Gerbing's review -- meh

[Sam Taylor]

First, let me say that I have sworn by the Gerbing's jackets for over 20 years. I am on my 4th now, one of the new Microwire ones.

 

The only reason I had 3 before was that 2 were for 2-up and one of them had a liner split on me. But it had been in use for 8 years and I can accept that.

 

So today I went to a retail store that carries them, Scuderia in San Francisco. I've done much business there over the years, too.

 

I tried on various sizes and found the perfect fit. My only past complaint with Gerbing's was that their sizes were inconsistent, so I was reluctant to order over the web.

 

I come home to find there is no connector cord. Yes, there is a battery pigtail with a nice compliment of fuses, but no way to go from the socket to the vest.

 

I call Scuderia. Oh, you want a cord? Yes, to make the jacket work. We don't have any.

 

I drive (grrrr) to BMW Santa Rosa to purchase, at $17.50, a BMW pigtail. And, at $ $14.50, a 2-foot cord that will go from my jacket (no cord) to the pigtail, for a total length of about 30", barely enough to go from the jacket to any of my sockets, through say an Aerostich.

 

Yes, I could have bought a ($70) controller to add 2 feet, but I don't want that.

 

My point is that if you buy a Gerbing's jacket, you can't just USE it! My other point is that if they retail it at stores you are not told about cord and controllers and such. My third point is that if you don't happen to live in a metro area like me, you are going to be screwed, because when I called Gerbing's, the (very nice) girl told me she was out of various parts and pigtails that would make it work and that I would be better off finding a dealer near me. Good luck if you live in Jackpot, NV.

 

It's a hell of a good product but something has gone wrong with their usability testing and their retail chain.

 

Caveat emptor!

[moshe_levy]

Sam-

 

Does your liner have the plastic PDU inside, which you connect the pigtail to?

 

-MKL

[Sam Taylor]

Yes, and while I'm at it, that's another complaint. While I was trying to figure out what's male and female (I'm from the Bay Area, don't you know), the little white sleeve pulled out a tad from the housing.

 

How's that going to work 10,000 miles from now?

[moshe_levy]

When I tested the liner for MCN last year (unedited text here http://www.mklsportster.com/Articles/mcnheatedgearraw.pdf ) I had the same complaint. The Gerbing's liner was very comfortable and well made, and likely would have won first place were it not for that PDU connection plate.

 

To me it was pretty inconvenient having to delayer everything to access the connections, especially if they disconnected or if I had to get off the bike to refuel. That annoyance, to me, overshadowed any slight advantages the Gerbings had over the competition in comfort or fit and finish. If the dangling wires bother anyone, there are way better solutions, like the dedicated pockets Warm N Safe provide, for example.

 

If they insist on the PDU, why not make the connections SAE, which have much less chance of coming loose?

 

So many questions... I really don't know why they went that route. Besides that issue the liner's excellent, though.

 

-MKL

[rad]

I waited about 10 days for the cord I wanted to get in stock when I purchased my jacket. It did not bother me, I figure there are things in life to get upset about, and that’s not one of them.

 

I have no problem with where the connections are located, I don't understand the issue. As a matter of fact, I like the new system far more than the system on my old version where I had a wire hanging down when I was not using the heating aspect of the jacket......Don't even get me started on how much of my life was spent pushing those glove connection cords back into those open pockets on the sleeves. I love the zippered sleeve pockets for those cords on the new version.

 

It is a great product.

 

[johnlt]

Sam, if you had 3 of their jackets before, it would seem you would have had that cable and connector. I think they are all the same. Moshy, I just connected a very short (less than 12 inches extension to the block and it hangs down "barely visible" below the jacket. I even hot glued it on the plate so all of my connections are made at the bottom edge of the jacket. Works for me.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

I'm surprised Sam, typically I get the best service available in the area from Scuderia's clothing folk.

 

I just disconnect my cord from the bike and let it dangle.

[moshe_levy]

How upset one gets with this, I believe, is directly proportional to one's experience with similar or competing products. I don't want to have to buy extra wires, or hot glue, or most importantly have to disrobe in the freezing cold if one of the connections comes loose or I have to refuel the bike. My old Gerbing's liner, as well as several competing brands I tested, had nifty pockets which were used to store the hardwired cables when not in use. It took all of 3 seconds to get them in there, with none of the aggravation of the PDU connection point. If a connection ever came loose, one could reconnect quickly without having to get undressed to access the PDU. That, to me, is a major functional issue. Different strokes, I guess, but not everyone is in love with that design. Besides the PDU, I am a fan of the product.

 

-MKL

[EffBee]

Sam, I work for Gerbing's, so let me answer some questions for you.

 

We used to have the dangling wires. Our unified PDU (power distribution unit) was in response to numerous customer suggestions. They thought the hanging wires were unattractive. Still, we're working on even better ways. Work here never stops.

 

Our heated clothing is designed to work with a controller. We consider it an absolute MUST and we provide you several options at different price points so that you get to choose. Using our garments without a controller can let them get uncomfortably warm. After all, they have to fit a range of customer needs, from above-freezing NorCal winters, to keeping someone warm at 70mph on their way to Prudhoe Bay. That makes a controller a necessity.

 

Our controllers have the correct length lead to allow you to plug into the PDU, and clip the controller to your outer garment's belt or a pocket lip/edge. When you decide to plug a garment directly in to the battery harness (without a controller), you are going outside the design parameters. It's your choice to do so and to accept responsibility for that choice. But it also means that you will have to purchase extension leads that are normally designed for other purposes, such as those who want to mount their controllers on the bike instead of on their bodies (attaching the controller to a tank bag, for instance).

 

We apologize for being out of stock on some items. In this economy, with the motorcycle industry down over 40%, it would make sense to order and manufacture less. Yet we took a chance and ordered as much as we sold last year. And yet it still hasn't been enough as Gerbing's sales are through the roof and our CSI is better than ever thanks to the smooth heat and durability of Microwire.

 

I want you to know that we take your comments seriously, even if you're using our product in ways not intended. Your issues will be brought up in Quality Meetings before our Customer Service team, our Purchasing Dept., even Jeff Gerbing himself. We discuss virtually everything we hear about how we're doing. Improvement is an ongoing process here, even when sales are up in a down economy. We don't rest.

 

I invite you to come to the Fall Torrey event. While I can't make promises due to his hectic work/travel schedule, Jeff Gerbing himself is currently planning to be there, as he was last Spring. He's a very accessible person who absolutely loves our customers and is always ready to listen.

 

In the meantime, I invite you to contact me privately by PM on this board. If you have an issue, perhaps I can help. I've loaned BMWST members my personal controllers, extension leads, even my Jacket Liner when they needed it and I wasn't planning any rides that weekend (fortunately, we were the same size). It's not an intrusion into my personal life. It's just the kind of Customer Service we try and provide everyone, even when an unexpected inventory shortage makes it difficult.

[Sam Taylor]

The last one I bought was in 2003, a testimony in and of itself. It, like the previous ones, had a dangling cord with an SAE connector.

 

My beef is not with the jacket. If you look at their website, towards the bottom of the jacket liner page, it says "includes all you need to use this product".

 

Wrong, unless you're going to hook the battery pigtail right to the jacket.

 

There certainly are bigger things to worry about, so I hope my annoyance saves someone else's.

[Sam Taylor]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, EffBee. It crossed my previous one.

 

I see where you were going with the PDU. I personally think the choice of Coaxial plugs instead of easier to find and modify SAE plugs was questionable.

 

I can tell that you guys consider the controller a must. I just happen to have been very happy with my solution which was to use a switch. I also see you offer a switch.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, the heart of my disappointment lies in that you could buy this off the website, or at a retailer as I did, take it home, and find it unusable because it comes with no connector cords. It's an unpleasant surprise.

 

Thanks again for response. I've cobbled together a solution for myself that should work well. Looking forward to firing it up. wouldn't you know it's warm today?

 

ST

[EffBee]

If you look at their website, towards the bottom of the jacket liner page, it says "includes all you need to use this product".

 

Sam, it also says that the Temp Controller does not come with the liner, but that the battery harness does. Perhaps what you're doing here is helping us realize that the wording we use is not understood perfectly by everyone. For that we thank you. I'm going into a meeting right now and we'll be discussing this as well.

[EffBee]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, EffBee. It crossed my previous one.

 

I see where you were going with the PDU. I personally think the choice of Coaxial plugs instead of easier to find and modify SAE plugs was questionable.

 

I can tell that you guys consider the controller a must. I just happen to have been very happy with my solution which was to use a switch. I also see you offer a switch.

 

You're right. We do offer a switch. It's a budgetary offering and, in a way, it's a form of temp control, although it doesn't moderate the temp automatically.

 

Keep an eye out for changes to the wording you brought to my attention. We appreciate your input. Those changes should take effect by the end of the day.

 

Once again, thank you.

[Deadboy]

While we are at it can you please sugest they go back to offering a jacket with a removable liner (like the Cascade extreme)? I was ready to order the other day but realized that style is not currently available....and no, I do not want the older style wiring, I know they are still out there.

 

Thanks!

[JayW]

I want you to know that we take your comments seriously...

 

From my perspective, I have no issues with the way things are hooked up on the Gerbing's jacket liner, though have never used a competing product to compare the two. When refueling, I just disconnect from the outlet on the bike.

 

I would suggest that the non-heated wiring, even on the microwire units, could be improved. It seems stiff and bulky. Could this be changed to something flatter, softer or otherwise less obvious?

 

Otherwise a great product. I recommend Gerbings routinely whenever I talk to anyone about riding in the cold.

 

My $.02

 

Jay

[EffBee]

While we are at it can you please sugest they go back to offering a jacket with a removable liner (like the Cascade extreme)? I was ready to order the other day but realized that style is not currently available....and no, I do not want the older style wiring, I know they are still out there.

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the input. The Cascade Extreme would probably retail for more than $550 if we were to produce it today. I don't want to turn this into a commercial post, so I won't quote any current product prices, but the new eXtreme Element (XE) jacket is substantially below that and is a better garment in every way (except its heated liner isn't removable).

[Smoky]

I got my wife a new liner last week, with the on/off switch.

 

Wired it up to the battery, and she's very happy with it.

 

Much better than the old no-name brand heated vestss we have used for the past 35 years.

 

 

[EffBee]

I want you to know that we take your comments seriously...

 

From my perspective, I have no issues with the way things are hooked up on the Gerbing's jacket liner, though have never used a competing product to compare the two. When refueling, I just disconnect from the outlet on the bike.

 

I would suggest that the non-heated wiring, even on the microwire units, could be improved. It seems stiff and bulky. Could this be changed to something flatter, softer or otherwise less obvious?

 

Otherwise a great product. I recommend Gerbings routinely whenever I talk to anyone about riding in the cold.

 

My $.02

 

Jay

Jay, the connecting and connection wires is what you're referring to. It's not that the wires are stiff, but the insulated coating that's stiff. That stiffness though, works as a strain relief and absorbs a lot of the twisting/bending loads that take place when clothing gets stuffed into saddlebags, or glove connections get tucked under glove gauntlets, etc. We've tested softer, more flexible insulation. But it just doesn't hold up. And when you offer a Lifetime Warranty on garment wiring like we do, you can't afford to have 36 years worth of clothing out there, each with a potential problem. So, given the choice, we build it to last.

[mig]

Effbee:

I bought the micro wire jacket 2 months ago and love it. I can feel it in my chest and arms but my only complaint is that there is no heat/wire in the lower back. My torso feels good and warm but the wind and chill gets to my lower back and it feels odd. I have unzipped and looked at how you have your wires running and realize it would be a tough fit.

Otherwsie I am a content customer

just my 2 cents

[Sam Taylor]

Just a final comment on my experience. Obviously, if you have read this thread, you can see the quality of service that Gerbing's has towards our community, thanks to Fernando.

 

Scuderia called me directly today to tell me that they'd gotten in the various wires and BMW plug I'd wanted. I'd already bought them at Santa Rosa BMW, so I thanked them for their care. Scuderia is a first class operation too; I just hit them on a bad day--boney, we're lucky to have them, which is why I shop there.

 

I still think that Gerbing's could or should include a 2-ft extension along with the battery pigtail, for luddites like me who just want to bring one home and wire it in to our existing setup. It's not about the money, it's about making the product immediately usable.

 

But no matter. I totally appreciate the responses I got. I'm sure I'll get another one in 8 years.

[blackyam]

The Gerbing's liner was very comfortable and well made, and likely would have won first place were it not for that PDU connection plate.

 

In another thread I wrote: "I received my discounted pre-microwire GHL. Yes, with my Roadcrafter on, I can feel the (bulky) wires against my left ribcage, but not anywhere else." Now I've come to conclude that it's the (hard encased) PDU---and not the (stiffly insulated) wires---that I feel against my ribcage.

 

I have no problem with where the connections are located, I don't understand the issue. [...snip, snip...] I love the zippered sleeve pockets for those cords on the new version.

 

I agree about the zippered pockets. Maybe the PDU can be swapped for a zippered pocket in the (inside) lower part of the liner to hide the power cords. Or maybe the PDU could be made flatter.

 

Our controllers have the correct length lead to allow you to plug into the PDU, and clip the controller to your outer garment's belt or a pocket lip/edge.

 

I have a (single) temp controller that I clip to the left breast pocket of my Roadcrafter jacket (the "pass through" pocket) because that's the most convenient place I've found for it. I don't think the lead from the controller easily reaches the PDU going around the bottom of my Roadcrafter jacket, so I run a 12" lead from the PDU that passes through the top of my Roadcrafter pants (between the top button and the top of the pants zipper). This makes it very easy to connect and disconnect the controller to the liner.

 

Cheers.

 

---John.

[Quinn]

Can someone walk me through what I need to connect jacket liner, pants, gloves and insoles to controller and power? For jacket and gloves on one control, do I just need a Y-cable to the PDU? And are the pants and insoles another Y-cable to the other leg of a dual controller? Or would I do better to put the jacket and pants on one controller leg and the gloves and insoles on the other? I guess the deluxe custom method would be two dual controllers and everything adjustable separately, but that's getting expensive enough to just take a taxi on cold days.

 

----

 

 

 

 

[EffBee]

Yes, when creating all of the options that allow you to control heat separately to different parts of the body, it does open the potential to greater expense. But it's better to have those options than garments that give you one option and force you to deal with it. Of course, there are solutions that don't require the greater expense. Let me explain.

 

Most everyone who owns more than one Gerbing's Heated Clothing garment, uses our Dual Controller. It has two power circuits that allow you to control two heat zones. This is because our Jacket Liners come with Dual Zone wiring.

(In this illustration, you see our old hanging-wire system, with the three hanging wires coming from the Jacket Liner. But the box in the lower right shows the PDU and its three plugs. In the current Jacket Liner, the PDU replaces the three hanging wires.)

 

Now, let's talk about the different ways you can set up a zone.

 

The Jacket LIner's PDU (power distribution unit) is where you plug your controller. It has two male plugs and a female plug. Looking at the PDU from the bottom, it has a white ring on one male plug. That is for power to the Jacket Liner itself. The male plug in the middle, bypasses the Jacket LIner and takes power directly to the sleeve plugs, into which you would plug your gloves. Therefore, we've put your torso on one of the controller circuits, and your hands on the other. This is important because most people want to control the torso, where the heart and lungs are, independently of their heat needs elsewhere.

 

Now the third plug on the PDU, the female plug, is connected inside the PDU to the middle plug (the one that takes power down the sleeves to the gloves). You've already used up your two leads from your dual controller connecting to the two male plugs, so what do you connect to the female?

 

What you do is take the lead that's in the pocket at the top of your heated pants, and plug into that female. Your socks or insoles then connect to the plugs at the bottom of the pant legs. When you're done, your torso is on one circuit, and your gloves, pants and socks/liners are on the other circuit.

 

What if you want your Jacket Liner and Gloves on one zone, and your pants and socks/insoles on another? In such a case, you would use one of our small Y-Splitters

to connect one of the controller's circuits to BOTH the torso and glove circuits on the PDU, and then connect the second lead from the controller directly into the plug at the top of the pants. That would put the pants on the second controller circuit and, of course, if you plugged the socks into the bottom of the pants, then your socks would be on the second circuit as well. Now you've got all upper body on one circuit, and all lower body on the second circuit.

 

There are ways, of course, to create even more unique zone control systems with the versatility of this system. Some may involve using the Y-Harness (different than the Y-Splitter) that comes with each pair of Gloves as well as with the Socks/Insoles. But 99% of our customers have their heating needs met by one of the two zonal setups I've described, and of those 95% by the basic zone setup of torso on the first circuit, everything else on the second one.

 

Hope this helps. The photos, BTW, come from our website where we have many more photos and numerous FAQ's and other information sources to help you set up your Gerbing's the way you like.

[Quinn]

Thank you for the info EffBee. I should have it down to a system by the time Summer gets here.

 

-----

 

 

[EffBee]

Thank you for the info EffBee. I should have it down to a system by the time Summer gets here.

 

-----

 

 

Let me know if I can help.

[TEWKS]

Let me know if I can help.

 

Fernando, where should I shop for a Gerbing's liner?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Pat

[Chris K]

Link: http://gerbing.com/Dealers/locateDealer.php

 

[TEWKS]

Thanks Chris!

 

 

Pat

[moshe_levy]

Or stop by your local International Motorcycle Show. Just went to the NYC show today and Gerbing's was doing some pretty brisk business at their well-stocked booth. Might even have a show discount!

 

-MKL

[TEWKS]

[quote=moshe_levy

]Or stop by your local International Motorcycle Show.

I believe the NY show is as close as the (International) gets to me. The smaller shows up my way are usually a bit lame. If you're looking for a doo-rag or a rusted 76 sportster tank you're in luck! Gerbings heated gear? 'Whatcha talkin bout Willis?

How was the show BTW? Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Pat

[EddyQ]

Fernando, where should I shop for a Gerbing's liner?

 

Pat,

 

Motomarket in Acton,MA as well as MAX BMW,NH has them.

 

Ed -

[TEWKS]

Motomarket in Acton,MA as well as MAX BMW,NH has them.

 

Forgot all about Motomarket, Thanks Eddy!

 

 

Pat

[moshe_levy]

List of shows: http://www.motorcycleshows.com/ True, they're sort of isolated.... Show was good, as usual. BMW displayed the "Concept C." Now I'm getting too close to a hijack, so I'll just say again Gerbing's had a large, well stocked booth and apparently lots of sales going on.

 

-MKL

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

They may be "a bit" less than perfect, but I love my Gerbings.

I use the jacket liner, pant liner and gloves. All with a bike mounted heat-troller (I think it is called a heat-troller).

 

Up here in Canada I feel our riding season is too short to be without heated garments to greatly extend the season.

 

At times I ride in comfort at temp's. down to -15* C (5* F). I know I can ride at lower temp's. It all depends on the manner I layer my clothing. (always keep the headed clothing close to the skin with only a thin garment in between)

 

My experience with Gerbings is just as you see on these postings. "Extremely helpful and cooperative"!

 

I'm sure other products are good. But I doubt I'll ever switch.

 

I JUST LOVE MY GERBINGS!

 

Dave

 

 

[Bob Foley]

I recently found a good solution to the trouble I was having with my heated gloves. Putting them on just before leaving was a pain. With a heavy jacket on it was difficult to plug in the 2 cables. I bought 2 12" extensions from CycleGadgets(will miss these great folks)and wrap some of the excess around my wrists. Plugging in is a piece of cake.

This Gerbing liner(micro) is my first and I could not be happier. It only gets cold in Florida 10 days a year(except 2011) and now I laugh at mother nature. Later

[RideOregon]

Thank you for the info EffBee. I should have it down to a system by the time Summer gets here.

 

-----

 

 

Too funny.! That's exactly what I was thinking as I read thru this thread. I have an "old-style" Gerbings jacket (10 years) that I would "not leave home without". I never considered it a fashion statement. I've been thinking of getting one of the new microwire versions. Not sure if I'm ready for the complexity. The SAE connectors with a nice pigtail works fine.

[moshe_levy]

Although I'm obviously not a fan of the PDU connection in Gerbing's garments, I'm not sure where this fear of "complexity" is coming from. All gear connects in exactly the same basic way - with an input wire or port. Whether it's a dangling wire or a PDU, coax or SAE - all variations on the same exact theme, none really any more complicated than the other. The issue is one of ergonomics, not complexity.

 

-MKL

[EffBee]

Too funny.! That's exactly what I was thinking as I read thru this thread. I have an "old-style" Gerbings jacket (10 years) that I would "not leave home without". I never considered it a fashion statement. I've been thinking of getting one of the new microwire versions. Not sure if I'm ready for the complexity. The SAE connectors with a nice pigtail works fine.

 

As Moshe points out, there's no noticeable increase in complexity. Our Heated Pants and Pant Liners are still wired the same. Our Heated Gloves and Glove Liners are still wired the same. Our Heated Insoles and new Heated Socks are still wired the same. The only difference is that the Jacket Liner has a separate circuit for the glove plugs. This Dual-Circuit Wiring is something Gerbing's began doing as a custom-order feature more than 15 years ago, and it eventually became a basic part of the Gerbing's Jacket Liner some 6 or 8 years ago. The rest of the industry has taken it up as well.

[jmseattle]

Fernando -- just came from Ride West here in Seattle where I had hoped to pick up the Gerbing liner for a trip week after next where I will be riding 2-up on my Wing and not on the GT. Was surprised when the apparel guy at the dealer said the only way to connect the liner to the Wing was directly to the battery as I could not use the Wing's SAE accessory connector to plug in as there was no adaptor to bridge bewteen the liner and the SAE. Vest is for my passenger and the SAE connector on the Wing is conveniently right adjacent to the passenger's left side. That seems odd but am assuming he knew what he was talking about -- is that accurate?

[Paul Mihalka]

I'm not Fernando, but I think what you need is this:

 

http://www.powerlet.com/product/sae-to-coax-female-cable/55

[Selden]

Maybe it's the winter weather, but this seems kind of trivial after reading Toubab's tale of the bank acceptance.

[jmseattle]

Perfect. Thanks

[TEWKS]

Joined the Gerbing's club today! Seems (in the garage anyway) the right glove is not as warm as the left? (G3) The liner heats in seconds!

 

 

 

Pat

[Quinn]

My review of the heated pants. The pants, not the liners. Work nicely. Big advantage is that they're less bulky than pants with a separate quilted liner. Also, after it warms up a bit, the heat can be turned off and the pants are pretty neutral so I don't overheat as I did with long johns and quilted liner.

 

On the negative side, the connectors for insoles or socks just hang down below the pant's hem. There are no pockets to tuck them into when not in use. I even called Gerbing about it because I'd read in one of their descriptions about pockets for the plugs. Well, yes for the heated liner, no for the pants. Gee, too bad. Not much sympathy or concern from them. Not happy with the customer service.

 

After I hung up, I started thinking and here's my solution until I can afford heated insoles: I went into the liner through the access zipper at the back of the pants and re-knotted the connectors in each leg so there's less cord sticking out of the grommets. At least the connectors aren't dragging on the ground or dipping into the mud when I walk.

 

 

[JayW]

I even called Gerbing about it....Not much sympathy or concern from them. Not happy with the customer service.

 

What do you think customer service should have done? You were misinformed, and they educated you. They can't make the garment something it's not. Now if they were rude with you, that is a problem, but to merely show no "sympathy or concern" does not equate to poor customer service.

[Quinn]

What I would have expected was either some useful suggestions (use safety pins, can you poke them back into the pants, sew on your own pockets, etc.) or an offer to push the problem upstream to see what the designers were thinking. That would have been good service. Great service would have been to offer to change the design and sew pockets on mine. Wasn't expecting great service; just acknowledgement that it was a problem and some effort at a solution.

 

----

 

 

[tallman]

How about some two sided velcro tape?

Put it inside the pants and around the insole connector wire.

Hook and loop holds the wire up indide the pant leg and no twisting involved.

Best wishes.

[Marty Hill]

Funny, I've had gerbings pants and jacket for 6-7 years. Never knew there were wires in the legs running toward socks. Mine are about 1-2"s above the hem/sounds like you have a very special problem!

 

Take Tim's advice!

 

PS, 'Nando, no need to answer-plroblem is solved.

[EffBee]

Funny, I've had gerbings pants and jacket for 6-7 years. Never knew there were wires in the legs running toward socks. Mine are about 1-2"s above the hem/sounds like you have a very special problem!

 

Take Tim's advice!

 

PS, 'Nando, no need to answer-plroblem is solved.

 

Thanks, Marty, but some things do need clearing up.

 

What I would have expected was either some useful suggestions (use safety pins, can you poke them back into the pants, sew on your own pockets, etc.) or an offer to push the problem upstream to see what the designers were thinking. That would have been good service. Great service would have been to offer to change the design and sew pockets on mine. Wasn't expecting great service; just acknowledgement that it was a problem and some effort at a solution.

 

Well first, let me thank you for bringing this up. And also for acknowledging that while they may not have had the latest developments from R&D at their fingertips, our Customer Service people listened and were courteous. But in my previous sentence is the issue you encountered.

 

Customer Service is here to help answer questions about the product, how to connect it, use it, what works with what, can old Gerbing's be used with new Gerbing's products, the differences between our 12V Motorcycle and 7V Outdoor products, warranty/repair issues, sizing issues, custom-sizing requirements, etc.

 

While that's going on, at any given time our Product Development Team is working on new products as well as improvements to existing products, development for the Military, our new products for MLB, NFL, MLS, etc. And much as we wish it were possible to tell the CS Team everything that's going on, on any given day/week/month a lot of projects get delayed, new projects initiated, anticipated changes are modified, new changes are implemented, etc. For them to have all that information at their disposal would be overwhelming, in addition to all of the other things they so courteously handle every day.

 

I can tell you that the extra length on the pant plugs is something that is being addressed in future production. And it may be as simple as shortening the cord or simply tying it off a little higher up. However, in the world we live in, it wouldn't be prudent of Customer Service to suggest that someone who doesn't work here and who isn't experienced in these things, go meddling with the interior wiring of our products, even if it's just to tie a knot.

 

While I'm glad you had the skills and ability to resolve your issue without any apparent problems, we can't assume that others are as knowledgeable or as capable as you are. In fact, when you see some of the things we see here, some of the Rube Goldberg thinking that some people (fortunately only a few) have used to modify their gear to make it do things it was never intended to do/designed to do, and then they think it's our fault if it doesn't work the way they wanted, you would laugh, or cry, or both. And you would definitely be wary of suggesting that someone on the phone, whose skills you didn't know, try any type of modification to the products.

 

Again, I'm glad Customer Service was courteous, and I apologize that they were unaware (deliberately so, as I stated) of the latest changes/developments that are planned for future production. If, at any time in the future you want more of an answer than they are able to provide, please feel free to send me a PM and I'll do what I can to help you.