UPDATED 8/1/2012

After publishing this post and sending it to the Tumi twitter account, Tumi responded via twitter with a 1-800 # to call and instructions to ask for a manager. I spoke with a manager who was already prepped that I would be calling (awesome end to end customer service for nailing that). She acknoledged that they were having some product quality issues with the case and that they were actually in Asia working to address the known issue. You have to love when a company admits there’s a problem and tells you they are fixing it. What they offered to do was:

1. Refund my money

2. Send me a new case of the same design AND THEN replace it when the product was updated to newer specs at NO COST.

3. Let me choose from any other case they had.

I chose option 2. Folks, this is customer service at its best. Well done Tumi. Thank You.

I love Tumi. Great brand. Great products. Great customer service. I’m a huge advocate of the brand. When I purchase luggage it’s Tumi. When I recommend luggage, it’s Tumi. My daughter, 5 year’s old, nearly received a Tumi backpack for kindergarten, before I was over-ruled.  If I’m not mistaken, I believe I have 4 Tumi pieces registered with their outstanding Tumi Tracer program.

All that said, I have to tell you, while they may make great luggage and great bags, I have to question their ability to make accessories. A couple of months back, I purchased a Tumi Ballistic Snap Case for my iPad. After a month of use, it developed a crack in the plastic backing, on the lower right corner. I tweeted the Tumi twitter account, they recommended I call the 1-800 number. I called the 1-800 number, who wanted me to mail back my case, they would assess it and then determine if a replacement was warranted. The estimated time frame for the entire experience was expected to be 14 days. Not cool, in my opinion. I instead visited the Tumi store at the Philadelphia airport. I explained everything that I had explained on the phone and the manager, fixed the problem. How? By, taking back the clearly defective item and replacing it with a new one. Like I said GREAT customer service.

It’s not been a month since receiving a replacement case, and the EXACT same problem has happened. Now look, I get that coincidences happen. But this seems a bit out there, don’t you think? Here’s a photo to illustrate the issue.

Look, I’m not a whiner. I get it, stuff happens. I get that you can’t respond to everyone. Having worked in digital and social for a long time, I get all of that. But, as a consumer, I don’t understand how an item that retails for $95.00 from a brand like Tumi, can have the same defect in two separate cases. I also don’t understand, how, as a consumer it makes sense for me to have to pay to send it out and wait nearly 14 days to maybe receive a new one. It just doesn’t add up.

Tumi, by their own words states:

Product quality and selection are key attributes that have made Tumi a leader. Simply put, there is no other product made like Tumi. This is what we call the Tumi Difference. It is how we approach every aspect and detail of product design. We regard each component — from the smallest, case-hardened solid steel machine screw to our exclusive, virtually abrasion-proof FXT ballistic nylon fabric-of each item as if it were the most important. It means that our products are made from hundreds of custom-designed and engineered parts.

I have to be honest with you, this product doesn’t deliver on that brand promise. It just doesn’t. So Tumi, yes, I still love you, but you’re killing me.