NORTH AWARE – Cashback, Rebates & Rewards

I love this coat more than words from a person who bought it 3 years ago when living in North Dakota could say!

I have had nothing but good experiences with this company (apart from initial delay getting the product that's somewhat to be expected in a start up). I bought as part of their crowd funding campaign. The coat is the warmest I have ever worn, a bit heavy when all the bells and whistles are on it, but I love the ability to transform my coat according to my needs. I love the glove pocket in the arm. I'm always losing gloves and now I can't ever lose them. The zipper on mine is strong but sometimes rough to zip up, (mostly because the bidirectional zips don't line up perfectly) but mine is from their initial production so they may have improved it. Again still totally worth getting the coat. And they really mean it with their warranty. One of my gloves tore on the palm and they're sending me a new pair. They responded within an hour of my email. No fuss no problems. They also handled my exchange easily as well. Great customer service. Great quality coat. Amazing design.

OK. So here's the deal. I was an original backer for the Kickstarter campaign and I gotta tell you, I have been FURIOUS at North Aware (and myself) for being sucked into the hype. It took a YEAR to get my original coat. I waited patiently for to arrive; I was understanding with the lengthened timeline and the change of manufacturing location and all the changes they made over that first year. I was just so stoked for my coat! When it got to me, I almost cried. It was not great. The faux fur was skimpy and flat, the cut was HUGE. It was awkwardly shaped and poorly made and all around just not what was promised. I couldn't believe it... I never even wore it once. Soon after, the 1.0 parka was released. It looked amazing and had a lot of the changes I had wished the original had. And the Hunter green looked like a huge upgrade from the original green coat I had ordered. So I emailed North Aware and they said to send my original back and they'd switch them. Now this part is %100 my fault. I got distracted with life and never sent my packaged coat back. It never left the packaging after I had opened it once. I emailed again this year (4 years after originally backing the project and 3 years of having the coat) telling them I sent my original back and was hoping they'd replace it. Understandably, they couldn't outright just replace the coat. Which I was bummed about but ok fine... it HAS been a long time. But they offered half off the price. I waffled for 24 hours... did I really want to give this company MORE MONEY?? By the end of it I've spent the same amount of money as the price of the current parka! I asked if they could please send a pair of gloves because I had sent them with my original coat and they said... no. I couldn't believe it... I almost didn't buy the new one. BUT THEN! I decided f*$@ it. I've already spent this much time, money, and heartache on this coat, I need to see it through. So I dished out the $250 for the coat and crossed my fingers. My God, i'm glad I did. This coat still is FLIPPING GORGEOUS. The color is spectacular: a rich Hunter green with just a hint of opalescent sheen. The faux fur is luxurious and full. The cut of the coat is slim and flattering without being too tight. The buttons, zippers, pockets, and all the special details we were promised were there. I am IN LOVE. AND!! They decided to include a new pair of gloves after all!! The gloves are buttery and soooooooo cozy. You guys... this coat is magic. I can't believe this process... what a mess. But honestly, this is my favorite coat I've ever owned. Every time I see it, I smile. I've been telling everyone who listens my story of tragedy and triumph. So don't let what happened during the Kickstarter deter you. This company is trying to turn themselves around. Give them a chance! The 1.0 Parka will make you feel like a badass, fierce, winter Goddess/God.

Edit 20200804 - Thank you for the response Kamran. We are well. Thank you again for all you did to make things right; you have our gratitude. =) EDITED 20200306; original review at the end **I can now confidently recommend.** I'm late updating, but all my issues were resolved and in Nov/Dec 2019 I received everything I originally pledged for (now V1.0) and I'm very happy. It would be a severe disservice to not praise the changes and effort made by the new owners of the brand, because the experience post October 2019 was a complete 180 from the runaround I received prior. Specific credit to Kamran who worked with me by e-mail, and even called directly twice to clarify or discuss options. Thank you! =) In brief (due to character limits): Original North Aware Inc. company is gone, new company took over (announcement link below), and they fulfilled my order even though not legally obligated. Jackets are fantastic (1.0 versions, Classic men's black and women's blue). *Very* warm, well made, and great features. Wife and I each exchanged colors/sizes once; free return/exchange system works well, fairly quick (≤5 business days to or from VA), and no cost to us. Sizing chart was good, but I first tried green vogue but only avail. a size above mine; too big so returned, but amazing color. Did receive one wrong replacement package during the process, but resolved quickly. 4/5 stars due to above and some sizing inconsistencies in the gloves, but overall product is very good, return/exchange is fast/free, and new customer service is great. (And leather gloves are awesome if sized properly; wear them daily!) FYI "North Aware Inc. is not operational anymore. All the assets of the company have been taken over by the First Imperial Holding Corp." For full announcement add "/pages/assets-of-north-aware-inc-acquired-by-first-imperial-holding-corp" after "northaware.com" Original April 2019 1-star Review: I backed the original Kickstarter. After the initial delays I asked and was given permission in Feb 2018 to convert to the 1.0 versions of my original order. I provided new sizing and measurement data based on the slightly altered designs, the swap was confirmed by the rep, and he told me to expect availability October '18. No one reached out to me Oct or Nov, and when I sent a follow-up e-mail to find out order status, no one answered. I opened a new request, and the new rep had no record of my order. The rep wouldn't answer any questions about what might have happened. She also said one of the two jackets I'd ordered wasn't available, but provided no info on if it would be available again. I asked for a refund for the unavailable jacket and was told that I was past Kickstarter's refund window, despite having renegotiated my order in February. Meanwhile the rep provided shipping info for the remaining jacket that was available, but the order and tracking data remained in a pending status for months, and nothing came. I asked several times for status updates and received nothing of substance, before being ignored altogether. I finally reached a separate person by opening yet another ticket, and while she seemed at first helpful, she also wouldn't answer any questions about what had happened to the orders, or acknowledge the refund request, and only offered to exchange the unavailable jacket for something else. The kicker - I was ultimately told that the jacket that was supposedly "sent" was also out of stock. She mentioned a possibility to exchange for something else. I politely stated I wasn't interested in an exchange and would like my money back. Silence followed. I've reached out several times since, both to the existing ticket and through new tickets, and have received zero response. Not even when I suggested I'd be willing to consider an alternate style or color, since I have zero desire to throw money at a company for nothing when they have product available. From my perspective, it looks like North Aware is slowly liquidating what remaining stock they have from their website, but don't have the decency to return money or send product to someone who already gave them money.

I ordered a parka on Feb. 4, 2019. I received it on Feb..11. I picked the wrong size and had to return it...customer service was prompt and real helpful.. I couldn`t get same color in the correct size so I chose galaxy blue...I decided to change my order to a vogue and it arrived today. I could not be happier...great product....great customer service.....I am not a bot...I am a retired bus driver who got tired of wearing transit parkas.......