Thanks for the offer, but after their response I will never own another All Star piece of equipment again. Nothing but BS propaganda. I will probably donate the mask to my local summer league umpire crew (teenagers). A college umpire buddy of mine had a Davis mask with an Ice Gray finish that I thought looked pretty sweet. The finish would not fade on this mask.
on a finish issue ...really?
Yes, really. I may only have the one mask out of 1000 on which the finish faded. It may have been the first one in the line for paint or it may have been the last, but for some reason it did not receive a quality paint finish. I wanted and purchased a silver mask. After five months it is now gray. I do not want a gray mask. But, what really ticked me off was the BS response that I received from them. I don't know about you, but this is not my first rodeo. Here is my response to their email:
I realize that as a customer service representative for All Star you have to respond to customer complaints with words and statements as directed by management. I am sure you had to be laughing on the inside as you typed your response to my concerns about the face mask. Did you ask yourself, "I wonder if this guy will actually believe this?" Well, the answer is no! I found the statements in your email to be a farce. Does All Star think I am, or anyone for that matter, gullible enough to believe what you stated?
No, it is not normal wear and tear for a painted finish to fade or wear away in such a short time. I do not expect the finish to last forever, but I do expect it to last more than 5 months. Your statement about the mask being used in "a sport where there is sand, grit, metal, and plastic all rubbing together it is expected and normal for metal paint coats on metal to rub off " is fatuous. I am an umpire. My mask has never touched the ground. It is on my face, under my arm or in my bag. There is not a scratch or rub mark on it.
"This is why we try and match the paint finish to the metal beneath as closely as possible." By making this statement, I assume All Star uses red metal for their red masks, blue metal for their blue masks and black metal for their black masks. I don't think I have ever seen red, blue or black metal. Perhaps you could send me a picture.
" I have also been informed that on our silver cages such as the FM4000, the paint finish when exposed to UV rays, will also wear off. I’m sorry, but this is normal and expected." This is perhaps the most ludicrous statement I have ever heard. Did someone in quality control come up with this one? Maybe it was someone in the marketing department? It is "normal" by whose standards? Are you telling me that All Star "expected" this paint to fade? Why don't you put this information in your product description? You know, something like "After you purchase this mask we at All Star expect the silver finish to turn to gray". I don't remember seeing a warning about keeping the mask away from sunlight and UV rays. Is this a "night game only" mask? I have umpired 59 games since I purchased your mask. Only 31 of these games were plate assignments where I wore the mask, with 18 of these games occurring at night. Thus, the mask was only exposed to those lethal UV rays during 13 games. Maybe you should rename this the Vampire mask!
The bottom line is this-All Star has a faulty product. I wanted and bought a silver mask. Not a gray mask. Paint should not fade or rub off after 5 months. All Star has a quality control problem with this mask and should not try to side step the issue. It is too late to appease me, but All Star needs to put on its big boy pants, man up and accept responsibility when products fail.
No, I do not want to purchase another mask for $48.00. I would have to expect the silver finish to fade to gray and I don't want another gray mask. To put it bluntly, I will never purchase another All Star product again.
If you agree with me fine. If not, that is fine too. Now it is about principle and how a company stands behind their product. I am sure All Star makes some good products. If you choose to purchase from them I will respect your decision. I hope it works out for you and you don't have any problems.
Your not the only one with a gray mask. I probably did 200 games this summer and 120 behind the plate to and it looks as if I have bought the Vampire mask.
