Is Saga Done?

[Saga.]

They must be hurting. No gloves, hoods, or masks. No regular pants just bibs and the jackets all look like previous years. I thought maybe they would have a bangin line up to make for everything.

Gloves, mittens, hoods and masks are in stock and ready to ship. We haven't put them online for sale yet because we need to work through all the past due orders of these items from last fall. Wouldn't be a very good look to start selling something again when people still haven't received them.

The bibs of the Anomie, Fatigue and Rogue all zip off.

 

[msander9]

Feels like slapping a homie, but today the 19/20 gear released and I have never been more disappointed in a brand.

You got bought and you fell off. Your vibe has been absolutely murdered. Some horribly generic website with the worst fucking product lineup. You recycled SO many fabrics that nobody liked when they came out the first time. You used to be in front of trends... and now youre just another Forever 21, playing copycat for the easy sales.

You got robbed, and that is terrible. It's an evil nobody deserves. I understand what a terrible position it put the company in to continue doing business. I have supported you for a long time now, and championed your brand to everybody who asked... even going as far to reach out to try and get you in touch with major shops who dont carry your brand.

This new product launch is a final knell for the company. But I hope you prove me wrong, I hope I have to eat my words. I hope you find your way out of this place. I hope you bring better people in who have a better grasp on your importance and position in the skiing community. I hope the community slighted by you in the last year can come around to say you made it right. You're leaving a big gap in the freeski community by abandoning what made you great, and those moves have alienated the people that supported you the most.

Most of all, I hope the buyout was worth it. Your're joining Dakine, Nixon, and Stance in their post buyout positions... gear for squids.

 

[Saga.]

Feels like slapping a homie, but today the 19/20 gear released and I have never been more disappointed in a brand.

You got bought and you fell off. Your vibe has been absolutely murdered. Some horribly generic website with the worst fucking product lineup. You recycled SO many fabrics that nobody liked when they came out the first time. You used to be in front of trends... and now youre just another Forever 21, playing copycat for the easy sales.

You got robbed, and that is terrible. It's an evil nobody deserves. I understand what a terrible position it put the company in to continue doing business. I have supported you for a long time now, and championed your brand to everybody who asked... even going as far to reach out to try and get you in touch with major shops who dont carry your brand.

This new product launch is a final knell for the company. But I hope you prove me wrong, I hope I have to eat my words. I hope you find your way out of this place. I hope you bring better people in who have a better grasp on your importance and position in the skiing community. I hope the community slighted by you in the last year can come around to say you made it right. You're leaving a big gap in the freeski community by abandoning what made you great, and those moves have alienated the people that supported you the most.

Most of all, I hope the buyout was worth it. Your're joining Dakine, Nixon, and Stance in their post buyout positions... gear for squids.

We very much appreciate your opinion but have to disagree. The sales and traffic data from the colors and styles we produced last year shows that quite a few styles and colors were very popular, thus why we tried to continue with similar styles and colors this season.

I don't exactly know what you mean by "worth it" when you are talking about the buy out. If you mean that we are now able to operate as a stable business with an incredible support system then yes. It was worth it. But if you mean worth it as in we got paid out and are living the high life then you're quite wrong. The official sale is still yet to be completed.

You are a bit confused about the relationship Saga is now in with other businesses. We are not joining Dakine, Nixon and Stance. Global Brands Group (soon to be Saga parent company) licenses certain product lines from Dakine. Neither Nixon nor Stance are involved with this change and move to Colorado.

Again, we're sorry you don't care for our new looks. Hopefully we can win you back in the weeks to come as the rest of the product line is released.

 

[msander9]

Assumptions that my points were clear made an ass out of me. I did not suggest affiliation, I was drawing a parallel...

Dakine was purchased by a capital investment firm (like Supreme!) Altamont capital out of SF for a nice chunk, but lost autonomy. Their change to margin motives has devalued to brand to core audience and can be found in Ross Discount stores nationwide.

Nixon has a similar buyout story. Their parent company has all but given up on design and product innovation and focused solely on getting product into mass market retailers.

Stance is the sole anomaly in my example because their founder started the company with the expressed intent on positioning the company for a buyout. But, my point with this example was that a once popular brand took a buyout and the parent company drove a brand with good products into the fucking ground. In no way was I proclaiming that you were associated with those brands.

By "worth it" I meant just that, I hope it was worth driving the company into the fucking ground. At the end of the day youre still in the ski industry, nobody is living the high life. Just because your metrics read good doesnt mean you should recycle the same garbage. There is a difference between "growing brand" and "people love this shitty floral pattern". Who were the ad wizards who recycled camo for the 4th year in a row?? But im sure the metrics told you that "camo sells well". no fucking shit. Purple for boys! KYS. Look at all the bold color-blocking!! Looks like a 3rd year FIDM design student is running the art department. You got some operating capital? Youre stable? Congratulations. Maybe you should have taken a hardler look at taking a gap year from production... or taken a page from the apple playbook and truncated your SKU count.

Its not just a weak, recycled, and uninspired collection... ever since you introduced women's gear the company has been producing some hackneyed crap. Which i believe I had clarified a few years ago when you told me that new designers had joined the company. It's my fear that the parent company has a more fervent sales objective for the (more lucrative) womens marketplace. My perspective comes from the presence of a far more developed and polished womenswear line for 2 years in a row now, compared to the steaming pile of mens jackets. Park City anorak? barf-o-rama.

you had a noticeable absence from the level 1 premiere this year. a suspicious absence of a team page after the update. and whomever is writing copy for your IG sounds like a corporate robot.

We very much appreciate your opinion but have to disagree. The sales and traffic data from the colors and styles we produced last year shows that quite a few styles and colors were very popular, thus why we tried to continue with similar styles and colors this season.

I don't exactly know what you mean by "worth it" when you are talking about the buy out. If you mean that we are now able to operate as a stable business with an incredible support system then yes. It was worth it. But if you mean worth it as in we got paid out and are living the high life then you're quite wrong. The official sale is still yet to be completed.

You are a bit confused about the relationship Saga is now in with other businesses. We are not joining Dakine, Nixon and Stance. Global Brands Group (soon to be Saga parent company) licenses certain product lines from Dakine. Neither Nixon nor Stance are involved with this change and move to Colorado.

Again, we're sorry you don't care for our new looks. Hopefully we can win you back in the weeks to come as the rest of the product line is released.

 

[Wobby]

Jeeez man, give them a fucking break. Just stop buying Saga and choose a new brand then

Assumptions that my points were clear made an ass out of me. I did not suggest affiliation, I was drawing a parallel...

Dakine was purchased by a capital investment firm (like Supreme!) Altamont capital out of SF for a nice chunk, but lost autonomy. Their change to margin motives has devalued to brand to core audience and can be found in Ross Discount stores nationwide.

Nixon has a similar buyout story. Their parent company has all but given up on design and product innovation and focused solely on getting product into mass market retailers.

Stance is the sole anomaly in my example because their founder started the company with the expressed intent on positioning the company for a buyout. But, my point with this example was that a once popular brand took a buyout and the parent company drove a brand with good products into the fucking ground. In no way was I proclaiming that you were associated with those brands.

By "worth it" I meant just that, I hope it was worth driving the company into the fucking ground. At the end of the day youre still in the ski industry, nobody is living the high life. Just because your metrics read good doesnt mean you should recycle the same garbage. There is a difference between "growing brand" and "people love this shitty floral pattern". Who were the ad wizards who recycled camo for the 4th year in a row?? But im sure the metrics told you that "camo sells well". no fucking shit. Purple for boys! KYS. Look at all the bold color-blocking!! Looks like a 3rd year FIDM design student is running the art department. You got some operating capital? Youre stable? Congratulations. Maybe you should have taken a hardler look at taking a gap year from production... or taken a page from the apple playbook and truncated your SKU count.

Its not just a weak, recycled, and uninspired collection... ever since you introduced women's gear the company has been producing some hackneyed crap. Which i believe I had clarified a few years ago when you told me that new designers had joined the company. It's my fear that the parent company has a more fervent sales objective for the (more lucrative) womens marketplace. My perspective comes from the presence of a far more developed and polished womenswear line for 2 years in a row now, compared to the steaming pile of mens jackets. Park City anorak? barf-o-rama.

you had a noticeable absence from the level 1 premiere this year. a suspicious absence of a team page after the update. and whomever is writing copy for your IG sounds like a corporate robot.

 

[LukasSchroeder]

Jeeez man, give them a fucking break. Just stop buying Saga and choose a new brand then

this

why you so mad @msander9

 

[danbrown]

Assumptions that my points were clear made an ass out of me. I did not suggest affiliation, I was drawing a parallel...

Dakine was purchased by a capital investment firm (like Supreme!) Altamont capital out of SF for a nice chunk, but lost autonomy. Their change to margin motives has devalued to brand to core audience and can be found in Ross Discount stores nationwide.

Nixon has a similar buyout story. Their parent company has all but given up on design and product innovation and focused solely on getting product into mass market retailers.

Stance is the sole anomaly in my example because their founder started the company with the expressed intent on positioning the company for a buyout. But, my point with this example was that a once popular brand took a buyout and the parent company drove a brand with good products into the fucking ground. In no way was I proclaiming that you were associated with those brands.

By "worth it" I meant just that, I hope it was worth driving the company into the fucking ground. At the end of the day youre still in the ski industry, nobody is living the high life. Just because your metrics read good doesnt mean you should recycle the same garbage. There is a difference between "growing brand" and "people love this shitty floral pattern". Who were the ad wizards who recycled camo for the 4th year in a row?? But im sure the metrics told you that "camo sells well". no fucking shit. Purple for boys! KYS. Look at all the bold color-blocking!! Looks like a 3rd year FIDM design student is running the art department. You got some operating capital? Youre stable? Congratulations. Maybe you should have taken a hardler look at taking a gap year from production... or taken a page from the apple playbook and truncated your SKU count.

Its not just a weak, recycled, and uninspired collection... ever since you introduced women's gear the company has been producing some hackneyed crap. Which i believe I had clarified a few years ago when you told me that new designers had joined the company. It's my fear that the parent company has a more fervent sales objective for the (more lucrative) womens marketplace. My perspective comes from the presence of a far more developed and polished womenswear line for 2 years in a row now, compared to the steaming pile of mens jackets. Park City anorak? barf-o-rama.

you had a noticeable absence from the level 1 premiere this year. a suspicious absence of a team page after the update. and whomever is writing copy for your IG sounds like a corporate robot.

I don't have a dog in the fight here but for the sake of discussion, I'm pretty sure outerwear is designed 1-2 years in advance, and the buyout occurred far more recently. The parent company would've had no input on the line that was just released as they weren't even in the picture at the time it was designed and subsequently green-lit.

 

[Saga.]

Let's crack this wide open!

- "Their change to margin motives has devalued the brand" - All three brands you chose to show a parallel were created and run on a retail/wholesale business model. Saga was not. Shifting from that model to direct to consumer (which Saga has and will be) allows you to have a lot more control and flexibility with margins and quantities. Aka there is no one influencing our product design but the four employees, our team riders and brand friends.

- "Driving the company into the ground", "recycling the same garbage" and "camo for the 4th year in a row" - At no point did anyone involved with Saga make a conscious effort to devalue the future of the company. If there are specific actions you can point to that show this please share. The primary causes for the troubles over the last year were out of our control.

- The only colors we reuse from one season to the next are blacks and khakis. Every other color is going to be new or a derivation of a previous color. We have not reuse camo patterns in consecutive seasons. If a particular color, pattern or camo is popular one season we look to tweak it either by style or color.

- In reference to the start of women's gear "producing some hackneyed crap" - If we're not using metrics and facts to help our decision making process what would you suggest we do? Analyzing the purchase habits down to the pattern and color style have helped us create new combinations that have been some of our most popular. If there is a better way to get a read on what the community is looking for we'd love to hear it.

- "the new parent company has a more fervent sales objective" - The line currently up for sale was developed over a year ago, well before this move was even a thought. Winter 20/21, which we're currently working on, was started before the move and has yet to have any parent company influence.

- "steaming pile of men's jackets" - We never made a Park City anorak. We make a Park City parka which along with its female companion, the Empire parka, were two completely new additions that were very well received. Unfortunately due to difficulties with the business the following season we weren't able to develop new styles.

- "noticeable absence from Level 1 this year" - Both Wiley Miller and Ben Smith had phenomenal shots this year with Level 1. If you look closely you will notice several other people in the video that wear Saga pants and sometimes jackets. These people aren't part of our team but as a member of the ski/snowboard world we will always help out our friends and people in need of gear. We have been and are still working with Level 1. We have been helping them produce collabs for the last several years and plan to develop some new projects with them for the coming year(s). We haven't had a real team page in a decade. Ask Tim, Wiley, Tim, Steve, McRae, Mitchell, Nicky, etc. Having a team page just to have a team page is a waste of time in our eyes.

- "sounds like a corporate robot" - The person writing the IG copy is the same person that has been doing it for the last eight years. It is the same person that responds and interacts on this site. I can assure you, I don't know the first thing about being a corporate robot.

I hope this helps give some more depth and insight to our company. Yes we have had and will continue to have problems. But we will keep coming back because we love this ski shit just as much, if not more, than each and everyone one of you on this site. If we didn't we would have just shut down the business last summer when no one was getting paychecks and it looked like it was the end of an era.

Assumptions that my points were clear made an ass out of me. I did not suggest affiliation, I was drawing a parallel...

Dakine was purchased by a capital investment firm (like Supreme!) Altamont capital out of SF for a nice chunk, but lost autonomy. Their change to margin motives has devalued to brand to core audience and can be found in Ross Discount stores nationwide.

Nixon has a similar buyout story. Their parent company has all but given up on design and product innovation and focused solely on getting product into mass market retailers.

Stance is the sole anomaly in my example because their founder started the company with the expressed intent on positioning the company for a buyout. But, my point with this example was that a once popular brand took a buyout and the parent company drove a brand with good products into the fucking ground. In no way was I proclaiming that you were associated with those brands.

By "worth it" I meant just that, I hope it was worth driving the company into the fucking ground. At the end of the day youre still in the ski industry, nobody is living the high life. Just because your metrics read good doesnt mean you should recycle the same garbage. There is a difference between "growing brand" and "people love this shitty floral pattern". Who were the ad wizards who recycled camo for the 4th year in a row?? But im sure the metrics told you that "camo sells well". no fucking shit. Purple for boys! KYS. Look at all the bold color-blocking!! Looks like a 3rd year FIDM design student is running the art department. You got some operating capital? Youre stable? Congratulations. Maybe you should have taken a hardler look at taking a gap year from production... or taken a page from the apple playbook and truncated your SKU count.

Its not just a weak, recycled, and uninspired collection... ever since you introduced women's gear the company has been producing some hackneyed crap. Which i believe I had clarified a few years ago when you told me that new designers had joined the company. It's my fear that the parent company has a more fervent sales objective for the (more lucrative) womens marketplace. My perspective comes from the presence of a far more developed and polished womenswear line for 2 years in a row now, compared to the steaming pile of mens jackets. Park City anorak? barf-o-rama.

you had a noticeable absence from the level 1 premiere this year. a suspicious absence of a team page after the update. and whomever is writing copy for your IG sounds like a corporate robot.

 

[GrandThings]

If you look closely you will notice several other people in the video that wear Saga pants and sometimes jackets. These people aren't part of our team but as a member of the ski/snowboard world we will always help out our friends and people in need of gear. We have been and are still working with Level 1. We have been helping them produce collabs for the last several years and plan to develop some new projects with them for the coming year(s). We haven't had a real team page in a decade. Ask Tim, Wiley, Tim, Steve, McRae, Mitchell, Nicky, etc. Having a team page just to have a team page is a waste of time in our eyes.

Yes we have had and will continue to have problems. But we will keep coming back because we love this ski shit just as much, if not more, than each and everyone one of you on this site.

I remember a couple years ago people thought Will Wesson was on Saga because he was wearing their pants and a jacket in an LTC episode.Turns out he had just gotten fcked over by Orage and needed outerwear for the season last minute and Saga came thru. He wasnt even on the team and it was totally unannounced. (And probably never would have been spoken of if not for the thread). We're all so insistent on supporting 'core' brands, yet when things slow down we move on to the next thing, without even thinking. I never want to get to the day where we're commenting "wow, I really wish Saga was still around."

Saga has always (and still) supported the skiers I love and the type of riding I like to do. I've had nothing but great experiences with their products and although I wasn't personally affected by the order-delays, they seem to be very transparent and honest about what happened.

I will be doing business again

 

[JAHSHUA]

hey saga, where's my gear that I ordered a year ago?

 

[Saga.]

hey saga, where's my gear that I ordered a year ago?

We are working on shipping these orders. The inventory is in stock and shipping. Delayed orders from last season will be getting fulfilled in the next few weeks as we sort through the troubles of last year.

Now that the site is live we're plugged into a new customer service team that is prepped and ready to help you.

 

[J_Christoph]

That brand owns Kendall and Kylie so Saga is basically part of The Kardashin family

Hoping to see some of the Saga team in the next season of KUWTK

 

[SEABURN]

it seem like Saga is responding to many comments here... a few questions that come to mind.

I really like the layout of the new site! Easy to navigate, shows the product well, great photo usage. HOWEVER

The color this behind each product is a rookie designer mistake. The design is overpowering & distracting from the product. The goal should be to let the product shine. If you are going to do it, use vector graphics with clean lines, and drop the opacity for a more subtle use of the same effect. The aliasing from the compressed JPG lines look awful. (jagged edges between colors) Also the choice to use pattern behind some product is massively distracting, and inconsistent... which reflects poorly on the product, imo.

Also, are there any changes to your designs from last year to this year? At first glance, it seems like mostly the same product offering, I'd like to know what you're doing to improve your products.

 

[partyandBS]

I couldnt read anymore of this. Seems like a bad break up. Which is fine im all about that rebound. Thanks for the coupon code email!

 

[AwR]

My only problem is none of the jackets have a zipper length listed /s

 

[BagOTricks]

Idk why there's hate on the new line.. Actually looks dope and you can tell they've taken newer trends and added their own flare to them.

This post blew up way more than I anticipated, and from what I can tell Saga seems to be trying their hardest to rectify the situation. The ONLY reason I made this post was because I thought it was strange their line for this season dropped so late, but now that the line is out I can see they are definitely not done.

I understand a lot of people are angry with them and they have a right to be, but this brand has made a huge impact on freestyle skiing and I think we need to step back and realize that if they go away, we may have to resort to buying from huge outerwear companies instead (which a lot of you are blasting in your replies), rather than support a brand that is mostly dedicated to our niche.

I think for the freestyle skiing industry Saga is important, so I'm hoping they can resolve all these issues and do right by all of their customers.

**This post was edited on Oct 30th 2019 at 8:56:58am

 

[olic]

Kinda bummed you're moving to a direct to consumer model, I mean I totally understand the benefits for you guys but it just means we're gonna have to pay stupid high import taxes on any of your gear to get it in the UK now. Last time I bought a jacket and pants from your website it cost me an extra £100+ in taxes which sucked. Maybe keep Freeze or someone as a retailer for Europe or something?

Let's crack this wide open!

- "Their change to margin motives has devalued the brand" - All three brands you chose to show a parallel were created and run on a retail/wholesale business model. Saga was not. Shifting from that model to direct to consumer (which Saga has and will be) allows you to have a lot more control and flexibility with margins and quantities. Aka there is no one influencing our product design but the four employees, our team riders and brand friends.

- "Driving the company into the ground", "recycling the same garbage" and "camo for the 4th year in a row" - At no point did anyone involved with Saga make a conscious effort to devalue the future of the company. If there are specific actions you can point to that show this please share. The primary causes for the troubles over the last year were out of our control.

- The only colors we reuse from one season to the next are blacks and khakis. Every other color is going to be new or a derivation of a previous color. We have not reuse camo patterns in consecutive seasons. If a particular color, pattern or camo is popular one season we look to tweak it either by style or color.

- In reference to the start of women's gear "producing some hackneyed crap" - If we're not using metrics and facts to help our decision making process what would you suggest we do? Analyzing the purchase habits down to the pattern and color style have helped us create new combinations that have been some of our most popular. If there is a better way to get a read on what the community is looking for we'd love to hear it.

- "the new parent company has a more fervent sales objective" - The line currently up for sale was developed over a year ago, well before this move was even a thought. Winter 20/21, which we're currently working on, was started before the move and has yet to have any parent company influence.

- "steaming pile of men's jackets" - We never made a Park City anorak. We make a Park City parka which along with its female companion, the Empire parka, were two completely new additions that were very well received. Unfortunately due to difficulties with the business the following season we weren't able to develop new styles.

- "noticeable absence from Level 1 this year" - Both Wiley Miller and Ben Smith had phenomenal shots this year with Level 1. If you look closely you will notice several other people in the video that wear Saga pants and sometimes jackets. These people aren't part of our team but as a member of the ski/snowboard world we will always help out our friends and people in need of gear. We have been and are still working with Level 1. We have been helping them produce collabs for the last several years and plan to develop some new projects with them for the coming year(s). We haven't had a real team page in a decade. Ask Tim, Wiley, Tim, Steve, McRae, Mitchell, Nicky, etc. Having a team page just to have a team page is a waste of time in our eyes.

- "sounds like a corporate robot" - The person writing the IG copy is the same person that has been doing it for the last eight years. It is the same person that responds and interacts on this site. I can assure you, I don't know the first thing about being a corporate robot.

I hope this helps give some more depth and insight to our company. Yes we have had and will continue to have problems. But we will keep coming back because we love this ski shit just as much, if not more, than each and everyone one of you on this site. If we didn't we would have just shut down the business last summer when no one was getting paychecks and it looked like it was the end of an era.

 

[Saga.]

it seem like Saga is responding to many comments here... a few questions that come to mind.

I really like the layout of the new site! Easy to navigate, shows the product well, great photo usage. HOWEVER

The color this behind each product is a rookie designer mistake. The design is overpowering & distracting from the product. The goal should be to let the product shine. If you are going to do it, use vector graphics with clean lines, and drop the opacity for a more subtle use of the same effect. The aliasing from the compressed JPG lines look awful. (jagged edges between colors) Also the choice to use pattern behind some product is massively distracting, and inconsistent... which reflects poorly on the product, imo.

Also, are there any changes to your designs from last year to this year? At first glance, it seems like mostly the same product offering, I'd like to know what you're doing to improve your products.

Thank you for the thoughts. We liked the look of the product colors behind the product images because they helped distinguish the colors. Color is something we've always put a lot of time and energy into selecting and saw this as a way to show it more. As for the aliasing and image quality you're referring to, several months ago we contracted one of our team riders, Kevin Salonius, to build us 3D models of all our Winter 19/20 products. Over the last 2 months while he has been working on these files we had a delay getting his payment through GBG so work was paused for a bit. What you see on our website in the outerwear products is the first phase of what he is building for us.

We are excited about using 3D renders and models for future products as it allows us to save boat loads on sampling which can then be transferred to the customers as a lower cost. We're anticipating having the full 3D files added to the site in the coming weeks.

The majority of the products for Winter 19/20 are quite similar to 18/19. The primary reason for this is that after the financial troubles we experienced last year we weren't able to build and design Winter 19/20 on the same timeline as we normally do. Typically we will be developing and sampling the next winter's products in Dec, Jan, Feb. Last season we weren't able afford that many levels of sampling so we focused on the most popular styles and made adjustments to fit, trims and selected new colors. Due to the time and funding constraints we had to be more strategic than ever before with what products we put time into upgrading. You can see this best in the addition of the Fatigue-Bib Pant. This style of pant has been requested for quite a few years but we pushed it to the side before because we were developing other products and lines (i.e. Monarch 3L & Women's). In addition to the Fatigue Bibs and a few other updates (Granola Pullover) we wanted to focus on building out the Women's line so that it is more even with the men's. We want female skiers and snowboarders to have the same options as the males when shopping our brand.

Kinda bummed you're moving to a direct to consumer model, I mean I totally understand the benefits for you guys but it just means we're gonna have to pay stupid high import taxes on any of your gear to get it in the UK now. Last time I bought a jacket and pants from your website it cost me an extra £100+ in taxes which sucked. Maybe keep Freeze or someone as a retailer for Europe or something?

We have always been primarily a direct to consumer company. For a few seasons we have worked with distributors and retailers but that side of the business was never more than 40% of our business at its peak. Dealing with distributors and retailers can be difficult when your company is designed to produce limited styles each year. Producing large quantities and a lot of different styles was part of the reason we started slipping into a troublesome area even before the great warehouse robbery.

We tried to solve the euro shipping issue last season by using a secondary UK warehouse. However after the warehouse robbery and the financial issues that whole plan became more of a hassle than it should have been.

Now that we're in a more stable infrastructure we plan to have Euro shipping fixed so that you have the same options as our domestic customers.

 

[SEABURN]

Thank you for the thoughts.

Thanks for the thorough response!

 

[-Dan]

Saga is absolutely killing it in this thread rn. Responses rival the thoroughness of Scott’s go on3p and Pete Drago the few times he’s chimed in on Jiberish. Hope everyone is made whole soon with last years stuff and we can put this all behind us.

 

[olic]

Stoked to hear about the Euro distro side of things, cheers for the response!

Thank you for the thoughts. We liked the look of the product colors behind the product images because they helped distinguish the colors. Color is something we've always put a lot of time and energy into selecting and saw this as a way to show it more. As for the aliasing and image quality you're referring to, several months ago we contracted one of our team riders, Kevin Salonius, to build us 3D models of all our Winter 19/20 products. Over the last 2 months while he has been working on these files we had a delay getting his payment through GBG so work was paused for a bit. What you see on our website in the outerwear products is the first phase of what he is building for us.

We are excited about using 3D renders and models for future products as it allows us to save boat loads on sampling which can then be transferred to the customers as a lower cost. We're anticipating having the full 3D files added to the site in the coming weeks.

The majority of the products for Winter 19/20 are quite similar to 18/19. The primary reason for this is that after the financial troubles we experienced last year we weren't able to build and design Winter 19/20 on the same timeline as we normally do. Typically we will be developing and sampling the next winter's products in Dec, Jan, Feb. Last season we weren't able afford that many levels of sampling so we focused on the most popular styles and made adjustments to fit, trims and selected new colors. Due to the time and funding constraints we had to be more strategic than ever before with what products we put time into upgrading. You can see this best in the addition of the Fatigue-Bib Pant. This style of pant has been requested for quite a few years but we pushed it to the side before because we were developing other products and lines (i.e. Monarch 3L & Women's). In addition to the Fatigue Bibs and a few other updates (Granola Pullover) we wanted to focus on building out the Women's line so that it is more even with the men's. We want female skiers and snowboarders to have the same options as the males when shopping our brand.

We have always been primarily a direct to consumer company. For a few seasons we have worked with distributors and retailers but that side of the business was never more than 40% of our business at its peak. Dealing with distributors and retailers can be difficult when your company is designed to produce limited styles each year. Producing large quantities and a lot of different styles was part of the reason we started slipping into a troublesome area even before the great warehouse robbery.

We tried to solve the euro shipping issue last season by using a secondary UK warehouse. However after the warehouse robbery and the financial issues that whole plan became more of a hassle than it should have been.

Now that we're in a more stable infrastructure we plan to have Euro shipping fixed so that you have the same options as our domestic customers.

 

[Gnarcoholic]

Its like the Alamo, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 or Kim Kardashins if you unleash a terrible tragedy WE WILL NOT FORGET!

Now where the fuck is my wizard hood Saga

Bro for real! They've been ducking my emails since last January, after they kept trailing me a long saying that "oh next week the hoods will arrive" every week for like 4 months. Once I was done playing email tag every week, sure enough when I asked for a refund, they stopped responding to me altogether. Smh cant believe with how much I've bought from this company over the years, and being a reputable company started snaking people over a $20 hood. SAGA please please please hire a better, or more customer service reps to handle issues like this. There's no excuse you guys have not responded to the multitude of my voiced emails I've been sending over the past year. None of which have said any thing hostile or mean either, just been hella patient with you guys. [tag=72274]@Saga. [/tag]

**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 4:10:58am

**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 4:11:49am

 

[MeDwight]

Saga stop lying through your teeth, I had to make an account just because I forgot my password from the account I had as a kid.

You claim to have a new customer service team that are going to promptly respond to people. I get what happened last year and I don't hold you accountable, but what about this year? I ordered a considerable amount of stuff from you roughly two months ago, I've sent multiple emails, even found a number to leave a voicemail, yet to receive anything.

Respond to your customers, I've supported your brand since the 2011/12 season and have always been proud to do so, you were my favorite company, you had great products and also great customer service.

You now feel like some corporate entity who's only goal is too leech money from your loyal customer base, or if you claim that to not be the case you've somehow developed into a company only looking to estrange fans and scare off new potential customers. What happened Saga? Did you all suffer company-wide brain trauma? I can't even imagine where you'll be five years from now, every skier I know hates you now, good job destroying such a great company.

You couldn't have a worse rating on the Better Business Bureau and you fully deserve it.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/salt-lake-cty/profile/online-shopping/saga-outerwear-1166-90024265

 

[Saga.]

We’re not lying. There is a team of customer service support staff working for us now. We communicate with them every week to address any new or reoccurring issues.

you may be experiencing issues as happens with almost every online web store . But we are not lying, we are not ignoring people and we are not stealing from anyone . I have seen physical proof of customer issues resolved and long waited for products delivered

I can’t speak to your specific issue as I don’t handle customer orders or their problems but like I said, we speak with the customer service team every week and have seen the proof of their work to help us get back and stay on track.

we did learn that some customers were trying to resolve their issues by contacting the wrong email address. I don’t know if this happened with you or anyone else. The correct contact is customerservice@sagaouterwear.com

while I can change your opinion with words all I can ask is that you view the situation from a little higher up and try to bring some reasoning and perspective in. Do you really think that after scraping by for over a decade doing everything we can to work with this community that we would just abandon it all now? How has Saga been destroyed? Our products hold up better than they did at any time in the past, our athletes are better funded than they have ever been before, were supporting any group or club that contacts us with giveaway goods and more and we’re now able to financially support grass roots programs like the Tell A Friend Tour that is solely built to grow the ski community.

i understand your frustration and anger, but it is misguided and you’re spinning hypothetical tails that have no backing.

as for the BBB, that doesn’t really matter. Yes it’s not good to have poor customer ratings and reviews. But the BBB rating doesn’t stop us from running the business and supporting the community we love. Because of the personal outreach we’ve made to so many of the customers with issues over the last year we didn’t see any drop off in our returning customer or new customer rate this year.

MeDwightSaga stop lying through your teeth, I had to make an account just because I forgot my password from the account I had as a kid.

You claim to have a new customer service team that are going to promptly respond to people. I get what happened last year and I don't hold you accountable, but what about this year? I ordered a considerable amount of stuff from you roughly two months ago, I've sent multiple emails, even found a number to leave a voicemail, yet to receive anything.

Respond to your customers, I've supported your brand since the 2011/12 season and have always been proud to do so, you were my favorite company, you had great products and also great customer service.

You now feel like some corporate entity who's only goal is too leech money from your loyal customer base, or if you claim that to not be the case you've somehow developed into a company only looking to estrange fans and scare off new potential customers. What happened Saga? Did you all suffer company-wide brain trauma? I can't even imagine where you'll be five years from now, every skier I know hates you now, good job destroying such a great company.

You couldn't have a worse rating on the Better Business Bureau and you fully deserve it.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/salt-lake-cty/profile/online-shopping/saga-outerwear-1166-90024265

[/quote]

 

[MagSeven]

Why can Saga reply via a thread on Newschoolers within an hour, but not directly reply to their customers?

**This post was edited on Dec 31st 2019 at 10:42:43am

 

[WoFIowz]

Interesting how saga characterizes their company as "stable" yet people are still posting here about not receiving orders after 2 months. Anything greater than 2 weeks, unless notified prior, is unacceptable and the customer should be notified promptly by email regarding the delay and explanation for it, offered the option of refund, or offered a specific timetable of when they should expect their product and possibly a unique discount code too. That's how a stable reputable company operates. If this happened with any other big brand, that is how they would respond to delays. Or they would simply not want to deal with it and offer a refund.

Having being bought out by a big company means they should have the access to capital to make these things happen without causing the business to go under.

In all cases though, if someone wants a refund, and the delay is months, refusing that request is basically thievery.

 

[f100prerunner]

Why can Saga reply via a thread on Newschoolers within an hour, but not directly reply to their customers?

**This post was edited on Dec 31st 2019 at 10:42:43am

Public image is everything

 

[Saga.]

Because the customer service staff works normal business hours. The internet never sleeps.

Or

We’re a bunch of scam artists taking everyone’s money and I keep responding to the threads to keep the lie going.

The real reason is because Internet forums are hot beds for rumors and false information to be spread. So yes public perception in a sense. And this is the place where we can read direct comments about a specific topic and converse with you about it. We still love skiing, skiers and everything that goes into this activity.

MagSevenWhy can Saga reply via a thread on Newschoolers within an hour, but not directly reply to their customers?

**This post was edited on Dec 31st 2019 at 10:42:43am[/quote]

 

[Chunderface]

I ordered an Anomie jacket a few weeks ago because the colorways are sick and the price is reasonable. I ordered direct from Saga and received the jacket in the normal time - about a week. It is burly and the pocket setup is better than any jacket I've used. The fit is on point - better for my shape than other brands. My only complaint is that the jacket does not seem to breathe well at all. No matter the temperature range, the jacket always ends up wet and on some days this has caused me to get a little cold. Never had this happen with goretex - but this isn't a $600 goretex jacket. I can live with that one issue for resort days. We'll see how it holds up over time, but I'm digging this jacket.

 

[WoFIowz]

Because the customer service staff works normal business hours. The internet never sleeps.

Or

We’re a bunch of scam artists taking everyone’s money and I keep responding to the threads to keep the lie going.

The real reason is because Internet forums are hot beds for rumors and false information to be spread. So yes public perception in a sense. And this is the place where we can read direct comments about a specific topic and converse with you about it. We still love skiing, skiers and everything that goes into this activity.

MagSevenWhy can Saga reply via a thread on Newschoolers within an hour, but not directly reply to their customers?

**This post was edited on Dec 31st 2019 at 10:42:43am

1) learn how to use the quote feature. This is the second post you epic failed at doing it right

2) The ways you respond by making excuses and also slightly arguing with posts is unbecoming. The customer is always right. Always right no matter how much they piss you off or how fucking stupid they are. Just deal with it. Your responses show you have a lot to learn about how to professionally respond to customers.

 

[xxACIDTRIPxx]

Because the customer service staff works normal business hours. The internet never sleeps.

Or

We’re a bunch of scam artists taking everyone’s money and I keep responding to the threads to keep the lie going.

The real reason is because Internet forums are hot beds for rumors and false information to be spread. So yes public perception in a sense. And this is the place where we can read direct comments about a specific topic and converse with you about it. We still love skiing, skiers and everything that goes into this activity.

MagSevenWhy can Saga reply via a thread on Newschoolers within an hour, but not directly reply to their customers?

**This post was edited on Dec 31st 2019 at 10:42:43am

How do you screw up quoting lol

 

[Lonely]

The customer is always right. Always right no matter how much they piss you off or how fucking stupid they are.

Not trying to defend SAGA here but this mindset needs to die off

 

[TheClap.]

shouldn’t y’all be working overtime to get people their shit/or respond, to correct the issue?

Because the customer service staff works normal business hours. The internet never sleeps.

 

[f100prerunner]

Saga stop lying through your teeth, I had to make an account just because I forgot my password from the account I had as a kid.

You claim to have a new customer service team that are going to promptly respond to people. I get what happened last year and I don't hold you accountable, but what about this year? I ordered a considerable amount of stuff from you roughly two months ago, I've sent multiple emails, even found a number to leave a voicemail, yet to receive anything.

Respond to your customers, I've supported your brand since the 2011/12 season and have always been proud to do so, you were my favorite company, you had great products and also great customer service.

You now feel like some corporate entity who's only goal is too leech money from your loyal customer base, or if you claim that to not be the case you've somehow developed into a company only looking to estrange fans and scare off new potential customers. What happened Saga? Did you all suffer company-wide brain trauma? I can't even imagine where you'll be five years from now, every skier I know hates you now, good job destroying such a great company.

You couldn't have a worse rating on the Better Business Bureau and you fully deserve it.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/salt-lake-cty/profile/online-shopping/saga-outerwear-1166-90024265

Please update us on what comes of this, genuinely curious

 

[MXmx]

Personally, I think Saga has a lot of drama and financial issues that we aren’t hearing about.

They have constant sales, more then JC Penney and Kohl’s combined.

They randomly discover products in their warehouse to sell. How big is their warehouse?

They started off as a park ski brand then after we supported them and help build them up they turned their backs on us and focused on snowboarding.

Saga is okay, but I’m mostly rocking Armada clothes now.

**This post was edited on Jan 1st 2020 at 8:04:45pm

 

[MeDwight]

Please update us on what comes of this, genuinely curious

Will do

 

[Gnarcoholic]

Well about 13 months later (Nov. 2018 - Dec.2019) I did receive my wizard hood order, so I gotta say thanks for still following through with that, but it did take forever and hadn't heard anything for ~8 months. I was mainly just confused and upset with being left in the dark and not told what the hell was going on, because I probably would of been mad if I was just told what the hell was actually going on an being able to communicate properly. However, the hood is one of my favorites and I thank you guys for pulling through on that. sorry for the hostility but I do think you guys should improve your customer response time. [tag=72274]@Saga.[/tag]

 

[MXmx]

Over a year to get your stuff? Danm.

Well about 13 months later (Nov. 2018 - Dec.2019) I did receive my wizard hood order, so I gotta say thanks for still following through with that, but it did take forever and hadn't heard anything for ~8 months. I was mainly just confused and upset with being left in the dark and not told what the hell was going on, because I probably would of been mad if I was just told what the hell was actually going on an being able to communicate properly. However, the hood is one of my favorites and I thank you guys for pulling through on that. sorry for the hostility but I do think you guys should improve your customer response time. [tag=72274]@Saga.[/tag]

 

[msander9]

REALLY felt like being petty and opening this back up to see how Saga's responses held water... because were a week into the new season and literally nothing new has released.

BUT THEYRE HAVING A SALE! LAST YEARS SHIT 40% OFF FULL RETAIL.

+k to all the children who downvoted me last year. i was DY LAN up here spitting mad fire facts

 

[animator]

REALLY felt like being petty and opening this back up to see how Saga's responses held water... because were a week into the new season and literally nothing new has released.

BUT THEYRE HAVING A SALE! LAST YEARS SHIT 40% OFF FULL RETAIL.

+k to all the children who downvoted me last year. i was DY LAN up here spitting mad fire facts

Dude no one cares ab some kid shitting on a brand that has done SO MUCH for the free skiing community because they had a bad rap, got robbed, and took a bit to get back on their feet. Seriously just shut up. And for the record, I’ve already received numerous boxes this season for my universities ski club full of merch, they acknowledge what happened and they want to fix it. Stop being such a fucking baby about it

 

[msander9]

they were robbed in 2017.

enjoy your school field trip to vail.

 

[BagOTricks]

REALLY felt like being petty and opening this back up to see how Saga's responses held water... because were a week into the new season and literally nothing new has released.

BUT THEYRE HAVING A SALE! LAST YEARS SHIT 40% OFF FULL RETAIL.

+k to all the children who downvoted me last year. i was DY LAN up here spitting mad fire facts

0/10 necro

 

[Saga.]

REALLY felt like being petty and opening this back up to see how Saga's responses held water... because were a week into the new season and literally nothing new has released.

BUT THEYRE HAVING A SALE! LAST YEARS SHIT 40% OFF FULL RETAIL.

+k to all the children who downvoted me last year. i was DY LAN up here spitting mad fire facts

We've explained to customers and fans a few times now why there is no new outerwear this season. As it seems you've missed this info, here it is.

Back in March when we were just about ready to submit deposits to factories for the new winter line factories were shutting down, our entire staff was furloughed and no one knew if ski resorts would even be able to open in the winter. Because of these reasons and uncertainty we decided to hold off starting new production.

When we were brought back from furlough in late July it was obviously too late to restart a full outerwear line. We considered a small, simple collection but eventually decided that it would be best to hold off of adding anything new to a difficult season. This has allowed us to focus more on our back end, shipping, customer service, team, etc. All of the things that don't usually get as much attention as they deserve because we're backed up dealing with new product has taken center stage this season.

We actually did better in sales this Black Friday weekend than we did last year or the year before. This leads me to believe people do actually like our gear and appreciate it's value. Regardless if it the newest of the new or not.

 

[drifts]

We've explained to customers and fans a few times now why there is no new outerwear this season. As it seems you've missed this info, here it is.

Back in March when we were just about ready to submit deposits to factories for the new winter line factories were shutting down, our entire staff was furloughed and no one knew if ski resorts would even be able to open in the winter. Because of these reasons and uncertainty we decided to hold off starting new production.

When we were brought back from furlough in late July it was obviously too late to restart a full outerwear line. We considered a small, simple collection but eventually decided that it would be best to hold off of adding anything new to a difficult season. This has allowed us to focus more on our back end, shipping, customer service, team, etc. All of the things that don't usually get as much attention as they deserve because we're backed up dealing with new product has taken center stage this season.

We actually did better in sales this Black Friday weekend than we did last year or the year before. This leads me to believe people do actually like our gear and appreciate it's value. Regardless if it the newest of the new or not.

Since you mentioned small collections I think occasionally releasing small collections of limited run stuff would be pretty cool, like a premium in house made version of the shirt jacket or something

 

[Saga.]

Since you mentioned small collections I think occasionally releasing small collections of limited run stuff would be pretty cool, like a premium in house made version of the shirt jacket or something

What is "the shirt jacket"?

 

[GrandThings]

What is "the shirt jacket"?

A button up over-layer thats basically a step up from a flannel, but below what we'd call a "coaches jacket" typically with a durable fabric outside and lined inside. Also sometimes called a shacket

 

[GrandThings]

What is "the shirt jacket"?

now realizing you said "what is the" not "what is a"

...my bad ya'll

 

[Saga.]

A button up over-layer thats basically a step up from a flannel, but below what we'd call a "coaches jacket" typically with a durable fabric outside and lined inside. Also sometimes called a shacket

Do you mean something like this or this? Or if you're looking for a women's fit, this?

 

[drifts]

What is "the shirt jacket"?

It’s called the “workwear jacket” on the website my bad

 

[skierman_jack]

This thread is proof saga isn’t done. Not only are they still a great company making great products, but they still reply to concerned enthusiasts on this abysmal cave of a website we call a community.

Saga is a success story. They’ve overcome all odds against them and have adapted to modern times to remain relevant. If you’re worried about them, support them! Even tho they have had their struggles they are still a die hard company that loves this community and loves the sport.