Assos…They Just Do Some Things Better

For some reason this exchange from a few years back, particularly John’s inspired list of potential causes of chamois wear, inspiringly funny…

On 9/22/09 2:45 PM, “Damon Bates” wrote:

All of you inbox challenged folk may delete this now.

First , Tom D., congrats on your brand spankin new bionic knee, hope you are feeling better and back in the saddle soon.

Second, I thought Id share my first experience w/ Assos customer service dept.  Sept 1st ish I sent back 2 pair of Roubaix Knickers Ive had for 3+ years.  They see heavy use (and diligent care) 9 mos of the year and are the most frequently worn items I have.  The chamois had come unstitched on the sides and needed to be resewn and their website provides instructions on how to return etc

I got them back yesterday , individually shrink wrapped and packaged the way only the Swiss can.  BUT, they didn’t just sew on the chamois, the replaced theentire pad.  And they do all this for free.  Note that this is not warrantee service, they just do it.

In a world of often miserable customer service and ridiculous fees from banks, airlines, et al,  It’s nice to know that some companies are still  committed to excellence

It was a small inspirational moment I thought worth passing along.

I wore a pair this morning and of course got dropped like stone on Farm.  But I was happy and comfy.

From: John Whisnant
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 9:29 PM

Damon –

What a great company.  I am sending back my Assos for repair immediately as soon as you send me their mailing address.  If it were my company, I would at least ask what was the cause of the knickers chamois wear so that I could use this information to improve an already great product.  For example, Assos could have asked the following:

Damon, please check the appropriate box to let us know what caused your chamois to need repair:

1.  Fire in the hole after a particularly tasty burrito with extra hot sauce the night before.
2.  Trying to impress the Crack o’ Dawn more feminine riders  with an extra cucumber that stretched the fabric to the breaking point.
3.  Using a wire brush to try to ‘erase’ chamois skid marks.
4.  Using the knickers as a Depends substitute during a company performance review.
5.  Thinking that wearing your knickers over your head while drinking Belgium beer can only add to how incredibly funny you are and the holiday-like festivities.
6.  Forgetting to apply Assos crème (yes you need to use the correct European spelling) prior to a Saturday Carlisle ride.
7.  Not scheduling your next Brazilian Bikini waxing in time and having resulting pubic stubble abrade the chamois, especially around the anus (the Swiss are very precise in their questions).
8.  Fire in the hole after a particularly tasty low fat poppy seed muffin at Peet’s.
9.  You don’t know since you are actually sending in Oscar Lazaro’s Assos knickers for repair, which he got from Giuseppe after he emailed the HPG asking if anyone had a pair of large Assos knickers they weren’t using for the next two months.
10. All of the above.

John

From: Bates, Damon 
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 6:19 PM

Asking for the cause of the damage is a great idea….for Plebian American Capitalist Entrepreneurial New World Gringo Peasant Religious Radical types like us.

But, these are the Swiss we’re dealing with here….Italian Swiss to be specific.  They ALREADY KNOW what the causes are and they even tell you about them on their website…and offer to repair it for free, if humanly possibly,  because life happens

Check it out:  http://www.assos.com/en/24/default.aspx

From: Bates, Damon 
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:32 AM

So I sent a Assos an inspired thank you note for exceeding my expectations wrt the aforementioned Roubaix Knickers repair and I receive a a personal note from the GM and a box today w/ an Assos “Fan Pack”  consisting of a very attractive coffee mug and a towel creatively (and efficiently of course…) packaged in a nice box about the size of a champagne bottle  gift box.

Love this company.  Maybe we can buy it?  LBO?  Wait it’s Swiss…perhaps we could just make their espresso?

May 25, 2014 | Categories: Gear | Tags: Damon Bates, John Whisnant | 1 Comment