I complained to The North Face after their ‘shoddy’ waterproof jacket failed me in a New Zealand rain storm. You won’t believe what they did next
A woman fed up with rain in a jacket that was supposed to be 'waterproof' received an unprecedented backlash from the brand when she publicly complained about it.
Jennifer Jensen was soaked from head to toe despite wearing a black waterproof raincoat from outdoor clothing brand North Face.
She was visiting New Zealand from Texas for her 30th birthday and bought the jacket with 'DryVent' fabric for walking as she knew heavy rain was forecast.
After she made a 40-second TikTok clip about it demanding a new, better one be delivered to the Hilltop, a follow-up video showed a North Face team member jumping into a helicopter to rescue her from a non-defective alternative.
What started as a light-hearted post as a laugh for her “minimal followers” had turned into a clever marketing opportunity for the company and resulted in a stunt that was hailed as one of the best brand responses ever.
Jennifer told FEMAIL she was disappointed the jacket had failed her as the purchase was “soaked almost immediately” after the rain started.
Jennifer Jensen was soaked from head to toe during a hike in New Zealand, despite wearing a waterproof North Face jacket. The 30-year-old from Texas posted a TikTok video addressing the issue and addressed the company
In the clip, Jennifer recorded herself walking in the rain and addressed the company directly.
'I have a bone to pick with North Face. “I bought this 'rain jacket' a few days ago and the advertising tag said it was waterproof, like a rain jacket would be,” she began.
“Listen, I'm 100 percent sure it's raining outside and I'm soaking wet.
“Listen, I don't want a refund. I want you to redesign this raincoat to make it waterproof and quickly deliver it to the top of Hooker Valley Lake in New Zealand, where I will be waiting. I must be the only one here who looks like a drowned rat. Waterproof my a**.”
The TikTok video quickly went viral and reached The North Face's marketing team, who not only reached out to offer her a new raincoat, but also to ask Jennifer to be part of a marketing video featuring a helicopter.
The second clip published on The North Face's TikTok page shows a worker grabbing a red women's jacket before jumping into a helicopter.
They met Jennifer in the mountains to personally deliver the jacket to her as she requested express delivery.
“Thanks Northface!” she said with a smile at the end and the video has been viewed more than four million times.
The North Face teamed up with Jennifer to create a reaction video that was posted to TikTok. It shows a worker grabbing a new jacket and delivering it directly to her by helicopter
In the photo: the new jacket that the company gave to Jennifer
Jennifer said she's not sure why the first coat didn't work properly and wondered if it was just a “one-off product problem.”
“I've never had any problems with North Face products,” she said.
'I made that short video thinking only my best friend would see it because I didn't have many followers at the time. I never thought it would go viral and I didn't post it expecting it to get any attention.
'I am not an influencer and never wanted to be one. I just tried to make an unfortunate situation funny and lighthearted. I'm glad the company reached out to make up for the disappointment with the customer experience. It was a very fun and unexpected adventure.
'I tested out the new North Face jacket a few days later on another rainy walk in New Zealand. It worked like a charm and I stayed very dry for the entire twelve kilometers.”
Both videos together have been viewed no less than 16 million times.
“Great job marketing team, perfect response,” one commented, while another said: “They saw an opportunity and absolutely destroyed it.”
Another wrote: 'This is customer service.'
“A brand that understood the brief,” said another.
One person said he was “very impressed,” and another said, “Say WHAT? I think they redeemed themselves.”