Here’s a nice story from reader Aaron. His Adidas backpack soaked up a ton of water and ruined his books and papers, so he complained to Adidas. They referred him to their backpack manufacturer, and they replaced the backpack with a better one for free.
Aaron says:
I started college recently and of course one of my expenses was a new backpack. It was nothing special. Just a $30 dollar Adidas backpack I bought at Academy. Another expense I have yet to be able to afford is transportation, so I take the bus. One day after school last week I had to wait in the rain for a bit. I didn’t mind this too much since all my stuff was safe in my bag and I had worn a hoodie that day. Well, I don’t know bout you, but I have never had a backpack absorb so much water. My papers and textbook were ruined. Luckily, the class all those papers and textbook were for had ended. I called Adidas to complain. They referred me to Agron, the company that handles their backpack products.
The rep heard my complaint and being a college student as well, sympathized with me. He asked me to email him the receipt which I did not have. I thought I was shit out of luck but no… he said “Why don’t you take and send me a picture via email along with your address ,we just need proof”. I did and today I came home and found a big box on my bed. I open it and there was a new $75 Adidas Backpack .
They couldn’t replace the book but that didn’t matter too much as I was only going to resell it and probably wouldn’t have gotten much for it.
Just thought I’d share this story with you all,
Aaron
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Hmm, I’m confused why the OP didn’t figure a $30 backpack would absorb water when he was standing in the rain, but it is pretty awesome that Adidas replaced it with a nicer one even though they were in no way at fault! Thumbs up, Adidas.
@Toof_75_75:
1. Adidas did not personally replace the bag, the actual manufacturer, Agron, did.
2. Generally, backpacks are made out of nylon, or some other water resistant fabric. I have a couple of backpacks with rubber lining on the top-inside of the bag. There’s no excuse for a $30 name-brand bag to get THAT soaked. Wearing only a hoodie, the guy should have gotten more soaked than his bag. Agron did the right thing.
@blackmage439:
1. Good point. Thumbs up, Agron.
2. There are a thousand excuses for a backpack that only cost $30 to get wet, not the least of which is that he was standing out in the rain. I somehow doubt that this bag ever advertised it was made to withstand rain for any amount of time and so you basically have no basis for assuming it should.
@Toof_75_75:
I havea 15 dollar backpack that can handle a torrential downpour and not get a single drop on my books. Backpacks, any price, should be made of a water-repellant material or be coated with a water-repellant material and have a zipper with tight enough teeth to avoid water getting in. I’m glad Adidas did the right thing here, nicely done.
Was the backpack was advertised as being waterproof? Most bags get wet in the rain. It seems unreasonable to assume the bag would repel the water.
@the Goat: Most backpack materials do a good job of keeping your stuff dry. If you have what amounts to a towel in the shape of a backpack on your back… you might want to think again about your purchase.
@the Goat: Perhaps this was the new Chamois Cruiser backpack, made from chamois cloth, sponges and cardboard, for better water absorption.
Waterproof? No. Water attracting? That is crazy. I don’t think the OP should be blamed for complaining about an issue with a backpack not even providing basic protection from elements.
@Platypi: Haha! The Chamois Cruiser Backpack, brought to you by the makers of Sham-WOW!
@Sarah Vivelafat McCain Palin: I’m ashamed to admit that I love that infomercial. Won’t buy one, but that guy is mesmerizing.
@the Goat: Worst knapsack I ever had not only let water in through the top, but stopped it from getting out the bottom – so I ended up with a small lake inside, totally trashing the contents. Sounds like this guy had the same experience.
I think the point is not that the backpack did not hold up, the fact is the company or their representative stood up and sent him a new one. Companies that go above and beyond tend to come out on top in these situations. I am guessing Adidas may use Agron for just these types of issues.
The main reasons I spent $125 on a nice American made messenger bag is that it is rugged, waterproof, and when using it as a camera bag it is inconspicuous.
@Triborough: What brand? I wouldn’t mind a nice inconspicuous camera bag…
I’ve never had a backpack do that either, even the seriously cheap Harry Potter one I got at the flea market. It would have to be raining really hard. Nice of them to replace it without giving him crap.
Note to self – Adidas is a company to buy stuff from!
My truck got soaked when I drove it into the lake, can I get a new on Nissan?
Man, you guys have to find something to complain about, don’t you? Adidas/Agron did a great thing. Stop bitching just to bitch.
Judos to Adidas/Argon. never mind whether or not the OP should have called. The fact is that he did, and Argon was nice enough to replace the backpack without fuss. The point of the story is that they went above and beyond to help a customer that they didn’t necessarily need to.
That’s funny. i emailed Adidas in July about my wife’s flip flops that broke after 4 months.
still didn’t hear anything back. and Adidas is one of teh few clothing lines i buy
(the others are old navy, Under Armour, and Columbia.)
yessiriee folks, I’m one pimped out playa!
@B1663R: For me, 4 months is pretty good for flip flops (usually it’s closer to 2 or 3). I also tend to buy the $5 ones and abuse the crap out of them.
Props to Adidas/Agron, indeed however I wonder if this kind of thing opens the door to a “flood” of complaints and requests for new packsacks.
Do we know what specific model of backpack he got? I’m actually in the market for a new backpack, preferably a waterproof one.
This just shows you that it never hurts to complain about the expectations you have for a product (or the quality of the product). The worst thing the company can say is “Sorry, you’re S.O.L.”. Sometimes they surprise you by doing something great like this company did. Again, it never hurts to try!
@algal924: So true, as long as what you are complaining about is within reason.
You may be SOL (which you already are if you don’t try), but you may get something out of it. Nothing to lose.
Props to Adidas/Agron for the replacement backpack. May I suggest to the OP to carry a small cheap umbrella in the backpack incase of sudden outburst of rain?
They did a good job
If something doesn’t say waterproof on it then you can not assume that it is water proof. Enough said. It is completely unreasonable to just assume that a backpack is water proof. The story should go, the kid bought a cheap backpack, didn’t pay any attention to weather it was waterproof or not, lost all of his stuff because he was irresponsible, learned his lesson and bought a new backpack that was waterproof. To which I would reply, “Welcome to the real world kid.” Instead he complains and gets a free ride.
he said, ” Well, I don’t know bout you, but I have never had a backpack absorb so much water.”
which sounds to me like, he expected things to get wet, but not THAT wet.
wet from rain, not sitting in a puddle on his back.