Vibram FiveFingers and customer service

[EvilYoda]

I just wanted to post that I've just completed one of the best customer service experiences I've ever had! I've read that Vibram's CS is great, but my 4-month old pair of Bikilas had started falling apart (delaminating in a couple of spots) and Adrienne was great to work with. Not only was I out of the 90-day window, I had bought the Fivefingers when I was working on the road in Chicago, so I couldn't get back to the original store of purchase. No problem on both fronts! I explained my situation, filled out a form, sent in my Bikilas, and now 10-days after shipping I have my replacement pair.

I'm giddy and looking forward to wearing in this new pair as I'd already forgotten how tight around the heels they were! :thumbsup:

 

[alkemyst]

IMHO 4 months would be a practical lifespan for a shoe like this...heck when I am running (I don't do long distance, maybe 10 miles a week tops), I go through shoes every 6 months or so.

 

[kamper]

IMHO 4 months would be a practical lifespan for a shoe like this...heck when I am running (I don't do long distance, maybe 10 miles a week tops), I go through shoes every 6 months or so.

There are numerous reports of people getting as much as 1000 miles out of a pair of vffs.

 

[MJinZ]

I just wanted to post that I've just completed one of the best customer service experiences I've ever had! I've read that Vibram's CS is great, but my 4-month old pair of Bikilas had started falling apart (delaminating in a couple of spots) and Adrienne was great to work with. Not only was I out of the 90-day window, I had bought the Fivefingers when I was working on the road in Chicago, so I couldn't get back to the original store of purchase. No problem on both fronts! I explained my situation, filled out a form, sent in my Bikilas, and now 10-days after shipping I have my replacement pair.

I'm giddy and looking forward to wearing in this new pair as I'd already forgotten how tight around the heels they were! :thumbsup:

Holy shit, that's terrible IMO. You had to fill out a form? You only have 90 days of "warranty"?

Good companies with proper support will simply send you out a replacement with expedited shipping and a return shipping label (so you have to actually own the defective product).

 

[alkemyst]

There are numerous reports of people getting as much as 1000 miles out of a pair of vffs.

people also run in the same pair of Nikes for 5+ years.

 

[alkemyst]

The Bikilas have a ton of posts on falling apart prematurely.

 

[abaez]

Luckily mine haven't after about 1.5 months. But good to know they will take care of it if they do.

 

[kamper]

people also run in the same pair of Nikes for 5+ years.

Yeah, and I wouldn't expect a pair of trainers to literally fall apart all that fast unless you're doing something quite rough with them. The reason most people stop using a pair of trainers much sooner than that though is the compaction of the eva, which is something vffs don't really suffer from.

Your ~250 miles on a pair is less than what would normally be expected of a shoe though. What are your criteria for replacement and what are you doing to them to get them to that point?

The Bikilas have a ton of posts on falling apart prematurely.

Yup, it seems that vibram has been more lax about quality control recently. Obviously you don't get to 1000 miles with a defective pair. My point was mainly that with a non-defective pair, you should be able to take them way past 4 months.

 

[EvilYoda]

Holy shit, that's terrible IMO. You had to fill out a form? You only have 90 days of "warranty"?

Good companies with proper support will simply send you out a replacement with expedited shipping and a return shipping label (so you have to actually own the defective product).

I guess you're used to buying from very different companies than me. Other than Logitech, I've never had as good an experience as this. Granted, I haven't had to deal with many returns/exchanges to begin with.

As for the form, it was mostly "what was wrong" and "what would you like as a replacement"...so I prefer having the form.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I just wanted to post that I've just completed one of the best customer service experiences I've ever had! I've read that Vibram's CS is great, but my 4-month old pair of Bikilas had started falling apart (delaminating in a couple of spots) and Adrienne was great to work with. Not only was I out of the 90-day window, I had bought the Fivefingers when I was working on the road in Chicago, so I couldn't get back to the original store of purchase. No problem on both fronts! I explained my situation, filled out a form, sent in my Bikilas, and now 10-days after shipping I have my replacement pair.

I'm giddy and looking forward to wearing in this new pair as I'd already forgotten how tight around the heels they were! :thumbsup:

Good for you but surprising. I haven't heard of good CS from Vibram. And their quality control has been very inconsistent for a while. Thankfully, my KSO Treks are fine and I also bought mine from REI, who have great CS and return policy.

 

[EvilYoda]

Good for you but surprising. I haven't heard of good CS from Vibram. And their quality control has been very inconsistent for a while. Thankfully, my KSO Treks are fine and I also bought mine from REI, who have great CS and return policy.

Yeah, I love REI, but they don't carry the fivefingers models I like, or at least they didn't at the time. I'll probably pick up my next pair from them, now that I know what size I am.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Yeah, I love REI, but they don't carry the fivefingers models I like, or at least they didn't at the time. I'll probably pick up my next pair from them, now that I know what size I am.

They do carry all of the different versions now, just not all of the colors. And if you wait for their sales when they offer 20% off one reg. priced item, it includes VFFs.

 

[EvilYoda]

Yeah, I wanted to early this year when they had the 20% off, but they weren't carrying Bikilas in-store at the time and I didn't want to just guess at my size. Even at the running store in Chicago, I went with a 39 (small feet, yes...women's size) but then had to go up to a 40. Now I'm comfortable with blindly buying online if I have to.