AltRider Sucks

SuckSqueezeBangBlow

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I also posted this in another forum...

I bought a set of their Hemisphere Soft bags back in March, finally got them installed and used them in August and the stitching is coming apart. I contacted them about a warranty claim but they said that because I bought the item on sale they will not honour the warranty "on sale item and thus are not eligible for warranty exchanges or refunds per our terms of sale."

Beware! I will certainly never buy another item from them.
 

SuckSqueezeBangBlow

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Wow, that sucks. Unless it was a closeout sale because the item was being discontinued. Then, that would make perfect sense.

Still they should either tell you that it is being bought "As is" (which they didn't) or accept the claim. Just because something is sold at a lower price does that mean that they should not accept responsibility for the workmanship? Maybe just my opinion but I wouldn't put crap out there with my name on it and then not honor the warranty...
 

EricV

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Just went and read their terms. Pretty cheesy to not honor your "limited lifetime warranty" for items on sale. I can see closeouts, to a degree. It's sort of like, 'wow, these suck and keep coming back for warranty! Quick, put them on sale!!' :eek:

Hemisphere Luggage Warranty
AltRider Hemisphere Luggage is deliberately designed to hold up to the abuse of adventure riding. We offer to the original purchaser a limited lifetime warranty on AltRider Hemisphere Luggage if purchased directly from AltRider or an authorized AltRider dealer. This warranty covers defects in materials and craftsmanship only. If a product is found to be defective, we will offer prompt replacement at our discretion. This warranty does not cover failures due to misuse, abuse, accident, incorrect installation, normal wear and tear, or apply to altered or repaired products. Any warranty claims will require original proof of purchase.
I'd try again. If you bought it from them or an authorized dealer, and have your original proof of purchase, then I'd be saying "hey, you brag about how tough this gear is and your warranty if it has defects. How about standing behind the gear?" The specific Hemisphere Luggage warranty does not say it's void for items on sale. Only the warranty for returns and exchanges. You didn't buy the wrong thing or want to return it to stock, you want a defective items replaced under the luggage warranty. Try to be nice, sometimes that helps.
 

SuckSqueezeBangBlow

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Just went and read their terms. Pretty cheesy to not honor your "limited lifetime warranty" for items on sale. I can see closeouts, to a degree. It's sort of like, 'wow, these suck and keep coming back for warranty! Quick, put them on sale!!' :eek:



I'd try again. If you bought it from them or an authorized dealer, and have your original proof of purchase, then I'd be saying "hey, you brag about how tough this gear is and your warranty if it has defects. How about standing behind the gear?" The specific Hemisphere Luggage warranty does not say it's void for items on sale. Only the warranty for returns and exchanges. You didn't buy the wrong thing or want to return it to stock, you want a defective items replaced under the luggage warranty. Try to be nice, sometimes that helps.
I did try to go to them first, I always try to get it fixed from the source first, was very nice and provided my original bill of sale along with some pictures so they could see what the issue was. I wasn't actually even hoping for a new set, I was just hoping that they would say that they would cover the cost of having them restitched, after that it would be on me. They don't deal with the retailer anymore and that retailer is a good 5 hour drive away from me so I am not going to spend the time going back to them as they were pretty rude to begin with.
 

EricV

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If they aren't honoring warranty claims for product quality, that's not in their terms. From what you indicate, you're not returning them or seeking an exchange for a different product, which would be against their terms. You are instead asking for a warranty claim for defects. I think someone there that you talked to didn't understand that difference.

Did you just get blown off to the retailer? Or did you try calling back to speak to someone else, or asking to speak to their manager?
 

scott123007

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I'm with EricV, something sounds a little fishy. If the place you bought it from, WAS an authorized retailer, your warranty claim should be valid with Altrider.
The problem, as I see it, is, if Altrider offers to repair it, a bulky item such as yours would probably cost more shipping it (which will more likely than not be on you) than it would to get it repaired locally at a luggage repair shop.
Even if they ultimately honor their warranty and offer to replace your luggage, you still may have to pay shipping to return the defective items. Might not be worth it for a relatively simple repair.
 
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EricV

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I'm with EricV, something sounds a little fishy. If the place you bought it from, WAS an authorized retailer, your warranty claim should be valid with Altrider.
The problem, as I see it, is, if Altrider offers to repair it, a bulky item such as yours would probably cost more shipping it (which will more likely than not be on you) than it would to get it repaired locally at a luggage repair shop.
Even if they ultimately honor their warranty and offer to replace your luggage, you still may have to pay shipping to return the defective items. Might not be worth it for a relatively simple repair.
One step at a time. Hopefully he can get someone with a clue the second time around. As for shipping, it is soft luggage. I suspect it can be compacted/rolled to a reasonable size. And as someone that shipped crash bars for years, I would offer that it's not going to be that bad.

Worst case scenario and they continue to deny his claim, hopefully he can find a gear repair place or a horse tack repair person to repair it. I've had great luck finding highly skilled repair people by asking at shops that sell equestrian gear. And at reasonable prices too. I had some webbing stitched up for a harness for my 1 gallon water jug and it was a bit involved. Took 2 days to get it back and when I picked it up she charged me $3! And it is bomb proof too.
 

Cycledude

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Yes AltRider should honor the perfectly clear warranty ! But welcome to 2019 where more and more outfits keep coming up with reasons not to do what they claim and getting away with it.
 
B

ballisticexchris

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What the heck with all this hassle. I would have never bothered to return defective stitching. How about simply breaking out your sewing awl and repair it yourself? I keep a Speedy Stitch in my tool kit. It’s proved invaluable for permanent repairs.

I know defective products suck. Sometimes just better to fix it yourself.
 

RCinNC

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I think the hassle is proportional to what you pay for the thing in question. I had a Tourmaster jacket that cost around $180, that the stitching started to unravel after a short time. I started the warranty process, and found out from the Tourmaster rep that the only way they'd honor their warranty was if I shipped the jacket back to them, where they would evaluate and decide if it was a warranty issue or not. They wouldn't accept photos of the problem. All this was on my dime, and I would have had to buy another jacket in the meanwhile to wear while Tourmaster decided whether or not they made a crappy jacket. I ultimately cut my losses, swore I'd never buy another Tourmaster product again, and took the jacket to a tailor and had it fixed. In that case, the hassle outweighed the dollar value.

In a case like the saddlebags, I'd still follow through with trying to get satisfaction. A few phone calls don't really cost anything but your time, and it might be worth it if you actually get to talk to a person who can help. Even if they wanted the bags sent back to them for evaluation, I could get by without them for a while, unlike a jacket. Those hemisphere bags are almost 600 bucks new, and Altrider lists them at $419 right now; $419 is worth a few hassles, phone calls, etc to try and get a company to do right by a warranty claim.

But yeah, there might come a point that I'd cut bait and fix it myself; it wouldn't be the first time.
 

twinrider

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What the heck with all this hassle. I would have never bothered to return defective stitching. How about simply breaking out your sewing awl and repair it yourself? I keep a Speedy Stitch in my tool kit. It’s proved invaluable for permanent repairs.

I know defective products suck. Sometimes just better to fix it yourself.
It's the principle. People spend money on high end products from well known firms like Altriders because they expect them to last and the warranty to be honored. I'd break out the awl for bargain basement stuff, but not for a pair of $600 saddlebags unless I exhausted all other options. If they don't honor the warranty I wouldn't buy anything from them again and I'd post up what happened on all the bike forums and social media accounts I could think of.

I had a pair of Piaa 1100 Leds that worked fine but the black color turned bronze. I pinged them about it and they not only sent me a new pair but told me to keep the old ones because I was in Japan. Now that's a company that stands behind their products.
 

cyclemike4

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I agree companies should stand behind what they sell. Especially when it is a high end product. Seems the consumer gets the short end on a lot of things these days. Profit before pride is what it is all about. I got a set of Denali lights from twisted throttle and they kept going out. Sent them back 3 times and i kept getting the same lights back. I finally gave up and put some tractor lights on there. Turns out they work better for what i need than the Denali's did and i only had 40 bucks in the whole set up. I think Twisted Throttle is a good company but i also think they were complacent in thinking they knew more than the customer. In a lot of cases they do i am sure but in any case if the customer is not happy there will be no repeat sales. By the way i took the lights apart and found the defect myself but the light had to be destroyed to get that deep in it. Tossed them in the trash. that much money out of my pocket is not something i forget and my shopping will be with someone else.
 
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