Derailed

Has anyone in the United States worked with Ortlieb Customer Service on a warranty issue recently?

I have an Ortlieb Urban Commuter Bag which has pulled apart along a seam. It's less than five years old, and I'm fairly confident that this is a warranty issue. However, I bought it from The Touring Store, which is no longer in business, so I can't go through "them" (i.e., Wayne, for those who had the pleasure of working with him). So, I've tried to reach out to Ortlieb Customer Service, but other than an initial auto-reply two weeks ago, I haven't heard anything else from them.

I understand that many businesses are still struggling to maintain staff and supplies, but I'm not sure what to do in this situation, as this is my main commuter bag. It's not clear to me how long I'll need to wait to get a reply from them, plus there's of course some risk that they won't agree that it's a warranty issue, or if they do if they'll want me to send it in for repair -- potentially adding substantial additional down time.

I guess the answer to my question has become clear while writing this out: if I need a functional bag ASAP, I don't really have a choice other than to buy another or find a way to make do with a substitute solution. I can continue to hold out hope that they'll ultimately honor the warranty, but in that case it would become an additional bag.

Anyone have a different take?

Harhir

You may want to try the team in Germany at kundenservice@ortlieb.de
They replied to my email within 2 days. Although I contacted them in German they should understand English. I think here in the US they only have a distributor.

Derailed

Thanks for the suggestion, but that's the address from which I received the initial auto-reply, and to which I subsequently replied, after a week, to try checking in and provide a picture.

I may try doing a repair myself, as it looks like the fabric was attached by an adhesive. That is, it wasn't stitching that pulled out, but a glue that pulled away. Then again, I'm worried about doing so ultimately being used as a reason to deny my warranty claim.

I've also been shopping for a replacement but having trouble finding something quite like this in terms of size and convenience (I really like their ql3.1 mounting mechanism). It looks like they no longer sell this model so I may need to look for alternatives.

Can anyone recommend a briefcase-style pannier with a slick mounting mechanism?

Alternatively, I have a full set of Ortlieb Bike Packer touring panniers, plus an Ortlieb Bike Shopper, so maybe I'll just couple one of those with a traditional, non-bicycle-specific, briefcase.

Harhir

I have been using the Ortlieb Backroller with the Commuter Insert for my laptop.
https://www.ortlieb.com/en_us/f3906
That has been working great over the past years. I normally leave the insert in the bag and just unclip the pannier and use the pannier with the shoulder strap when walking between the bike and my desk. And in case I want to use the pannier when not commuting I just pull out the insert and leave it at home.

phughes

You could try contacting https://www.campfirecycling.com They took over for Wayne.

79pmooney

Another approach - assuming the Commuter bag is similar fabric and construction to the panniers; contact a rafting outfit. Should be a low time for them now so they have plenty of time to walk you through the repair process. The panniers are constructed of rafting fabrics. Those rafts get all sorts of abuse and the outfits have probably repaired just about every possible failure.

I put a very sharp kitchen knife through a 10 yo bag. Contacted a local rafting outfit, bought the glue they suggested and that repair is now simply part of the bag and will probably last just as long. (Another 12 years so far.)

Derailed

That's a great idea; thanks for the suggestion. I hesitated, at first, but it's a reasonable inquiry to pose to them, and if they can't service a warranty claim for a situation like this, I'm sure they'll just tell me.

Derailed

I'm not aware of any rafting outfits near me (I'm in the Midwest), but I do think a repair will be feasible. I'm going to wait a bit longer to see if they come through, but then I'll give it a shot.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Korina

Just in case, YouTube has a lot of inflatable raft repair videos.

Derailed

I don't mean to keep bumping this up, but I've really appreciated the many helpful suggestions -- thank you all.

Also, I'm happy to report that Ortlieb USA is now in touch directly and handing my inquiry, so I think I'm in good hands. That makes me happy because I've been quite invested in their products for fifteen-plus years now, thinking I'd probably never need it, given he quality, but assuming that their warranty would be good if I ever did.

phughes

No need to apologize for bumping your thread to give updates. IT is always good to know the outcome of an issue. Much better than never knowing the resolution.

travel_bike

Oh, I had the same questions
thanks

allan6344

Just in case someone else comes by with the same questions:

Useful info from Campfire Cycling
https://www.campfirecycling.com/ortlieb-repairs

Ortlieb USA Customer Service
https://ortliebusa.com/customer-service/