Darc Sport Customer Service — Complete Operational Guide
Overview and company commitment
Darc Sport launched its direct-to-consumer business in 2012 and operates nationally with a focus on performance apparel and footwear. The customer service organization supports three product lines (running, trail, and lifestyle), processes roughly 450,000 orders per year (2024 projection), and maintains an overall customer satisfaction score of 4.6/5 (measured 2023–2024 across phone, email and chat channels).
Our charter is to resolve product and service issues faster than industry averages: target first-contact resolution (FCR) of 78%, average handle time (AHT) of 6 minutes 30 seconds, and Net Promoter Score (NPS) target of 50+. These targets are backed by a centralized support center, five brick-and-mortar service counters, and a repair depot to minimize customer downtime on warranties and repairs.
Contact channels, hours and response SLAs
Darc Sport offers omnichannel support: phone, email, live chat, social DMs, and in-store service. Standard hours for centralized customer care are Monday–Friday 7:00–21:00 PT and Saturday–Sunday 9:00–18:00 PT. Phone support is toll-free at +1-800-327-2783; for international callers use +1-503-555-0109. Live chat is available via https://www.darcsport.com/chat during hours and aims for an average wait under 60 seconds.
Service-level agreements (SLAs): phone calls answered within 30 seconds (goal); chat initial response under 60 seconds; email responses within 24 business hours (target 8 business hours for escalated cases); social media DMs acknowledged within 2 hours during business hours. Escalated warranty cases receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours and a resolution plan within 7 business days.
Returns, exchanges, shipping and pricing details
Standard return policy: 30-day return window from delivery date for a full refund to the original payment method; return shipping cost is $8.95 standard or free for orders over $75. Restocking fee of 10% applies for returns after 30 days and up to 90 days, subject to product condition. Exchanges are processed within 48–72 hours of receiving the returned item in the returns depot.
Limited warranty: materials and workmanship covered for 24 months from invoice date for defects (excludes wear-and-tear, misuse). Repair turnaround times for warranty-approved repairs average 7–14 business days; non-warranty repairs are quoted based on labor plus parts (diagnostic fee $20, waived if repair >$50). Typical retail prices: performance running shoe models range $129.95–$169.95; insulated jackets $199.50–$289.00.
Technical support, product expertise, and staffing
Frontline agents receive 40–60 hours of product and systems training before handling live customer interactions; specialized technical agents (footwear fitting, Gore-Tex care, orthotic compatibility) receive an additional 40 hours and monthly refreshers. We maintain an internal knowledge base of 1,200+ articles and size-conversion charts (US/EU/UK/JPN) to support accurate fit recommendations and reduce returns by 18% year-over-year.
Support tiers: Tier 1 handles order status, returns initiation, and basic fit questions; Tier 2 covers troubleshooting, product-care instructions, repair authorization; Tier 3 involves engineering and product design for warranty failures pattern analysis. Escalations include full case notes, photos, and a tracking number; average resolution time by tier: T1 within 1 business day, T2 within 3–7 business days, T3 variable up to 30 days depending on parts and testing.
Escalation policy, privacy, and CRM integrations
When a case cannot be resolved at first contact, it is escalated to a manager with an SLA of 48 hours for acknowledgement and a two-week target window for full resolution. Consumer complaints that meet regulatory thresholds (e.g., safety defects) are fast-tracked to the Product Safety Team and logged in the compliance register within 24 hours. Escalation contacts include direct manager lines and an executive customer relations desk for high-value customers (orders > $1,000) or potential product-safety incidents.
Data handling: Darc Sport complies with CCPA and implements GDPR-aligned controls for EU customers; retention periods are 24 months for transactional data unless consented extension is requested. The support stack uses Zendesk for tickets plus Salesforce for CRM and order-state synchronization; average ticket concurrency per agent is kept at 6–8 to maintain quality. For privacy inquiries: [email protected].
In-store service, repair drop-off and flagship location
Flagship service counter: Darc Sport Flagship, 500 Commerce St, Suite 120, Salem, OR 97301. Store hours: Monday–Saturday 10:00–20:00, Sunday 11:00–18:00. Phone for in-store service and repairs: +1-503-555-0147. In-store technicians can perform basic resoles, zipper replacements, and waterproofing treatments with same-day turnaround for simple jobs (in-stock parts).
Repair logistics: walk-in diagnostics are $20 (waived if repair exceeds $50). If parts must be ordered, customers receive a written estimate and an expected completion date; back-ordered parts trigger a notification with an estimated ship date. In-store pickups for online orders: orders marked “Store Pickup” are held 7 days free, then returned to inventory; extended hold is available for a $5/day fee up to an additional 7 days.
- Quick reference: Customer Care +1-800-327-2783; Email: [email protected]; Website: https://www.darcsport.com
- Returns address: Darc Sport Returns, 320 Logistics Way, Springfield, OR 97477 (include order number and original packing slip)
- Warranty & repairs: [email protected] (attach photos and invoice); Escalations: [email protected]
- Flagship service: 500 Commerce St, Suite 120, Salem, OR 97301 — Phone +1-503-555-0147 — Hours M–Sa 10–20, Su 11–18
