There's a reason for product reviews...

... good and bad.

Lesson learned: Even though there may be a handful of reviews and less than 5 are one or two stars, doesn't mean you can ignore the situation.

I got the 2 Pack Neoprene Sleeve with Carrying Handle on Monday afternoon (after work). On Wednesday night (after work), I was contacting Amazon. The pink sleeve's handle fell apart. It started with a tear / hole in the middle of the handle (near the buckle), and by the time I got home, the stitching on the buckle completely came apart. I was in the middle of a hallway when I felt the handle give way; I almost dropped the cup because it took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting this sleeve to break after a full day of use.

Going back and checking the reviews, there are verified purchases where people said they had similar problems - within three days holes formed and the sleeve broke; it arrived broken (holes); one person even said they had it a day and was on vacation with it, when it broke. Although there's one 4 star review that says "handle had broken off at the seam", they countered that by saying they were able to fix the seam and reinforce the stitching, making it work better. This person is lucky, as they say they had a sewing machine and knew enough to fix it. I guess out of 20 reviews, seeing about 5 that say the handle fell apart, isn't too bad, considering it could be a lot worse (more reviews saying the same thing). But like I said in my last review, neoprene is susceptible to breaking - one sharp object catches it, it's gone in the wind before you know it. However, if nothing hurts it, why should it break immediately, especially if the description of the item says it's a "strong but lightweight tumbler carrier that also protects your tumbler from scratches and dents" as well as being "perfect for outdoor activities, such as walking, biking, hiking, picnic, camping, boating and international travels. The case can be easily attached to your backpack or can be carried alone". That right there says you can do a lot with it, and it should last more than a week. I can see if you're hiking or camping and you catch it on a twig and it rips, but not if you're just carrying it and nothing pokes it.

So contacting Amazon on Wednesday night, I had two options: Return the full package for a total refund, or return the full package and get a replacement. They need it back either way because they want to investigate the problem - how it broke, what it looks like, etc. My thinking about this is, if Amazon looks at the reviews, they'd see there are some reviews that say the same thing - the sleeve fell apart. Maybe that's why it's less than $10 (and less than $4.50 a sleeve, comparatively speaking) - because it doesn't hold up so easy? Who knows. But I chose to get a replacement. It arrived Friday afternoon, so I plan on trying it out on Monday when I go back to work. See if it breaks again, and if it does, I'll contact Amazon once more, and go with a total refund.

Fun fact: due to it breaking within a day of receiving it, I didn't have to pay any type of shipping - return shipping or replacement shipping. Not that I want these things to break; it was unexpected and warranted of a chat with Amazon, and I'm glad they stick by some of their services. If they charged me for the replacement or shipping, I would have really been upset.

Side note on why I'd be upset: We all know hindsight is 20/20. I ended up returning a set of LG replacement water filters for our fridge last year. We had bought a two pack on the site for a good price, and about two weeks after getting them, our fridge died. So we got a Whirlpool brand and couldn't use the LG filters. We returned them, and lo and behold, was charged a return fee. Instead of getting a full refund, we were given close to it. Amazon took off $6.82 or something like that, for shipping costs. Because it wasn't damaged and it wasn't open. We were returning it because we couldn't use it in a new refrigerator. More proof that you've got to do your research and figure out what return costs are, if it comes down to it.

Anyway, pictures of the sleeve or it didn't happen:

 

 

 



Have a good weekend!

Cheers;