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Comment by grecy | Hacker News Reader

LL Bean are the OG of this, and they will warranty stuff that is 25 years old without batting an eye

Not anymore. I had a pair of boots that one of the soles fell off of one day. They were about 20 years old but still in good shape except for the glue failure. I called up LL Bean and they said they had no record of the purchase (I didn’t have a receipt but I bought them directly from them). After I insisted I had bought from them they changed their tune to saying 20 years is long enough and I should know that glue on the soles of shoes fails after a while. I just wanted them to repair the boots but they refused, so I won’t be buying anything from them anymore.

this may be one of the most entitled comments ive ever read on this website.

Here was their old guarantee: "Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves otherwise. We do not want you to have anything from L.L. Bean that is not completely satisfactory."

Are you not satisfied by boots which lasted 20 years?

If they had just worn out, that's fine, but they weren't at all. I only use them maybe 5-10 times per year, so the sole still had tons of life in it. The problem is that they didn't sew the sole onto the boot upper and the glue they used just lets go after a while.

I don't think that the soles should just fall off your boots one day while you're hiking, so no, I was not completely satisfied and I would like them to glue the soles back on for me.

Interesting. Do you remember if the boots were LL Bean brand name?

I'm sad to hear the bulletproof policy has come to an end.

Yes they were Bean Cresta Hikers. I really liked them.

Does Zippo predate that?

I think Leatherman have a similar warranty to Zippo, and they've been around a while, too.

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