Last summer my partner and I had the opportunity to paddle and wonder through the world's oldest old growth pine forest (fortunately located in Northern Ontario -- near Temagomi).
Due to the trip, and based on my stellar recommendations, Mark bought a pair of Merrell sandals. I had waxed on about how comfortable, durable and sturdy my sandals were and he, a believer in paying for quality, had no problem forking over the $100+ for the footwear.
The outcome was less than desirable. Not only did we need to perform an emergency repair on BOTH sandals (if we had ignored these repairs Mark would have been unable to wear them as they would have literally fell off his feet), we also were absolutely astounded by Merrell's lack of concern or attention to our ordeal.
In July of last year -- while preparing for our West Coast (Pacific Rim) Trail trip and, faced with purchasing new sandals, Mark and I sat down and composed a letter of concern and complaint to Merrell.
Now, we certainly did not expect them to stop production lines, bolt to our abode and solicit our design brilliance...but at the very least we did expect some acknowledgement to our concerns and compliants.
Nothing.
Due to the trip, and based on my stellar recommendations, Mark bought a pair of Merrell sandals. I had waxed on about how comfortable, durable and sturdy my sandals were and he, a believer in paying for quality, had no problem forking over the $100+ for the footwear.
The outcome was less than desirable. Not only did we need to perform an emergency repair on BOTH sandals (if we had ignored these repairs Mark would have been unable to wear them as they would have literally fell off his feet), we also were absolutely astounded by Merrell's lack of concern or attention to our ordeal.
In July of last year -- while preparing for our West Coast (Pacific Rim) Trail trip and, faced with purchasing new sandals, Mark and I sat down and composed a letter of concern and complaint to Merrell.
Now, we certainly did not expect them to stop production lines, bolt to our abode and solicit our design brilliance...but at the very least we did expect some acknowledgement to our concerns and compliants.
Nothing.
Not even a "thanks for writing" form letter.
So, it is to my absolute dismay that I am removing Merrell from our outdoor gear purchases. I find it simply unacceptable for a company to entice purchasers with equipment touted for one use, only to ignore complaints if this equipment does not live up to these standards. It leaves me questioning: What other defects will I run into...out in the wild...when I'd like to take comfort in the idea that one CAN purchase quality products.
As such, I am posting our letter of complaint as an OPEN LETTER to Merrell...asking them to reexamine their values and ideals and return to their roots as a producer of outdoor goods that CARE about their clients' experiences.
OPEN LETTER:
July 29, 2008
To whom it may concern:
I am quite disheartened at the lack of response from your corporate office, with regards to an online letter/compliant I filed at the beginning of July.
My partner and I are weekend warriors. We work hard all week and look forward to our nature retreats. Last year we vacationed in a beautiful section of Northern Ontario – where Canada boasts the oldest pine growth in the world.
During that vacation my partner – a very able and athletic man – asked me to recommend a sandal manufacturer. Over the years I have used (and abused) Merrell with very little discomfort or dissatisfaction. With that in mind, I confidently recommended a pair of Merrell sandals (model/type enclosed).
To our dismay the sandals absolutely and completely fell apart during our trip. The Velcro – a silly addition to active sandals – lost all ability to grip and, by day three, we found ourselves cutting line in order to create makeshift sewing kits. We ended up having to reinforce the heel straps on the sandals, on both sides (and on both sandals). With three more nights of hiking and portaging we were truly and utterly discouraged by the experience.
As a result, we are no longer 100% comfortable with Merrell equipment. Considering we are about to leave for our Pacific Trail hike (at the end of August), I think this is a shame. As a Canadian couple, who enjoys the outdoors and the purchasing good quality Canadian products, it’s a shame we can no longer rely on a brand I once had no trouble promoting.
Even worse, is that my compliant went completely unacknowledged. No courtesy email, no letter and no follow-up phone call.
This prompts me to continue my proactive consumer stance – happy to promote products I am pleased with…and just as happy to publicly and openly dismiss products that I am not pleased with.
I would hope that in the future Merrell would have the decency to acknowledge and address a consumer complaint.
Sincerely,
Romana King
3 comments:
You should post this at MEC and Europe Bound
I would like to know how old are your shoe's.... why would you do hiking and portaging in sandal's. I would were a closed shoe to protect my toes and feet from branches.... good choice there....
^... anyways, i have a newer model of these sandals and after raving about how great merrell is and pining over the loss of my previous, awesome merrell sandals, i am now going to go back to the store to ask for my money back. 120 dollar sandals should at least stay on your feet after only a week of wearing them. everything is good about them except the extremely inferior back strap design. there is no way it could ever stay on! my sandals have never even gotten wet. if i don't get my money back i will have to take them to a shoemaker to have them altered. i challenge anyone to put on these sandals new and jog for a few hundred meters through trails without at least one of them coming undone. weak. i would have thought they didn't field test these shoes except that my sandals seem to be the newer models with the same fault so i guess merrell just doesn't care that they suck.
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