Not So Waterproof Mens Hiking Boots By sizwizz on - Updated Oct 15, 2011
A couple months ago, my husband bit-the-bullet and purchased a fairly expensive pair of waterproof hiking boots. Our area is very rainy during the winter months, so buying a pair of waterproof boots is not only practical for my husband's type of work, but also for walking our dogs in wet, grassy fields. They were marked down from 120.00, and even though they were on sale, he tends to be "thrifty" (read that, cheap!), and hesitated to part with his hard-earned 70.00.
I convinced him it would be a good investment to buy the waterproof hiking boots just to keep his feet DRY, which is what he most often complained about. Well, he absolutely LOVED them! Every day he would sing the praises of his Columbia hiking boots! It was the first time he had boots that kept his feet dry during our damp winters.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago... The hiking boots have become two size-10 sponges tied to my husband's feet!! Like... overnight!! Both of them! At the same time! How did this happen? No more praises for the Columbia hiking boots, and no more dry feet after a long walk with the dogs.
I called the customer service number at Columbia Sportswear, and left a recorded message of our tale-of-woe. Believe it or not, they returned my call promptly, and are prepared to remedy the problem. Tomorrow I will send the hiking boots back to the main offices and we will see what happens from here. Apparently, the warranty department will look at the boots to see if there is a defect in the design. But so far the leaking boots are still a mystery yet to be solved.
I'm hoping that this is just an isolated problem, because I'd say for the most part, Columbia Sportswear has a good reputation overall.
Update: Although I still can't give these hiking boots a boost in my custom ratings, I did hear back from Columbia Sportswear, and they are sending out a brand new boot! Great customer service!
The company replaced the boots with another pair that are similar to the boots that 'leaked'. So far, so good!
May 13, 2008 It took some time to get the boots broken in, but so far they are still keeping my husband's feet dry.
About The Author:
Columbia Sportswear Diamond Peak Purchased at: Sportsman Warehouse Price: 70.00
I love to hear stories of good customer service. No company can make every product perfect but ther is alot to be said about a company that takes responsibility for their products and actually makes a wrong right.
This is an interesting situation. You don't say whether the leak is due to a failed seam, or just general loss of waterproofing. You really have to treat leather boots regularly to maintain waterproof status as far as I know. Do they really claim that they will stay waterproof indefinitely with the factory "finish?"
I'm happy that you were able to get a replacement for the sponges! I think this company is awesome for backing up their product. Hope all goes well with the new pair.
I am really happy to hear that Columbia stood by their product. Customer Service is really important to me. As someone previously stated, all products will not be perfect, but when a company does the right thing, that says a lot. Keep us updated!
Now this is what I love about great customer service-that's fantastic that they're sending your husband new boots!!
Great customer service. Did they tell you why the boots started to leak?
Glad they took care of you. Sounds like a good company to work with. Thanks
Thanks for your updates. Hope the new pair works out.
Goos after sale service there, thanks for sharing such good service and also the updates with us.
It sounds as if somewhere the seaming split. It happens even with the best outdoor boots and waders. Columbia has excellent customer support, so I'm not at all surprised they replaced them.