Diver97
Member
The title says it all. Why can’t more companies treat their customers as well as Sierra Designs does?
In 2006 when my son was entering Cub Scouts I purchased a tent so we could camping with the Scouts and also on our own. I wanted a good tent that did not leak when it rained and would last a long time. After doing some research I decided on the Sierra Designs Bedouin 6 three season tent. The past 9 years my son and I spent many nights in this tent. We have experienced many thunderstorms, 3 hail storms, 2 ice storms, and several snow storms. We have spent many nights in the tent with wind gusts averaging 25-35 mph and on one night we experienced 50-60 mpg gust (not fun at all). In the last 9 years we spent about 350 nights in this tent. The only damage to the tent was a couple of bent poles about a year after I bought the tent and after the 60 mph winds. Sierra Designs replaced the poles at no charge. Needless to say I have been quite happy with this tent.
Two weeks ago we were camping on the north shore of Lake Superior for 10 nights. During this trip we started having problems with one of the door zippers. By the end of the week duct tape was the only way to keep the door closed. Once I returned home I contacted Sierra Designs and asked about replacing the zipper. I was told that they do not replace zippers on tents. It takes 6-7 hours of labor to remove and replace one zipper. I was quite disappointed that the tent could not be repaired, I really like this tent. David the customer service reprehensive I was talking to asked me to send him a picture of the zipper and he would see what he could do. I expected him to say there was nothing he could do and maybe offer me 10%-20% off the MSRP of a new tent.
The next day David emailed me back and said that the zipper was beyond repair and that Sierra Designs wanted to replace my tent. The Bedouin 6 had been out of production for several years but I could choose from any tent they had in stock. Unfortunately Sierra Designs does not currently make 6 person tents. Kelty and Sierra Designs are owned by the same company and I also had the option of any Kelty tent. They had several 6-8 person tents to choose from.
My new Kelty Trail Ridge tent arrived today. I was not even required to pay for shipping or return the old tent. I just was requested to cut the old tent body in half and send them a picture showing the two halves.
Once I spoke to David and found out that the zipper could not be replaced I expected to have to purchase a new tent. My Bedouin 6 was 9 years old and we had spent almost a years’ worth of nights in it. Many of these nights were in severe weather. I was not looking forward to buying a new one; I really liked my old one. It had served me well but maybe it was time.
I want to publicly say Thank You Sierra Designs! Thank you for both making a quality product and standing behind your product with excellent customer service. I will purchase your products in the future and I will recommend your products to others. I have always believed that quality products may cost more upfront but usually end up costing less in the long run. Sierra Designs showed me that this is true.
I know there are other companies out there that have excellent customer service like Sierra Designs. Please post your good experiences with these companies. Everyone is always quick to post complaints let’s hear the good things. No complaints please let’s try to keep this thread positive.
In 2006 when my son was entering Cub Scouts I purchased a tent so we could camping with the Scouts and also on our own. I wanted a good tent that did not leak when it rained and would last a long time. After doing some research I decided on the Sierra Designs Bedouin 6 three season tent. The past 9 years my son and I spent many nights in this tent. We have experienced many thunderstorms, 3 hail storms, 2 ice storms, and several snow storms. We have spent many nights in the tent with wind gusts averaging 25-35 mph and on one night we experienced 50-60 mpg gust (not fun at all). In the last 9 years we spent about 350 nights in this tent. The only damage to the tent was a couple of bent poles about a year after I bought the tent and after the 60 mph winds. Sierra Designs replaced the poles at no charge. Needless to say I have been quite happy with this tent.
Two weeks ago we were camping on the north shore of Lake Superior for 10 nights. During this trip we started having problems with one of the door zippers. By the end of the week duct tape was the only way to keep the door closed. Once I returned home I contacted Sierra Designs and asked about replacing the zipper. I was told that they do not replace zippers on tents. It takes 6-7 hours of labor to remove and replace one zipper. I was quite disappointed that the tent could not be repaired, I really like this tent. David the customer service reprehensive I was talking to asked me to send him a picture of the zipper and he would see what he could do. I expected him to say there was nothing he could do and maybe offer me 10%-20% off the MSRP of a new tent.
The next day David emailed me back and said that the zipper was beyond repair and that Sierra Designs wanted to replace my tent. The Bedouin 6 had been out of production for several years but I could choose from any tent they had in stock. Unfortunately Sierra Designs does not currently make 6 person tents. Kelty and Sierra Designs are owned by the same company and I also had the option of any Kelty tent. They had several 6-8 person tents to choose from.
My new Kelty Trail Ridge tent arrived today. I was not even required to pay for shipping or return the old tent. I just was requested to cut the old tent body in half and send them a picture showing the two halves.
Once I spoke to David and found out that the zipper could not be replaced I expected to have to purchase a new tent. My Bedouin 6 was 9 years old and we had spent almost a years’ worth of nights in it. Many of these nights were in severe weather. I was not looking forward to buying a new one; I really liked my old one. It had served me well but maybe it was time.
I want to publicly say Thank You Sierra Designs! Thank you for both making a quality product and standing behind your product with excellent customer service. I will purchase your products in the future and I will recommend your products to others. I have always believed that quality products may cost more upfront but usually end up costing less in the long run. Sierra Designs showed me that this is true.
I know there are other companies out there that have excellent customer service like Sierra Designs. Please post your good experiences with these companies. Everyone is always quick to post complaints let’s hear the good things. No complaints please let’s try to keep this thread positive.
