Usually I only review or mention products I like. This is an exception because I had such high hopes that were so terribly dashed.
Need a bag for your laptop? Of course you do. I don’t know anyone that plunks themselves down in an office and works there all day. Not any more. There’s just too much to do.
From 1992-2006 I carried a Tenba shoulder/messenger bag. I’m pretty sure this was the original Tenba laptop bag. It was (and remains) bullet-proof save for a minor design flaw where the unpadded shoulder strap sometimes slips. In 2006 I started work at the University of Minnesota. The newly-formed College of Design is spread across two campuses, a few miles—and a 15-minute bus ride that always seems to turn into a 30-minute ride—apart. I wanted a backpack, so both of my hands would be free on my morning bus commute and as I walked across both campuses.
I don’t mind spending a good bit for a great bag. I own several Tenba and Tumi bags that are 15-20 years old and still going strong. I’m hard on my bags and expect them to be durable and long-lasting. Bite the bullet, buy ‘em once and forget about ‘em is what I do.
I purchased a Booq Boa XL on 26 July 2006. When it arrived, the bag appeared to be fairly well constructed of quality materials, although I was immediately concerned about the zippers. The zippers were much less heavy-duty than those on my Tenba or Tumi bags. Nonetheless, I was happy with the bag.
Sure enough, one of the critical zippers on the Booq bag failed catastrophically last month. No problem, Booq offers a limited five-year warranty and I was only four years in. I’ve never had any problems with my Tenba or Tumi bags, although Tumi once sent replacement parts for two of our wheelie bags that were prone to failures; the original parts have yet to fail. I tend to scan warranties, not study them. I should have paid closer attention to Booq’s warranty policy, because while it seems reasonable, the company doesn’t honor it. Booq claims, “if the bag is found to be defective, booq’s only obligation and the Original Owner’s sole and exclusive remedy is the replacement of the bag with the same or comparable bag.”
Fair enough. If it breaks within five years, Booq pledges to replace it with the same or a comparable bag. Except that’s not what Booq did in my case. Booq no longer sells the Boa XL. The comparable bag is the Boa Flow XL. But that’s not what Booq offered as a replacement. First Booq offered a discontinued Python XL which, interestingly enough, also has zipper quality problems detailed in the company’s own featured review. I wasn’t interested—the offered bag had known zipper problems and was too big and bulky. I asked if Booq had any Boa XLs in the warehouse. No dice.
Sven Osterwalder, the Booq customer care representative that I worked with then appeared to offer a Boa Flow XL, the bag that is currently the closest comparable to the Boa XL: “We have just a handful of Python XL bags and after that it’s the new ones. Are you sure the Boa Flow XL couldn’t work for you?”
I responded: “How about a Boa Flow M?” The Boa Flow M is just like the Boa Flow XL only about 1.5-inches smaller in each dimension.
Osterwalder replied: “We have it in stock, so, if you like the way it looks, you can order one. I can give you a store credit rather than a replacement bag. However, the store credit system is prorated. The longer you owned a bag before it became defective, the smaller the amount of credit we can allow. In your case, since you have owned the bag for over 3 years, the allowable credit would be $50.”
Excuse me? What happened to the “exclusive remedy” of “replacement of the bag with the same or comparable bag.” The prorated store credit is applicable only “in the event that the same or comparable bag does not exist” according to Booq’s warranty policy. The comparable bag is clearly the Boa Flow XL.
Bottom line, Booq’s bags clearly have zipper problems and the company fails to honor its warranty. Don’t buy one. While Osterwalder was unfailingly polite in our email exchanges, I expected Booq to honor its warranty policy. When I informed Osterwalder that I would be “publishing an account of my experience with Booq’s ‘100% limited five-year warranty’” he offered to “step up the credit from $50 to $105.” Closer, but still not a comparable replacement. FAIL.
So, I find myself once again shopping for a laptop backpack. I’ve narrowed it down to four:
- Tenba Messenger Daypack (US$140)
- Spire Torq (US$169)
- Tom Bihn Smart Alec with Vertical Brain Cell (US$190)
- Crumpler Sinking Barge Deluxe (US$275)
If you have experience with any of these bags, I’d welcome your advice.
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