The Patagonia Service Center Emerges!

So last Thursday I rang Patagonia to get an update on my returned Critical Mass Bag. This return has been an ongoing process since I sent it back on December 21. I hadn't heard anything in several days so I was wondering what was up. I spoke to "Chip" at the service center who was very helpful. However, he said that according to the email they received (from the returns department, presumably) they were now processing returns that came back on December 24th. UH OH. My return was tracked and signed by a Patagonia rep. on December 23rd. What happened?

Fast forward to the next day, Friday January 9 and I got a message from Patagonia saying that the return was ready to roll. So all in all, it took two and a half weeks and two phone calls (by me) from the time they received it to the time the return was ready. The two and a half weeks part is understandable, I guess, given the fact that it was the holidays and post-holidays. But not knowing what the status was was a bit worrisome. It's probably not feasible for them to call every person that returns something, but maybe there's a better way, like posting status updates on items that are being returned.  A possibility? 

Patagonia Service Center: Gone Sleddin'?

Well, we're at January 6 and after checking the old bank account, no sign of the money back for my Critical Mass Bag that was received by the Patagonia Service Center on December 23rd.  I'm a little bit taken aback that it truly is taking this long.  I realize there were a couple of holidays in there, but even so.   Perhaps they're out on the slopes somewhere?

Patagonia Service Center Clogged Up

(Above:  Inside the Patagonia Service Center in Reno.  Photo from natures-lighting.com)

I had to send my faulty Patagonia Critical Mass Bag back to the Reno, Nevada service center.  I sent it UPS so it was insured and it had tracking.  According to the UPS site, it was delivered to Patagonia on December 23rd.  I hadn't heard anything and hadn't been refunded according to my bank website so I gave them a call this morning.  

The helpful customer service representative, "Elle," kindly informed me that they were only now processing returns from--are you ready for this--December 9th.  Yikes!  Either everyone's sending their Critical Mass Bags back or they need to hire an extra person or two.  So with a little bit of simple math, they should be getting to my bag on...January 20th?

Patagonia Customer Service

Patagonia service center in Reno, Nevada (photo from Patagonia.com)

Just as important as the physical product a company creates is the customer service it provides.  Recently, I returned an item to Patagonia that shrunk in the wash and didn't fit right anymore.  I sent it back using the form provided when they first sent the item to me (I had ordered it from Patagonia.com) and followed their directions.

I requested that they exchange the item for a different item.  As it turns out, they no longer had the item in my size.  I promptly received a call from a Patagonia customer service representative and they refunded my money.  It was a swift transaction and a nice change from some companies who insist on sending their customer's inquiries to customer service agents located in India (literally!).  

I was very pleased with the attention to my issue and the outcome.  I've ordered a handful of items from Patagonia.com and I can advise that in my experience, if you need to order from their website, you can feel confident that you'll have a smooth transaction and be pleased with the experience.