Warranty problems

It's no good buying a product with a warranty if it breaks and then the manufacturer makes it too difficult to make a claim.

Such is the case with my camera bag. The bag is made by a subsidiary (Ape Case) of a company called Norazza...a company with it's world headquarters and distribution center located in Buffalo, New York.

Ape Case makes a lot of different camera bags. It says on their website how well made their camera cases are. "Rugged", and "tough all over".

This is the second Ape Case that I've owned. It's the perfect size for our camera, and I really like it. But it's also the second case where the zipper has broken...the first one, within a year of owning it. This time, it's been about a year and a half.

When the first one went, I had looked at the "limited lifetime warranty" and decided that it wasn't worth persuing. You had to send it in at your own expense (about $18), and it specifically said that the zipper may not be included anyhow...

...nor does it cover the natural breakdown of materials that occurs after extended use (i.e. zipper wear, Velcro wear, fabric abrasion, etc.). In time, even a Ape Case® bag will wear out!

Then, I read the fine print where it says that the warranty is only valid in the continental United States. Hmph.

So, I had waited for it to come on sale and I simply bought another one, figuring that maybe the first one with the zipper problem was an anomoly.

But now, the second one has a broken zipper!

So, I give up. Ape Case doesn't get a third chance.

And now, we've got a few other products that we're having to make warranty claims with.

Ruth's Asus "Transformer Book" laptop that we bought last summer is one of these ones where the tablet portion disconnects from the keyboard. But a bad connection has developed between the two, and it causes some of the keyboard keys to not function properly.

So we've been on the phone with them trying to fix it, and I have to admit that Asus been really good at trying to help. The warranty is still valid, but of course we still have to send it in. Yet to be seen if we are reimbursed for that, but we'll find out soon.

And, we bought a Lagostina brand frying pan. On sale, it was regulary a $60 frying pan for $13. But then 6 months later the coating started to peel on it. I emailed Lagostina's Montreal office, and they agreed to send a perpaid courier envelope so that we wouldn't have to pay for shipping. We've sent it in, but haven't heard back yet.

And, we bought a 64GB memory stick made by Silicon Power that has gone funny. It doesn't work properly in either one of our laptops. Haven't made the phone call yet on this one, but I'll try and remember to do that today.

A product is only as good as the company that stands behind it.

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Really good "deal of the day" at Amazon.com today! Almost half price!

Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress with Never Flat Pump

And on Amazon.ca in Canada, they have a battery booster similar to the one we have on sale today only. Considering this is in Canadian dollars, it's a good deal...

AUKEY Multi-Functional Car Jump Starter and Portable External Battery Charger with Adapters , Clamps , LED Flashlight , 12V Output and 400A Peak Current . ( Black )