Long, long story...
Back when I lived in San Francisco during the summer of 2008 I bought a pair of "waterproof" Fieldsheer Meteor 5.0 pants. It being California, it didn't rain much so I could only assume that they worked. Then I moved to NJ in time for fall/winter/spring and didn't ride much. By the time I got back on the bike the pants were almost a year old, only to find out that they leaked horribly. And not the typical 'crotch leak' that one might expect, but they leaked right where I sat on the seat itself. It leaked quickly and thoroughly. I emailed what I thought was Fieldsheer (I later found out it was Western Power Sports, who distributes Fieldsheer) and registered my complaint.
They suggested that I go back to the store to exchange them but I explained that I was 3,000 miles away by now. So instead of an in-store exchange, they took my information and sent me a brand new pair of pants (no charge, no exchange; I could keep the defective ones). Excellent!
I rode in them for another year with the occasional 20 minute ride in the rain to work with no trouble. A couple of days I thought it felt a little damp, but just figured that I was being sensitive and looking for trouble. So I didn't think much about it. That is, until I went to Nova Scotia.
There, I experienced a 6 hour rain and the pants leaked (in the exact same place as the first pair) within the first 30 minutes. I was ticked, to say the least. Every time I buy pants I have to have them altered (length, as well as adding a 3/4 zipper) and this was now the second time that I'd wasted my money
So I got back to WPS and told them about the problems I was having, not really expecting them to do anything two years after the initial purchase.
Much to my surprise, Doug (the original contact) still stood behind his company and did his best to make things right. WPS no long carried Fieldsheer, so he couldn't replace them (again), but he did offer to replace them with another manufacturer (Butane). He shipped me a pair but they were the wrong size. He then shipped me two more pair to ensure that I got a pair that would fit me. Once I found one that would work, he sent me a UPS label to ship the other two back to him.
During the last two years I haven't been asked to spend a dime on these replacements. It really is amazing how far Doug went to make things right.
I thought that others should know that Western Power Sports will, indeed, stand behind their products
One little caveat: I haven't yet ridden in the rain, so I can't attest that the Butane pants are waterproof either
