[herr_oberst]

Stomachmonkeys rant about MS got me laughing because we have all been there, especially the response about trying to kill a subscription that auto-renews. GRR!

HOWEVER, in the last year, I've reached out to three different companies and their customer service departments were just outstanding. Just today, I wrote to Yukon outfitters wanting to know if they had a replacement buckle for a little daypack that I use and really like. Parker got right back to me and she's sending me a new buckle, gratis.

I had a pair of Merrell hiking boots that would put a hotspot in my achilles since I bought them 5 years ago. I kept thinking they would break in but it never happened, so they were never my go-to hiking boots, I just used others. I was ready to give them to goodwill, but I decided to just go ahead and contact them, just to see if they would warranty them.
They sent me a new pair, all I had to do was pay to ship the old ones back. The new ones fit great, problem is solved.

I have a pair of carbon fiber trekking poles, one of them broke, and Cascade Mountain Tech sent me a new part, it took less than two days.

These companies have three things in common, one, they are outdoor equipment companies, two, they are "little guys" that are doing what it takes to maintain customer loyalty, and three, I was made to feel as though it was no problem at all for them to work with me.

I'll definitely buy from all three of these companies again.

(Conversely, I tried to get The North Face to warranty a backpack once, for an obvious manufacturing defect, and they said no and sent me a catalog, which I promptly sent back!)