Exped sleeping bag - warranty repair

[David M]

I have an Exped 700 Lite sleeping bag. These have a five year warranty. I bought this from NZ but I am in Melbourne. Could it be repaired locally under warranty? I cannot find a contact for Exped Australia - you have to go through a dealer. The specific problem is that the end of one of the hood tightening strings has become detached, not the hood part but the other part.

[Strider]

I take it the tube where the drawstring runs isn't continuous?

Despite their poor attitude toward customers, Bogong might be your best bet. All you can do it try! Failing that, I would contact Expect directly.

[David M]

Thanks Strider. There is a drawstring that closes the hood down. One end of this string goes through a tube of material of the hood and is attached at its end to the bag. The other end is attached similarly but not on the hood part but the front part of the bag. In the middle between the hood part and the front bag part there is a plastic tightening mechanism to pull the cord tight. One end of the cord which is one the front of the bag is no longer attached to its mounting point so the hood assembly can't be tightened properly.

Are Bogong agents for Exped? Can I take the bag there if I did not buy it from them?

I cannot see how I can contact Exped in Australia, I will have to contact via Europe it seems.

[Moondog55]

30 second repair job with a needle and thread

[Strider]

Thanks Strider. There is a drawstring that closes the hood down. One end of this string goes through a tube of material of the hood and is attached at its end to the bag. The other end is attached similarly but not on the hood part but the front part of the bag. In the middle between the hood part and the front bag part there is a plastic tightening mechanism to pull the cord tight. One end of the cord which is one the front of the bag is no longer attached to its mounting point so the hood assembly can't be tightened properly.

Are Bogong agents for Exped? Can I take the bag there if I did not buy it from them?

I cannot see how I can contact Exped in Australia, I will have to contact via Europe it seems.

Bogong are an Exped dealer in Melbourne, of which there are several so just pick the one closest to you I guess. If no joy email Exped head office.

For what its worth, I have heard some amazing warranty stories from Exped. Including a friends tent fly that was replaced free of charge after a tree branch fell through it.

[MacMan]

I have just returned a Synmat with blown baffles to the NZ vendor I bought it and all our other Exped gear from. I emailed Exped head office and it took a couple of days for them to get back to me - their advice was to return it to a local dealer and they would handle it. However, having worked in retail and wholesale before, I know how much of a nuisance it is to be lumped with warranty problems on goods bought somewhere else. Instead I emailed the NZ vendor and had a prompt reply to say I could return it to them and they would address it out of their current stock. The claim is still in process (7 days in) but the service from them has always been excellent so I have no concern about the outcome at this stage. It cost a bit in freight to return to them but I was happy with that.

[sim1oz]

I have bought all our Exped gear from Bogong and they have been great with warranties. No problems at all.

But since you bought the gear overseas I guess it is possible their customer service might be less friendly. Tou won't know until you try... If you are a Kiwi travelling in Australia, I reckon they would be nice but I can understand why retailers could get frustrated by people buying elsewhere for the cheapest price and then being lumped with all the paperwork of a warranty return. Most of my gear is from the USA or Europe, except specifically for the gear I want the warranty on, eg. sleeping mats, backpack.

Good luck!

[MacMan]

Update on my warranty. Mr FedEx just delivered my replacement gear. Happy days.

[beachcruiser]

The Australian distributor for Exped is Expedition Equipment (wholesale arm of the Intertrek group), their website - http://www.expeditionequipment.com.au - is 'down for maintenance' but there is an email link there. There is also an Intertrek website http://www.intertrek.com.au with a phone number