Recall this awesome, recycled-tire-rubber landscaping border I installed earlier in the summer? I still love the stuff. It was easy to work with and looks great.
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| "...earlier this summer" |
Well,... then this happened:
The heads of the stakes faded to a nearly white color, in roughly a month and a half. They look like buttons on a coat. It really makes the border look weird. Crud.
After a couple weeks grumbling about it, and hoping it lawn elves would work their magic, I finally checked out EcoBorder's website for contact info to complain. I found their FAQ's addressed the issue. They know about it and are tackling it head on:
NOTICE: It has come to our attention that some of the stakes sold with our EcoBorder "L" product last year (estimated time frame between July and August 2012) have a raw material defect. In our ongoing efforts to use recycled materials in our products, we have learned that some of the recycled raw material plastics used in those stakes (we expect about 3% of product sold over that time) have this issue. Due to an adverse reaction from some impurities found in those materials, some stakes purchased in those months could turn white. With product quality and customer satisfaction as our top priorities we apologize greatly to any customers that have experienced this. In response, we vow to "make it right" with any customers that this may have affected.
If you were affected by this issue, please email us a photo (to: mail@ecoborder.com) of the stakes along with a count of how many replacement stakes are needed. In response, we will send out top quality replacement stakes at no cost to you. Once again, we apologize for this issue and will do whatever it takes to make sure that you our customers see our unending dedication to a quality product and customer service!
I contacted EcoBorder through the site and quickly received an email, followed by a phone call from their Florida HQ (not a call center on the other side of the planet). They offered a genuine apology and an explanation. They didn't dodge the issue or accuse me of living in a God-forsaken, uninhabitable desert wasteland where the sun savages any material known to man. They didn't question my installation methods or ask if I'd hosed the area with Vietnam war era, carcinogenic defoliants. They truly, humbly apologized and took accountability. I never even got a chance to fence a rude tech support operator with my well-honed, rapier wit. It was refreshing.
EcoBorder knows there was a very small lot of stakes that were discovered to have a defect in a UV protecting ingredient. They've adjusted suppliers and resolved the issue. It's been difficult for them to locate the affected batch, since it's scattered across the country, carried by the two big home center chains.
A supply of fresh replacement stakes was quickly shipped. I received an email with tracking information. They arrived a couple days later.
EcoBorder knows there was a very small lot of stakes that were discovered to have a defect in a UV protecting ingredient. They've adjusted suppliers and resolved the issue. It's been difficult for them to locate the affected batch, since it's scattered across the country, carried by the two big home center chains.
A supply of fresh replacement stakes was quickly shipped. I received an email with tracking information. They arrived a couple days later.
Do I want to re-install what I've already installed? Nope.
Do problems occasionally happen in the world manufacturing stuff? Yep.
Heck yes; it just happens. I like how EcoBorder dealt with an unfortunate issue straight on. No dodging. No questioning. No games. No delays. They just handled it. That's class. That's customer support. Seriously, that's good business sense. In my opinion, this is a case study in how companies should handle problem products.
I'd like to get more of this stuff for the back yard landscape. I support good, companies, manufacturing in the USA, that stand behind their products and I like this product.
I'll head out there with a hammer and whack these new ones in.
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Disclaimer: I have no relationship with EcoBorder (Although, I do host affiliate ads from Home Depot, where it is sold). I selected and purchased the initial product with my own hard-earned cash. They were aware of and responded favorably to my unsolicited blog post on their product. As consumer and a blogger, I believe their response was genuine, and not influenced by the fact that this issue happened to affect a blogger, although, I imagine they're probably not celebrating that it happened. In no way did they try to influence my response as a blogger. That's class. - John