Remington Customer Service Props

As noted previously, there's one facet of my Remington Versa Max shotgun that I'm not all that happy with. The forend is loose and "floats". I had always assumed it was a part of the design of the gun. By floating it, there's room for expansion when the gun heats up. But it's annoying and weird. Especially when I pick up my buddy's nice, tight Beretta Xtrema.

On Saturday, my companion in the duck blind notices this and says, "Hey, is your forend loose?" I tell him it's been like that since day one and I think it was designed that way. My other buddy alos offers, "Wow, that's weird." Crap. And I had just made peace with this feature as somehow "normal" even though it bugs the shit out of me and always has.

Earlier this week I find myself at Cabelas, so I lay my hands on three different Versa's (one new, two in the used rack). Hmmmmm. All nice and tight. Like they should be. This simultaneously validates and frustrates me. But it gives me hope that maybe I can get this gun, which I basically like, to perfection.

After digging out my paperwork (damn, I'm just out of warranty), I call Remington's customer service. Rep on the line is very knowledgeable and confirms that yes, they have redesigned that part. And even though I'm out of warranty, they'll send me a new one at no charge. He puts me on hold to do some paperwork. In the meantime, I decide to ask if there are any other significant updated parts and can I please get those, too?

When the rep returns to the line, he confirms my order, as well as a few other parts that have been upgraded and he will also be sending me.

This is a key element of brand loyalty - standing behind your products without question. Even in the most elite precision manufactured products (got any friends who own high-end European sports cars?), mistakes happen. Engineering changes are made to solve problems discovered in real-world use. Remington would have been fully within their rights to say, "You're out of warranty, so we'll have to charge you." But, they didn't. Pretty damn cool. Kudos to Remington.

-Sean-

Filson - Might As Well Have the Best

Filson gear is a legendary brand in the outdoors. Founded in 1897 to supply rugged, warm, functional clothing for timber cruisers, rangers, and others who worked outside in the Pacific Northwest, the company has developed a reputation for peformance. In recent years, they've clearly made a marketing effort to broaden the brand footprint by expanding from their traditional waxed cotton and wool gear into being more of a high-end clothing brand. Not at all an uncommon trend - Barbour, Carhartt, and others have done the same.

Five years ago, when I needed a durable coat that shrugged off rain and snow, held up well, and would look good with everything from jeans to suits, I turned to Filson. At the time, a local retailer was one of the largest dealers in the Midwest. With a wide selection, I found that the Field Coat in cover cloth seemed well-suited to my needs and budget.

Great jacket - fit well, got compliments, pockets galore. With a range of zip-in liners I was able to adapt to nearly any conditions.

After a year, I noticed some wear holes at the edges of the pocket flaps and sleeve cuffs. Nothing huge, perhaps 1/8" at most. When I visited the store I purchased it from, the owner shrugged it off and stopped just short of calling me a worrywart. Among the reasons I will no longer shop at this establishment.

This Fall I noticed that jacket seemed to have lost a bit of its waterproofness. After some time on the Filson web site, I found that they rewax for a modest price. I also found that they recommend rewaxing annually or semi-annually. Oops. As I made plans to return the garment, I noticed more, and larger holes at the previous locations, along with the sleeve underseams. So, now I'm not happy.

When I called customer service, they very friendly guy on the phone quickly told me that, as I felt, this wasn't right and to send the jacket to them for inspection. Into the FedEx it went, and within a few days, I got a call from Pete in Customer Service. Yes, he thought this wear was a failure. And they wanted to be me into something new. They credited the full amount of my original purchase toward a new jacket (they've since discontinued this one in the cover cloth --- hmmm, other premature failures?). I selected the same Field Jacket, but decided to upgrade to Filson's most durable - the Tin Cloth.

After work yesterday, I arrive home to a package on the front porch. At no charge, Filson had rush shipped my new jacket. Nice. That's the way to handle customers. This is a brand that shall be added to the realm of Nikon, Simms, Jeep, Toro, and my other favorites for standing behind their products.

Best of all, I wore it for the first time today and I love it. The tin cloth is like armor. As I had an appointment in one of the nastier areas in Detroit, I decided today would be a good concealed carry day. My Springfield XD Subcompact fit nicely in the enormous bellow front pocket. And the heft of the tin cloth kept it completely concealed.

Want good stuff from a company that stands behind its product? You might as well have the best - Filson.

-Sean-

Outstanding Outcast

Had a great interaction with the folks at Outcast Sporting Gear over the past week. My FishCat 13 suffered from a leak I couldn't seem to find. I shipped the bladder back and they quickly found the pinhole I couldn't locate. When they called me, they told me the repair was gratis (nice) and I asked to order some parts. Locally I only have one Outcast dealer - Cabelas. I thought my odds of getting a specialized part that's beyond the one-man float tubes they sell seemed unlikely. So Outcast offered to sell these items to me separately. They were even kind enough to do some investigation to save me some $$$ on shipping my 20# pyramid anchor!

That's what really garners my respect in a company. They were fast, helpful, and flexible. I already like my raft quite a bit, but this just makes me feel that much better about the Outcast brand. By contrast, I am dealing with a purchase from an online seller that has been the polar opposite. Shipped me someone else's order the first time, hassled me about the return, then correct product didn't fit, so I needed that exchanged. And hostile and inflexible the whole time.

Considering a floaty boat? I would definitely suggest a look at Outcast!

Update on the raft: Since my December shake-down cruise on the Pere Marquette, I've made some key upgrades to the raft. They include:

• Addition of a 20# pyramid anchor to replace the crappy "mushroom" style that's totally unsuited to rivers.
• Picked up a K-Pump K-100. This sweet, small pump even comes in a bag with lashing points to attach to the raft frame. Thank you Cabelas inventory clearance sale!
• Added a second rod storage tube. Existing one (1-1/2" PVC with reel groove and retainer) only held a single stick.

Looking forward to the next float!

-Sean-

Wadus Updatus

Score one more for buying local. Was at fly shop where I purchased my waders and chatting with the manager some more about waders. He decides he's going to ship them back to Orvis and make a stink (he wasn't working there when I bought them) as he's seen this in too many others.

Cool for me, bad for Orvis. I suspect I'll get my money back and buy some Simms...

-Sean-