Northface - Misleading Lifetime Warranty? Only Two Years for a Weatherproof Jacket?

hazwing on 28/09/2015 - 22:03

I bought a weatherproof northface jacket about 3-4 years ago whilst overseas, it was from a genuine store and not a knock-off. However in the last year the inner waterproof plastic lining has been starting to flake off. As the year has gone by it's been getting pretty bad, and I decided to send northface a email to see if it was covered under their 'lifetime' warranty. Here: is their response:

"Thank you for your enquiry in regards to your TNF product.
TNF products carry life time warranty but it’s not the owner/human lifetime. It’s the product lifetime which is 2 years from the date of purchase.
Unfortunately we cannot help you further with your claim."

To be honest I wasn't expecting much from them, since it has been a little while since I bought it, plus it was bought overseas. However two year lifetime for a $200+ jacket seems sorta lame. I find it misleading they call it a lifetime guarantee. I'd be happier if they just said it was a 2 year guarantee. Is it worth making a complaint to the appropriate body about their misleading "lifetime" guarantee. And if so, which would be the appropriate body? The ACCC?

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Comments

  • grasstown on 28/09/2015 - 22:45

    seinfeld?? Seriously that response and guarantee are just wrong

  • hikaru78 on 28/09/2015 - 22:49
    +2

    Think its pretty deceptive but i would think that if you purchased overseas you would not be subject to ACL. happy to be proved wrong though

  • eatwell365 on 28/09/2015 - 22:52
    +3

    Imagine all cars claim to have lifetime warranty according to its definition. as cars have depreciation life of 5 years. So wrong - if it is me, I would call Dept of Fair Trading and forward a copy of NF email. DFT staff is excellent and helpful, and will contact NF on your behalf.
    Would rather support our cousin's Kathmandu. So many NF counterfeit, so many other brands.

  • sparkles on 28/09/2015 - 23:37
    +6

    What they are basically saying is that none of their products will last more than two years with substantial wear. Great advertising right there, especially on a $500 jacket.

    If it's a two year warranty, it should say two years. "Lifetime" shouldn't even be mentioned. You might wear the jacket once a year. It's possible you've worn this less than a handful of times.

    Personal experience, I've had North Face stuff and it's no better than any of the other branded travel gear around. I used to think their products were the holy grail, until I owned it, and realised ultimately it's all the same.

    • hazwing on 29/09/2015 - 07:30
      +1

      I was also under the impression that northface stuff was better that our locally branded product e.g. kathmandu and mountain design brands, but now I am not so sure.

      • frondono on 29/09/2015 - 07:41
        +2

        north face is for posers who want to look adventurous

  • bobbified on 29/09/2015 - 00:44
    +5

    I wonder how they can put a "lifetime" on a product - is it meant to self-destruct after a certain period of time?Oh.. that must be what's happening with your jacket! LOL!

    Dirty, dirty marketing by North Face!

  • Davo1111 on 29/09/2015 - 00:50
    +2

    whilst overseas

    Although their "lifetime warranty" thing is BS, i dont think this falls under Aus law. So you're SOL

    • hazwing on 29/09/2015 - 07:35
      +2

      I've come to accept that I'm unlikely to get anything back or repaired under warranty. However for other consumers, I find them using the term "lifetime warranty" quite misleading for someone considering a purchase. I believe it should still be possible to make a complaint to the appropriate body, for a misleading claim?

      • Davo1111 on 29/09/2015 - 08:45
        +2

        What type of warranty does the jacket fall under here? Did they know you bought it overseas?

        A carefully worded letter might make them change their minds.

    • bobbified on 29/09/2015 - 10:12
      +2

      They have the same wording on their Australian website: https://thenorthface.com.au/page/warranty-policy

      Doesn't mention whether it's a global warranty that covers goods bought from overseas though.

      Nevertheless, it's not going to make a difference if they won't honour it or come up with extra conditions when you make a claim. LOL

      Edit: I did a Google search and came up with this Reddit thread that contains comments from customers satisfied NF's Warranty service:
      https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/22gx6i/anyone…

      I'd suggest you try again - you've got nothing to lose anwyay.. perhaps you got that email from a b!x%ch who was having a bad day…. haha

      • SirFlibbled on 29/09/2015 - 12:17
        +3

        I'd say based on the fact they have it on their AU site, that the term 'lifetime' would be misleading. While the OP is SOL as he bought it overseas, the Australian arm confirmed 'lifetime' means 2 years.

        So I think it's still reasonable for the OP to make a complaint to the ACCC over a misleading statement. Even if they do mean the lifetime of the product, this would need to be prominently displayed alongside the 'lifetime' claim as well as how long the lifetime of the product is.

  • Gotchas on 29/09/2015 - 06:36
    +4

    Mention it on their Facebook page

  • Forfiet on 29/09/2015 - 06:37
    +3

    "life is short" pun….intended

  • Geewhizz on 29/09/2015 - 07:27
    +2

    If you bought it 4 years ago it won't be covered under the new laws anyway, but that's a lot of money to spend on a product with a deceptive warranty claim. There is no way they can even hope that anyone would accept that 2 years is 'lifetime'.

  • SlickMick on 29/09/2015 - 08:03
    +3

    well that brand name just took a hit

  • Charity on 29/09/2015 - 11:14
    +3

    Their marketing has helped me not to buy their products.

    Their actions and small print are much more telling than their LOUD glossy claims.

    Also, 2 years wear is garbage for a jacket.

    Good post.

  • try2bhelpful on 29/09/2015 - 12:33
    +2

    The "lifetime of a product"; that is just rubbish if it is only meant to last 2 years. I would be sending them another email indicating you intend to take this to social media and Choice magazine.

  • Sickman on 29/09/2015 - 13:24
    +2

    As a high user of outdoor products and have gone through a significant number of quality waterproof jackets and trousers. 2 years would be a normal warranted product guarantee for these products when use in semi-professional use. The materials will only last with reasonable material care. i.e. washing salt water from jacket after ocean use, and avoid Deet and sun screen lotions from material. In your case delimitation of the inner liner is normally an indication of some early material breakdown which could be from lotion transfer affecting the lining, UV a or heat damage (how did you dry the jacket out?) or could be simply body oils affecting the liner (did you ever wash the product as per product instructions?). It could be simply improper storage, I have had an unused jacket delaminate due to storage in a hot attic and that was from a brand that is well a knowledge for their high quality products and product warranties (I did not return that product as I was given it by a local sponsor and I had not stored it correctly).
    I personally do not have any TNF products from memory as their product features are normally marketed at the fashion consumer market more than the semi-professional/ advanced outdoor user.
    However, it is a quality brand and do make some good very functional products and if you go to a knowledgeable outdoor store selling their brand they should be able to check the product and assess if it something that could be a product fault and should be happy to return it to the local importer/supplier so it can be checked for product faults. If it is a normal material wear and tear, they normally offer a good discount on another jacket in their line.
    I do not think threats of action is the best way to go. The supplier needs to see the product in the hand before they can judge if it a product fault, so if you believe it is a product fault you need to get the local supplier to check the item out for you and probably best done by going to our local knowledgeable outdoor store.

  • hazwing on 29/09/2015 - 15:11
    +3

    For those interested, here are some photos of the jacket with the problem, these photos were sent in the original email to northface:
    https://www.anony.ws/i/2015/09/29/P9271001.jpg
    https://www.anony.ws/i/2015/09/29/P9271002.jpg
    https://www.anony.ws/i/2015/09/29/P9271004.jpg
    https://www.anony.ws/i/2015/09/29/P9271005.jpg

  • edgar28 on 29/09/2015 - 16:03
    -1

    As far as i know for the lifetime warranty is standard lifetime of the product.

    can be misleading, i know, the lifetime warranty started off in electronic parts where to protect manufacturers not consumers.

    They started using this lifetime warranty when at one stage a company try to clear off their end of life products and consumer requested for standard 1 year warranty, the manufacturer unable to provide a brand new replacement but refurbished product as it is end of life product.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warranty#Lifetime_warranty

    HP lifetime warranty as long as they still produce it and has leftover for replacement as pointed above

  • lead_org on 29/09/2015 - 18:00
    +1

    I think, you should consult ACCC regarding this, very deceptive of NF to claim lifetime warranty, when they don't stipulate what it means. You probably can get them exchanged or refunded.

    The inner lining breaking down do happens; especially if you you sweat a lot, or get in contact with chemicals or seawater without washing them off quickly. Given how NorthFace positions themselves against the cheaper outdoor brand, i would imagine their product should last a little bit longer than two years. Also, the rest of the jacket seems to be in good condition, it could be that the inner layer wasn't bonded to the polyester/nylon outer layers properly (could be done to using cheaper fabric supplier). Usually, you would expect yellowing to occur before these inner layers start to peel off like that, which i don't see from your jacket (unless chemicals like bleach has been used in your washing).

    • pmupsinep on 29/09/2015 - 18:36
      -1

      I bought a weatherproof northface jacket about 3-4 years ago whilst overseas

  • samfisher5986 on 29/09/2015 - 19:36

    Under Australian law this is 100% covered and they would have to replace it.

    Being overseas your warranty is basically none unless you want to deal with relevant authorities over there.

  • hazwing on 03/10/2015 - 18:18

    Well, I sent a reply to Northface. Haven't heard back from them. I guess their customer service here is just not the same as in the US.

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