Do you think this warranty policy is fair?

Hi all, 

I hope this is the appropriate forum,

I'd like to ask your opinion about a very large clothing/equipment brand's return/warranty policy.

I bought a pair of approach shoes in February, basically used them just for approaches and lately both shoes developed a small tear in a non-friction/contact zone.

I contacted the support service from the company with pics and descriptions and they told me to send the shoes to their repair facility in Switzerland (I live in Italy).

the shipping to the facility will cost me at least 26eur.

I contacted them asking if, upon assessing and determining that this failure is covered under their warranty, they will reimburse me the shipment and they said that no, they will only pay for the return shipping.

Basically this means that if you buy something from this company and it turns out to be defective then you need to pay some more in order to have a working piece of equipment.

It doesn't seems fair to me at all but maybe I'm missing something?

I mean I understand I should pay for shipping if the item has been mistreated by me or if it is a normal wear and tear issue but they said no, even in case it is deemed defective I have to pay to ship it to the facility.

Thanks

UPDATE:

After some back and forth emails Arc’teryx sent me a new pair of shoes at no cost without having me send my old ones back.

good move Arc, now you have a loyal customer

Seems like they would stand behind their product but,

the important thing is, what does the warranty say? It's what's in writing that counts.

Can you copy and paste the warranty into a post? The written warranty may address shipping costs.

Which company is it?

It's pretty much a given that sending an item back for repair / refund will cost something.  You're in the unpleasant situation of being in a different country than the manufacturer.

From their point of view, if they provide repair or replacement, returning the item to you under their cost, they're underwriting half of the shipping to and fro.

For comparison's sake, Scarpa offers the following policy (in English, presumably in the US):

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS

presently, we do not offer a flat rate shipping option for international orders. we are happy to provide shipping quotes on a case-by-case basis. please contact us at web@thinkscarpa.com for further information.

As for your manufacturer:

Although you're taking on a cost, they are also.  So, either return the item to the manufacturer and deal with that, or go back to the store where you bought the item, and see if they will take it as a return.

SMarsh wrote:

It's pretty much a given that sending an item back for repair / refund will cost something.  You're in the unpleasant situation of being in a different country than the manufacturer.

From their point of view, if they provide repair or replacement, returning the item to you under their cost, they're underwriting half of the shipping to and fro.

For comparison's sake, Scarpa offers the following policy (in English, presumably in the US):

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS

presently, we do not offer a flat rate shipping option for international orders. we are happy to provide shipping quotes on a case-by-case basis. please contact us at web@thinkscarpa.com for further information.

As for your manufacturer:

Although you're taking on a cost, they are also.  So, either return the item to the manufacturer and deal with that, or go back to the store where you bought the item, and see if they will take it as a return.

It is Arcteryx and I bought it online from their store

I think it’s fair and consistent with most companies. It’s often hard to have a full damage and warranty evaluation based only on a photo and description, so they need the item in hand. If they offered to cover shipping both ways on warranties, then likely everyone who had anything go wrong would send it in. By requiring the customer to pay one way, they help ensure that only reasonable repairs get sent in. 

To me, it's fair. Even if a manufacturer is local, I still have to pay for gas/public transportation to take the shoes to them and pick them up. In your case, do you have access to a local Arcteryx store or shop?

Its only fair if you agree its fair. If you decide its not you're free to shop from brands that pay for return shipping. Personally I hate the returns process and its a major turnoff for ecommerce. I try not to buy clothing or footwear because the return rate is close to or north of 50%. So frustrating.

Many decades ago shops would send goods back to the mfg that they represented. Today that rarely happens and one needs to send the goods in directly at their own cost. As such, it is always best to contact the mfg. via email as the OP did with pictures and details to make sure it will be be covered. Unfortunately, even by doing that there is no guarantee that those reading it will do their due diligence other than to say send it in only to have rejected for reasons that were clear in the email. I had that happen. I have also had a company ask me to pay for the return postage on a warranty item. That was not correct.

divnamite wrote:

To me, it's fair. Even if a manufacturer is local, I still have to pay for gas/public transportation to take the shoes to them and pick them up. In your case, do you have access to a local Arcteryx store or shop?

Unfortunately the closest Arc shop is about 100km away

My advice for the future:
You live in Italy! AKA the center of the world for good approach shoes
Why not buy local?
La Sportiva, Scarpa, Salewa, Tecnica comes to mind.
Arcteryx knows how to make clothes, maybe harnesses, that s about it as far as I m concerned.

Niccolo Gallio wrote:

Unfortunately the closest Arc shop is about 100km away

That sucks! Time to buy local. I love Arcteryx, but I usually buy Patagonia because they have a local shop by me.

I have not been personally impressed with the durability of Arctery’s approach shoes and had to also return a pair this spring. I paid the return shipping here in the US.

The sole of my pair of shoes had started separating at about 10 different spots. A previous pair began to tear where the toe bends and the latest pair (the warranty replacement pair) are already having sole separation issues where the toe bends.

Their shoes are great on rock and do their job well, but they will wear. Buy Shoe Goo! 

That's how it's always been for me with Arcteryx. You pay shipping to get it to them, they fix for free and ship back to you for free. As long as they keep their typically generous warranty policy, I think it's totally fair.

I’ve returned gears with manufacturing issues and always have to cover shipping. (Straight to the manufacturer) arcteryx in the US will have an RMA address in the US - (somewhere in WA I think) and they’ll be the one to reroute it to Canada for repair / replacement. 

Arc'teryx footwear is pretty much made by Salomon...

Add me to the group that has already had to return a pair of Arcteryx approach shoes after one summer hard use. Konseal FLs broke in both toecaps, AND one ripped all the way through.

Arc shoes not up to par with the rest of their line.

IMO it is reasonable to pay for the return shipping. Very cheap price for a new pair of shoes.

Fabien M wrote:

My advice for the future:
You live in Italy! AKA the center of the world for good approach shoes
Why not buy local?
La Sportiva, Scarpa, Salewa, Tecnica comes to mind.
Arcteryx knows how to make clothes, maybe harnesses, that s about it as far as I m concerned.

Scarpa and La Sportiva don't make shoes of my big size :-(

Niccolo Gallio wrote:

Scarpa and La Sportiva don't make shoes of my big size :-(

Indeed, if your feet are bigger than euro size 48, most of the time, you are out of luck :( 

Fabien M wrote:

Indeed, if your feet are bigger than euro size 48, most of the time, you are out of luck :( 

story of my life..

Update:

After some back and forth emails Arc’teryx sent me a new pair of shoes at no cost without having me send my old ones back.
good move Arc, now you have a loyal customer