The North Face Chilkats

Summary

Complete Rubbish, so disappointed with my North Face Chilkats. My boots were stored with the rest of my gear. Took them out for the first time and the boots split so badly two hours into the walk that I was not sure if they were going to stay on my feet. The rubber section just fall apart. Never seen anything like it. Ripped off.

Save your money and don't purchase any of the crap.

Summary

Wore them twice and the side split from the sole.

I bought these to wear when hunting in Michigan.

They came out of the closet twice. Once to wear in the house and once to go to a friend's.

She noticed that the side had split open at the sole from toe to heel.

These boots just fell apart in storage in my closet after almost no use. North Face calls that wear and tear. See the emails below to read their response. You decide if you want the same treatment.

From: Saimoom Ameen [mailto:Saimoom.Ameen@truealliance.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:30 AM
To: Stephen OBrien
Subject: RE: North Face Boots

Dear Mr. O’Brien,
Thank you for your feedback.

Unfortunately as previously stated your product is out of warranty and a warranty claim cannot be raised.

Kind regards,
Saimoom Ameen
After Sales Administrator
True Alliance
19 O'Riordan St, Alexandria
NSW 2015 Australia
F 61 2 9319 2009
E saimoom.ameen@truealliance.com.au

From: Stephen OBrien
Sent: Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:46 AM
To: Saimoom Ameen
Subject: RE: North Face Boots

Saimoon,
Thank you for your prompt reply.
It seems from your reply that The North Face considers it acceptable that their products have a very short life in a ‘storage environment’. The boots certainly did not experience any ‘build up in moisture over time’ whilst stored in a cupboard at home. What info do you provide about storage when you sell the product? I certainly was not aware that boots needed to have ‘access to fresh air’. Does the North Face ‘air’ the product prior to sale or keep them in a cardboard box??

I do not agree that a product that fails like this in a dry storage environment is not ‘defective in materials or workmanship’.

I request that you consider replacing them. I am sure there are forums on the internet where will readers and potential buyers will be interested in my experience.

regards
Stephen O'Brien

From: Saimoom Ameen [mailto:Saimoom.Ameen@truealliance.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, 27 January 2011 9:34 AM
To: Stephen OBrien
Cc: After Sales
Subject: RE: North Face Boots

Good Morning Mr. O’Brien,

Thank you for your enquiry in regards to your The North Face product.

To answer your question regarding warranty, all The North Face footwear is provided with a one year warranty, as after a year it is difficult to ascertain whether damages to the product is associated with manufacturing defects or wear and tear. As your product is over 3 years old it is no longer covered under warranty.

In relation to the issues you are experiencing with the product, from the pictures and descriptions you have provided we can determine the damage has occurred due to the shoes being kept in a storage environment for a prolonged period of time. The deterioration of adhesives and the oxidisation of material is a common occurrence when products are kept in a storage environment, where the product do not have access to fresh air and it’s components begin to fail due to the build up of moisture overtime. From the pictures it is quite evident that the product is now beyond repair.

This damage is not due to any defects in material or workmanship, and is a product of wear and tear in relation to the how the product had been used. Wear and tear is also not covered under warranty.

I hope I have been able to attend to your enquiry sufficiently. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,
Saimoom Ameen
After Sales Administrator
True Alliance
19 O'Riordan St, Alexandria
NSW 2015 Australia
F 61 2 9319 2009
E saimoom.ameen@truealliance.com.au

From: Stephen OBrien
Sent: Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:04 AM
To: After Sales
Subject: North Face Boots

Hi

My wife bought these North Face boots in Niseko, Japan three years ago. They were worn only a few times on that trip, and have been stored in a cupboard at our house since then. In storage, they have only been subjected to a normal interior environment.

A few weeks ago we were packing in preparation for our next ski trip. We were extremely disappointed to find the boots had fallen apart and are completely unusable. The rubber lower section appears to have become brittle and has separated from the leather upper.

Attached are photos to show the deterioration. One photo shows the sole to confirm that they have had effectively no wear at all. Ironically these boots are labelled ‘outlast’.

What is the warranty on these boots? Can they be replaced, and hopefully with a product that will withstand more than three years in a benign environment?

Regards,
Stephen O'Brien

My wife bought a pair for herself. She liked them so bought a pair for me. I liked them, so we bought a pair for her parents in Poland. I'm going to keep this short... quite simply the most comfortable, warm, and waterproof boots I have ever purchased!