Rapha EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!

[huck*this]

I know a lot of negative comments fly around about Rapha but wanted to share my recent conversation with them.

I was gifted a pair of long finger Pro Gloves a few years ago. They developed a rip in the cuff. I did the online chat with Rapha looking to use their repair service. I had no receipt record or purchase record.

The CS (customer service) rep asked when it was purchased. I said it was a gift a couple years ago. She asked for me to send pics over of the damage. Quick response for CS, it is not repairable and sorry for the damage. Here is $50 to use towards your next purchase at Rapha. No min price requirement just $50 to use freely.

I was amazed at the care and promptness they expressed. I was not looking for anything but a repair but they went above and beyond! Cheers to Rapha and they have at least 1 customer for life.

[makoti]

I have always had fantastic CS with Rapha. Always fast, always right the first time.
+1 for Rapha.

[joosttx]

I agree Rapha customer service is excellent

[FlashUNC]

Rapha CS has always been pretty killer.

[R3awak3n]

agreed as well, people here love to talk trash on rapha but most never even tried it. Great products, great CS.

[rustychisel]

agreed as well, people here love to talk trash on rapha but most never even tried it. Great products, great CS.

Agree Rapha is good, but like the above bolded section, their marketing rather likes to assume facts not in evidence or make verbose claims. Perhaps that gets up people's noses a little...?

[dbnm]

They are top notch.

[pdmtong]

I have found them to be more than reasonable when I needed help with an issue.

One thing everyone should be aware of thought is their IT systems still are not the greatest. so don't wait until day 89 of the 90 day return window to send something back. plan on making sure they have it in their possession before the 90 calendar days elapses.

I am on record as a fan, but also noting that not everything they make is "the best"

they have had plenty of fails....especially now that there is a plethora of products. by and large though, the products are well made and last a loooong time.

[adavco]

I’ve had mixed experiences. I think it comes down to the employee you are talking to.. which can be a little frustrating. I tried returning a gift once and the phone CS rep wouldn’t credit me the return since it was a gift. The next day on their online Chat I had a CS agent happily credit me for the return with no issue. Turned out alright in the end and my other transactions were good. I’m glad to hear people have had good experiences dealing with products that don’t hold up.

[tumbler]

I had the same experience with them. An item I purchased developed a small tear in one of the seams the first time I washed it. I chatted with them and they immediately sent a replacement to me. The whole process was probably 2 minutes.

[rheosibal]

50/50 on their CS. Online/Phone service is fantastic. It doesn't matter if you've had the product for 10 years or 20 minutes, their disposition remains the same. No issues with repairs, returns, etc.

Now once you hit the store...all kinds of issues when it comes to a return. At least at the LA store. I purchased a product, tried it on a few days later, figured it wasn't what I needed, and tried to return it. It was brand new, just lacking the plastic bag and the tag. The associate spent more time looking at the product to see if it was "used" versus attempting to make any accommodation.

[pdmtong]

...

[rheosibal]

Nobody's making comparisons. Even if it was used, Rapha still accepts the return, I just found it odd that they wouldn't take it. The other store locations is the same as online: no fuss

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[mikmcconnell]

I've found that:

On average they're way more expensive than other places for the same quality.

Sometimes their product is better than anything else out there (kinda rare though - but their Tommy Simpson Aero Jersey is just amazing, they used to do these amazing merino socks)

Sometimes their product is really quite inferior (their bibs compared to cuore bibs as an example - cuore bibs are a million miles better, the rapha ones are not even up to DHB standards)

But, that price premium gets you something - it doesn't necessarily get you product quality, but it does get you service - when they mess it up they have been very good at making it right for me. They use very fast shipping options. Their packaging is superlative.

Would I recommend people buy Rapha? Yes, but only on sale.

[pdmtong]

Nobody's making comparisons. Even if it was used, Rapha still accepts the return, I just found it odd that they wouldn't take it. The other store locations is the same as online: no fuss

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Used return is ok? Did not know that

Anyways glad you got sorted.

[livingminimal]

Used return is ok? Did not know that

Anyways glad you got sorted.


Yep. I just returned two awful jerseys I wore once each. It was inside the 30 days.

I dont like doing it, but if they're discounting things so heavily, it might be because it's a severe miss for them, so the returns are probably expected.

I had some merino LF gloves develop very bad tears recently. I bought them 16 months ago and wore them five times. I got a full credit and promptly bought the pro gloves.

Rapha is still the greatest.

[ColnagoFan]

[QUOTE=mikmcconnell;2333880

Would I recommend people buy Rapha? Yes, but only on sale.[/QUOTE]

Speaking of, some additional stuff is back on SportPursuit: https://www.sportpursuit.com/search?s=rapha

[jinbok]

50/50 on their CS. Online/Phone service is fantastic. It doesn't matter if you've had the product for 10 years or 20 minutes, their disposition remains the same. No issues with repairs, returns, etc.

Now once you hit the store...all kinds of issues when it comes to a return. At least at the LA store. I purchased a product, tried it on a few days later, figured it wasn't what I needed, and tried to return it. It was brand new, just lacking the plastic bag and the tag. The associate spent more time looking at the product to see if it was "used" versus attempting to make any accommodation.


Hey,
I was one denied your return due to the missing tag and bag.
Our return/exchange policy is unworn/new condition with tags attached, within 90 days. Because our return window is pretty big, we want our customers to do the same by following our policy at their best.
Only exception is our Classic Collection, which has 30 day guarantee program. Nothing else.

The main reason why I denied your item was 1) missing tag and 2) it smelled like a laundry detergent.
So as a floor lead, I discussed this with my team and made the decision of not accepting your return. It wasn't par with our policy.


As we have an amazing CS, some people abuse it in a wrong way especially at our stores. We had few awful cases and we decided to keep it more strict.

Though, used products return is all case by case - and all stores handle differently.
We don't just take used products as a return. It's not stated it on our policy unless it's a failure of our products,
then we do offer some sort of vouchers or etc. We also do offer crash replacement and free repair services.

If you weren't happy with the quality of our products or failure of our products, I would've took care of it in a different way.

If you want me to take a look at again, please come by the store to do so. Coffee on us.

Thanks!

[dbnm]

I bought some Rapha branded shoes in January. I did not wear them until yesterday and they seriously hurt my feet.

I emailed Rapha and they agreed to give me a full refund, with free shipping. Even better was the fact that they suggested I wear the shoes a few more times and if I am still not happy, the refund would still be granted.

That's awesome.

:banana::hello::banana:

[dbnm]

I decided to return the shoes. I contacted Rapha, they sent me a Fedex label for the return. They asked for the tracking number which I promptly sent. To my surprise, they sent me a store credit, for the full purchase price, almost immediately, EVEN BEFORE GETTING THE SHOES BACK.

Wow. This is another reason why I keep buying their products.

[wooly]

Just a little example of Rapha's great service. I have an older first gen transfer jacket. I've had it probably going on 4 years and where it a lot in the fall and winter. About a month ago the rubber part of the zipper pull broke off and I couldn't easily zip the jacket. I also noticed the zipper was getting more difficult to pull up and down prior to the pull breaking. Sent the jacket into Rapha US and two weeks later the jacket came back repaired. Zipper pull replaced and the zipper works as it did when I first got the jacket. All for the price of postage. Pretty damn good if you ask me. :banana:

[SoCalSteve]

Hey,
I was one denied your return due to the missing tag and bag.
Our return/exchange policy is unworn/new condition with tags attached, within 90 days. Because our return window is pretty big, we want our customers to do the same by following our policy at their best.
Only exception is our Classic Collection, which has 30 day guarantee program. Nothing else.

The main reason why I denied your item was 1) missing tag and 2) it smelled like a laundry detergent.
So as a floor lead, I discussed this with my team and made the decision of not accepting your return. It wasn't par with our policy.


As we have an amazing CS, some people abuse it in a wrong way especially at our stores. We had few awful cases and we decided to keep it more strict.

Though, used products return is all case by case - and all stores handle differently.
We don't just take used products as a return. It's not stated it on our policy unless it's a failure of our products,
then we do offer some sort of vouchers or etc. We also do offer crash replacement and free repair services.

If you weren't happy with the quality of our products or failure of our products, I would've took care of it in a different way.

If you want me to take a look at again, please come by the store to do so. Coffee on us.

Thanks!

This makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to me. Why would you buy a product from a company that doesn’t let you try it out in the real world before deciding to keep it or return it? It could be 90 days or 900 days, what’s the difference?

Let’s think REI or Nordstrom’s or even Costco. Yeah, none of them sell Rapha, but they all have amazing return policies. If I’m going to spend big $$$ on cycling gear, I want to know it’s something I’m going to love.

Or, Competitive Cyclist: We guarantee your total satisfaction and offer a world-class returns policy. New, unused gear can be returned at any time for a full refund. Used gear must be returned within 30 days of delivery for store credit.

Not saying that Rapha doesn’t give great customer service, they just need a better return policy!

[pdmtong]

This makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to me. Why would you buy a product from a company that doesn’t let you try it out in the real world before deciding to keep it or return it? It could be 90 days or 900 days, what’s the difference?

Let’s think REI or Nordstrom’s or even Costco. Yeah, none of them sell Rapha, but they all have amazing return policies. If I’m going to spend big $$$ on cycling gear, I want to know it’s something I’m going to love.

Or, Competitive Cyclist: We guarantee your total satisfaction and offer a world-class returns policy. New, unused gear can be returned at any time for a full refund. Used gear must be returned within 30 days of delivery for store credit.

Not saying that Rapha doesn’t give great customer service, they just need a better return policy!

I think your want for "unlimited no-risk use for some extended period and still be able to return because you didn't like it" is unrealistic and would be death to retailers. There are just too many people who will abuse that policy...just go to a B-93 and see those people ripping off REI

If that is what you want, then just shop at the four places you mentioned as yes that policy is an attractive differentiator.

Retailer might make a one-off exception on a case-case basis but you are never going to see that a s a blanket policy on their website

[SoCalSteve]

I think your want for "unlimited no-risk use for some extended period and still be able to return because you didn't like it" is unrealistic and would be death to retailers. There are just too many people who will abuse that policy...just go to a B-93 and see those people ripping off REI

If that is what you want, then just shop at the four places you mentioned as yes that policy is an attractive differentiator.

Retailer might make a one-off exception on a case-case basis but you are never going to see that a s a blanket policy on their website

I don’t see any of those companies even close to “ death”.

I just came back from a 2 week vacation with a very cold climate. Being from sunny Socal we did not have even one stitch of cold weather clothing. We dropped a tidy sum at REI not knowing what we would actually need-use-want, etc. We pulled off tags, threw away boxes, etc. In the end, we only used about 1/3 of what we purchased. REI happily took back all the stuff we didn’t use, minus tags, and a couple things we used just briefly. The gentleman didn’t question anything and smiled the whole time. That is truly great customer service!!!

They don’t appear to be going out of business.

[pasadena]

Rapha has a great return policy and customer service.
It's part of their brand.

Very happy with what they offer.

[livingminimal]

I don’t see any of those companies even close to “ death”.

I just came back from a 2 week vacation with a very cold climate. Being from sunny Socal we did not have even one stitch of cold weather clothing. We dropped a tidy sum at REI not knowing what we would actually need-use-want, etc. We pulled off tags, threw away boxes, etc. In the end, we only used about 1/3 of what we purchased. REI happily took back all the stuff we didn’t use, minus tags, and a couple things we used just briefly. The gentleman didn’t question anything and smiled the whole time. That is truly great customer service!!!

They don’t appear to be going out of business.

I think this post says more about bloated consumerism in 2018 than it does REI's return policy.

[SoCalSteve]

I think this post says more about bloated consumerism in 2018 than it does REI's return policy.

I imagine if you had ACTUALLY read what I wrote, you would have seen that it was not bloated consumerism, but actually ignorance on our part since we have never traveled or spent time in a country that is above the arctic circle. Had we had experience with this type of climate, we would have not had to buy as much.
Plus, my wife is very skinny and gets cold very quickly.

So, please don’t judge or throw big words around until you know all the facts. Thank you!

PS: Norway was amazing and we were able to see the Northern Lights for 5 nights in a row. And, we were comfortable in 10* weather while watching them.

[livingminimal]

I imagine if you had ACTUALLY read what I wrote, you would have seen that it was not bloated consumerism, but actually ignorance on our part since we have never traveled or spent time in a country that is above the arctic circle. Had we had experience with this type of climate, we would have not had to buy as much.
Plus, my wife is very skinny and gets cold very quickly.

So, please don’t judge or throw big words around until you know all the facts. Thank you!

PS: Norway was amazing and we were able to see the Northern Lights for 5 nights in a row. And, we were comfortable in 10* weather while watching them.


Nice save. Victim card nets you 10/10.

[SoCalSteve]

Nice save. Victim card nets you 10/10.

I have no idea what this even means...:confused:

[pdmtong]

I don’t see any of those companies even close to “ death”.

I just came back from a 2 week vacation with a very cold climate. Being from sunny Socal we did not have even one stitch of cold weather clothing. We dropped a tidy sum at REI not knowing what we would actually need-use-want, etc. We pulled off tags, threw away boxes, etc. In the end, we only used about 1/3 of what we purchased. REI happily took back all the stuff we didn’t use, minus tags, and a couple things we used just briefly. The gentleman didn’t question anything and smiled the whole time. That is truly great customer service!!! They don’t appear to be going out of business.
WRT to the used items I see it more like taking advantage of the policy. behavior such is this is one reason why REI reduced its return horizon from lifetime to one year and costco reduced its return policy on some electronics from lifetime to six months. as for the new without tags, sure fine.
I imagine if you had ACTUALLY read what I wrote, you would have seen that it was not bloated consumerism, but actually ignorance on our part since we have never traveled or spent time in a country that is above the arctic circle. Had we had experience with this type of climate, we would have not had to buy as much.
Plus, my wife is very skinny and gets cold very quickly.

So, please don’t judge or throw big words around until you know all the facts. Thank you!

PS: Norway was amazing and we were able to see the Northern Lights for 5 nights in a row. And, we were comfortable in 10* weather while watching them.
lack of experience justifies over buying, using and then returning? sorry steve, that doesn't work for me.

so every time you embark on a new experience, you over buy? were you expecting to return eTAP if it didn't work for you? life isn't risk free. sometimes you buy things and it oesn't work out. oh well.

[SoCalSteve]

WRT to the used items I see it more like taking advantage of the policy. behavior such is this is one reason why REI reduced its return horizon from lifetime to one year and costco reduced its return policy on some electronics from lifetime to six months. as for the new without tags, sure fine.

lack of experience justifies over buying, using and then returning? sorry steve, that doesn't work for me.

so every time you embark on a new experience, you over buy? were you expecting to return eTAP if it didn't work for you? life isn't risk free. sometimes you buy things and it oesn't work out. oh well.

Actually, we only returned one item that I ended up using. It didn’t fit well. And, In the end, it doesn’t matter what you think. REI was happy to take back the items we ended up not using. They are a great company and I will continue to buy from them.

Oh, I knew ETap was going to work out for me. I had enough experience to know this as I have been buying cycling equipment for close to 20 years. I NEVER bought cold weather gear.

[Pegoready]

I don’t see any of those companies even close to “ death”.

I just came back from a 2 week vacation with a very cold climate. Being from sunny Socal we did not have even one stitch of cold weather clothing. We dropped a tidy sum at REI not knowing what we would actually need-use-want, etc. We pulled off tags, threw away boxes, etc. In the end, we only used about 1/3 of what we purchased. REI happily took back all the stuff we didn’t use, minus tags, and a couple things we used just briefly. The gentleman didn’t question anything and smiled the whole time. That is truly great customer service!!!

They don’t appear to be going out of business.

Sorry man, not getting behind you on this one. As someone who has worked in retail, I've had to create tags because customers threw them away. Throw the item back on the shelf only to be relegated to the clearance rack in a year (would YOU buy a new jacket without the original tags?). It's a lazy move that reeks of entitlement.

[dbnm]

But hey, Rapha has great customer service!

[pdmtong]

Actually, we only returned one item that I ended up using. It didn’t fit well. And, In the end, it doesn’t matter what you think. REI was happy to take back the items we ended up not using. They are a great company and I will continue to buy from them.

Oh, I knew ETap was going to work out for me. I had enough experience to know this as I have been buying cycling equipment for close to 20 years. I NEVER bought cold weather gear.

when you disagreed with oldspud you included sentiments couching your reply as "respectfully" yet you reply to me that "it doesn't matter what I think"

sorry steve. it does matter what I think.. that's why we post on the forum isn't it? to hear and learn from the opinions of others?

if you are wanting a mutual admiration society look elsewhere.

[SoCalSteve]

when you disagreed with oldspud you included sentiments couching your reply as "respectfully" yet you reply to me that "it doesn't matter what I think"

sorry steve. it does matter what I think.. that's why we post on the forum isn't it? to hear and learn from the opinions of others?

if you are wanting a mutual admiration society look elsewhere.

I apologize for that! Yes, it does matter what you think!

What I meant was that REI had NO problems taking back the items we didn’t use and one item that I used briefly and realized it was too big. It doesn’t matter if you have a problem with it. REI ( who my dealings were with ) did not have a problem. It was not meant as a personal slight in the least.

Again, my apologies!

[SoCalSteve]

Sorry man, not getting behind you on this one. As someone who has worked in retail, I've had to create tags because customers threw them away. Throw the item back on the shelf only to be relegated to the clearance rack in a year (would YOU buy a new jacket without the original tags?). It's a lazy move that reeks of entitlement.

Or, it’s a couple of inexperienced people from a climate that averages about 68* who were going to a country that was in the high 20’s during the day and the teens at night. We were very careful to keep the things we were going to return in tip top shape and yes, pulling the tags was not the right thing to do. But again, we had no idea what to expect and how to dress warmly.

It’s that simple.

[joosttx]

Or, it’s a couple of inexperienced people from a climate that averages about 68* who were going to a country that was in the high 20’s during the day and the teens at night. We were very careful to keep the things we were going to return in tip top shape and yes, pulling the tags was not the right thing to do. But again, we had no idea what to expect and how to dress warmly.

It’s that simple.

One could argue that places like REI, Rapha, and I will throw in Home Depot or other words retail experience has changed since cost of labor is so high and retail companies do not put an emphasis on training skilled retail persons. I can imagine an argument in the conference room at REI where one executive says if we do not train of sale persons customers will buy the wrong thing. And the other executive says I dont care its cheaper for the customer to return the stuff used if it turned out to be the wrong thing. I do not like that way of thinking because I was not raised that way. But I was also raised when you go to a hardware store and the guy could tell you how to build what you needed to build and what you needed to do it instead of just helping you with an automated check out machine.