I also have a Totes automatic opening umbrella.  The problem is that I have had it less than a year, have hardly used and already it is broken.  Last week we had a couple days of rain so I took it with me to run a couple of errands.  When I left the store, I pushed the button for it to open.  Upon opening, three of the pieces that fit over the wire were not attached onto the wire.  I had to stop to fit the two pieces over the wires.  The third piece was not even there to apply onto the wire.  The umbrella was not like this when I left my house.  Needless to say, I was quite frustrated.  The umbrella itself is a nice umbrella and I love the pattern.  Nonetheless, because of the problems it created for me,  it became a nuisance.

This week I plan to return the umbrella for an exchange and hopefully will be able to get the same pattern.  However, I do agree with the other person that commented that there is the cost of enclosing a check with the umbrella, paying for a container to return it and also paying postage to return it along with gasoline.  Hopefully, this does not become a frequent occurrence or I will be one unhappy customer.  We will see how things go.

Carolyn