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Kurros wrote:

yakface wrote:

Irdiumstern wrote:I find it interesting that instead of sending you a $5 part, an option that you are okay with, that they would send you to get the bag repaired professionally and reimburse you for that. Ignoring the inconvenience to you, getting the bag repaired professionally has to cost more than $5, not even counting fuel costs to you.

It's interesting how hard Battlefoam works at getting their bad press.

And this is what must be incredibly frustrating for companies dealing with customer service.

The company has a perfectly reasonable offer on record for any faults with their product. However a customer has decided that the reasonable offer isn't the most convenient thing for them and is hoping they will be able to provide him with an alternate method to complete the fix (which of course it doesn't hurt to ask).

If the company is able to accommodate the customer's request, then good on them. But just because a customer has decided that the existing reasonable repair option isn't what works best for them doesn't suddenly mean that the company is 'working' to get bad press!

The company has an existing repair offer for their bags that the purchaser tacitly agreed to upon purchasing the product. While a different repair solution may seem simpler to the customer, that's not what the company offered to you as a repair option when you purchased the product.

So for anyone to insinuate that the company is somehow dropping the ball or actively taking steps to torpedo their reputation is frankly ludicrous. All the company is doing is offering to do what they said they would do...reimburse the cost of repairing their bag, which again is a perfectly reasonable offer.

What reasonable repair offer are your referring to?

The one where the customer has to spend a total of 4 hours driving and a good 40 bucks worth of gas? I think most wouldn't consider that to be either local (as the policy states) or reasonable.

I'd consider that local if I lived in the suburbs of two large cities; when a person chooses where they live and are not living where every conceivable service is within close proximity, they must reasonably expand their definition of local to include those cities for uncommon services (like luggage repair or neurosurgery). Certainly you can bundle your luggage repair with other trips to Chicago or Milwaukee?

You being unhappy with the answer doesn't make the answer less reasonable. Frankly I'd have sent you the part and been done with it, but it is unreasonable to complain that by following their written policy a merchant is behaving unjustly (even if we both agree that there is what appears to be a simple solution).

12thRonin wrote:But blanket statements are pretty common on GW threads for all red shirts, blue/black shirts, Finecast, etc. and nothing is said about it by the mods.

You didn't since you did not offer facts but opinions. I've seen too many times that the mods leap to Romeo's defense anytime that Battlefoam is mentioned negatively. Some of the same arguments here defending Battlefoam apply equally to Finecast (driving to replace or repair it isn't a big deal), but yet the damaged party complains that they shouldn't have to do that when it comes to a equally overpriced product with high quality expectations.

Not to disrupt a perfectly good conspiracy theory, but it's really very simple. See those yellow triangles in the upper-right of each post? They invite moderators to look at a particular post. When someone hits the triangle, we look. If we think it appropriate, then we act. If no one hits the triangle, then it's quite possible no mod ever reads the post - it's a big forum.

Blanket negative generalizations about any company's employees, or legally-unsound assertions about a company's business practices are not welcome on the board, regardless of the company.

And further discussion along these lines in this thread will be treated as off-topic, and sanctioned accordingly.

Let's focus on getting Kurros' issue resolved, and not drag this off-topic.

Right now, I think Battlefoam is dropping the ball on this customer service issue, but I know they read the forums and am hoping that that will be rectified very shortly.

Let us know what you work out, KyleBattleFoam!

jwolf wrote:

Kurros wrote:

yakface wrote:

Irdiumstern wrote:I find it interesting that instead of sending you a $5 part, an option that you are okay with, that they would send you to get the bag repaired professionally and reimburse you for that. Ignoring the inconvenience to you, getting the bag repaired professionally has to cost more than $5, not even counting fuel costs to you.

It's interesting how hard Battlefoam works at getting their bad press.

And this is what must be incredibly frustrating for companies dealing with customer service.

The company has a perfectly reasonable offer on record for any faults with their product. However a customer has decided that the reasonable offer isn't the most convenient thing for them and is hoping they will be able to provide him with an alternate method to complete the fix (which of course it doesn't hurt to ask).

If the company is able to accommodate the customer's request, then good on them. But just because a customer has decided that the existing reasonable repair option isn't what works best for them doesn't suddenly mean that the company is 'working' to get bad press!

The company has an existing repair offer for their bags that the purchaser tacitly agreed to upon purchasing the product. While a different repair solution may seem simpler to the customer, that's not what the company offered to you as a repair option when you purchased the product.

So for anyone to insinuate that the company is somehow dropping the ball or actively taking steps to torpedo their reputation is frankly ludicrous. All the company is doing is offering to do what they said they would do...reimburse the cost of repairing their bag, which again is a perfectly reasonable offer.

What reasonable repair offer are your referring to?

The one where the customer has to spend a total of 4 hours driving and a good 40 bucks worth of gas? I think most wouldn't consider that to be either local (as the policy states) or reasonable.

I'd consider that local if I lived in the suburbs of two large cities; when a person chooses where they live and are not living where every conceivable service is within close proximity, they must reasonably expand their definition of local to include those cities for uncommon services (like luggage repair or neurosurgery). Certainly you can bundle your luggage repair with other trips to Chicago or Milwaukee?

You being unhappy with the answer doesn't make the answer less reasonable. Frankly I'd have sent you the part and been done with it, but it is unreasonable to complain that by following their written policy a merchant is behaving unjustly (even if we both agree that there is what appears to be a simple solution).

I think it's more than a bit of a stretch to say two trips across state lines, through a series of tolls and 4+ hours of driving is convenient/local.

I think the gripe is more that the policy itself is made so unnecessarily inconvenient that customers are going to more often than not give up. I can't say whether or not that's the intention of the "Quality Guarantee" but, it's hard to argue against that being the end result (at least in this case).

To be frank, the bag is designed to transport models. It broke during a car ride... I have two pieces of luggage that I travel with, each of which costs less than my Battlefoam bags. I've traveled all over the country with this luggage... through numerous airports and as a result, the ungentle manhands of many a bag handler without a single issue. I've had this 1520 for about a year and after two longish car rides and a dozen or so smaller ones, it's already broken. I think it's OK to voice concern about a company that doesn't have an issue with a problem like this whether it falls under every minucia of their policy or not. When people hear about a quality guarantee, it builds a certain expectation of both that company and their product.

That being said, I don't fault anyone for coming to Battlefoams defense on this. They do alot of great things for the community (like supporting this site as well as other community sites like Bartertown). As I stated in the original post, the staff at Battlefoam despite our differences have always been friendly and up until now a pleasure to work with. I do think I'm being fair in saying this was a poor experience and I do think this is something consumers should be made aware of if they are to make an informed purchase.

Personally, I don't think it's asking too much for this to be made right and the convenient solution most on here seem to agree isn't that difficult to acheive. As a long time customer, I don't appreciate being put through the ringer.

Kurros wrote:

KyleBattleFoam wrote:Here is a link to our quality guarantee: https://us.battlefoam.com/pages/Quality-Guarantee.html

Within this link you will find information regarding our warranty on bags:
“There is a 90 day guarantee on all bags found to be defective due to manufacturing defects. Bags deemed defective can be exchanged for the exact matching product. Shipping and handling charges will not be reimbursed; however, Battle Foam® will ship the replacement bag at no extra cost. Customers who purchased their bag from their Local Friendly Game Store must have a valid receipt of purchase and must show a date no later than 90 days to qualify.”

Since the bag was purchased past this time frame, then you would qualify for the limited warranty.
“There is a 1 year limited warranty on all bags no matter where they are purchased. In this case, the customer may fix the bag locally. Battle Foam will gladly refund the cost of the work done to the bag to correct any rips or damage caused by faulty straps or other general problems. Only customers that provide a valid receipt will receive a refund for any corrections or repairs done to the bags.”

Please note that though the bag was purchased a year ago, we are willing to take care of the costs if you fix it locally. Very rarely do we hear of broken pegs on our bags, but we do have replacement parts for sale that we would gladly assist you with installing. As a company we have no way of knowing how the peg broke off, but we are still here to help. We are not ignoring your problem in any way and are only trying to help you with a solution per our policy.

Can I ask you an honest question? How many bag repair shops exist locally in your community? My zip code is 53177... if you can find one, I'd be happy to go over there.

It seems as if this is a policy designed to be near impossible to redeem. You're pushing your customers to either give up or, pay you additional money to buy a replacement for the faulty part. Yes, you have no way of knowing how the peg broke off but, you can say that about any repair that needs to be made under the guidelines of your quality guarantee. It may be the company's policy to treat consumers this way but, maybe it's time to reevaluate that policy?

I'm really not sure what it is you think your customers are going to do with the replacement parts... it's not like I'm trying to build a treefort out of them.

As you've stated, you have the part needed in stock... you have a quality guarantee... my bag is still within that 1 year time frame... this treatment is way unnecessary.

We have found that shoe repair shops are your best bet and that would be our best recommendation.

Kyle

jwolf wrote:You being unhappy with the answer doesn't make the answer less reasonable. Frankly I'd have sent you the part and been done with it, but it is unreasonable to complain that by following their written policy a merchant is behaving unjustly (even if we both agree that there is what appears to be a simple solution).

I might be being a tad nitpicky here, but there's that word again, "reasonable"...

The "reasonable" route is to take the one of most convenience, least cost, and least resistance, which in this case is sending the replacement part.

I can agree that Battlefoam is following (I would say Unreasonably) the letter of the written rule of their guarantee policy. However, when there is an easy fix and the customer has clearly spoken to them over the phone about it, I would say it is an unreasonable.

A few examples, since I do a lot of online transactions and take some pride in the fact that I've always been able to work out differences to the satisfaction of both parties...

-An ebay item I bought was not clearly described as to what size it was (large or small). I thought the listing described it being the large one, and the seller agreed to split the difference of the cost with me (a few dollars).

-The reverse scenario, I sent a package for some models I'd sold someone, and it was seemingly lost in the mail (they were in the same state, and it hadn't arrived for weeks, and delivery confirmation said "Undeliverable). I offered to split the loss with them, and Paypaled them half of what they'd sent me back. Fortunately, the package was finally returned to me (strangely, the address was correct, it had just been mishandled / temporarily lost) and we were able to complete the exchange in-person.

I can understand the OP's frustration in spending $1K on Battlefoam products, but not having (likely the first, and a small one) customer service need addressed. My personal style would not have been to post on the forum about it most likely, and simply deal with them directly... and if it cost me $5 to fix it, they might lose my (considerable) business over my feeling like they didn't value me as a customer.

However, in some ways it can be more helpful to work it out here, assuming both parties are willing to work with one another to a positive resolution. If not, it does make people aware of things... similar to a transaction report, basically getting the facts out for all to see.

And as I've said a few times, I believe Battlefoam is going to come through on this to the satisfaction of the customer, and thus it will become a non-issue.

Edit: Ah, KyleBattleFoam posted before mine, and in a rather... disappointing fashioin. Well, as I said, the facts are now here for all to see, but I'm surprised that, rather than satisfy a repeat customer and gain accolades for good service, you would rather stick to the letter of your policy... it is strange from a business stand-point to me, but perhaps you don't want to set a precedent. Still, it's disappointing... I would think many "shoe repair shops" would balk at being asked to repair the leg on a miniatures case, don't you?

Actually, now that I check, the first 5 hits on Google Maps for STL happen to be shoe places that also do luggage repair. All scattered about 15-30 minutes from each other in town. Pretty reasonable.

Oh, the sixth hit on Maps? A barber shop that does luggage repair.

I'll continue to run through the paces... I'm going through the process of calling all the shoe repair places in my area right now (on hold as I type this).

So far, I'm 0 for 1 and I must say, I feel a bit like a jackass trying to explain to a cobbler what a miniature case is.

I wouldn't even give them that. I'd simply tell them you have a luggage case that had a leg broken off from it and you would like to know if they do that. Keep it simple, like.

@RiTides - Reasonable to you may not be equal to reasonable for a company. Perhaps Battlefoam has sent this very part out 20 times and 19 out of 20 times the customer could not handle the repair themselves and ended up having to take it to a professional, so they don't support the first failure step and instead push for the successful outcome, regardless of how the customer (who likely has zero experience with the problem) feels it would be most convenient to solve the problem?
As to shoe repair shops, my experience with them is they will do anything you ask for a price, and they are pretty able to handle most repairs while you wait if you're willing to do so. So no, I don't think a shoe repair shop would balk. And if you read Kyle's response, unlike you or I, Kyle actually has experience with getting this repair done and has found that shoe repair shops are the best option.
So you and I could theorize all day, but Kyle has experience. If we accept that his goal is not to give bad customer service (I think we can agree that Battlefoam would rather have happy customers than angry ones), logic would tell us that Kyle is pointing Kurrus towards the path he believes (from experience, not conjecture) will ultimately make Kurrus most happy.

Pictures of your broken and defective items would be appreciated.

jwolf wrote:@RiTides - Reasonable to you may not be equal to reasonable for a company. Perhaps Battlefoam has sent this very part out 20 times and 19 out of 20 times the customer could not handle the repair themselves and ended up having to take it to a professional, so they don't support the first failure step and instead push for the successful outcome, regardless of how the customer (who likely has zero experience with the problem) feels it would be most convenient to solve the problem?
As to shoe repair shops, my experience with them is they will do anything you ask for a price, and they are pretty able to handle most repairs while you wait if you're willing to do so. So no, I don't think a shoe repair shop would balk. And if you read Kyle's response, unlike you or I, Kyle actually has experience with getting this repair done and has found that shoe repair shops are the best option.
So you and I could theorize all day, but Kyle has experience. If we accept that his goal is not to give bad customer service (I think we can agree that Battlefoam would rather have happy customers than angry ones), logic would tell us that Kyle is pointing Kurrus towards the path he believes (from experience, not conjecture) will ultimately make Kurrus most happy.

A very reasonable response, and I appreciate it. If KyleBattleFoam had laid it out like this, I wouldn't be taking the position that I was... however, his response simply reiterated their policy, and didn't go into such detail, so I couldn't know if that was the reason.

The OP had mentioned their suggesting he simply glue it back on, so I didn't have the impression that sending the customer the part resulting in a subpar repair was the issue at hand.

But your point is well taken, and I appreciate the reasoned response . It seems whenever any "foam" company is being discussed, we all lose our heads, so it's refreshing to see such a post!

Kurros wrote:
What reasonable repair offer are your referring to?

The one where the customer has to spend a total of 4 hours driving and a good 40 bucks worth of gas? I think most wouldn't consider that to be either local (as the policy states) or reasonable.

Should they have checks your proximity to luggage repair shops and warned you in advance of the time and effort it would take for you to get the item repaired, should something happen to it?

It's not their fault that you've decided your option is better than theirs. As Yak said, they made their policy clear in advance. It's not THEIR fault that you're now deciding that it isn't good enough.

When you claim it to be four hours of driving, you're misrepresenting things by inferring that it's not local. Within an hour of your location is definitely local. So, if you've got an hour each way to drop it off and return home, it adds up to 4 hours, but presenting it the way you did gives the impression that it's a far worse situation than it is.

@Ronin

Driving an hour to replace a $10 model isn't the same as driving an hour to repair a $180ish bag.

It's clear you've got an agenda. Could you keep it out of this thread, please?
If you want to complain about the way the site's run, there are other -far better- places to do it.

Eric

RiTides wrote:

jwolf wrote:@RiTides - Reasonable to you may not be equal to reasonable for a company. Perhaps Battlefoam has sent this very part out 20 times and 19 out of 20 times the customer could not handle the repair themselves and ended up having to take it to a professional, so they don't support the first failure step and instead push for the successful outcome, regardless of how the customer (who likely has zero experience with the problem) feels it would be most convenient to solve the problem?
As to shoe repair shops, my experience with them is they will do anything you ask for a price, and they are pretty able to handle most repairs while you wait if you're willing to do so. So no, I don't think a shoe repair shop would balk. And if you read Kyle's response, unlike you or I, Kyle actually has experience with getting this repair done and has found that shoe repair shops are the best option.
So you and I could theorize all day, but Kyle has experience. If we accept that his goal is not to give bad customer service (I think we can agree that Battlefoam would rather have happy customers than angry ones), logic would tell us that Kyle is pointing Kurrus towards the path he believes (from experience, not conjecture) will ultimately make Kurrus most happy.

A very reasonable response, and I appreciate it. If KyleBattleFoam had laid it out like this, I wouldn't be taking the position that I was... however, his response simply reiterated their policy, and didn't go into such detail, so I couldn't know if that was the reason.

The OP had mentioned their suggesting he simply glue it back on, so I didn't have the impression that sending the customer the part resulting in a subpar repair was the issue at hand.

But your point is well taken, and I appreciate the reasoned response . It seems whenever any "foam" company is being discussed, we all lose our heads, so it's refreshing to see such a post!

I'll second that, and if that were the case, I would have very much appreciated that explanation during the initial phone call with Kiran. Had that conversation taken place, I probably wouldn't be here right now. Since they offered to sell me the part, I can only assume the process isn't overly complex.

I look at it like this:

1. The first response of glue it back on or buy a part + shipping was poor.
2. The second response of take it to a luggage repair shop an hour away was also poor.
3. The third response of taking it to a cobbler has yet to be graded but, thus far has been a pain in the neck.

In my opinion, sending the part free of charge would have been a good response. The A+, number one response would have been for them to locate a cobbler in my area and send the part so the cobbler could properly replace it as opposed to epoxying the broken half back on (to be fair, I have no idea how a cobbler would repair this, this is just a semi-educated assumption... I'll reserve full judgement of the repair for when/if the process ever completes).

On a side note, this is far and away the most work I've ever done for $5.00... Two weeks of calling/emailing Battlefoam, an hour or two of forums posts, a series of calls to cobblers and now a possible trek over to a shoe store for a repair quote. My usual response would have been to give up a long time ago. Now, I feel compelled to see it through on principle.

I'll post a picture of the bag tomorrow morning (at work at the moment) as well as any follow up photos if the repair goes through.

@MagickalMemories

I get that your site as well as this one are both supported by Battlefoam and your instincts are to defend them but, I can't see how saying it's four hours worth of driving is in any way misleading? I laid it out pretty clearly. Let's be fair here.



Cheers,
Kurros

Kurros wrote:I'll second that, and if that were the case, I would have very much appreciated that explanation during the initial phone call with Kiran. Had that conversation taken place, I probably wouldn't be here right now. Since they offered to sell me the part, I can only assume the process isn't overly complex.

I look at it like this:

1. The first response of glue it back on or buy a part + shipping was poor.
2. The second response of take it to a luggage repair shop an hour away was also poor.
3. The third response of taking it to a cobbler has yet to be graded but, thus far has been pain in the neck.

This is the crux of the issue. As jwolf said, we could conjecture all day and not really know Battlefoam's view, so it's good to stick to the facts here, rather than ascribe motivation to either the business or the customer, since both have the same goal here (satisfying the customer's service request).

If Option 1 was truly suggested over the phone, yet the part is covered under a guarantee and Battlefoam would pick up the tab for a repair shop to make the fix, it's reasonable to expect them to simply give you the part to fix it yourself.

It looks to me like they're not going to do so, though, so I look forward to hearing if you're able to find a shoe repair shop (Likely, given that the cost is on Battlefoam here) and what the final cost ends up being to Battlefoam to address this problem.

yet the part is covered under a guarantee

I think that it was pointed out above that the limited warranty had expired.

I'm not sure what the position is in the US but in the UK after a year what constitutes reasonable wear and tear is very moot.

Blood and Slaughter wrote:

yet the part is covered under a guarantee

I think that it was pointed out above that the limited warranty had expired.

I'm not sure what the position is in the US but in the UK after a year what constitutes reasonable wear and tear is very moot.

No, it's still within the year. Something may have gotten lost in translation.

Oh in that case fair enough, I do think even though the warranty is limited then they could just send the part if you're happy that that would be an end to it.

Kurros wrote:I get that your site as well as this one are both supported by Battlefoam and your instincts are to defend them but, I can't see how saying it's four hours worth of driving is in any way misleading? I laid it out pretty clearly. Let's be fair here.

Frankly, I don't appreciate the insinuation about my personal ethics. I believe that what's right is what's right, regardless who's involved.

To be fair:

1) It's not MY site. I'm just an Admin there.
2) Look at my history. Battlefoam's only been advertising on Bartertown for a matter of months, but I've been commenting on Battlefoam posts since the beginning. If I've got an issue with something I see, I don't hesitate just because it's BF. I've got a LONG history of complaining about the prices, for example.

Just so there's no mistake - and I'm certain Romeo will see this post - I do not now and never will give anyone special treatment due to their status on Bartertown. That goes for members, advertisers and staff. I call it like I see it, and I always have.

Romeo's a big boy and has NO problem speaking out. He doesn't need me to defend him.

If I truly believed BF was in the wrong, I'd say as much. If they felt the need to move their business from Bartertown because I had an opinion of a situation that did not favor them, then so be it.

My point in saying your statement was"misleading" was that saying you had to dive 4 hours gives a much different impression than saying it's an hour away. An hour away sounds like... well, like what it is. Saying it's a 4 hour total drive gives the impression that it's 4 hours away - even if that wasn't your intent.

That being said....

Reading again, it looks like you're maintaining that the bag is less than one year old.

Battle Foam Quality guarantee wrote:
Bags

There is a 90 day guarantee on all bags found to be defective due to manufacturing defects. Bags deemed defective can be exchanged for the exact matching product. Shipping and handling charges will not be reimbursed; however, Battle Foam® will ship the replacement bag at no extra cost. Customers who purchased their bag from their Local Friendly Game Store must have a valid receipt of purchase and must show a date no later than 90 days to qualify.

There is a 1 year limited warranty on all bags no matter where they are purchased. In this case, the customer may fix the bag locally. Battle Foam will gladly refund the cost of the work done to the bag to correct any rips or damage caused by faulty straps or other general problems. Only customers that provide a valid receipt will receive a refund for any corrections or repairs done to the bags.

http://us.battlefoam.com/pages/Quality-Guarantee.html

Unfortunately, this doesn't say WHAT is covered under the limited warranty. Because of that, I'll presume in your favor that the foot SHOULD be covered.

You said:

When I called Battlefoam to inquire about the warranty and report the problem I was told that if I wanted the problem resolved, I’d have to purchase a set of replacement legs and install them myself or glue the leg back on.

Did you tell them the bag was less than a year old? Did you have your proof (I'd presume they can look it up in the system, but better safe than sorry)?
Presuming you showed that it was less than a year old, did they give you a reason that you'd have to buy the legs and install them?
Is it possible that, in the quoted part above, you forgot to mention that you're paraphrasing the conversation and may be using a different wording than was used by them or that they said they'd reimburse you for the cost in some way?

KyleBattleFoam chimed in with this, regarding the fact that your bag was more than 90 days old:

“There is a 1 year limited warranty on all bags no matter where they are purchased. In this case, the customer may fix the bag locally. Battle Foam will gladly refund the cost of the work done to the bag to correct any rips or damage caused by faulty straps or other general problems. Only customers that provide a valid receipt will receive a refund for any corrections or repairs done to the bags.”

Please note that though the bag was purchased a year ago, we are willing to take care of the costs if you fix it locally. Very rarely do we hear of broken pegs on our bags, but we do have replacement parts for sale that we would gladly assist you with installing. As a company we have no way of knowing how the peg broke off, but we are still here to help. We are not ignoring your problem in any way and are only trying to help you with a solution per our policy.

What *I* read (in the red text) - and, granted, Kyle could've worded it better, if this is what he was saying- is that Kyle's saying, "Hey. We've got the parts here. Take it and get it fixed, per our policy (they can get the parts from us), and we'll reimburse you for the costs."

I STILL don't see the issue. He chimed in quickly, reiterated that they'd be happy to live up to their policy, and you're still complaining about it.
???

Look, I get it. You don't want him to follow policy. You want him to do what's easiest for you. It doesn't work that way. The guarantee is as it is for a reason. If everyone who wanted a special dispensation were to get it, then there's no reason to HAVE the specifically worded guarantee. Their guarantee would be, "If something goes wrong within a year, tell us what you want us to do to fix it."
They have a method in place for repairing the bags. You did know or should have known this before you bought the bag. If you didn't, then that's your fault for not doing your homework as a consumer. It's not like you were railroaded into the purchase before knowing the warranty. It's prominently posted on the site; no purchase necessary to see it. You could've read it, asked questions, then made an informed decision. If you didn't, your argument has no legs to stand on. If you did... well, it still doesn't, since you know it in advance.


That is my 100% UNBIASED opinion.

Eric

Most people in my region drive an hour to work each day, perhaps plan a day around dropping off/picking up your bag?

It is unfortunate that your bag broke. But for the amount of time spend trying to get it replaced, I may have considered rigging something up myself.

I wish you the best.

MagickalMemories wrote:KyleBattleFoam chimed in with this, regarding the fact that your bag was more than 90 days old:

“There is a 1 year limited warranty on all bags no matter where they are purchased. In this case, the customer may fix the bag locally. Battle Foam will gladly refund the cost of the work done to the bag to correct any rips or damage caused by faulty straps or other general problems. Only customers that provide a valid receipt will receive a refund for any corrections or repairs done to the bags.”

Please note that though the bag was purchased a year ago, we are willing to take care of the costs if you fix it locally. Very rarely do we hear of broken pegs on our bags, but we do have replacement parts for sale that we would gladly assist you with installing. As a company we have no way of knowing how the peg broke off, but we are still here to help. We are not ignoring your problem in any way and are only trying to help you with a solution per our policy.

What *I* read (in the red text) - and, granted, Kyle could've worded it better, if this is what he was saying- is that Kyle's saying, "Hey. We've got the parts here. Take it and get it fixed, per our policy (they can get the parts from us), and we'll reimburse you for the costs."

That's not how I read what Kyle said, Eric. The part you highlighted in red clearly says "we do have replacement parts FOR SALE", followed up by, "we would gladly assist YOU with installing".

I take that as meaning- pay us $5 plus shipping, and we'll guide you through how to screw the replacement parts (that you BOUGHT, and paid us for) on.

A guarantee implies to me that I won't have to buy replacement parts, they're covered. Seemingly, Battlefoam will cover all costs of having a repair shop make the fix, but won't cover the cost of a part for the customer to fix it themselves. I find that odd, but at this point taking it to the shop and letting them charge whatever it costs, and having Battlefoam reimburse you for it (or whatever their method is for this) seems to be the way to go.

Still disappointing on the part of Battlefoam and backing up their guarantee, however. The bags are priced at a premium, and are the best on the market, I think. But part of that price includes the guarantee, and I agree with the OP that they are putting obstacles in place to having that guarantee redeemed. Most people, myself included, would have either 1) Paid $5 to get the replacement parts at this point, or 2) Glued the broken leg back on, rather than go to the trouble of having a shop fix it.

Personally, for a small fix like this, I agree with the OP that it'd be way easier to do himself. It's been pointed out ample times that this does not fall in the wording of Battlefoam's guarantee, but I think it falls within the spirit of the guarantee. It's the difference between a company going the extra mile, or stopping at the letter of the rule of what they have to do.

Battlefoam is stopping at the letter of the rule, in this case... which is a poor business decision in my view, as it tilts people like me that are STILL making up their minds about foam (after all this time, we're still out there ) against the additional investment these premium bags entail, when premium customer service does not (seemingly, at least in this case) go along with it, as I had thought it would.

Just my opinion, of course, and it does seem that wherever foam is concerned, we'll have drama

RiTides wrote:

MagickalMemories wrote:KyleBattleFoam chimed in with this, regarding the fact that your bag was more than 90 days old:

“There is a 1 year limited warranty on all bags no matter where they are purchased. In this case, the customer may fix the bag locally. Battle Foam will gladly refund the cost of the work done to the bag to correct any rips or damage caused by faulty straps or other general problems. Only customers that provide a valid receipt will receive a refund for any corrections or repairs done to the bags.”

Please note that though the bag was purchased a year ago, we are willing to take care of the costs if you fix it locally. Very rarely do we hear of broken pegs on our bags, but we do have replacement parts for sale that we would gladly assist you with installing. As a company we have no way of knowing how the peg broke off, but we are still here to help. We are not ignoring your problem in any way and are only trying to help you with a solution per our policy.

What *I* read (in the red text) - and, granted, Kyle could've worded it better, if this is what he was saying- is that Kyle's saying, "Hey. We've got the parts here. Take it and get it fixed, per our policy (they can get the parts from us), and we'll reimburse you for the costs."

That's not how I read what Kyle said, Eric. The part you highlighted in red clearly says "we do have replacement parts FOR SALE", followed up by, "we would gladly assist YOU with installing".

I take that as meaning- pay us $5 plus shipping, and we'll guide you through how to screw the replacement parts (that you BOUGHT, and paid us for) on.

A guarantee implies to me that I won't have to buy replacement parts, they're covered. Seemingly, Battlefoam will cover all costs of having a repair shop make the fix, but won't cover the cost of a part for the customer to fix it themselves. I find that odd, but at this point taking it to the shop and letting them charge whatever it costs, and having Battlefoam reimburse you for it (or whatever their method is for this) seems to be the way to go.

Still disappointing on the part of Battlefoam and backing up their guarantee, however. The bags are priced at a premium, and are the best on the market, I think. But part of that price includes the guarantee, and I agree with the OP that they are putting obstacles in place to having that guarantee redeemed. Most people, myself included, would have either 1) Paid $5 to get the replacement parts at this point, or 2) Glued the broken leg back on, rather than go to the trouble of having a shop fix it.

Personally, for a small fix like this, I agree with the OP that it'd be way easier to do himself. It's been pointed out ample times that this does not fall in the wording of Battlefoam's guarantee, but I think it falls within the spirit of the guarantee. It's the difference between a company going the extra mile, or stopping at the letter of the rule of what they have to do.

Battlefoam is stopping at the letter of the rule, in this case... which is a poor business decision in my view, as it tilts people like me that are STILL making up their minds about foam (after all this time, we're still out there ) against the additional investment these premium bags entail, when premium customer service does not (seemingly, at least in this case) go along with it, as I had thought it would.

Just my opinion, of course, and it does seem that wherever foam is concerned, we'll have drama

Wonderful post, RiTides. I agree with you on all points, especially interpreting Kyle's post. Which, if we step back for a moment is ridiculous in the first place. Why is Kyle's posting, and Battlefoam's communication with the Kurros, lacking in such a manner as to create vagueness and possible misinterpretation? Seems like customer service representatives should provide coherent responses to their customers to remove any miscommunication about policies. it is rather telling that we are arguing over what Kyle meant, and what actions on Kurros' part would be most appropriate in this situation.

Kurros, I applaud your desire to see this through to the end. Give Battlefoam the same dogged behavior right back and make them pay for the cobbler to fix your bag. I am sure the cobbler's bill will come to more than the cost of the part, especially if MagickalMemories' interpretation of Kyle's post is actually what Kyle meant. Having the cobbler purchase the replacement part form Battlefoam, repair the bag, and then turn around and charge you for the service will surely come to much more than the $5.00 replacement leg. I would imagine sending BF that bill would feel pretty great after the runaround Battlefoam has given you.

Sabol designs replaced my bag in less than a week due to a tear at a seam. It took a couple emails and a picture and I had a new bag on the way. Because of the way they treated me I will remain a customer for life.

http://www.mi40k.com/2011/08/31/sabol-designs-does-the-right-thing/

so even if the part + shipping was $20 and it took you a half an hour to install. you would still be money ahead of all the time you wasted trying to fix this percieved injustice.

Honestly its sad to see that a company is squabbling over a $5 part. Hope it gets sorted out, before the thread gets locked. lol.

@RiTides:
FWIW, I'm not claiming to have the correct interpretation, just that, when I read it, that's the message I got from it. That's why I said it could've been worded better and also qualified it with, "if this is what he was saying." LOL


@DT777

I am sure the cobbler's bill will come to more than the cost of the part, especially if MagickalMemories' interpretation of Kyle's post is actually what Kyle meant. Having the cobbler purchase the replacement part form Battlefoam, repair the bag, and then turn around and charge you for the service will surely come to much more than the $5.00 replacement leg.

Agreed.
Look, I didn't say it was the most sensible approach. LOL Just saying that it appeared that way to me and that I understand WHY they'd want to stick with the guarantee as it was previously laid forth.

Eric

R3con wrote:Sabol designs replaced my bag in less than a week due to a tear at a seam. It took a couple emails and a picture and I had a new bag on the way. Because of the way they treated me I will remain a customer for life.

http://www.mi40k.com/2011/08/31/sabol-designs-does-the-right-thing/

Sabol has customers to lose. If you don't like their bags, you can go with Portable Warfare or Outrider or other bag companies that make standard-sized bags.

Battlefoam makes wonky-sized trays because once you've invested in their product, you're stuck with their "premium" product. Your options lie in simply buying another Battlefoam bag or spending quite a sum of money switching to another company.

skkipper wrote:so even if the part + shipping was $20 and it took you a half an hour to install. you would still be money ahead of all the time you wasted trying to fix this percieved injustice.

As was said, some people are still on the fence about bag companies and always on the lookout. Those of us appreciate Kurros's stand mostly on moral grounds.

If I drop down $200+ on a Battlefoam bag, I'd want the guarantee and quality to be what is advertised. Hence why people complain about GW's Finecast so much. I'm not saying Battlefoam has low-quality products; people's testimonials seem to say the opposite. However, problems may still pop up and Kurros is showing us how we would expect to be treated.

Many companies will not let you fix anything yourself, and doing so voids any remaining warranty.

So maybe could be part of the reason on insisting that a professional does the repair?

That would make sense, d-usa, if the company hadn't suggested that he buy replacement legs and they could guide him through installing them himself.

Missed that...