Yakima’s customer service

Last month, while on a road trip, I found myself over 700 miles from home, with more stuff than I could fit in my car. Since putting my stepmum on the roof racks was not an option, I checked around at different bike shops, to see if I could score a roof basket, specifically, the Yakima Basket Case. No luck. Apparently, no one stocks them, and they were happy to order one for me, but it wouldn’t arrive until well after I was already on the road. With time running out, I reluctantly bought a Yakima Get Out, which is a giant diaper bag that you strap to your crossbars, and cram full of stuff.

Good idea, in theory. It’s roomy, and water-resistant. Bad idea in execution, as even though it was snugged down tightly, and checked at my infrequent gas stops, the battering in the wind caused the rubberized lining to disintegrate. Of course, it coated everything inside with little strips of rubber. Not good.

Long story short, I contacted Yakima via the web, and asked about the warranty. They responded by email, and requested that I call their 800 number to get a replacement. This is where they went above and beyond my expectations. The polite customer service rep first apologized for the inconvenience. Then she apologized that the Get Out was not currently in stock. (Returning it to the place of purchase was not really an option for me) I explained that I never intended on buying the bag, since I had been planning on getting the Basket Case in the first place. Crossing my fingers, I offered to ship the bag back to them, and pay the difference (about $30) for the Basket Case. I was then told not to worry about shipping the bag back, they would send a Basket Case by FedEx, and I would just pay shipping, not the price difference.

My Basket Case arrived today, less than a week later. There was no charge for shipping, and no charge for the difference in price. I’ve been using Yakima racks for about 10 years, and they will continue to get my business for as long as I can find a use for their products. If I wasn’t already a loyal customer, I would be now.

A big cheers and two thumbs up for Yakima!