Bye Bye Filson, Hello Tom Beckbe (RANT!)

Eric Patterson said:
Steve & Carl

I think I have the same thermos. I got it for a Christmas present in the late 80's and used it for hot chocolate when duck hunting cold mornings. It is green with a metal screw-on top that is a cup. The vacuum insulated model. I was bragging to my son's friend how long it kept drinks hot. He took it on a hunt the next day and used it alongside his brand-new Yeti. By the end of the day the coffee in my Thermos was tepid, while the Yeti coffee was piping hot. I hated to admit it, but the old Thermos was no longer king of the hill.
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No way I still have coffee at the end of the day! I can't afford Yeti.... 😂 My Stanley is still the king of the hill!
 
A shoe maker or shoe repair shop may also be able to help with that repair. A local cobble has helped me with heavy canvas and leather repair.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Steve & Carl

I think I have the same thermos. I got it for a Christmas present in the late 80's and used it for hot chocolate when duck hunting cold mornings. It is green with a metal screw-on top that is a cup. The vacuum insulated model. I was bragging to my son's friend how long it kept drinks hot. He took it on a hunt the next day and used it alongside his brand-new Yeti. By the end of the day the coffee in my Thermos was tepid, while the Yeti coffee was piping hot. I hated to admit it, but the old Thermos was no longer king of the hill.
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If you want insane for a thermos keeping beverages hot, try a Zojirushi.
 
Eric Patterson said:
My Filson Tin Cloth Packer hat needs a new leather inside band. The old one is hard and creased making it unpleasant to wear. Leather conditioner won't soften it. I emailed Filson and asked them if they could replace the band. I am told I have to fill out a return request. Again I tell them I simply want to know if they can replace the inside hat band. Again they tell me I must fill out a form for the repairs department and send pictures. Once again I tell them I don't want the hassle I just want to know if they can replace an internal head band. They insist I follow their steps so I acquiesce. Today I received a boresome email about how my hat is in the state it is in not from manufacturing defects but from normal use. Blah, blah, blah, they will not repair it.

DAMN they are dense as bricks! I NEVER ASKED FOR WARRANTY WORK! So I replied again stating I NEVER ASKED FOR WARRANTY WORK. Further, I was willing to pay for the repair I just wanted to know if they had the ability to make that repair. It took this much effort on my part just to get a simple "No. We can't."

Since they can't make basic repairs to hats there is no way I'll buy another from Filson. Tom Beckbe on the other hand sure makes a nice hat...
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Yes, they are dense and cumbersome to deal with. I have a work bag that one of the leather straps stretched out like crazy (the other was fine). I tried several times to talk to someone about it... will it be covered under warranty? What is the timeframe? etc... It was the same thing - Zero willingness to communicate - they kept saying just fill out the form. I sent it in and it took quite some time, but they fixed it.
 
I just noticed this morning that Stanley has a recall on 2.6 million thermos's. Apparently the problem may lead to being burned by hot liquid, a bit different from the problems experienced by those here.
 
Back to Filson. Someone made a comment about how that company had sold out. The conversation Eric recounted made me think about bots and stuff that companies use all of the time now. I don't know if that is the case, but the result was the same. It's like calling someplace and the customer service agent has a notebook of responses. When something goes outside of them, or just needs some common sense to answer, there is a freeze and useful communication is over. Hopefully for Filson, at some point someone will notice that they have lost touch with their customer base and are no longer understanding why people buy from them, and that follow up on minor things is very important. It would have cost them next to nothing to address Eric's question, and that they lost a customer over it. A very expensive lesson for them that they don't know yet, but could have known if someone had just listened and acted on.
 
greg setter said:
Back to Filson. Someone made a comment about how that company had sold out. The conversation Eric recounted made me think about bots and stuff that companies use all of the time now. I don't know if that is the case, but the result was the same. It's like calling someplace and the customer service agent has a notebook of responses. When something goes outside of them, or just needs some common sense to answer, there is a freeze and useful communication is over. Hopefully for Filson, at some point someone will notice that they have lost touch with their customer base and are no longer understanding why people buy from them, and that follow up on minor things is very important. It would have cost them next to nothing to address Eric's question, and that they lost a customer over it. A very expensive lesson for them that they don't know yet, but could have known if someone had just listened and acted on.
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Filson is running a very aggressive advertising campaign to try to convince us that they are still in line with their roots and that loggers, ranchers and hunters are using their gear in the field. I see zero evidence that it is being used by any of the groups in the ads. Granted, there is a segment of the waterfowl and upland community that uses their stuff, but they are not featured in their ads.

It is more around town gear rather than hunting gear from what I see.
 
tod osier said:
Filson is running a very aggressive advertising campaign to try to convince us that they are still in line with their roots and that loggers, ranchers and hunters are using their gear in the field. I see zero evidence that it is being used by any of the groups in the ads. Granted, there is a segment of the waterfowl and upland community that uses their stuff, but they are not featured in their ads.

It is more around town gear rather than hunting gear from what I see.
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Filson Tin Cloth's status as the best outdoor waterproof gear kind of fizzled once Goretex and other waterproof breathables hit the stores. Maybe back when Grundens and Helly Hansen came out with the good PVC coated stuff. Like bamboo fly rods and fine double guns, it's still functional gear, but also a status symbol. (I say that as a guy with three bamboo fly rods and who wished I could afford a fine double gun.) And let's face it, status is a lot more evident--and the need for actual waterproof outer layers to avoid hypothermia a lot less--among the upland game crowd than among us waterfowlers.
 
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