Lowa Warranty Service

[Laelkhunter]

Fair point, but their product is not readily available. Maybe I should have ordered a bunch, at least then they might warranty the junk they sold me.


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Sorry Jason,
My reply wasn't directed at you, and I didn't mean to imply it was your fault for the failure of the boot construction. I lay the blame directly on Lowa who expects their customers to pay a high price (although it is an excellent boot), then sell a high priced product to treat and protect their high priced boot, then when you have a problem they don't want to stand behind their products.
I have Kenetrek Mountain Extremes and use only Kenetrek boot wax on them, hoping to avoid any problems. If I do have a similar situation that you experienced, I want them to stand behind their products and make it good. If they don't, I will move on to another company if I can find the same comfortable fit I do with the Kenetrek.
Sometimes with customer service, your outcome depends on the individual you speak with. Maybe another call to them might get you someone else that could result in a different outcome. Good luck .

 

[PJG]

A couple of things that I learned about boot treatments from a boot maker.

1) always use a leather treatment that leaves the boot leather smooth not tacky. What happens with a tacky boot treatment is that the cracks in the corners of the boot are caused by an accumulation of fine dirt particles that act like a saw every time the foot is flexed.

2) always remove leather treatment prior to applying the next "coat". Use a mild detergent to remove grease and oils. A mild dish soap with warm water works will for this. This also removes the fine dirt particles.

3) invest in a Pete boot dryer to help keep leather dry. You do not want to use excessive heat for this, but the Pete boot dries do a great job keeping the inside of the boot dry.

 

[wasatchcomm]

great post PJG,, i will warn you all about the peet dryers too, if it is using heat it will not be good for your boots, get a dryer that is using the air in the room, i have a boot dryer that was around 400$ but it does not use heat, it is simply a fan with hoses.
i had a buddy that took a small fan and a cardboard box, put the fan it it, and cut out a couple holes, he had some 2" flex tubing that he ran out and it worked great
the idea if you don't know is to get the tube down in the boot all the way to the toe, it will just circulate air, same could be done by placing a fan in front of boots so it can get air into toe box
remember NO HEAT!!!!

 

[wasatchcomm]

Jason
i hope they help you out with your boots, but looking at the pics, it looks like you really got some miles on them. i cant help but think by pics that maybe they are ready to retire. looks like they have been in a war! maybe you are just to hard on boots. not bashing my friend...

 

[Jason Snyder]

Jason
i hope they help you out with your boots, but looking at the pics, it looks like you really got some miles on them. i cant help but think by pics that maybe they are ready to retire. looks like they have been in a war! maybe you are just to hard on boots. not bashing my friend...

Yes, they do have a lot of miles on them in tough conditions.

I got the boots 13 months ago. They have been worn 2-3x a week for six of those months. I feel that 300 dollar boots should last more than a year.


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[Jason Snyder]

Sorry Jason,
My reply wasn't directed at you, and I didn't mean to imply it was your fault for the failure of the boot construction. I lay the blame directly on Lowa who expects their customers to pay a high price (although it is an excellent boot), then sell a high priced product to treat and protect their high priced boot, then when you have a problem they don't want to stand behind their products.
I have Kenetrek Mountain Extremes and use only Kenetrek boot wax on them, hoping to avoid any problems. If I do have a similar situation that you experienced, I want them to stand behind their products and make it good. If they don't, I will move on to another company if I can find the same comfortable fit I do with the Kenetrek.
Sometimes with customer service, your outcome depends on the individual you speak with. Maybe another call to them might get you someone else that could result in a different outcome. Good luck .

No offense taken my friend. It's a costly lesson to me. The next boots I buy will only see that manufacturer's boot treatment.

Maybe I'm being stubborn, but I'm done arguing with them.


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[Jason Snyder]

A couple of things that I learned about boot treatments from a boot maker.

1) always use a leather treatment that leaves the boot leather smooth not tacky. What happens with a tacky boot treatment is that the cracks in the corners of the boot are caused by an accumulation of fine dirt particles that act like a saw every time the foot is flexed.

2) always remove leather treatment prior to applying the next "coat". Use a mild detergent to remove grease and oils. A mild dish soap with warm water works will for this. This also removes the fine dirt particles.

3) invest in a Pete boot dryer to help keep leather dry. You do not want to use excessive heat for this, but the Pete boot dries do a great job keeping the inside of the boot dry.

Very good advice, and this is all SOP for me. I take it a step further and clean laces too so they are not acting like a wire saw on the tongue and gusset edges.


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[TheTone]

Bummer, I've had pretty awesome luck with my Lowa's; tons of miles on 4 pairs I've bought since 2009. I've always used Obenhauf's on mine regardless of what they say about it. The only person I have seen have real rand issues was spraying a lot of weeds in them and I figured the herbicides to be the issue.

Any idea what you are considering for next purchase?

 

[PJG]

That's frustrating for sure, taking the time to do things "right" (whatever that may be) and then to get the finger....very frustrating.

I'm loyal to Lowa also, baffins, tibets, sheep hunters...etc. very disappointing to hear this.

Goodluck with possibly finding a new boot.

Very good advice, and this is all SOP for me. I take it a step further and clean laces too so they are not acting like a wire saw on the tongue and gusset edges.


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[Jason Snyder]

Well, the Freesole is curing. It takes a whole tube to do toe caps and reinforce the rand.

I'll let them cure for a couple of days then hit the chukar hills on Monday.

I was pondering as I was gluing, and in all honesty, had Lowa sent me a tube of glue and a can of their boot wax I would have been happy.

Different outlooks I guess.

Merry Christmas to all of you Roksliders.


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[wasatchcomm]

i hear ya man
good luck on the search, i think lowa makes great boots for the most part and they fit my feet the best i have found, i have a pair of ticams that have been awesome so far, just bought the baffin pro and they are by far most comfortable boot i have worn to date.

looks like obenhaufs is a good treatment for the boots i think i will try it...

 

[wapitibob]

My Lowa Cevedales leaked like I stuck them with an ice pick. I posted on Lowa's Twitter and facebook and they got back to me in a day. They wanted to know "what I used on the leather" (it was dirt actually). I saw the writing on the wall and took the 2 minute drive to REI and got my money back.
I buy/order all my boots at REI to save the hassle of dealing with a mfg.

 

[Jason Snyder]

i hear ya man
good luck on the search, i think lowa makes great boots for the most part and they fit my feet the best i have found, i have a pair of ticams that have been awesome so far, just bought the baffin pro and they are by far most comfortable boot i have worn to date.

looks like obenhaufs is a good treatment for the boots i think i will try it...

I guarantee they won't honor any warranty if you use the Obenaufs


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[realunlucky]

I don't any of them will but I still think obenhaufs is the best and will continue to use it

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[Jason Snyder]

I don't any of them will but I still think obenhaufs is the best and will continue to use it

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Ironically, the first pair of Lowa Banffs I had, all I EVER used on them was Obenaufs. I wore them everyday for four years. When I sent them in to have them resoled, Dave Page told me not to use the Obenaufs. He knows more about boots than I ever will, but it's worth noting that I wore those boots until the leather liner finally fell apart and the second sole was nearly gone.


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[nflesher]

I have Kenetrek Mountain Extremes and use only Kenetrek boot wax on them, hoping to avoid any problems. If I do have a similar situation that you experienced, I want them to stand behind their products and make it good. If they don't, I will move on to another company if I can find the same comfortable fit I do with the Kenetrek.
Sometimes with customer service, your outcome depends on the individual you speak with. Maybe another call to them might get you someone else that could result in a different outcome. Good luck .

FWIW, I used only Kenetrek boot wax on my mountain extremes and the rand was separating in several spots and Kenetrek would do nothing for me.

To the OP, I have a pair of Schnees Beartooths now and could't be happier. They are extremely comfortable and are wearing good, but to early to tell. Schnee's customer service seems to be the pretty awesome as well. Sorry about the Lowa experience. Thanks for sharing and keeping it clean and professional. That doesn't happen much anymore.

 

[shooter12]

I have had to deal with Lowa customer service and had a great experience. I had a pair of Zephyrs I abused for about 3.5 years. The leather was still in great condition but chunks started coming out of soles. I emailed Lowa telling them that I had abused and enjoyed my boots for several years and asked them if they could give me a price to resole the boot for me if I sent them in.

I received a response asking me to send pictures of the boots to show how the soles were failing. A couple days later they asked me to return my boots so their warranty department could look at the soles.

I sent them in and two weeks later received a brand new pair in the mail free of charge. They said they had changed the rubber compound in the soles and the new ones should not have the same issue. I did not intend to get anything for free from the company but the way they handled my situation was top notch.


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[tttoadman]

I think it is a good idea to always use a dealer to deal with your warranty issues. The company is going to less inclined to be difficult when a dealer is managing your warranty issues. I'm not saying it's right. I just think it could be true. The freight is also covered when I go through the dealer. I was told this when i went and talked with them. I couldn't leave them because I had to go home and wash them better, so I can't confirm that this will be the case when it is all done.

I am a firm believer in the spray when the boots are wet directive. This is what Lowa says to do. I sprayed down my hunters after elk season this year. It sucks that stuff up as soon as you hit it. I think that will be the way to go for me from now on instead of caking on the beeswax. Time will tell, but it sure was easy.

 

[Trial153]

Sucks to think I am at the point were I almost consider 300 plus dollar boots to be bi/tri yearly disposable....what the hell are we coming to?

 

[PathFinder]

Sucks to think I am at the point were I almost consider 300 plus dollar boots to be bi/tri yearly disposable....what the hell are we coming to?

This is exactly how I figure it goes. I have three pairs of high end boots right now, hoping to get 4-5 years out of the lot. I tend to think of boot life in terms of miles rather than years. If a pair of boots makes it over 300 without a major failure, they did well. 400 is great and 500 is exceptional. I'm beginning to think that boot manufacturing isn't very consistent. My two pairs of Lowas (Tibet GTX Hi & Tech Lites) are holding up incredibly well. I'm expecting 400+ out of each pair. I use Grangers as recommended by Lathrops. No problems so far.

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