I've seen a few references here to Tumi. I bought my first Tumi back about 15 years ago. I still have it, and it's amazing. Classic Alpha briefcase. Back then, they had a legendary, unconditional repair warranty.
Over the past 15 years, I've purchased a bunch of their stuff, and I've always been pleased. That said, I hadn't our chased anything in the past few years. I didn't need to.
The other day, on a lark, I popped into a Tumi shop to poke around. I was surprised at all these gawdy new designs. I was able to find some of the classic Alpha and Alpha Bravo bags, except something seemed off.
The stitching was different... Simpler and less durable. The materials also felt cheaper.
I walked out feeling a bit disappointed and confused. I got home and realized it was NOT my imagination. My older gear really did have a higher level of quality.
I then poked around on Google and saw a bunch of folks showing old / new pictures of Tumi gear.
Long story short, the company no longer does lifetime warranties. It's limited to 5 years, and it's only against manufacturing defects. Apparently, it's next to impossible to get them to fix anything.
Also, they were acquired by Samsonite. Samsonite.... Yeah, Samsonite.
So, while I have not personally experienced any of the newer stuff, just by looking at the decline of workmanship, the reduction of warranty and new ownership, I, personally, no longer hold Tumi on my own, private BIfL list.
Submitted February 24, 2019 at 12:47AM by Aslanovich1864 https://ift.tt/2T0RViT
