[adouglas]

This right here is why brands get poor reputations. (I'm in the branding business so this kind of stuff really pushes a button with me.)

I had something like that happen with my fitness tracker recently. I had a Jawbone UP3, that I bought via Groupon last February. Still in the warranty period. Over time, the rubber band developed a stress crack near the metal clasp. Clearly a design flaw. I repaired it twice with "as seen on TV" UV glue, but it finally just popped.

I called them to see what could be done. Sent pictures, etc. Their response: Groupon is not an authorized reseller (as if I'd know that), and support is up to them. No joy.

The RIGHT answer would have been "well, since Groupon isn't an authorized reseller, we can't cover it under the terms of our warranty. But we value you as a customer, so if you send it back we'll replace it for cost." That way they would not have lost a dime, and would have impressed me with their service and attitude.

If they'd offered me a replacement for $79 I would have taken it. As it was, I sent a pointed letter saying that who sold me the band has NOTHING to do with the product the company manufactured, and that a manufacturer should stand behind its products. I also told them I was going to go out and buy a Fitbit instead.

So they lost a customer, and gained some negative buzz. STUPID.