I have 3 zippo's. One I bought a regular Zippo back in 1968 at the PX. one for lighting a pipe about 40 years ago, it was a nice brass pipe lighter. then a new pipe Zippo about a year ago. I found the one from 1968 , the spring for the flint was gone. The 40 year old brass pipe Zippo the top baffle was gone. I emailed Zippo to see if I could buy the parts to bring the two lighters back to life. There sending the spring and the top baffle to me for free. In all my years I have never had a company honor there product from that long ago. There the only lighters I have and will use.
Zippo, Great company
- Thread starter Hunter1
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I've sent my Zippo back a couple of times and they were great in both instances. A rare gem of a company with outstanding customer service in this day and age.
The only Zippo I've sent in that they couldn't repair was a 1962 Slim chrome model of my dad's. It had been crushed, probably on a work site by being run over. I don't know why he kept it.
Anyway, they couldn't fix it, so they sent me a brand new Slim chrome model instead, completely free. Amazing!
I used their new insert and bashed out the case and soldered up a couple of splits and it works great!
Besides the best warranty ever, the actual product will last pretty much as long as the owner, or their kids!
Anyway, they couldn't fix it, so they sent me a brand new Slim chrome model instead, completely free. Amazing!
I used their new insert and bashed out the case and soldered up a couple of splits and it works great!
Besides the best warranty ever, the actual product will last pretty much as long as the owner, or their kids!
I have a Zippo that I bought at the ship’s store (USS Holder DD 819) in 1968, still works though the hinge for the top is getting a little wonky.
If you send it to Zippo they'll fix the hinge. When I sent one in a few decades ago for this very issue, the repair was made by adding reinforcement to the outside of the lighter so it wasn't quite as pretty as the original, but I didn't care. It worked great, and I'm sure the ex-girlfriend who kept it is still using it.
I'd damaged the hinge by repeatedly opening the lighter by standing it upright with the base of the lighter on my thumb and my index and middle fingers on the top, the squeezing the lighter to pop it open. I even admitted that in a note I included with the lighter, offering to pay for the repair because I considered my behaviour as abuse of the product. They fixed it and returned it for free.
FYI, if yours is an older lighter and you want to keep the original insert, include a note to that effect. Otherwise you'll get the lighter back with a brand new insert.
The folks at Zippo make a great product, and somehow stay in business while offering excellent customer service. A rarity these days.
I really enjoy my Zippo lighters, and as an outdoor smoker they are a blessing. I've been able to light a pipe on some pretty windy days, and they seem to even work well in the cold. I could see myself collecting Zippo lighters as a pastime.
I have a bunch of Zippo lighters (from my cig days), and I wanted a pipe lighter. I could’ve just gone out and bought one, but I figured I’d ask Zippo if I could buy just the insert. They ended up sending me an insert for free!
They also repaired a lighter I had that was sentimental to me for free. I have nothing but good things to say about them.
They also repaired a lighter I had that was sentimental to me for free. I have nothing but good things to say about them.
Zippos are the ONLY lighters I've been able to use in any breeze, and I favor the pipe insert.
Although I've been able to light a pipe with a standard Zippo, the pipe insert works better for me as well.
I was gifted a butane lighter last year. It's ok inside, but when I want a pipe full in cold weather smokeing outside, thefalme is barely there. But My Zippo if full always gives a great flame.
If Zippos have any downside, it's that the fuel evaporates out of them. A year or so ago, I bought some of those aftermarket seal thingys that fit into the bottom of the insert, but they really weren't much help. So, I smoke once a day outside (when the temp is over 50 degrees F) and just squirt some fuel into the bottom each time I come back in. I went back to the old fabric layer on the bottom because it was easier to lift it up and do that squirt.
I got one from my father, 50's model, with the inclined letters in the logo and the old box, gave it to a friend, lost it and gave me a new one instead, I have it with a pipe insert in it...
If there was not the evaporation issue...
If there was not the evaporation issue...
I recieved the parts from Zippo Saturday, evrything works fine now. Love my Zippos.
3 years ago while cleaning a drawer of pipe related stuff cams across 2 Zippo Contempo lighters I forgot were there. One no working at all, the other in desperate need of service. I contacted ZippoCanada and a very professional sounding lady told me “of course they will be fixed, they have a life time warranty “. The lady gave me an address of Zippo in Canada to send them to and promised to take care of them from there.
So, I typed a note to go with each lighter describing the problem, provided all my contact info, wrapped each lighter in bubble wrap, placed in a ziplock bag with the note, placed in a bubble lined envelope and mailed them out.
6 weeks or so later I got a call from Zippo USA and the very nice lady informed me that Zippo company has not been able to fix the Contempo line for 5 or more years and asked if I wanted the lighters back. I asked for both to be sent back. A few days later an envelope arrived with my lighters simply thrown into the envelope without any individual protection save for a bar code sticker on each. Considering that the lighters have a chrome finish, I was not pleased with the additional scratches they acquired intransitive just bouncing and rubbing against each other in the envelope.
Now, that the lighters could not be serviced, while disappointing, was not the end of the world. This line was discontinued in the early 90s, so it is what it is.
That the “left hand”: Zippo Canada did not know what the “right hand”: Zippo USA could/would do annoyed me to no end. The way my lighters were returned to me, without any care/attention to their condition was supremely disappointing.
In the end, Zippo USA is an iconic brand with products that made and continue to make, millions of customers very happy. But, even with that in mind, Zippo USA does not always deliver on their promises.
So, I typed a note to go with each lighter describing the problem, provided all my contact info, wrapped each lighter in bubble wrap, placed in a ziplock bag with the note, placed in a bubble lined envelope and mailed them out.
6 weeks or so later I got a call from Zippo USA and the very nice lady informed me that Zippo company has not been able to fix the Contempo line for 5 or more years and asked if I wanted the lighters back. I asked for both to be sent back. A few days later an envelope arrived with my lighters simply thrown into the envelope without any individual protection save for a bar code sticker on each. Considering that the lighters have a chrome finish, I was not pleased with the additional scratches they acquired intransitive just bouncing and rubbing against each other in the envelope.
Now, that the lighters could not be serviced, while disappointing, was not the end of the world. This line was discontinued in the early 90s, so it is what it is.
That the “left hand”: Zippo Canada did not know what the “right hand”: Zippo USA could/would do annoyed me to no end. The way my lighters were returned to me, without any care/attention to their condition was supremely disappointing.
In the end, Zippo USA is an iconic brand with products that made and continue to make, millions of customers very happy. But, even with that in mind, Zippo USA does not always deliver on their promises.
I had a regular zippo that wasn't striking anymore, so I sent it in for repair, and included a note asking to replace the insert with a pipe insert. I sent if off on a Monday, and I had it back in the mail on Saturday with my insert fixed, and a pipe insert. It cost me all of about $3 to ship it, that was it. It was the best customer service experience I've ever had with any company. I couldn't believe the turn around time.
I had a similar experience with Zippo Canada. It’s essentially a distributor with an unfriendly, uncurious and uninformed staff. kind of shocking that Zippo USA lets them be the brand ambassador for them in Canada.
