Zip It Up

Even though we missed out on tennis, it gave us time to attend to a matter that I’d been putting for about a year. I have a coat from LL Bean that was only about two years old. It is without a doubt the coat I wear the most, light but warm enough to wear through December and most of January. The zipper on it started to fail, and I stopped wearing it thinking that it was done. I even got a replacement coat that was heavier but too big on me, though I wore it out of necessity.

Anyway, I figured I’d donate the old coat because except for the zipper, it was perfectly fine. The previous version of the same coat I had I used for about 15 years, I kid you not. Someone told me that if you take your coat to the dry cleaner they can fix zippers, but as usual I put it off for about a year, and finally decided to investigate. After calling around, it became clear that this was an urban myth, and the one place that said they could fix it said they send it out, and they couldn’t give me an estimate to how much it would cost. The jacket is not expensive, and I didn’t want to spend more than it cost.

Either way, since we missed tennis, I had time to consult a seamstress, or tailor, or whatever they’re called these days. She took one look at it and said it was too much for her machine to handle, then informed me that most people don’t have the machines to do it. She said take it back to LL Bean.

Now here’s the dilemma I originally faced, and I know it sounds ridiculous, but LL Bean has a policy where they guarantee all their products. I’ve returned shoes that I’d worn for a couple of years, and they gave me new ones. I feel guilty, I don’t want to take advantage. I didn’t want a new coat, I just wanted the zipper fixed. I figured if I went to the store, they’d give me a new one, which is a terrible waste. I know this sounds dumb, but that’s how I felt.

My options had run out, however, so I went to the store and asked if they could just fix it, and lo and behold, they said they could. I didn’t even have a receipt. She took the coat and sent it back to the factory, and said they’ll send it directly to our house. They did charge me $20, which I’m fine paying, but surprised me a bit. Not that I’m complaining.

I haven’t gotten the coat back, so it’s too early to celebrate, but at least it’s being dealt with, which is a lot better than collecting dust.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ewa Treska for the pic.