North Aware Avis 112

BE AWARE of NORTH AWARE! This company started off as a Kickstarter claiming all these great technologically advanced features in a coat. Then they did not fulfill most orders and for the ones that they did fill they did not add all those great features that they said they would. Just go find their Kickstarter campaign and you will see over 7,000 very damning reviews about them. I got fooled and bought two coats from them. Only when I threatened to cancel the order with my credit card did they fulfill the order. The coats were extremely heavy (5+ lbs each), not made out of down, not real fur, the gloves were dollar store quality and the overall look and feel was extremely cheap in-person. They did not last very long and the zippers broke on both within one season.

If you Google them, you will actually find news articles about how they scam people, how they don't honor the refund policy, and how they eventually went into receivership and bankruptcy. There's plenty of other companies out there just don't bother with this one please!

Got 2 great winter coats. They are fantastic as for comfort (very well insulated) and all the usefully features such as the integrated scarf and the pockets on each sleeves for the gloves ( no longer loosing them). So many pockets, the triple system zipper/velcro/snap buttons. Color are always in fashion (mine was hunter green). Best winter coat I ever have.

i didn't find anything special here, everything seems to be fine, only the shipping is long.((

I participated in one of their kickstarter campaigns and never received my coat. When I followed up they said they would send another but that never came. When I followed up again they said they’d send a coat ASAP and again it never came. After that I never heard from them again or got my hundreds of dollars back

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

My purchase experience was from a few years ago. I have no reason to believe this company has made any constructive improvements.

Their website was extremely poorly designed/misleading that they charge your credit card even though it appears that you have not completed your order. I did flip back and forth looking at the order options which ended up trigger two charges to my credit card, in addition to the one coat whose order I actually completed.

I only had ONE coat delivered, yet THREE coats charged to my credit card. Customer service initially talked to me, but very quickly became unresponsive. I returned my coat, and they ignored all communication from me and refused to provide any refund.

I have never experienced anything like that after years of shopping online. I had to involve my credit card company in what was a painful process in an attempt to recover my lost money.

Poor quality in every aspect. Terrible customer service and a struggle to get the refund as promised in the refund policy after sending product back. For the same money, there are other brands that far exceed N.A. in every aspect.

Original backer. Coat arrived super late. Didn't meet quality standards promised and under delivered in regards to performance (it was anything but a warm coat). Spent my own $ to send it back. Never got a refund. Incredibly rude customer service. I am quite frankly surprised that they are still around. Will never do business again with this company again.

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.

One of the original Kickstarter backers. Extremely late delivery (+1 year late), wrong size sent, poor quality, coat refunded at my own cost and NO REFUND. Out 400 bucks and embarrassed I let this company scam me. Stay away!!

I ordered a parka last year, never received a confirmation. Then after sending multiple requests for information, I finally received an answer that my coat was not available, but offered another coat that I did not want and refused to refund my money. I never received any coat nor a refund.

Evidently North Aware, Inc went into receivership and the brand and the products are being managed by First Imperial Holdings Corp. I renewed my complaint about not receiving either the correct replacement product or my kickstarter refund. They have promised to work with me and make good on my original order. Of course the original parka with the extender and removable liner is no longer in production but if I can finally get some semblance of the coat I so much wanted it will make things a lot better. I'll update when I see the result.

I've had a very similar experience like the other reviewers here with North Aware. I backed their Kickstarter in 2016 to buy 2 coats, one for myself and for my wife. The coat I received for my wife was definitely too big, no big deal I thought I would follow their return policy and return the coat for a refund. The return went smoothly, until where they pushed me around for 2 years saying that refunds are delayed and will be processed in the following months. Eventually, after lots of back and forth with their support team, they stopped answering back to my emails. It's been almost 3 years now, and I haven't received my refund. Save your money, don't buy any of their coats they are overpriced and not that good anyway, quality is sub-par and the fill is definitely cheap for the price. I'm surprised they are still in business...

Like many unhappy reviewers on here, I initially backed them on kickstarter back in 2016. Long story short, the product eventually arrived (months later than was quoted) and just wasn't up to standard (sizing was waaaay off, material wasn't as good quality as promised etc...). So I made sure to follow their policy for returns and paid out of my own pocket to send it back to Canada from the UK. Even after pestering them for months, I was continually lied to and told that they sent out the cheques. Surprise surprise, I did not receive said cheque. Anyway I got sick and tired of constantly chasing them with emails and never got my refund...

Please, DO NOT give this company your money.

Shippment never comes, 2 years I'm waiting my parka. No tracking number no replies to emails.

My husband and I supported their Kickstarter campaign by ordering two parkas. They both eventually arrived (months later than promised) which can happen with start up businesses but what happened next was inexcusable. I didn't like the material of mine so I returned it and, I NEVER received the refund. They didn't reply for the longest time, then they were closing for the summer but promised a refund in the fall when they re-opened. I followed up in the fall because I didn't hear from them and after months of excuses and promises from them, I gave up and didn't get any of my $400 back.

We were in contact with someone at North Aware who was supposedly helping us to replace my wife's Expedition Jacket. Suddenly his email stopped working like it didn't exist anymore. The seems came apart where the arm attaches and we are stuck with a product that they promised to give years of warranty. LIARS, GARBAGE company in our experience now. Dishonest. Too bad, we had faith up until this happened.

I bought a jacket on kickstarter in 2016 and never received it. Every time I email them I'm told "we're shipping it out, we'll email you when we've shipped it" and of course, I never get that email. it's obviously a scam. I'd respect them more if they just said "yeah nah, we're not sending it".