'm curious why they did not offer to resole the boots. Isn't a resoled boot equal or better than the original? It should be cheaper than replacing them too.

Mark

[Little Frog]

I'm curious why they did not offer to resole the boots. Isn't a resoled boot equal or better than the original? It should be cheaper than replacing them too.

Mark
No idea. My impression from first talking to them on the phone, then by email, is that Asolo just has zero interest in helping me with the defective boots. Even the "offer" to allow me to purchase a new pair at wholesale plus tax and shipping was made rather reluctantly. The only detail the customer service person on the phone was interested in was if it had been "more than a year since the date of purchase". After that, the conversation was basically her just politely but stubbornly repeating the same phrase over and over..."like I said, we have a one-year warranty", etc etc.

[Little Frog]

Oh my word, I'm still in shock. I just can't believe how cool this is. A hiker who works for Eastern Mountain Sports emailed me and said that THEY would step up and replace my boots absolutely free even though I didn't even buy them there! This gives EMS a chance to really show the hiker community how awesome their commitment to customer service and satisfaction is. Wow, just...wow! Thank you Eastern Mountain Sports, you guys ROCK!! :) :) :)

[msthiker]

I had a pair of 520 gortex Asolos and they got me over 1200 miles. That was just section hiking. I loved the boots and still use them day hiking. I am really disappointed in Asolo for their lack of support. I would have thought better of them than that considering what the boots cost. Bad publicity will cost them plenty in the long run. Poor customer relations isn't a very good buisness practice.

[Meadow Creek]

Little Frog, that's fantastic that EMS stepped up--absolutely phenomenal customer service. I'll definitely be throwing a few dollars their way because of that. I'm curious to know if you ever got a response from that last letter? Did anyone at Asolo try to make it right?

[BigToe]

Wow - your story resonates with me! I had almost the exact same experience with a pair of Asolos with a different outcome.

I bought a pair of Asolo boots (not sure which model) in April 2003. That year I section hiked in Shenandoah. Between conditioning and the actual hike I had put on about 200 miles. In 2004 I practice hiked another ~80 miles getting ready to do the Vermont section. Mid-July I started the the VT section. Don't know if anyone was there but it rained buckets every day! The second day on the trail, the boots seperated just like yours. No warning, no indication that they had a problem - the soles just separated from the boots. I duct taped every day, tried the shoe goop at the first trail town (useless), and cursed non-stop about Asolo. My feet were continually soaked and became a mess. The folks I talked to on the trail were surprised that these Asolos fell apart as many of them had good experiences with Asolo.

I felt the same way as you - never again would I buy Asolo. When I got back, I called Asolo customer service at 603-448-8827, and followed up with snail mail. Ultimately, they sent a new pair of TPS 520 GTX which appeared to be a much different design than the ones I had. I was going to sell them on eBay but decided to give them a try. They feel OK although there is one consistent hot spot that develops on my heel.

I'm guessing that my experience with customer service was different because my problem developed just over a year after purchase. However, any boot that can't last past 300 miles is pretty worthless in my estimation.

Would I buy Asolo again? Probably not! :datz

[Happy Feet]

EMS ROCKS! They helped us on our thru-hike even though we didn't buy those piece-of-crap trekking poles from them (oh sorry, I'm okay now). They are all about customer service. Too bad there aren't any EMS stores in the southeast.

I've used Asolo boots for years, and wore a lightweight pair that started out with 300 miles of wear on my thru-hike. They lasted until Stratton, ME where I had another pair sent to me. I'm about ready to retire them now, and have another pair waiting in the wings. They fit my feet perfectly.

I am VERY disappointed to hear about Asolo's LOUSY customer service. I'm just greatful that I haven't needed to use it. 300 miles? Come on Asolo.

Customer service is almost non-existant these days. It's so refreshing to see that it's not TOTALLY a thing of the past - thank you EMS!

[Pencil Pusher]

***? The dude hiked in the boots for over a year and (by his count) 300 miles. The warranty had expired, the boots were used. Quit freeloading and just don't buy their boots already...whoopee. Pointing anyone's attention to this or the other threads for this 'issue' will only make them realize what a fanatic you are. Go to epinions.com to leave a choice review for this product.

[Little Frog]

As a final and happy note, EMS sure enough sent me a brand new pair of awesome boots and I am back hitting the Trail again. I can't thank them enough, I still can't get over their cheerful generosity and way-cool attitude toward customer service and helping the hiker community. As a further thank-you to EMS, I also ordered a new pack from them and plan to make all future major gear purchases there.

Thank you EMS, you guys are awesome! :clap

Little Frog

[irritable_badger]

I have a pair of Asolo 520's that I have worn for two years. The pair before that lasted about two years as well. They last about 1,000 miles on the trail (not the AT, just any trail) and about 1,000 miles around town; 2000 miles per pair isn't anything to complain about. My first pair failed (a bunch of the stitching on the upper failed), within the warranty period, and they sent me another pair 2nd day air (to the outfitter) and didn't even ask for the broken pair back. Customer service was fantastic.

After reading the responses to the letter from Asolo I am a bit surprised; one of the posts mentioned an "entitlement mentality" and it seems largely correct. Limited Warranties are exactly that, limited. If it is a one (1) year warranty, it is unreasonable to expect them to make an exception for a customer. If you have ever been involved in retail (or wholesale for that matter) you know that every customer wants to be treated as an "exception" they all have reasons and they all think they are being 100% reasonable in expecting a company to alter their policies "just for them". A company cannot stay in business with dynamic policies, they have to create their policies and stick to them; if they treat everyone the same, they treat everyone fairly. While some people do fall through the cracks, sticking to their guns is the right thing to do. It helps, far more than giving away free boots, but not because of financial reasons, but for policy adherence; when they say something they mean it. As the years go by having a customer base that knows that the company can be expected to back up their stated promises 100% it is worth more than pleasing one customer.

That being said, the customer service rep who replied to your original email should be sacked. They have obviously never used the product they are representing, which is sort of to be expected in the outdoor equipment business (after all how many members of this site are willing to sit in a call center all day and talk all day about the products they love instead of using them; some but not many is my bet) Their response to you was terrible, but they did not do anything wrong. The outfitter that replaced your boots did exactly what they intended to do, which in the long run is better for Asolo as well. You will now buy products from EMS based on this experience. In turn (so sayeth standard retail operating procedures) your friends and those in your "circle of influence" will visit the retailer and eventually it will result in more sales for Asolo, not fewer; EMS salespeople will insure that. Any manufacturer that is going to be around in the future to honor their stated promises depends on future sales, not past sales.

Not to make too much of a rant here but there is a saying in retail that says "If someone talks about your product, put them on your payroll. It doesn't matter what they say as long as they talk". This thread is an excellent example of that. When the class of 2007, 8, 9, etc... reads this thread this they will see such an abundance of opposing points of view that they will most likely disregard any comments about product quality and rely on the input of their salesperson at the outfitter. Point is, if you really, really want to effect the sales of a manufacturer, keep negative comments between you and the manufacturer. Once they become public and especially open for public comment, you are actually helping the manufacturer in the long run. Salespeople (retail and manufacturers reps) are well trained at turning an issue like this thread into something positive, (i.e. another sale). That is their job and they are good at it. Tell your friends and let traditional "word of mouth" handle negative issues for you instead. In the long run it will be far more effective than a public venue. If you feel that you must state a negative quality issue make it from a "gear review" standpoint, keep it very non-emotional and it will have far greater impact. I know that sounds insane but that's sales for you.

[norub]

Salespeople (retail and manufacturers reps) are well trained at turning an issue like this thread into something positive, (i.e. another sale).

Wow, why are you in such awe of salespeople? This thread has been viewed over 2000 times by hikers, many of whom are very experienced backpackers. I highly doubt any of them are rushing out to buy Asolos after viewing this discussion.

If you feel that helpless to resist sales pitches, I'd suggest taking a more experienced hiker friend along on any gear-purchase trips to get the rest of your stuff for your upcoming thru-hike attempt.

[irritable_badger]

I can't stand salespeople; I just hire them and benefit from their particular talents. However, 2000 viewers is a drop in the bucket to any international manufacturer. Using traditional retail figures, out of 2000 customers "informed" by a public venue, such as this, less than 1/10th of those will leverage this knowledge in a future purchase. So assume a best case of 200 of the people who have viewed this thread will remember it and use it when shopping for their next set of boots. A good salesperson will just have answer their questions and alleviate their concerns, and sell a large percentage of them some Asolo boots (conversion ratio is the term, and "informed" customers are often the easiest targets as they give the salesperson something to use in their dialogue, play dumb with salespeople don't give them ammo). I'm not in awe, it's just what they do.

Case in point. I guarantee that more that 2000 people a day complain about the customer service and product quality of the manufacturer of the PC you wrote your response on. When you went to purchase your computer, why didn't you resist the sales pitch, why didn't you take along an experienced technology professional? Because you knew pretty much what you wanted and how much money you had to spend. A salesperson helped you make a decision based on these and other facts, not emotions, or "Internet knowledge", and you bought the PC. It will be exactly the same scenario with future boot buyers.

Other than the entitlement bit, this post was not meant to be a rip on anyone. I was simply pointing out some of the things that makes retail go around; trying to inform people how to really get to a manufacturer. Silence is golden in retail, all the ranting and raving done about product quality often helps the manufacturer, not harm them. I can't help the way the system works but I can help people work the system. It's what I'm paid to do. (Not on whiteblaze of course, but professionally)

[irritable_badger]

Can't stand salespeople may have been a bit strong. I know many salespeople that honestly have the customers best interests in mind.

[norub]

So assume a best case of 200 of the people who have viewed this thread will remember it and use it when shopping for their next set of boots. A good salesperson will just have answer their questions and alleviate their concerns, and sell a large percentage of them some Asolo boots

Horsepucky. All I can surmise is that you haven't spent much time with AT thru-hikers if this is your opinion of their intelligence and gear-savvy. Hikers who have read this thread and formed a negative opinion about Asolo are not going to march into a store and start arguing the merits of Asolos with the clerks. They simply won't consider the Asolos in the first place. Their gaze will slip past those boots on the rack as they view the other manufacturer's offerings.

Your assertion that "a large percentage" of them will be talked into buying Asolos is patently absurd. Again, spend some time with hikers before you post such a low view of their cognitive skills.

[irritable_badger]

Your post identifies you as a statistically "targeted" consumer. Not knowing you I can only make assumptions but I bet you like to consider yourself a "hard sell". Once again I will tell you that this attitude is what good salespeople thrive on. Just as hiking is your passion, selling is theirs, and they take great pride in converting the "informed" customer.

Once again I point out that you are using a PC that has millions of complaints aimed at the manufacturer; why did you buy it? What merits, or lack thereof did you cite during the purchase phase of your PC?

What about your car? Millions of complaints against all major auto manufacturers. Why are you driving anything if it's all junk? You purchased a car based on your own personal knowledge, desires, budget, and the salesperson. Are one of the few (less that 7%) of people who purchased the first car they looked at, maybe, but probably not. Why not, why didn't you purchase the first car you test drove? At some point in the process either marketing material or a salesperson (arguably amounting to the same thing) gave you more data than you had before and it swayed your final decision.

You can argue all day long if it makes you feel better about yourself but you will stil be wrong. If you honestly believe that you understand retail, or sales in general, better than the people who do it everyday and run companies in an environment that has existed for hundreds of years you are deluding yourself, and that's OK too; "hike your own hike".

Not sure why you think I have a low view of hikers as I am one myself and hope to be an AT thru-hiker by years end. I am also willing to accept the fact that retail, and the methods used therein, are fairly well proven and arguing against the fact is not very efficient. Almost everyone in America, and most of the rest of the world, is subject to the facts of retail; it's why we all have jobs.

[irritable_badger]

Your post identifies you as a very "targeted" consumer. Not knowing you I can only make assumptions but I bet you like to consider yourself a "hard sell". Once again I will tell you that this attitude is what good salespeople thrive on. Just as hiking is your passion, selling is theirs, and they take great pride in converting the "informed" customer.

Once again I point out that you are using a PC that has millions of complaints aimed at the manufacturer; why did you buy it? What merits, or lack thereof did you cite during the purchase phase of your PC?

What about your car? Millions of complaints against all major auto manufacturers. Why are you driving anything if it's all junk? You purchased a car based on your own personal knowledge, desires, budget, and the salesperson. Are one of the few (less that 7%) of people who purchased the first car they looked at, maybe, but probably not. Why not, why didn't you purchase the first car you test drove? At some point in the process either marketing material or a salesperson (arguably amounting to the same thing) gave you more data than you had before and it swayed your final decision.

Just for clarfication, are you attempting to say that you have never purchased a product about which you had heard something negative?

You can argue all day long if it makes you feel better but you will stil be wrong. If you honestly believe that you understand retail, or sales in general, better than the people who do it everyday and successfully run companies in an environment that has existed for hundreds of years you are deluding yourself, and that's OK too; "hike your own hike".

Not sure why you think I have a low view of hikers as I am one myself and will be an AT thru-hiker by years end. I am willing to accept the fact that retail, and the methods used therein, are fairly well proven and arguing against the fact is not very efficient. Almost everyone in America, and most of the rest of the world, is subject to the facts of sales; it's why we all have jobs.

[Crash]

I hate the pair I have. they really hurt my feet. there isn't padding on the inside of the tongue! that really hurts the high instep. I will not recommend them to anyone.:mad:

[norub]

badger, dude, you resurrected a thread from like a year ago, then wasted an entire afternoon posting and pontificating a bunch of condescending bullcrap about some retail sales-whatever theories. Guess what dude, no one cares what kind of car or computer you got, here's some advice...get out of your cube and go hiking!

[irritable_badger]

You wasted the afternoon man but it's your time not mine. I really didn't expect anyone to comment, as the thread is a year old, but I thought they might read it and gain a bit of knowledge; you were the one who chose to disagree with my statements. I simply replied to a post about an issue which was being handled in a way which really does not further the intended cause. I was trying to help out the hiking community with a bit of advice about how retail and manufacturing works.

I was questioning what kind of car/PC you have, to help elucidate my point about how sales works. I never mentioned what type of things I own. Are you actually reading my posts or are you just looking to get people fired up?

While I sit here on my porch overlooking the Hiwassee river that I work and hike around almost everyday (no cubes man) it makes me feel better to know that people like you exist to prove me right and help me make money.

Thanks.

[The Solemates]

. Their gaze will slip past those boots on the rack as they view the other manufacturer's offerings.



that is exactly what i do, and have done since personally seeing how much GARMONT'S customer services SUCK and discussing it in a similar thread like this with others. but maybe im an exception to the "conversion ratio."

[Little Frog]

it makes me feel better to know that people like you exist to prove me right and help me make money.

If this is the attitude you're taking on the Trail with you, you're in for a very lonely hike, Badger.

[norub]

it makes me feel better to know that people like you exist to prove me right and help me make money.

Thanks.

Why do you need to put others down to make yourself "feel better"?

[irritable_badger]

Not sure I understand what the problem is? I made no personal attacks. It is a simple and valid statement (see my posts above) that customers who walk into a store with the "hard sell" attitude often walk out with exactly what they did not intend to buy. If that makes you angry I'm sorry but it is statistically proven that the "informed customer" attitude makes the customer a target. Of course there are exceptions to these standards, but this discussion, and my posts, concern customers at the manufacturer level. At that level a few customers don't really matter. Of course the manufacturer would like to have them but they are willing to accept they can't have every customer.

I was not "putting others down" however, I was, and still am, grateful that people with the "hard sell, informed customer" attitude exist as they are a great asset to the retail industry, my clients, and me. If anyone feels that I was putting them down I truly apologize as that was not my intent.