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Chicken Feathers
11-22-2012, 13:29
I was section hiking the AT this summer (2012) started with a new pair of Montrails had got 250 miles up trail and they started coming apart at the seams in the toes. Called customer no service and told them that I had 250 miles on shoes and that they were coming apart. Was told they were under warranty and al I needed to do was go to any outfitter that sold Montrail and they would replace them. I told her that I was hiking the AT and did not have a car. I asked her if they could mail me a pair of replacement shoes. Was informed again that was not their policy. So I called the biggest outfitter EMS and they informed me that they only replaced shoe that were bought there I told him all he had to do was call Montrail and they would authorize replacement was told they did not have time. Either she lied to me or she told me what she had been told I prefer to think that she told me what her boss told her and he lied. So you have been warned for your own peace of mind don't buy Montrail shoes. There are good companies out there that care about the hiker. Montrail policy is that they just want your money and don't care if your shoes tear up when you are miles from a outfitter My outfitter where I bought them was only about 1200 miles away. All I can say now is you have been warned.

SassyWindsor
11-22-2012, 13:41
You need to speak Chinese :D

Lyle
11-22-2012, 13:44
Many years ago, had a similar experience with Kelty packs. We were told we needed to sent the packs to them, they would repair or replace and return them. Informed them we were in the midst of a long hike, so could not go without the packs. Customer service said that was the only option. Hung up with them.

It was suggested we call back, and this time ask for the PR department. We did, got new packs sent to us, returned the old, they were repaired and sent back to us.

It's all in who you talk to, and who has the authority to bend rules.

Sly
11-22-2012, 14:17
You could have bought another pair and returned them when you got home.

MuddyWaters
11-22-2012, 14:27
I wouldnt expect anyone to send me a new pair of shoes, no questions asked, no proof of defective product presented.

I would be absolutely elated if they did, but I would never expect it.

Some people will superglue the toe seams of new shoes for additional longevity.

johnnybgood
11-22-2012, 15:39
I wouldnt expect anyone to send me a new pair of shoes, no questions asked, no proof of defective product presented.

I would be absolutely elated if they did, but I would never expect it.
.

You say that you wouldn't expect them to send you a new pair of shoes. Why not ? They were obviously defective.

I had a pair of Keen Targhees that had the seams come apart after 15 months of normal use . Having bought these shoes at REI my first thought could have been to simply return them with no questions asked. I thought instead that Keen needed to know that their seam stitching was poor on this particular brand of shoe.
After sending an email with photo attachments they promptly responded back wanting to know what size ,what model,what color shoe I wanted them to ship to me and thanked me for pointing out the poorly stiched seam on theif Targhee II shoes.

End result was they kept a loyal customer and the loyal customer in turn spreads the word of super customer support from their company.

SassyWindsor
11-22-2012, 21:30
Get use to the low quality gear made in China, Vietnam, etc. Maybe the US companies having this stuff made overseas is trying to figure out just what to do. If you buy this junk be prepared to have a backup plan. It only cost a few bucks more to go first class and there is a lot of first class gear still being made.

MuddyWaters
11-22-2012, 21:46
You say that you wouldn't expect them to send you a new pair of shoes. Why not ? They were obviously defective.

I had a pair of Keen Targhees that had the seams come apart after 15 months of normal use . Having bought these shoes at REI my first thought could have been to simply return them with no questions asked. I thought instead that Keen needed to know that their seam stitching was poor on this particular brand of shoe.
After sending an email with photo attachments they promptly responded back wanting to know what size ,what model,what color shoe I wanted them to ship to me and thanked me for pointing out the poorly stiched seam on theif Targhee II shoes.

End result was they kept a loyal customer and the loyal customer in turn spreads the word of super customer support from their company.


You missed an important part.
You supplied proof. Proof that you owned them, and proof that they were defective. Believe it or not, there are people out there that would take advantage of companies that dont ask for this.

They usually want to see the defective item. Sometimes they want proof you were the original purchaser for some items, as warranties are often only extended to the original purchaser. I cannot fault someone for following normal policies.

A photo may suffice, or most commonly return item to mfg for their inspection.

Not just a phone call saying "my shoes are falling apart, but Im busy hiking right now, can you send me new ones?".

Don H
11-22-2012, 22:57
I wouldnt expect anyone to send me a new pair of shoes, no questions asked, no proof of defective product presented.

I would be absolutely elated if they did, but I would never expect it.

Steri Pen sent me a new one with no exchange to Hanover, NH during my thru last year. Great service!

Northern Lights
11-23-2012, 00:21
My Katadyn water filter broke, I called Katadyn. They said they would send me a new part. Never heard back from them. Called again. Was told to call the Canadian counterpart. Recieved the part in a few days.

Bought an Osprey Hydraform water reservoir from REI. Two days into my 3 week section hike. It was leaking all over my stuff. (someone here warned me about it, but I didn't listen:() In Gatlinburg I went to buy a new one at the NOC, I told the sales person what happened and that I needed a new bladder and he asked me to wait for him, off he went to the back came back with a brand new platypus for free. That was customer service!
I dumped the Osprey so REI would not refund or replace.

Dogwood
11-23-2012, 02:37
Montrail no customer service.

I disagree Chicken feathers. You did get customer service just not the desired outcome you desired. This is not intended as an endorsement of Montrail shoes, which I sometimes admittedly use, but think about what you were asking. Take a moment to consider the situation, based upon the information you posted, from a company's persepctive. You were asking Montrail or a Montrail dealer to automatically send you a new pair of Montrail shoes without proving when, where, or how much you paid for them that were, according to your opinion, defective and still under warranty sight unseen. Montrail's policy regarding your claim is in line with other company's similiar policies given your situation, whether they be a gear manufacturer or manufacturer or carrier of other products.

I had an issue with a pair of defective and under warranty Vasque boots I purchased through Campmoor for an AT thru-hike. I used them for 1 1/2 months before all the forefoot stitching disintegrated by unraveling through no known fault of my own. Campmoor agreed to replace the boots at no cost to me, but the store also had my receipt for them on record so they could verify that I did indeed buy them there within the time period I indicated and how much I paid for them. When I bought them I also bought $900 worth of other gear that was on the same receipt which proved to them I was also a loyal customer making higher dollar value purchases. Leverage! When I spoke to the Customer Service Manager he also informed me a few other customers had similiar stitching failure issues in the same model boot in the same place; this further substantiated my defective claim. My point is, as Muddy Waters also correctly indicated, is that you as the customer should be ready to substantiate your defective gear claim or else it could, and most likely would, open the door to unscrupulous people making fraulent claims. If all companies fulfilled your request based on the info and situation indicated how long do you think some of these companies would be in business? Furthermore, and this really blew me away at the time, while I was staying at the church in Vernon NJ doing a "zero" while on my AT thru-hike, the Head Customer Service Manager at Campmoor, who lived near Vernon hand delivered my replacement Vasque boots, after first examining my old defective boots, and also determining that indeed my claim was justified! That's customer service!

I've been using Keen Targhees for about four yrs now for some hikes in some terrain. I really like them in that they fit my type of feet, which is something I can have difficulty with. Just wish they could lighten them up a bit, but that's a different story. I've seen them go through several versions and have a few issues that Keen has done an EXCELLENT job of addressing and remedying! One of the issues was, just as Johnnybgood also experienced, was the poor stitching and/or poor sewing materials used, resulting in popped seams especially in the forefoot area where the upper and rand are joined and around the tongue. I had this problem with Targhees I bought also at an REI not on a credit/debit card or under my REI membership and I had lost my recepit so they couldn't substantiate when, where, or how much I paid for them or if they were under warranty. BUT what did substantiate my claim is that my defective stitching issue was more widespread than me making one isolated defective stitching issue claim. I believe Steripen had something similiar occur. I also physically brought the shoes into an REI with little to no signs of extensive wear other the the stitching problems, cajoled, and reasoned with an REI Rep a bit, and REI, which also has an EXCELLENT customer service history gave me a new pair. Later, after discussing this with a Keen Rep he admitted to me there was some past stitching issues They remedied the issue with a new type of thread and sewing procedures and authorized Keen dealers to replace defective older version Targhees with new non-defective ones. That's more reputable, reliable, and honest customer service issued by Keen and why to this day I still endorse Keen Targhees and Voyagers.

I could relate similiar experiences with Backcountry, Cascade Designs(TherrmaRest NeoAir), GoLite, Marmot, McNetts, MontBell, Platypus(I trhink it's now owned by Cascade Designs), and RAB.

k2basecamp
11-23-2012, 11:38
You're basically wearing a pair of sneakers beefed up and sold as mountain running shoes. 250 miles is about right for a pair of sneakers on the trail. On the road or non everyday trail use maybe 300 - 500.

If you dont want something thats gonna come apart invest in a pair of quality boots. But expect to replace them too at some point.





Montrail no customer service.

I disagree Chicken feathers. You did get customer service just not the desired outcome you desired. This is not intended as an endorsement of Montrail shoes, which I sometimes admittedly use, but think about what you were asking. Take a moment to consider the situation, based upon the information you posted, from a company's persepctive. You were asking Montrail or a Montrail dealer to automatically send you a new pair of Montrail shoes without proving when, where, or how much you paid for them that were, according to your opinion, defective and still under warranty sight unseen. Montrail's policy regarding your claim is in line with other company's similiar policies given your situation, whether they be a gear manufacturer or manufacturer or carrier of other products.

I had an issue with a pair of defective and under warranty Vasque boots I purchased through Campmoor for an AT thru-hike. I used them for 1 1/2 months before all the forefoot stitching disintegrated by unraveling through no known fault of my own. Campmoor agreed to replace the boots at no cost to me, but the store also had my receipt for them on record so they could verify that I did indeed buy them there within the time period I indicated and how much I paid for them. When I bought them I also bought $900 worth of other gear that was on the same receipt which proved to them I was also a loyal customer making higher dollar value purchases. Leverage! When I spoke to the Customer Service Manager he also informed me a few other customers had similiar stitching failure issues in the same model boot in the same place; this further substantiated my defective claim. My point is, as Muddy Waters also correctly indicated, is that you as the customer should be ready to substantiate your defective gear claim or else it could, and most likely would, open the door to unscrupulous people making fraulent claims. If all companies fulfilled your request based on the info and situation indicated how long do you think some of these companies would be in business? Furthermore, and this really blew me away at the time, while I was staying at the church in Vernon NJ doing a "zero" while on my AT thru-hike, the Head Customer Service Manager at Campmoor, who lived near Vernon hand delivered my replacement Vasque boots, after first examining my old defective boots, and also determining that indeed my claim was justified! That's customer service!

I've been using Keen Targhees for about four yrs now for some hikes in some terrain. I really like them in that they fit my type of feet, which is something I can have difficulty with. Just wish they could lighten them up a bit, but that's a different story. I've seen them go through several versions and have a few issues that Keen has done an EXCELLENT job of addressing and remedying! One of the issues was, just as Johnnybgood also experienced, was the poor stitching and/or poor sewing materials used, resulting in popped seams especially in the forefoot area where the upper and rand are joined and around the tongue. I had this problem with Targhees I bought also at an REI not on a credit/debit card or under my REI membership and I had lost my recepit so they couldn't substantiate when, where, or how much I paid for them or if they were under warranty. BUT what did substantiate my claim is that my defective stitching issue was more widespread than me making one isolated defective stitching issue claim. I believe Steripen had something similiar occur. I also physically brought the shoes into an REI with little to no signs of extensive wear other the the stitching problems, cajoled, and reasoned with an REI Rep a bit, and REI, which also has an EXCELLENT customer service history gave me a new pair. Later, after discussing this with a Keen Rep he admitted to me there was some past stitching issues They remedied the issue with a new type of thread and sewing procedures and authorized Keen dealers to replace defective older version Targhees with new non-defective ones. That's more reputable, reliable, and honest customer service issued by Keen and why to this day I still endorse Keen Targhees and Voyagers.

I could relate similiar experiences with Backcountry, Cascade Designs(TherrmaRest NeoAir), GoLite, Marmot, McNetts, MontBell, Platypus(I trhink it's now owned by Cascade Designs), and RAB.

trapper
11-24-2012, 07:17
Solomon has great service...each shoe has a serial number. if your not happy with the shoe/boot give them the # on the boot and a new pair Will arrive in two days no questions asked. great company

Don H
11-24-2012, 15:21
k2, many people get 500 miles out of a good pair of trail runners.

There are gear companies that will go to great lengths to help with problems if you tell them you're thru-hiking.

Razor
11-24-2012, 17:03
Chicken Feathers , why didn't you call the outfit you bought them from and handle it with them?

Chicken Feathers
11-24-2012, 22:16
they wanted me to mail them back and they would send me new ones.would you hike barefooted not me no more Montrail for me

Chicken Feathers
11-24-2012, 22:18
Merrile will do the same. I am sold

Chicken Feathers
11-24-2012, 22:27
You could have but I would not

johnnybgood
11-24-2012, 22:45
Where were you in regards to a town with hiker services ? Also--no family members to courier shoes to you at a road crossing ?

Razor
11-25-2012, 19:40
I would think twice about the store --not Montrails.