UKC

I took an exped 9 DLX down mat to Alaska with me last year. The mat performed well and was very comfortable and warm in the sub zero temperatures. The problem arose this year whilst in Chamonix, when the mat was inflated there was a huge hump at one end. It looked as though the stiching on the baffles inside the mat were faulty. I phoned Lyon equipment, explained the problem and I returned the mat. This was on the 14th of July and I still haven't received a replacement mat. I rang Lyon about 3 weeks ago and was told that they supply to shops first before they wil replace my mat. I am in a position now where I want to use it for a trip next week, and find this situation unacceptable, as they cant give me a timescale for replacing the mat. Has anyone had similar problems with Lyon, or the down mats? Ian.

In reply to Ian Black: When I had to replace mine I did it via the Climbers Shop in Ambleside who sorted everything. It took about two weeks in total.

When I've tried to contact Lyon directly about things they've seemed less than competent so good luck. It's fairly shoddy behaviour from them and it might be worth contacting Exped in Switzerland and asking if they want to change their distributor.

Who did you buy it from originally?

In reply to EwanR: Climbers shop as well mate, but was busy at work and just decided to send it to Lyon and save a trip up Ambleside. Wish I hadn't bothered now.

In reply to Ian Black: Alternatively as Andy Kirkpatrick is sponsored by them you could try this:

Dear Dr Gear,
What do I do when the sole distributor of a product in my country is inept?

See the premier post for more details

In reply to EwanR: Hopefully them seeing it on here will speed things up. No correspondance from them either. I just get the feeling if I didn't pursue it, they would just forget about me. Cheers.

Hi although I do work for Lyon equipment (I do some training now and then), I, and probably almost anyone who works in the outdoor trade would defend them as being one of the most efficient company's in the biz (along with Mountain Boot company and First Ascent), and I expect that this is just a f%%k up.

As an aside, if you ever have any problems with any kit NEVER post it back to a distributor or manufacture.

Always take it back to the shop where you bought it. This brings up an interesting point, showing the importance of sticking with a good trusted retailer (one that has a shop), where you can return the goods and have a human style relationship over it’s outcome! Most good shops, that see an obvious total flaw with replace the goods, and take the hit on waiting for a return to replace it from their stock. They are also more able to kick ass when it comes to sorting out problems. If on the other hand you buy it cheap from Chamonix, then those £££ saved often require a great deal more work in getting a satisfactory conclusion (no shop will waste time on a product you didn’t buy from them, and the same goes for a distributor/agent when it didn’t originate from their patch).

If the problem is of a life threatening kind (crampons that break, harness that fall apart), then take photos of it (or video), then send it to the BMC and send a copy of the problem to the manufacture. This way companies can’t get away with shoddy crap by sweeping it under the carpet (it happens!).

Lastly sending it to a distributor is often a bad idea, as very often they don’t like dealing direct with customers, and are often (like the shop keeper) stuck in the middle, awaiting a response from the manufacturer.

Anyway it sounds like an obvious fault so I hope this gets resolved soon.


Cheers

Andy

In reply to Ian Black: I'd concur entirely with what Andy Kirkpatrick says, and add that if anyone is inefficient it is Exped who are just useless at supplying their kit. We have been waiting a lot longer than you to get down mats that we ordered. Lyon will simply be assigning you a place in the queue I guess.

In reply to Stephen Reid: Just a little background info on the down mat situation; the factory that makes these was procured by the Chinese government to make supplies for victims of the Chinese Earthquake earlier this year and are still trying to catch up on demand for their normal products, Lyon has placed an additional order for mats due to arrive mid Sept but with anything coming by boat half way around the world this is not an exact science, nor is this a normal situation. Exped products have to be made in the far east to satisfy western demand for technical products at relatively cheap prices, this does mean that products cannot be magic'd out of thin air but has to be ordered six months in advance as part of large production runs. I am sure your return mats will be dealt with as soon as replacemants are available.

In reply to Ian Black:

Last week there was a thread praising Lyon for their excellent service. It seems they are in the hands of the suppliers from recent postings and will sort you out ASAP. If they have no stock they cannot replace straight away.

In reply to Ian Black:

It's not too late to involve your retailer.

See if they've got mats in stock, explain the situation too them, and ask them to take over dealing with it from Lyon. Lyon should be able to credit them the value of the mat, and even if the shop doesn't have one in stock - at least you have the possibility of exchange for another product (though i know there won't be anything quite the same.)

Oh, and make sure you take the time to talk to the person at the shop that deals with returns. All shops, no matter how good, have some useless monkeys.

In reply to andy kirkpatrick: I appreciate what you're saying Andy, but when I initially contacted Lyon they never mentioned me contacting the retailer, and actually told me to send it to them. Hopefully it will be resolved soon.

In reply to Ian Black:

It does sound like Lyon are in the hands of their suppliers here...however...

What's to stop them calling you and explaining the situation.

It is indeed not a "normal situation" with the factory etc trying to clear a backlog of orders aftre doing lots of work for earthquake victims etc. However, Lyon cannot expect you to know that, and IMHO should have let you know what was going on. Just simple customer service.

In reply to parkovski:






I am going to do that if I dont hear anything by the end of the week. Thanks.

In reply to 1234None:
However, Lyon cannot expect you to know that, and IMHO should have let you know what was going on. Just simple customer service.





Exactly good communication costs nothing. I have had dealings with Lindsey at first ascent and their service and communication were second to none.

In reply to Ian Black: Just received correspondance from Paul Kenny at Lyon. They don't seem to have my details on record, but I have emails from a Joe Faulkner stating that he is dealing with it, and I have also spoken to him by telephone. I will ring on monday and hope this can now be resolved. I am more optomistic than I was at the beginning of the week. Thanks all for your contribution.

In reply to Ian Black: All resolved now. Thanks to Paul and Vickie at Lyon equipment.