Wader return ethics?

vince · Senior Member

Wader return ethics?

JT · Senior Member

I bet if you asked L.L. Bean they would say to use them until the others came in.

ez · Senior Member

I BEEN BUYING LL BEAN WADERS FOR THE PAST MAYBE 15 YEARS...IF I REMEMBER THERE SLOGAN IS ...IF FOR ANY REASON AT ANY TIME ....U CAN RETURN....I ASKED ABOUT THE ANY TIME....THEY SAID ANY TIME....NEVER HAD ANY HASSLE.... smile

shon42073 · Senior Member

Its probably not as big a deal as you think, Becuase in about another month or so its going to be wet wading time. Last summer I rarely put on a pair of waders in almost 4 months, And I fish alot. If needed I would wear them and then return them, I mean lets be real, Months off the water because my waders don't fit right, You gotta be kidding right ? Personally i wouldn't buy a pair of waders that i hadn't tried on first, The flyshops might be a bit more expensive but as you are finding out you pay for it in the long run.

AbelBoy · Senior Member

So the ethical quagmire that you are trying to figure out is if you are going to exploit LL Bean's return policy because you failed to choose the right size. Basically if you decide to use the waders, it's LL Bean's fault because you chose the wrong size.� There is something wrong with the picture.

LL Bean didn't do anything wrong. The waders do not have a defect. They just don't fit.

Just send the waders back for a refund.

If you look hard enough, you will find some price points at the shops. Simms starting point for breathable waders is $139. It's Freestone wader costs around $200. Some shops may have closeout or carryover stock dirt cheap. Not too long ago, some of the Sacramento shops were selling last year's Patagonia Watermaster II waders at $250 down from $350.� I saw last year's Watermaster Lites as low as $125.

Good luck with your dilemma.

AB

vince · Senior Member

Thanks all for the input. I've noticed most places are back ordered on waders (at least a couple months) - Cabela's, L.L. Bean, and some other retailers online. I imagine the poor economic conditions meant that suppliers placed smaller orders, and demand exceeded predictions (could this be an early sign of the economy improving?).

There are definitely differing opinions here. I'll probably end up sitting on them and using my old small leaky pair until Bean gets the right size in. Clearly I don't want to "exploit" the return policy, but that being said, most online vendors of clothing and footwear have a quick exchange policy to deal with wrong sizes (L.L. Bean does, as does zappos.com and other sites). This is precisely to deal with the hassle of getting sizes right online. Most online customers buy clothing/footwear online only if the exchange system is there. Online retail simply wouldn't work without this guarantee. Now if the retailer can't provide an item for exchange, I'm not sure this is exploiting the company's policies.

On a different note, people have mentioned the lower end Simms and Patagonia models. If you compare the construction of these waders with similarly priced generic brands like Cabela's and L.L. Bean... there is almost no competition. The lower end Simms models are imported as well - not made in their Bozeman plant. Maybe I'm cynical from my economics background or uninformed about the hidden intricacies of wader construction, but I think paying more than $200 for the cheapest pair of Simms is paying for 1" x 3" piece of cloth that says "Simms" on it. Maybe if I wasn't a student I'd spring for it.

drifter · Senior Member

Vince, this is a simple solution.........you need to eat more� wink

-- Edited by drifter on Wednesday 8th of April 2009 09:45:37 AM

SK60 · Senior Member

Not that I have an invested interest in Simms (pun intended), I have worn a $200 pair of Simms for 9 years without a problem, except for 1 PC berry vine puncture in the thinner chest area. That was easily repaired with Aqua Seal. With waders, the better the quality, the happier you will eventually be, IME.