There’s been a malfunction here at Extremely Nappies. I’ve recently discovered a problem with the clear elastic in the legs of the nappies. It’s breaking.
The first I heard of this issue was few weeks ago when a customer asked me to repair the elastic in one of her nappies (Extremely Nappies have a 12 month guarantee). She sent it to me and I was surprised to see that the clear elastic was broken in several places. I replaced it and sent the nappy back.
Since then she’s returned several other nappies for elastic repairs. I was thinking that perhaps her laundry powder was the culprit, because no one has ever had this problem before. But just then, one of my own nappies came down with a case of broken elastic. It was a new nappy (5 weeks old), and my washing powder is fine. So I realised, with a sinking feeling, there’s something wrong with the elastic.
Naturally I panicked. This could be the end of Extremely Nappies. Breaking elastic is a disaster for the reputation of my nappies. People will notice leaking (from gaping legs) before they notice breakage. It’s taken years to build my brand- a good reputation and word of mouth sales are essential; those things are both compromised by this malfunction.
I emailed my supplier to let them know there was a problem with the clear elastic and to ask if they’d had such reports from other customers. They called to give me the bad news: all the clear elastic sold in the last 10 months has caused problems. There have been several different types. It all tested ok, but several months down the track, complaints started coming in about it’s performance in the real world.
I’ve bought 100 meters of clear elastic in that time. That’s a lot of nappies.
So I am writing this blog to disclose the problem and offer a solution. If you have an Extremely Nappy, you may have defective elastic in the legs. You also have a 12 month warranty on materials and workmanship! So send it back and I’ll replace the elastic, free of course. Or alternatively, contact me to send you the replacement elastic. It’ll be cut to the right length, and it’s easy to sew. You may never need to use it.
Extended Warranty
I’m also extending the warranty on all Extremely Nappies to 18 months. So you can relax. Your nappies will be covered if you run into problems down the track. I’m very glad Extremely Nappies have a warranty, but unhappy that people may be inconvenienced by repairs.
Other Australian MCN businesses are likely to be effected too, because the clear elastic I use, comes from a major supplier of MCN materials; a big wholesaler in Australia. My business is tiny, a micro-business. If they’ve sold me 100 meters of potentially defective elastic, they must have sold millions of meters to the bigger nappy retailers.
Finally, I want to apologise for any inconvenience this malfunction may cause. Extremely Nappies are made from the best quality materials available, and I would never knowingly use an inferior material. As customers, you have trusted me to make a good product. You invested in me, and I have a relationship with each and every one of you. Your satisfaction is essential to me.
I hope to make you all happy, despite this hurdle. In that way, perhaps Extremely Nappies might survive.
