North Face Warranty WWYD

[neonorchid]

I guess things there have changed since COVID. - Both times I've returned the jacket, I filled out the warranty form and the store sent the form and the jacket to their warranty department in Texas.

I don’t have any beef with TNF.

That's good, I stand corrected

 

[François Pugh]

Things change. There's a lot of that going around these days.
We can only hope that Arcteryx and Patogonia don't follow suit.

 

[Flo]

The newer model of my Brigandine (orange) seems more durable (and stiffer) than the original one (green). I think they got a lot of warranty claim for the first year of the futurelight series.

 

[coskigirl]

When you communicate with TNF in writing I would suggest you be very specific in your wording. The warranty is against "manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product." Stating something like "this is clearly a defect in the manufacturing of the material of the fabric unless TNF specifically chose to use a fabric which has a lifetime of less than 50 days. Given TNF's reputation for high quality gear that lasts, I highly doubt the designers at TNF would make that choice."

By doing this, you are giving the warranty rep a choice to admit that their design is bad (which isn't a good look for TNF) or to fix the issue.

 

[MissySki]

When you communicate with TNF in writing I would suggest you be very specific in your wording. The warranty is against "manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product." Stating something like "this is clearly a defect in the manufacturing of the material of the fabric unless TNF specifically chose to use a fabric which has a lifetime of less than 50 days. Given TNF's reputation for high quality gear that lasts, I highly doubt the designers at TNF would make that choice."

By doing this, you are giving the warranty rep a choice to admit that their design is bad (which isn't a good look for TNF) or to fix the issue.

I like it!

 

[coskigirl]

I like it!

While it's not legal advice, there are skills and techniques learned in law school that serve well in dealing with other kinds of disputes.

 

[Tony S]

there are skills and techniques learned in law school that serve well in dealing with other kinds of disputes.

One of which is to preface everything with the following:

While it's not legal advice,

 

[crgildart]

I'll say it again... A $60 jacket shouldn't fray apart like that after half a year of use...

 

[Wade]

So this finally got resolved in my favor.

The warranty department never followed up as promised, so I wrote a review on TNF website that basically said it was a nice functional jacket but had terrible durability and terrible warranty support. Someone reached out to me about a week later and said they would see what they could do. I had heard nothing from them for a week and called the warranty department back again. The lady I spoke to sounded genuinely apologetic and almost embarrassed at the lack of follow through. She offered a 50% coupon and I said I didn't want it because I'm stuck with a jacket that's falling apart and I'll still be stuck with it if I buy another one, even at 50% off. She said she'd see what she could do but had to get multiple approvals. She called back a few hours later and said she'd gotten approval to issue a gift card for the cost of a new jacket, but it was still going to take a while because finance had to approve it also! It showed up last week, so I guess some perseverance here paid off.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the gift card given I'm not super high on TNF products after that experience.

 

[lisamamot]

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the gift card given I'm not super high on TNF products after that experience.

This is how I ended-up feeling about The North Face after a meh experience with their repair process a handful of years ago.

My Summit Series down mid layer jacket developed a small slit on the stitching and was losing down; I didn't even think about it, popped into a store and had it sent off for repair. While they repaired it, they included a note making it clear this was a "courtesy repair" as it did not meet the warranty repair qualifications. Obviously I was thrilled to have my jacket back and repaired, but it left me feeling less inclined to purchase from them.

Conversely, I sent a nearly new Patagonia Nano out for repair after the puppy ate the zipper off the corner of the jacket - I told them exactly what had happened and I offered to pay for the repair...they repaired the jacket, sent it back and didn't make a peep. THAT is just one additional reason I go back to Patagonia over and over again.

 

[Analisa]

I’ve had good experiences with their duffel lines, base layers, sun protective shirts, and Thermoball line. But if you’re really over it, they also carry Smartwool and you can get yourself a lifetime supply of socks.

Still can’t believe they really thought “the way we make this right is an offer that requires him to spend even more money.” Especially when 50% off is still margin flat or margin positive for a lot of items in the apparel space.

 

[motogreg]

Unfortunate that it had to go that far. I still argue that it costs companies very little in the long run to be generous with their warrantee policies, especially when they are addressed with sugar and not vinegar. Good that it eventually got settled.

 

[Magikarp]

It's unfortunate that warranty situations are so inconsistent. As another data point, I've recently had a pair of A-Cad bibs with had a broken zipper that they repaired under warranty.

I have similar wear points on my bib pants like your jacket, although I've had mine since 2021. It's rather unfortunate as I really like the TNF design and colors. I'm undecided if I will get another pair after my current pair dies because their Future"light" freeride jackets and bibs aren't really that much lighter that the other brands.

Do you ski trees a lot per chance?

 

[bpratt]

Adding one more data point on North Face warranties. My Mountain Jacket, purchased in 1993, finally gave up the ghost. A couple of holes appeared in the sleeves where the fabric had worn thin, and holes appeared where it wore thru in a few spots. Unlike the OP's case, I wasn't too upset that this happened, as 30 years and ~750 ski days, plus other use, feels like a reasonable lifespan.
Nonetheless I took the jacket with me when I went to my local North Face store to look for a replacement, and they said I should send it in for warranty evaluation. To my surprise North Face told me they'd cover this, but the jacket itself couldn't be repaired. Instead they credited me with my original purchase price of the jacket to use towards a replacement. Prices have gone up a bit, but it made a new jacket very affordable.
All in all, I was psyched with how they covered it and now I have a brand new jacket that I hope will last another 30 years.