Patagonia ironclad warranty.

[Hank Scorpio]

First I would have to say I have always experienced excellent warranty coverage in the past. First gen R3 wetsuit, first gen R3 surf boots, both with seam issues credited at the POP while I stood there. Nano puff with multiple stitching issues credited through the mail. But my recent experience with the nano puff I bought to replace the above nano was sub par IMO.

Due to covid they weren’t excepting repairs so I was advised to send it in for replacement by their phone staff which I did. They jacket have several areas where the stitching had come loose. Almost in identical spots as the previous one. In the pocket and the binding at the sleeve cuff. The determination took longer than last time which is understandable due to the current pandemic. When I received an email from CS it stated that I had been credited $99.00 which is half the price of the same jacket at retail. I emailed back saying that instead of the credit can I just have my jacket back and would get it repaired locally. I was told the jacket was not available any longer. So a jacket that was repairable has been scrapped or repaired and posted in Wornwear and I have to pay Patagonia and additional 100$ to get the same item. I will probably still continue to buy the brand but it doesn’t make me happy about the situation.

[reuben]

First I would have to say I have always experienced excellent warranty coverage in the past. First gen R3 wetsuit, first gen R3 surf boots, both with seam issues credited at the POP while I stood there. Nano puff with multiple stictching
Issues credited through the mail. But my recent experience with the nano puff I bought to replace the above nano was sub par IMO. Due to covid they weren’t excepting repairs so I was advised to send it in for replacement by their phone staff which I did. They jacket have several areas where the stitching had come loose. Almost in identical spots as the previous one. In the pocket and the binding at the sleeve cuff. The determination took longer than last time
Which is understandable due to the current pandemic. When I received an email from CS it stated that I had been credited $99.00 which is half the price of the same jacket at retail. I emailed back saying that instead of the credit can I just have my jacket back and would get it repaired locally. I was told the jacket was not available any longer. So basically a jacket that was repairable has been scrapped or repaired and posted in Wornwear and I have to pay Patagonia and additional 100$ to get the same item I had sent them. I will probably still continue to buy the brand but it doesn’t make me happy about the situation.

Odd. I've always had great service from them. It's likely that the outer fabric is no longer made, so a repair wouldn't match, but it seems highly presumptive of them to assume that you'd rather have credit rather than your original jacket, repaired or not. I wonder how much of it is due to the pandemic and lack of people/facilities/material to do repairs. Maybe the just can't fix it now, and defaulted to a credit.

I have a nano puff that has been repaired twice. It's old, and has synthetic fill, so it's getting a bit compressed and thin, but I still love it. It's perfect in so many situations.

[Hank Scorpio]

I have always had great service in the past as well. The one issue was inside the pocket so any fabric would have worked and the second was the elasticized binding at the cuff of the sleeve. The color is still offered on their page. Prior nano failed at both the same spots along with multiple areas of stitching throughout the body of the jacket coming out.

I have no doubt covid played a role in the repair. I originally called in March but wasn’t told to send it back until July. They told me through multiple attempts that they were not doing repairs during this period. I Think they just got tired of me calling them every month and just said send it back for replacement.

[Mr. Pink]

Has to be Covid year issues.

A few years ago I took an older Nitro parka out of the closet that I could now fit in again after losing some weight. It was twenty one years old, but in great shape and cool retro-ish colors. I threw it into the wash with a few other ski clothing items and, when I opened the machine, the entire lining of the parka (their proprietary Gore Tex material at the time) had disintegrated into little blue bits. I thought, well, now I have a nice warmish weather shell, but, changed my mind and stuffed it into a large envelope and sent it off to Patagonia, hoping for maybe a hundred bucks credit. A week later I received a 350 dollar credit in an email, and ordered a brand new Powder jacket for 400. I was impressed, to say the least, but this wasn't the first time I had such an experience, just the best. Awesome company. I fear that things will not be the same once Chouinard passes, though.

[Monsieur Toast]

First I would have to say I have always experienced excellent warranty coverage in the past. First gen R3 wetsuit, first gen R3 surf boots, both with seam issues credited at the POP while I stood there. Nano puff with multiple stitching issues credited through the mail. But my recent experience with the nano puff I bought to replace the above nano was sub par IMO.

Due to covid they weren’t excepting repairs so I was advised to send it in for replacement by their phone staff which I did. They jacket have several areas where the stitching had come loose. Almost in identical spots as the previous one. In the pocket and the binding at the sleeve cuff. The determination took longer than last time which is understandable due to the current pandemic. When I received an email from CS it stated that I had been credited $99.00 which is half the price of the same jacket at retail. I emailed back saying that instead of the credit can I just have my jacket back and would get it repaired locally. I was told the jacket was not available any longer. So a jacket that was repairable has been scrapped or repaired and posted in Wornwear and I have to pay Patagonia and additional 100$ to get the same item. I will probably still continue to buy the brand but it doesn’t make me happy about the situation.

Former Patagonia employee here, and just starting my first cup of coffee, so don't quote me on any of this.

Tell me if I've got this right / wrong – You sent in a Nano Puff jacket for repair, and due to COVID they ended up issuing an electronic gift card to you for the amount of $99 because repairs were closed at the time, or at least perma-backlogged. When you sent in the Nano Puff, did you have an old order number you referenced or a proof of purchase? If not, what they do is look at the Style Number listed on the tag and look it up in the system. Without proof of purchase, they'll issue you the last known sales price for that specific item. The Nano Puff you see on their website right now might be for a newer version of the Nano Puff, or at least a new style number.

Side note: unfortunately what Patagonia experiences, and has made the Ironclad Warranty a little sticky wickets, is lots of unscrupulous folks will hit thrift stores and such, grabbing any old piece of Patagonia they can find, then mail it in to Patagonia and ask for a refund at the original price. Also, it's customer service ... considering the industry, Patagonia employs a lot of badass folks who are on top of it. But with COVID, remote working, and other issues, sometimes you don't get the sharpest piton in the quiver.

If I were you .... I would give their CS line a call at 1-800-638-6464 and explain the situation to them. Sent in a Nano Puff for repair, they issued you an EGC, and you wanted to see if they could do a price-match with your EGC. This 100% used to be the policy there and still should be. Just be straightforward and they should get you setup.

Shoot me a private message if that doesn't work and I can try to connect you with another solution if necessary. They were a fantastic company to work for and I still like to advocate for them as they're a part of the community here in Reno with their customer service, repairs, shipping, etc., based here.

[Upcountry]

I'll toss in my 2 cents as a former Patagonia Repairs employee for several years. I personally repaired nearly 5,000 garments in my time there. The Nano Puff's are certainly in the top 5 of garments that we received for repair, and almost always some of the quilting stitching was one of the issues mentioned by customers. It's an easy fix in normal times as we're able to open the jacket at a major seam and simply stitch over the existing fraying lines. However this doesn't fix the jacket going forward, as the way it's constructed, with the quilting simply there to stabilize the insulation, it's not sewn under high tension, and therefore allows those exterior threads to snag. Some of their new jackets are certainly geared more towards casual wear, and offer similar styling but with a little more durability in exchange for weight. Oddly enough of the 30+ Patagonia jackets I own, a Nano isn't one of them.... lol. If you're stuck buying something else, check out the Micro Puff! It's still a little fragile, but warm and lightweight!

What happened when you're jacket was issued as a credit, is that it was immediately stamped/marked on the label as "worn wear" or "puppy" and then tossed into a large bin to be repaired or recycled in the event the damage is extensive(doesn't sound like your case at all). There is zero way to track which jacket was actually yours from the point it was stamped as the customer tag is removed then, and I'm sure in these times they were even more reluctant to go digging through laundry hoping to mail you back your piece.

[Upcountry]

^ Back to back former employees.... I swear we're not on payroll still! But it does say something about the company as a whole.

[proxient]

you own 30+ coats?!?

[reuben]

If you're stuck buying something else, check out the Micro Puff! It's still a little fragile, but warm and lightweight!

I've actually thought about doing that, but in talking with a Patagonia employee there didn't seem to be enough of a difference between the two to "upgrade" to a Micro Puff.

[Hank Scorpio]

Thanks for all the replies.

1. Yes, I called in March about getting it repaired. There really was no reason to replace it. The hole in the pocket was the most annoying but the others I could live with. I was told to hold on to it as there were not accepting repairs at that time. I called roughly once a month until early/mid july and was told that it could be sent in but would probably be replaced as they still were not doing repairs.

2. This was a replacement for another nano puff that had similar issues. I would guess this jacket to be 3-4 years old tops. I am sure the current ones have changed but they sure look the same to me. If i remember correctly I think I paid $149 for it?

3. I still like the brand. I have a ton of their stuff and so does my daughter and wife. Maybe I should start scouring worn wear to find my lost jacket.

[Monsieur Toast]

Hank Scorpio:
Call the customer service number I listed above and they should be able to set you up with a new replacement using your electronic gift card. You're not going to find the "lost" jacket. Try not to overthink it, and circle back here if that doesn't work.

Upcountry:
30+ jackets? Nice! I'm sitting on around 10 or so, including a Nano Puff that never gets used. The Micro Puff came out right before I split and they're real popular with all the buds here in the Sierra.

[pdmtong]

Patagonia CS is A+ in my experience going back to when their jacket fleece was called bunting.

I had a shelled capilene that just needed frayed pocket liners resewn, they sent me a new jacket. The problem is I just wanted my old one fixed, not replaced. From that point long ago I tell them whether I want a repair (and possibly replace) or to send the piece back if they don't want to repair it.

My wife has a first gen nanopuff that's sewn in a diamond quilt pattern instead of the squares you see today. It's a lot more feminine and less industrial looking. As noted in previous posts in this thread, nanopuff notorious for fraying (now I know why) and when Patagonia said they wont repair it I got it back and had it repaired locally.

Arc'teryx CS is equally stellar. Convenient to send pieces in to a depot in Washington State instead of dealing with customs and Canada/intl shipping.