At the birthday party/BBQ on the first day of our recent jaunt my 10 year old Lafuma chair collapsed beneath me with a sound like a pistol shot as I tried to shuffle it onto level ground. After the shock and hilarity had subsided I managed to jury rig a temporary repair using cable ties and thankfully this held up for the rest of the holiday.

When I got home I contacted Lafuma UK for advice and they sent me a very helpful link to their spares catalogue with details of how to order the part I needed either direct from them or through their UK agent. To my surprise, Lafuma's own price was 15% cheaper than their agent's and also included postage and packaging. Furthermore, they could supply the parts in a week whereas the agent would not have them in stock for at least a month.

Here's the chair and its bodged 'repair. It's the one on the left that's looking a bit sorry for itself.

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This is the part that broke. It holds one end of the reinforcing spreader bar located beneath the seat:

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It took no more than 10 minutes to replace the broken part (all you need is the correct size Torx screwdriver) and cost only £5.10 for a pair of fittings (they are handed). They arrived from France seven days after I placed the order with comprehensive tracking and delivery details being provided.

So, if part of your Lafuma chair ever breaks or the seat material needs replacing, be aware that company policy is to produce and supply spares rather than to encourage a throw-away-and-buy-new approach.

Credit where credit's due. I only wish more firms would follow their example.