A real guarantee

A story for you - bear with me, it has a good ending.

About 15 or more years ago our friend Phil got me drunk at lunchtime in a pub in Bristol and we staggered out in the rain and somehow found ourselves in a Rohan clothing shop where I was pesuaded to hand over what seemed a huge sum of money for a waterproof coat.

I wore that coat on at least a thousand occasions over many years until the Gore-tex membrane ceased to work (as they eventually do). I still have the coat and apart from the waterproofing it is still in very good nick. In subsequent years I also bought from Rohan a fleece, now ten years old and going strong and some wonderful "winter bags" trousers which have comfy thermal linings. All good stuff for boating.

So when I needed a new waterproof coat at the end of 1996 I got another from Rohan. It cost £149, weighs nothing, but is windproof and waterproof, has lots of waterproof pockets and all that. Kath bought herself a different Rohan waterproof a couple of weeks later in the sale (£87).

Sale time 2010 came around and we went to Rohan in Guildford to buy a fleece for Kath and a new one for me, as the old one whilst still sound is now a bit grubby. Whilst we were there we mentioned in passing our only complaint about our waterproofs which is that in the awful weather we some times boat in, the rain gets up the sleeves and you get wet forearms.

Ah well said the shop lady, then under our guarantee the coats have not performed to spec and we will give you the full price you paid in part exchange for new coats. This after three years hard wear. She rang this morning confirming from their computer records the dates and prices we paid, and so were off to get new coats for which we'll have to pay very little.

I don't know about you, but I reckon that's a very good deal. And we didn't even ask for it! So I'm happy to offer this testimonial. Rohan stuff is not cheap, the designs are often quirky but clever but the quality is worth the money and it seems their guarantee actually means what it says.