Change to warranty for ADCO covers - disappointing

[ShrimpBurrito]

I've long known that the ADCO covers are low quality, as I historically have only gotten 1-2 years at best in the SoCal sun before the thing starts to disintegrate. It's not the Tyvek top that is the weak point, it's the polypropylene sides.

I've tolerated it up to this point because a) they are cheap; I can get them for $100; and 2) they have a warranty, and I can get them replaced inside that warranty period (which has nearly always happened).

Today I had a chat with ADCO over my latest warranty issue, and was informed that they have now instituted a $20 shipping charge for all warranty replacement covers. It's not alot of money obviously, but the principle of having to pay shipping on a product that is intended to replace another that failed before its service life is a little irritating.

I was always a little tired of having to constantly keep up with them, but this motivates me to buy a different cover next time -- my custom-made Calmark Sunbrella umbrella cover gets far more sun exposure, and it still looks nearly brand new after 2.5 years. That will be my next, and last, cover.

Dave

[MudDog]

Had a similar experience with Deltran on their Battery Tender Plus.

I kept all of the original packaging, including the big, bold "10 year warranty" on the packaging and the warranty sheet itself.

No where did it say there were any fees at that time (not sure if they changed their warranty sheet since or not...they claimed they were going to change it after I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau)

When I called for an RMA under warranty, I was informed that there was a $12.95 WESH (Warranty Evaluation/Shipping Handling) fee, plus you have to pay to ship it to them.

I protested that the WESH fee was not disclosed on the packaging or on my warranty sheet and their response was "it's right there"....I said "where?" and they referred me to the web url www.batterytender.com that was in the footer of the warranty sheet.

Including the shipping cost to send it to them, it would have been over $20 to get it repaired under warranty...you can buy new/delivered for $40-$47.95.