Silke and I have worn our Columbia jackets for many years now and they have always proven their self worth.
The name ‘Columbia Sportswear’ alone conjures such words as; durability, quality, and dependability. With heavy snow or frigid temperatures, this is our ‘go to’ jacket. I always have my hat and gloves shoved into the pockets, so my whole outer wear ensemble is always ready for me.
Time and constant use take its toll on all clothes. We have both run into the same issue, the one thing that seems to go first in most jackets. The zipper! My zipper completely came off and left me with very few options. On Silke’s jacket on the other hand, the zipper pull had just broken off the clasp. A fully functional zipper with nothing to grab onto to get it to move up and down. My first comment was that she could simply carry a needle nose pliers with her and she would be good to go. This comment was met with dead silence and ‘the look’. With ‘the look’ you don’t even have to say anything at all. The furrowing of the brow and the piercing stare says it all.
My second comment was met with much more enthusiasm and seemed like the best course of action. Send it back to Columbia Sportswear and with the ‘lifetime guarantee’ program, her jacket would be fixed and be as good as new again. The only thing it costs us is the shipping to get it to their warranty department in Oregon. Living in Minnesota we always have more then one winter jacket so the time without it would be filled with a backup. So, we put the jacket in a box with a note explaining the defect and our return address, and shipped it off.
Three weeks to the date and a big package awaited us at the mail box. Silke’s winter jacket had been repaired to it’s original glory. An accompanying official looking certification with the repairers signature and date came with the jacket as well. I had received a similar, and very satisfying outcome when I mailed off my own Columbia jacket the previous year.
If this all sounds pretty straight forward, mundane and almost to good to be true, then think again. My Columbia Sportswear winter jacket was over 15 years old!
Now try to think of something you bought over ten years ago and would you still be able to get it repaired to the highest level of satisfaction? It’s this level of customer service and quality that simply can’t be beat by other sportswear companies.
Jacket styles may come and go but the durability and outstanding customer service and warranty of Columbia Sportswear will hopefully always remain the same.
Columbia Sportswear Company Warranty Repair Certificate
Dear Columbia Customer: Our warranty reflects the pride Columbia sportswear takes in the quality of its products. We regret any difficulties you may have experienced. Your garment has been repaired, and it is important to us that the repairs are to your satisfaction. If you should have any suggestions on how we can improve our repair service, please write the Consumer Services Department at the address shown below.
Date: 2/19/13 Repaired by: Paulina
14375 NW Science Park Drive, Portland, OR
Have you had a similar experience with Columbia Sportswear or other companies?
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I just noticed after we posted this that the header picture for the web site is of Silke wearing the jacket at Lake Carlos State Park.