Buy Columbia

No, I am not advocating cocaine use.  Last year I had the misfortune of having the zipper on my winter coat break.  Other than the zipper being broken it was fine.  And it wasn’t really broken per se, but the stitching had come out on it.  And not the stitching that holds the zipper in place with the coat, it was what holds the zipper the strip of material that is sewn to the coat.  So I basically had about two inches of nylon dangling.  It actually happened almost two years ago, and the first time I spent what seemed like three or four hours hand sewing it back on.  Then it let go in a completely different spot.

So not wanting to spend all that time trying to fix it, I had asked my mother if it was something she thought she could sew for me (since I have totally forgotten how, and even if I did remember, I think this would be something beyond my expertise).  When she was here toward the end of the winter she thought she would give it a try.  If she couldn’t do it, the worst that would happen is that I would need to buy a new coat anyway.  She happened to mention it to my aunt apparently who told her that Columbia has a lifetime warranty on their coats, and that she should try contacting them and see if it was something they would replace before ripping everything apart and trying to sew a new zipper in place.

When I heard that I thought, well I can do that, so I had her bring it back early this summer when she was here for something.  I finally got around to contacting Columbia in the middle of August, and they told me to send it in and they would repair it if possible.  If not, I had an option (I forget exactly what my choices were) for replacing it.  I selected a credit for a new jacket.  After a couple of weeks, I got a notice saying that they had deemed my jacket unrepairable and were giving me a credit for a new jacket, and emailed me a code to use when buying the new one.

I decided to go to the Columbia outlet store figuring they would have the best selection.  It turns out that with what they gave me in credit for my jacket that was 5 years old, and purchased on sale at Kohls, I was able to purchase a new lightweight waterproof jacket, and a new outer shell for the winter, and was able to get Sarah (2) new jackets for the winter as well.  And even after all that, I still have about $30 left over!  WHOA!!!!  Best warranty ever!  All I need to look for now is a new inner liner (if I need one).  I have a Columbia fleece I wore at work a few years ago because they kept the thermostat down in the wintertime, so I can try that as a liner.  If not, I can always go back and get a new one for what I am thinking is going to be a little more than what I have left on my credit.  So how cool is that?! I am definitely going to keep buying Columbia jackets, and I recommend y’all do the same!