Back at the end of October, I bought a pair of Rainbow sandals and commented on how excited I was because of what I had heard and because of the seemingly impressive warranty. I also promised to give an update on the quality after I had a chance to break them in a little. Well, it’s exactly five months later, and the news I have to report might disappoint you if you’re a fan of Rainbows. The whole experience has certainly disappointed me, and here’s why.
A few weeks ago, the leather strap on my right sandal started cracking, tearing, and generally falling apart. “No big deal,” I thought. “The warranty says these things are guaranteed for the life of the sole.” Not so fast, buddy. The guarantee has four things that are covered, but an additional nine things that you’re out of luck on. Of course, I fall into the category of nine: torn straps. “Well, the tag said they’re designed to last longer than six months, so maybe the customer support people will be reasonable and work with me.” Wrong again.
To add insult to injury (the injury of my broken sandal, at least), the girl I talked to on the phone was approximately 97% unhelpful. I explained that I was merely a normal user of the sandals, and to my knowledge, no dogs had gnawed on the straps recently. I added that the left sandal was perfectly fine, and suggested that there might be a manufacturing defect with the right one. No dice. The girl gave me the option of sending my sandals in so that Rainbow could verify whether they were covered under the guarantee. Oh yeah, and if I wanted them back, I’d have to include $7 for shipping.
That was about all the information I got out of the customer support rep, though. I had to ask about the address to send the sandals back to. I had to ask about what would happen in the event that they deemed nothing was wrong. I had to ask about payment methods for forking over the $7 for return shipping.
Well, I have a better idea, Rainbow. How about I throw your crappy sandals in the trash and stick with the $20 pair of Anchor Blue sandals I bought almost two years ago?
Now, now. Not everyone has the experience as you. Mine, purchased on the same day as yours, are still in great condition. And I know people who have had their Rainbows for years.
As for the customer service: that sucks. Customer service representatives should be WAY more helpful than that.
THAT’S why you removed Rainbow (sandals) from your FB…gotcha.
Maybe the heat had something to do with it?
Rainbow customer service sucks. The sandals are ok but overpriced. I rather get some reefs.
I prefer Keen sandals now. They’re not made of leather, they stay on better, and they have a toe protector. It’s all the benefits of wearing shoes, but without the socks, which is awesome.