Really Need To Know What You Think...

[lilstint]

I bought my daughter a $299 Patagonia coat (huge BF deal.. I paid slightly under $200) that she really loved for Christmas. It was a big splurge and just about the only thing I bought her because of the cost.

Well, she wore it to Target today and the coat is now ripped. All she did was brush by a display table and a small shard of broken metal put a slice in the fabric. We were naturally very upset so I called a manager over. He was not at all apologetic and, in fact, acted quite nasty about his "liability" in the matter.

I really persisted and he siad to take it to a "tailor" (this is parka material) and they'd reimburse the cost of repair. I told him that anyone can see that there would be no way this could be properly repaired by a tailor. He then told me to bring the receipt in and left in a huff. I'm thinking of demanding a reimbursement for the coat. What do you think?

 

[Halbleib1]

I say it is an unfortunate accident and not the stores fault.. It sounds like it is the type of material that it could happen anywhere.

 

[clm10308]

I bought my daughter a $299 Patagonia coat (huge BF deal.. I paid slightly under $200) that she really loved for Christmas. It was a big splurge and just about the only thing I bought her because of the cost.

Well, she wore it to Target today and the coat is now ripped. All she did was brush by a display table and a small shard of broken metal put a slice in the fabric. We were naturally very upset so I called a manager over. He was not at all apologetic and, in fact, acted quite nasty about his "liability" in the matter.

I really persisted and he siad to take it to a "tailor" (this is parka material) and they'd reimburse the cost of repair. I told him that anyone can see that there would be no way this could be properly repaired by a tailor. He then told me to bring the receipt in and left in a huff. I'm thinking of demanding a reimbursement for the coat. What do you think?

First I would suggest that you call the manufacturer of the coat. I don't know about Patagonia specifically, but many of the high end outdoor gear companies will replace their gear when it is damaged. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to ask about replacement/repair.

I can understand that you are upset. That would be a very big purchase in my family as well, but why should the store be held to a higher standard just because that is a new, expensive jacket. Would they be any less responsible if my son's winter coat, that I bought for $1 at a church rummage sale, was torn?

Have you even checked to see if the coat can be repaired?

 

[Natalie's Mommy]

if it was a broken display that caused the damage then yes i would, if it was her not being careful then no i would not.

 

[apnep]

I don't see why this is the store's fault and I don't think you should expect them to pay for it.

 

[maggiew]

If it was due to broken, sharp metal, then I think its the stores fault. Imagine if it was summer and had ripped through her flesh.

Maggie

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't see why this is the store's fault and I don't think you should expect them to pay for it.

Well, if a toddler you cared about walked by a store's "display table and a small shard of broken metal" cut their face, would you consider it to be the toddler's fault, or the store's, for having broken metal on a display table? Who left the broken metal there? The toddler or the store?

Same with the OP's child. Did she cut her coat with the broken metal, or was she simply shopping in the store's environment, and find something broken? Did SHE bring in the metal? Nope.



That said, looking at Patagonia's info:

"If you are not satisfied with one of our products at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction"

I would say that something intended to be worn in harsh winter conditions while skiing or hiking or whatevering should, actually, be able to withstand the impact of sharp things a bit more than brushing by them. Otherwise anyone at the end of a day spent hiking would probably have slashes all over their coats from branches, etc. So I would probably let them know that it didn't perform to satisfaction and see where that goes.


Then again, I've had problems returning things to Nordstrom not a week after I bought them, because they were falling apart...and LL Bean tells me that their policy doesn't say what I think it says and they won't take things back... So what do I know about getting places to follow their own policies?

 

[Patience]

Call Patagonia. I bet they will have a solution for you. My daughter has a Patagonia jacket too and she loves it.

 

[lilstint]

First I would suggest that you call the manufacturer of the coat. I don't know about Patagonia specifically, but many of the high end outdoor gear companies will replace their gear when it is damaged. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to ask about replacement/repair.

I can understand that you are upset. That would be a very big purchase in my family as well, but why should the store be held to a higher standard just because that is a new, expensive jacket. Would they be any less responsible if my son's winter coat, that I bought for $1 at a church rummage sale, was torn?

Have you even checked to see if the coat can be repaired?

Trust me I am no snob. I don't believe that the store should be held to a higher standard b/c of the cost of the coat but the cost of the coat made the incident much more heartbreaking. I have to admit that I probably would not have been able to muster up the nerve to complain otherwise.

 

[espana94]

I bought my daughter a $299 Patagonia coat (huge BF deal.. I paid slightly under $200) that she really loved for Christmas. It was a big splurge and just about the only thing I bought her because of the cost.

Well, she wore it to Target today and the coat is now ripped. All she did was brush by a display table and a small shard of broken metal put a slice in the fabric. We were naturally very upset so I called a manager over. He was not at all apologetic and, in fact, acted quite nasty about his "liability" in the matter.

I really persisted and he siad to take it to a "tailor" (this is parka material) and they'd reimburse the cost of repair. I told him that anyone can see that there would be no way this could be properly repaired by a tailor. He then told me to bring the receipt in and left in a huff. I'm thinking of demanding a reimbursement for the coat. What do you think?

Let me give you my take as a former retail manager...

From a risk management stand point, the store does have the responsibility to ensure that their displays are damage-free and do not pose potential threat to their customers. If the rip was caused by exposed metal that could injure a customer, you could make the case that the store has some liability.

With that said, it is going to be very hard to get the individual store manager to do anything to resolve the issue. Retail Managers are typically bonused based on overall store performance, especially their bottom-line profit. Any money that the store manager gives to you to replace or repair the coat will come directly off his bottom line as a store expense.

If you really want to take this to the Nth degree and receive reimbursement from Target, you need to take the issue beyond the store manager. You need to start with a phone call to the District/Regional Manager, with a follow up letter that restates your case, referencing your conversation with the Store Manager and the District/Regional office. You should also send a copy of your letter to the Regional Asset Protection Manager and The Vice President of Store Operations at Target's Headquarters in Minneapolis. If the District/Regional Manager is not inclined to help you out, then you call Corporate and follow that call up with a letter.

You are the only one who can decide if the damage to the jacket warrants this much trouble. But, based on my experience, customers who took this route usually got some type of compensation for their time and trouble.

The key is to be a polite but "squeaky wheel." Get their attention and make your case. Hope this helps.

 

[daughtersrus]

Let me give you my take as a former retail manager...

From a risk management stand point, the store does have the responsibility to ensure that their displays are damage-free and do not pose potential threat to their customers. If the rip was caused by exposed metal that could injure a customer, you could make the case that the store has some liability.

With that said, it is going to be very hard to get the individual store manager to do anything to resolve the issue. Retail Managers are typically bonused based on overall store performance, especially their bottom-line profit. Any money that the store manager gives to you to replace or repair the coat will come directly off his bottom line as a store expense.

If you really want to take this to the Nth degree and receive reimbursement from Target, you need to take the issue beyond the store manager. You need to start with a phone call to the District/Regional Manager, with a follow up letter that restates your case, referencing your conversation with the Store Manager and the District/Regional office. You should also send a copy of your letter to the Regional Asset Protection Manager and The Vice President of Store Operations at Target's Headquarters in Minneapolis. If the District/Regional Manager is not inclined to help you out, then you call Corporate and follow that call up with a letter.

You are the only one who can decide if the damage to the jacket warrants this much trouble. But, based on my experience, customers who took this route usually got some type of compensation for their time and trouble.

The key is to be a polite but "squeaky wheel." Get their attention and make your case. Hope this helps.

 

[horseshowmom]

If it was due to broken, sharp metal, then I think its the stores fault. Imagine if it was summer and had ripped through her flesh.

Maggie

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Well, if a toddler you cared about walked by a store's "display table and a small shard of broken metal" cut their face, would you consider it to be the toddler's fault, or the store's, for having broken metal on a display table? Who left the broken metal there? The toddler or the store?

Same with the OP's child. Did she cut her coat with the broken metal, or was she simply shopping in the store's environment, and find something broken? Did SHE bring in the metal? Nope.

That said, looking at Patagonia's info:

"If you are not satisfied with one of our products at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction"

I would say that something intended to be worn in harsh winter conditions while skiing or hiking or whatevering should, actually, be able to withstand the impact of sharp things a bit more than brushing by them. Otherwise anyone at the end of a day spent hiking would probably have slashes all over their coats from branches, etc. So I would probably let them know that it didn't perform to satisfaction and see where that goes.

I agree with this to a point as well. These coats should hold up in rugged environments. I realize that a lot of them are never worn in those situations, but they're supposed to be designed for that. It might be worth discussing with a customer rep. I really think Target should be responsible though.

Let me give you my take as a former retail manager...

From a risk management stand point, the store does have the responsibility to ensure that their displays are damage-free and do not pose potential threat to their customers. If the rip was caused by exposed metal that could injure a customer, you could make the case that the store has some liability.

With that said, it is going to be very hard to get the individual store manager to do anything to resolve the issue. Retail Managers are typically bonused based on overall store performance, especially their bottom-line profit. Any money that the store manager gives to you to replace or repair the coat will come directly off his bottom line as a store expense.

If you really want to take this to the Nth degree and receive reimbursement from Target, you need to take the issue beyond the store manager. You need to start with a phone call to the District/Regional Manager, with a follow up letter that restates your case, referencing your conversation with the Store Manager and the District/Regional office. You should also send a copy of your letter to the Regional Asset Protection Manager and The Vice President of Store Operations at Target's Headquarters in Minneapolis. If the District/Regional Manager is not inclined to help you out, then you call Corporate and follow that call up with a letter.

You are the only one who can decide if the damage to the jacket warrants this much trouble. But, based on my experience, customers who took this route usually got some type of compensation for their time and trouble.

The key is to be a polite but "squeaky wheel." Get their attention and make your case. Hope this helps.

This I agree with completely!

 

[HLAuburn]

Did you happen to snap any pics of the display? I agree with the PPs who said that if the display was indeed damaged somehow and that's what caused the tear, then I would take it up with the store. If it was just an unfortunate meeting of a nice coat and a piece of metal, then I'm not really sure there's much they should do about it.

Sorry...I know incidents like this stink.

 

[VAfamily1998]

If it was due to broken, sharp metal, then I think its the stores fault. Imagine if it was summer and had ripped through her flesh.

Maggie

I agree. I think the store is lucky that the broken metal was discovered because of a ripped jacket and not someone's ripped skin!

 

[lilstint]

Did you happen to snap any pics of the display? I agree with the PPs who said that if the display was indeed damaged somehow and that's what caused the tear, then I would take it up with the store. If it was just an unfortunate meeting of a nice coat and a piece of metal, then I'm not really sure there's much they should do about it.

Sorry...I know incidents like this stink.

Shoot. I can't believe that we didn't think to do that. The store manager and another supervisior both examined the display though, and neither argued that it was not damaged. We also demonstated how the tear exactly lined up to the to the shard.

On the way home DD and I were commenting (as Bumbershoot pointed out) that the shard would have been just about face high to one of her son's (my grandson) who was not with us at the time but could have been. A nasty cut or lost eye would have not been out of the realm of possibility. I can tell you that we worried alot less about our loss thinking about that!

We are going to bring in the receipt tomorrow and I'll let everyone know how we make out. We may have to contact the District/Regional Manager as another poster suggested. We also think that those who posted about calling Patagonia may have a good idea. This is my first Patagonia purchase so I don't have any experience with the company. I do know one thing, if I had purchased the coat from llBean I wouldn't have a worry in the world right now.

 

[ceecee]

I wouldn't have thought to ask Target for a reimbursement, but I guess if it was a broken display AND a safety issue maybe so.
I would be very upset that a $300 coat would rip quite so easily as well. DD had to line up against a brick wall for recess when they were in elementary and I can't tell you how many coat got holes and it was usually the more expensive ones. I finally got her a Lands End and no more issues, that thing was great!

 

[MomToOne]

If you paid with a credit card, check to see if that card has any purchase protection/extended warranty type coverage and if they would cover this problem. For example, the Visa website says "Many Visa card purchases are protected against theft or damage for the first 90 days from the date of purchase." You have to check your specific card, but it's worth a shot.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I agree that if the display was damaged and created an unsafe environment for shoppers, Target should take responsibility.

 

[lvillotta1]

This is the exact reason that I will only buy my higher end clothes from Lands End. My sister received her first diaper/ backpack 11.5 years ago and 3 years ago with her 4th child the zipper broke. She sent it back no questions asked and they sent her a beautiful brand new one. I guess I am just too frugal to pay that much for a coat for a kid or a teenager. The winter coat my daughter whom is 9 has a nice high end coat from a consignment store and cost me $14. Perfect condition and she can wear it for the next few winters. IMHO Target should not be responsible. If Patagonia does not have the same policy as Lands End I would be literally sick especially if this was her only gift.

 

[dreaming4disney]

I think if the metal was sharp because it was broken then the store should pay for the coat and if it cannot be mended then a new one purchased.
It's only my opinion. It sounds like someone could get cut as well. Hopefully they help you fix the coat and also fix the metal.

Good Luck !!!!