Re-thinking Rapha quality commitment and customer service

[tv_vt]

I have been a pretty loyal Rapha customer for a decade or so. Wear lots of their stuff, almost always impressed with their quality.
Two years ago, I bought 2 pairs of their Brevet bibshorts. Recently I noticed on both pairs that the chamois has twisted where it narrowed in the crotch and was very lumpy. It appeared to me that the chamois had a second piece used for the narrow part and the join between the two pieces twisted and separated.
I contacted Rapha the other day to see if this issue could be repaired or rectified. This was their reply:

Really sorry to hear about this. Sadly we will not be able to help you in the case as the shorts were purchased over 18 months ago.

Please let us know if there's anything we else we can do to help.

Kind Regards,

Alex

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

R A P H A

Performance Roadwear

www.rapha.cc


Guess I never knew Rapha only has an 18 month warranty on their $200+ shorts. Will keep that in mind next time I'm shopping for a pair of bibs.

[Spdntrxi]

18 months is a long time... just saying

[daker13]

The Walmart boys don't need the money, but they want to cut costs and make their pet project look like a profitable business. So long to customer service.

[charliedid]

Two years? They don't know what you did to them, you may have been washing them on hot and drying them.

Time for new shorts.

[Morgul Bismark]

18 months seems entirely reasonable.

[Irishgirl]

Thinking 18 months is a generous timeframe.

Has anyone experienced a more generous return policy from other clothing lines?


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[54ny77]

Absolutely. My grandmother would repair her handmade knitted slippers if I wore a hole through them, free of charge.

Originally Posted by Irishgirl

Thinking 18 months is a generous timeframe.

Has anyone experienced a more generous return policy from other clothing lines?


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[Irishgirl]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

Absolutely. My grandmother would repair her handmade knitted slippers if I wore a hole through them, free of charge.

Which would make those slippers priceless!!




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[martl]

Originally Posted by Irishgirl

Thinking 18 months is a generous timeframe.

Has anyone experienced a more generous return policy from other clothing lines?

Certainly. When the zippers of my outdoor zip off-pants failed, i sent the item back to factory to get new ones sown in. As the piece was already several years old, i fully expected to get charged. Mammut replaced the zippers and sent them back to me no charge, not even postage.

Outside of the clothing business, i had similar experiences with Lupine (high end bicycle lights) who would replace a rechargable battery that didn't hold charge after a while, without even demanding to see or receiving the old one. Zeiss and Rollei both did repairs/service, and in Rollei's case even a mechanical product upgrade for free.
Bottom line: *Some* premium brands also have excellent service - some, not all of them - Lightweight charged me to redo the brittle breaking surface on my disk wheel, for example. They were entirely within their right to do so, but i can't praise them as much as the others.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Irishgirl

Thinking 18 months is a generous timeframe.

Has anyone experienced a more generous return policy from other clothing lines?


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Well, Pearl Izumi has always had a lifetime (manufacturing) warranty but IMO defects will show up relatively quickly.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by Irishgirl

Thinking 18 months is a generous timeframe.

Has anyone experienced a more generous return policy from other clothing lines?

Not outright return for complete refund, no of course not.

But I have had really excellent service from Patagonia for instance, on garments I'm sure more damaged than the op's Rapha bibs.

Not only was the service really superb, and more than fair, but the service communication itself whether via email, telephone, or face to face, was far more courteous and positive than the rather cold email reply quoted above by the op. That communication turns me off to Rapha even more than before.

Patagonia Guarantee:
We guarantee everything we make. If you are not satisfied with one of our products at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction, return it to the store you bought it from or to Patagonia for a repair, replacement or refund. Damage due to wear and tear will be repaired at a reasonable charge.

Patagonia even pro-rated a 7/8 year old jacket for me, the pro-rated refund (which surprisingly was more than I ever would have guessed) applied to a new jacket; it was a very fair exchange, and I also like their policies in general; they said they would completely re-cycle my old jacket, all of it.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by daker13

The Walmart boys don't need the money, but they want to cut costs and make their pet project look like a profitable business. So long to customer service.

Rather they use the money for the bicycle philanthropic pursuits than give a guy another pair of bibs after 18 months of use. What’s the greater good???

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by joosttx

Rather they use the money for the bicycle philanthropic pursuits than give a guy another pair of bibs after 18 months of use. What’s the greater good???

Well that "guy" probably deserved better service than their reply to him implies, and in any case he is certainly not responsible for Rapha's "philanthropic pursuits", which even so are partially funded by his purchase.

Somehow, I just don't see the halos there.

But, I suppose the first "philanthropic pursuit" could be to build better than 18-month bibs for what they charge. Or at least be philanthropically honest and call them "18 Month Bibs"....

[fogrider]

Warranties for the most part is a kind of marketing...sure a company should stand behind their products from defects and workmanship. But after years of use, it's hard to say that the product was defective...sure you could say that something could be better made but they could say it should be washed in the gentle cycle. But they build their customer service when they just replace product for free...and hope you are so impressed that you buy more and spread the word that they have a great product and stand behind their stuff. Then they bank on the fact that many people just don't use their stuff so much that they will need the warranty.

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[joosttx]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

But, I suppose the first "philanthropic pursuit" could be to build better than 18-month bibs for what they charge. Or at least be philanthropically honest and call them "18 Month Bibs"....

Or this

https://www.rapha.cc/us/en_US/stories/rapha-foundation

Again, I rather see them do this ——-^ than have an anything-goes warranty program. Not saying they cannot do both. But I rather they use some of their profits to help those who cannot.

BTW Rapha’s quality has always been hit or miss.