Faulty Arc'teryx Alpha Ar - The response from Arc'teryx.

A few weeks ago I returned a faulty Arc'teryx alpha AR jkt. which was leaking through the front zip .The supplier -Snow and rock were very helpful keeping me informed of progress whilst Arc'teryx inspected it... their  response was less than helpful and quite honestly astounded me .

I tweeted my disappointment and had many messages of support , the restrictions in twitter meant that lengthy discussion's are impractical - hense this post .

A bit of background. I originally purchased an Arc'teryx alpha Lt back in 2012, I bought this in a sale although it was still expensive . I liked the fit , features and the weight and was very happy until it leaked through the front zip. It was returned to Snow and Rock who in turn sent it back to Arc'teryx to be assessed .A few weeks later I received a letter from Snow and Rock informing me Arc'teryx had found it to be faulty AND had refunded my money, with which I could choose another jacket . I could have chose another brand but was delighted with Arc'teryx's response so I chose to pay full price for the updated AR version ( the LT had been discontinued ).like most outdoor folk I have limited funds for outdoors gear and any purchase needs to be considered , usually involving a combination of saving , selling unused item's and family contributions for birthdays , Christmas ect.

I used this replacement for around 2 1/2 years until it too developed the same fault , I went through the return procedure but this time the outcome was not so satisfactory ! below are the responses I received from supplier and manufacturer.

To say I was astounded at Arc'teryx's reply would be an understatement ! They basically say the front main zip that we all rely on to keep us dry is infact NOT waterproof ! instead it relies on a flap behind the zip . Below are 2 pic's showing this flap.

Would you say that flap is a reliable way to keep water out ? I don't ! it's just not wide enough , and doesn't even have a 'rain drain' !
The overall quality of Arc'teyx  jackets is very good- so why do they compromise that with a sub standard zip/ method of keeping water out ? I know this has been discussed on social media , forums and blogs many times , and you are probably fed up with hearing the same old discussion over & over again , but until manufacturers take note what choice do we have ?

Needless to say , I'm in the process of sending another email to Arc'teryx but don't hold out much hope .. I'm just not important enough

Daron

 

Edit . 24/07/2017

Had an email response from  Arc'teryx today . I questioned their testing procedure- they replied saying they 'do not have sight of jackets sent to their repair facility through authorized retailers ' and are unable to see what 'tests' have been carried out to determine the jackets ability to withstand water .

 

They go onto say ' the retailer will have more info' on what tests have been carried out , they do ask for a RA number so they can see what tests have been done so they can  supply a ' detailed ' explanation of what tests have been done . I supplied the reference no. on the retailers letter from - snow and rock .

 

Am now in the process of sending snow and rock another email , detailing what Arc'teryx have said & to get the RA number .