>> ].At that time I was promised that orignal lowepro zip/zipper will be used to replace the defective one ,and it will take 7-10days to get it fixed .<<

FYI, there are only a few Zipper manufacterers in the worl, YKK being the largest/oldest one, so chances are that the zipper you got now is just another model from the same zipper manufacterer that just does not have the brand LowePro stamped on it....

Just a thought, but you could tug it about to see if it is going to survive for a while, use it for your busy time then return it for an OEM zip to be fitted? Sounds less stressful that way and complaining probably won't achieve anything for you.

I have heard the stories from people I worked with from India and the Middle East how customer service is shady. And as I stated above, I'm well aware of the religions in the areas. I've also worked on the management side of US companies and the vast majority require authorization from them for warranty work if a shop wants to get reimbursed for work done. Trying to claim afterwords leads to unbelievable rampant fraud.

Full circle - shady customer service - requirement of approval to be reimbursed - delay on communication (holiday) - bag not fixed in time. Global commerce failures at it's finest. ;) As Abhinav said, it was probably so cheap, the shop just ate the cost or was lazy and got called on it. Either way, I wouldn't expect Lowepro to do anything since they had no control over it. They are a good company though, so maybe a new bag could be in the end result.

I am just floored on how many people do believe that the store that sells you something, is responsible for warranty work. At least in the US. I have not seen that as remotely a normal expectation (outside of 30 days from purchase) with anything in the last 15 years. All warranty work I have needed, had to go directly through the manufacture. Maybe some mom & pop shops still do that for you, but very few. Cell phone companies will just replace a product, but they have continual income from a used device.

@TaoTeJared - I have to back up abhiv with his case. I was living & working in india and I got to sense the way some ppl over there approach business. also keep in mind that it's not a small country with a very fast growing population of camera shooters. lowepro as much as it is an USA based company doesn't repair their stuff in USA, neither doesn't need to contact the main HQ for small things like zipper change. also as You may not know, India is as close to christianity as VATICAN is to muslim, there is slight population but it is dominated by different religions. IMHO, Lowepro if promised to fixed the bag in 7-10 working days (2 weeks at most) should fix the bag by 5th January and if they say they do it with original parts than it should be done that way. If no, they should exchange it for free. and as a foreigner I can only confirm what abhi wrote: "... companies have a habit of taking Indian customers for a ride with shoddy services...".

@Abhi - You should have paid the guy 100INR and I bet You will get the service done quicker and with original zipper :)

I was talking about this with my dealer from where I usually buy camera and stuff and he told me this not new with lowepro India .They have done this in the past as well .He asked me to make a complaint atleast .

I agree with Tao, you pushed the guy, so he had no choice. Companies often say 7-10 days for a repair, but it really means at least 2 weeks. Heck, I had a lens that I was told would be repaired in a few weeks, it took 4 months.

I realize the holidays are different in different places but I do know that Lowepro is located in the US so any confirmation of service and probably reviving the oem part would be delayed if he didn't have the right one. The same thing happens in the US when parts come from overseas as local holidays can cause delays.

By no means do I think it shouldn't be different, but it sounds nothing out of the ordinary from what we experience on the other side of the globe.

just to add a bit more :I was told he had original zip and zippers in Stock at the time of depositing the bag .

and FYI : getting these zip/zipper changed with local stuff is just Rs30 work or not even $0.5 here within half hour .I could have went ahead and could do it myself ,but I wanted the original lowepro zips .Right now I've no clue how much weight these zip's can hold.

beween its nothing new, these companies have a habit of taking Indian customers for a ride with shoddy services ,but this doesn't meant I should keep quite :|.

Also , Christian Holidays have no meaning over here because its not a holiday season[barring 25th and 1st in some case] .

I have never known a distributor/store ever to do any service work - on anything.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but maybe your expectations far exceed what long standing normal business practices are for companies? Service work is never quick. I have had lenses out for 3-6 weeks before. Unless you are sponsored or NPS, this is the case.

It sounds like you gave the man no choice but to find someone local to fix the bag, so he did and you got what you asked for and took LowePro out of the equation. 7-10 days around christian holidays really equals about 15-20. Remember it is "working" days, not days of the week. Throw in a couple of holidays in there and you have a much longer timeline.

I gave my Lower pro 300 runner pro bag for repair to Lower pro Interfoto ,Rajindra Place -Delhi on 22nd December 2011 [They are the distributors of Lowepro bags in India ].At that time I was promised that orignal lowepro zip/zipper will be used to replace the defective one ,and it will take 7-10days to get it fixed .
On 3rd of Jan 2012 I called them to know ,when to pick my bag ,but the guy on the line told me "sir it takes 7-10days "
I got annoyed, and asked him to get it done by evening .Since, I was busy that evening ,I decided to pick the bag on 4th .On 4th evening I reached their office to collect the bag , and to my horror they used local zip's and zipper .On asking why the hell he used local zipper .His reply was even more irritating "sir ,now you can use lock in case you want ".I was llike WTF ,and left the interfoto with bag .I had no option but to take the bag because of upcoming trip .

I don't what else to say but they tried warranty services here in India are really Goofy and pathetic to say the least .

Picture

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6636051793_57dca6759e_z.jpg

WOW ,what an awesome new year I'm having :|

Note:I've emailed lowerpro about this .