Headphones On

People who have known me for a few years typically see me about town with the same black bag on my back. A one-shoulder (half backpack, half messenger) Tumi, it has a distinctive egg shape and modern feel. My Tumi was not cheap. I bought it despite the price tag as I found within it's depths the perfect allocation of space, pockets, key chains, hideaway holes, etc. Finding something within my Tumi was second nature to me... that bag was designed specifically to lay on my back. That bag has been with me as I've traversed terrain in the US and abroad. It's been to peaceful buddhist shrines in Kamakura, pebbly beaches in Wales, icy fjords in Norway, beautifully designed gallery spaces in Denmark and on a daily basis was the shell protecting me in my struggle with the urban world. That Tumi bag has seen more oddities and wonder than travel section of the Sunday paper.

Sadly, my Tumi is no more. A few months ago I noticed the zipper was having a few problems. I held off on fixing him for awhile, knowing it would be hard to part with him for the week or so it would take to send him in to Tumi and get him back. A week ago I gave in and handed him over to my local Tumi rep for repair. I removed his contents and waved him goodbye, confident that he would return to me in near-perfect condition (no mean feat for a 4 year old bag that gets worn daily). I waited and waited for word from the repair shop. Ok not really... really I figured it would take about 10 days and forgot about it. I even received a comment or two from people around me wondering over the past week inquiring where my Tumi was.

This morning... my curiosity and I called in for word of my Tumi. Apparently, the zipper was not broken... the design of the bag was defective. Defective? Not my Tumi! I took offense on behalf of my bag. The woman on the phone explained to me that my bag was discontinued some time ago... and unfortunately they had no more in stock. I sucked in a breathe and waited for the bad news...

Tumi Rep: "I'm sorry ma'am, you'll have to get a new bag."
Me: "A new bag? But..."
TR: "We will credit you the full original retail price for this bag. Our records indicate that you purchased it in 2001. Is this correct?"
Me: "Yes (sniffle)... but"
TR: "Yes?"
Me: "My Tumi went around the world with me attached to it!"
TR: "I'm very sorry Ma'am. Very sorry. As I was saying, you will receive a full credit for the original retail price. If you'd like to visit a Tumi store or browse our website and pick out a new bag I will gladly ship it to you as soon as possible. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience but hey, at least you get a new bag."

I don't blame the lady on the phone. I don't blame my Tumi. These things happen. My Tumi is off to Tumi Nirvana to spend his days carting around the scrolls and incense of Buddhas. He'll be happy there I'm sure. He had a good time during his short life. On the plus side, I get a brand new bag of my choosing for free, thereby making the initial cost of my Tumi completely worth it.

The moral of my story: The average company would have replaced the zipper with a cheap replacement and then charged me an arm and a leg for the privilege. Tumi is giving me a FULL credit for the cost of the bag from when I purchased it four years ago. Tumi products may be more expensive but their guarantee and service definitely justify the cost.