Two things about Totes umbrellas

[yendi]

1. The claim that this umbrella is "is designed to withstand gale force winds" is, to use the technical term, complete and utter bullshit.

2. The lifetime warranty entails A) sending them $3, B) paying the cost of sending it to them myself, and C) waiting 4-5 weeks. In other words, the "warranty" is designed to make it economically unfeasible for anyone to take advantage of it. It's cheaper to buy a new one, and that's without taking the one-month delay into account.

Needless to say, my next umbrella will not be by Totes. I'd rather deal with a company that doesn't pretend to offer a warranty than one that uses a deceptive one as a marketing tool. Also, I like umbrellas that don't suck.

(And yes, caveat emptor; I should have done more research. I'll know better next time. Consider this my contribution to other folks doing research in the future.)

In other news, guess who's got two thumbs and is going to get his ass soaked on the way home from work today?

Bob Kelso yendi

Comments

[lynxreign.livejournal.com]

I got my umbrella from Sharper Image and like it a lot. Not that this helps for now, but...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Ask someone who's going to Japan to bring you back a 2000 yen umbrella. We're still using ours, five years later.

Totes, not so much.

[pkthunder.livejournal.com]

This is why I wear a rain coat.

[crystalsage.livejournal.com]

I dunno...umbrellas are things that I don't worry about a warranty that much. I've probably owned several dozen of them over my lifetime. Its not something I sit there and say "Damn that manufacturer...I should have taken advantage of teh warranty." Its not like they cost hundreds of dollars.

[crystalsage.livejournal.com]

yes.

[ex-yakaveng.livejournal.com]

I don't have an umbrella with me today. Wait, yes, I do! The mystery desk of mystery holds many surprises!

I was thinking of leaving work early today. Would you be desirous of a ride home?

I did not realize that about Totes. Shit, mystery desk of mystery provided me with a Totes umbrella. Now we're fucked.

[ex-yakaveng.livejournal.com]

FYI, I think that was the least comprehensible thing I'd said or done today.

*eyes Java code*
Nope, I'm wrong. Frick. Double frick!

[yendi]

I'd be glad for a ride, but wouldn't that put you way out of your way? I go from the west to the east, and I'm pretty sure your route is east-west, right?

That said, if that's not an issue, drop me an email!

[yendi]

A what now?

Seriously, raincoats are fine (although I do currently lack one), but they don't do much good for backpacks and computer bags.

[yendi]

I've never heard of those (and Google isn't helping much), but I'll ask next time an opportunity presents itself.

[yendi]

Normally, I wouldn't care about it. But when my last one broke, I actually did read and compare features when choosing my new one, so this was a little disappointing.

[ex-yakaveng.livejournal.com]

Email sent.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

2000 yen = 15-22 dollars, depending on exchange rate (currently around $19.80), not a brand name. *G* In other words, any decent random mid-range Japanese umbrella. We actually bought a really cheap one for a couple bucks that survived the whole honeymoon--it was transparent and thus very handy for seeing where we were going. It was mostly to repel snow and drizzle, though. I don't think it would withstand gale-force winds.

Edited for extraneous dollar sign :P

[soph-nyc.livejournal.com]

Neither do umbrellas! Or maybe that's just in NY, here the rain seems to come down sideways so if you have an umbrella you're a)happy to have your arm still attached to you by the end of the day, b) have any part of you that's still dry after 5 min outside, and c) hair that does not look as if you've been through a washing machine. I've never managed to keep anything dry when using an umbrella.

What you need is a waterproof poncho with a hood. :)

[dragontdc.livejournal.com]

I've had good use for about 8 years from my GustBuster (http://gustbuster.com) umbrella. It's huge, but so am I, and I think they make smaller ones.