View Full Version : Poor Experiance with REI
cthomasy
12-26-2014, 12:58
Some of you may know that I am getting ready for a Thru-hike in March and that I'm collecting my gear that I need. The next item on my list of stuff I needed was a new light weight tent. So I did some research and I found that the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 was the tent that would work. It cost around $400 with tax which is a quite a bit of money for me but I knew that it was a good brand and it was something I will be using quite a bit. I decided to purchase the tent through REI because that was where I've been getting a lot of my gear and I like their membership discounts and what not. I bought the tent on Sunday night and it arrived Christmas eve. I had decided that I would wait and open it in the morning so it would seam like I had more gifts then I actually did. The next morning I was all excited because it was something I was very much looking forward to. When I opened it I noticed the steaks had dry mud all over them and the tent had leafs in it and a small hole in the tent fly. I was very disappointed in REI for sending me a obviously used tent. If I'm going to spend $400 of my hard earned money on a tent I at least want it to be brand new! But any way I'm most likely going to go through Big Agnes or Moosejaw when they send me my money back.
Sarcasm the elf
12-26-2014, 13:06
They're a decent store, but there's a reason that a lot of people call it: Returns and Exchanges International.
When I opened it I noticed the steaks had dry mud all over them and the tent had leafs in it and a small hole in the tent fly. I was very disappointed in REI for sending me a obviously used tent. If I'm going to spend $400 of my hard earned money on a tent I at least want it to be brand new! But any way I'm most likely going to go through Big Agnes or Moosejaw when they send me my money back.
Not sure how long you've been dealing with REI, but I've been a customer/ member for a decade and have gotten nothing but helpful and attentive service from them. If you take your tent to a store or contact them online or via telephone, with your membership info and/or receipt, I expect they will fix your problem very quickly with profuse apologies. They're a very good company, one of the best in my experience.
Furlough
12-26-2014, 13:29
They're a decent store, but there's a reason that a lot of people call it: Returns and Exchanges International.
Or Really Expensive Investment. But I do have to agree with Diver8, contact them and most likely they will make things right.
Furlough
Not sure how long you've been dealing with REI, but I've been a customer/ member for a decade and have gotten nothing but helpful and attentive service from them. If you take your tent to a store or contact them online or via telephone, with your membership info and/or receipt, I expect they will fix your problem very quickly with profuse apologies. They're a very good company, one of the best in my experience.
i have been dealing with REI for about a decade also and have had nothing but positive experiences. I agree with Driver8, if you take this to an REI store with your receipt and membership info I feel confident they will make it right without question. Good luck! By the way the Copper Spur is an excellent tent and I think you will be pleased with your Christmas gift.
Feral Bill
12-26-2014, 13:44
Looks like a mistake in a busy warehouse. They will happily take it back.
atmilkman
12-26-2014, 13:56
Looks like a mistake in a busy warehouse. They will happily take it back.
My first thought.
2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
12-26-2014, 14:19
Looks like a mistake in a busy warehouse. They will happily take it back.
Same thought here. Always great service and returns taken with no problems and a smile.
cthomasy
12-26-2014, 14:42
Okay thanks every one for your thoughts! I did end up calling REI and they were more then happy to help me out and give me my money back. Like a few of you said it was probably just a little mix up, I can't think of a reason that they would do it on purpose! I do really like REI and I haven't had problem in the past, I was just a little disappointed that it didn't come perfect. But anyway I hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Offshore
12-26-2014, 14:45
Its odd that that one slipped through, but in years of dealing with REI, they've always been good. Frustrating as it is, don't take it personally. I'd do the exchange through REI. Big Agnes goes for full retail pretty much everywhere you look and at least if you are an REI member, you'll get the 10% dividend, something you won't get through Moosejaw or Big Agnes.
Retailers with generous return policies can be a double edged sword. Their prices generally aren't the lowest and reflect the cost of the return policy passed along to the consumer. Also, every now and then, something comes back that shouldn't be put back in stock. Zappos (Amazon) seems to be especially bad. Once I opened a box of what should have been new cross trainers and found someone's old sneakers. On another occasion, I bought two pair of workout shorts. One was fine and the other was a pair of basketball shorts (at least they were new...). These things happen - the real test is how the retailer handles it. REI shouldn't be a problem.
MuddyWaters
12-26-2014, 16:28
Ive gotten things like that before, so I carefully check boxes to make sure they have never been opened before buying from brick/mortar stores.
Many people return things to stores after trying them, or using them, tape the box up and say they changed their mind.
Sometimes opened packages are sold by places like REI n their garage sales, if they dont appear to have been opened they go back into stock with little inspection at many places, especially Walmart. Or, stupid employees mix up broken items with NIB returns. I returned broken item to Walmart before, and later found it back on the shelf a couple days later.
Some stores send opened packages back to vendor, and wont resell a package that has been opened. One advantage of blister packaged items is you know if it has been opened.
as much as i like REI fairly liberal return policy-----ive found i can get a better deal/price elsewhere if i spend a few minutes looking around...
for example---i bought a new Fly Creek 2 with footprint for around 280 about a year and a half ago..........
MuddyWaters
12-26-2014, 17:09
I have bought a few items like sleeping pads, from LLBean instead of REI, as they have lifetime return policy as well, and were 20% off with free shipping at the time. In general, REI doesnt have anything Im interested in, except the return policy. Which is still pretty good, but somewhat neutered now.
Wise Old Owl
12-26-2014, 17:37
Looks like a mistake in a busy warehouse. They will happily take it back.
Ditto... I have bought there for years with great experiences, after a small disaster with EMS, when they could not make it right. REI has been wonderful and I still occasionally walk thru EMS still. You won't see me at a Dick's Sporting goods ever!
I usually shop at REI only with the 20% periodic discount. As a result, I get a very small dividend if at all. Most of the time if you are sure about what you want there are better deals online. But REI can't be beat for the return policy and they run a good operation overall. Just be aware that paying full price for items at REI, even with the 10% dividend, isn't always the best deal and that you are partially paying for a return privilege that may be unnecessary.
Wise Old Owl
12-26-2014, 19:37
Annually someone posts "I will never shop again at...." or retail sucks..... It takes a lifetime to understand that a bunch of holidays and birthdays hitting all at once can be stressful. I just spent a month visiting some 5-6 customers a day, six days a week and they from all walks of life. Clearly some are happy and a few need a lump of coal in their hiking sock. Stuff happens....
On a side note Ashley - a future hiker is 4 years old today and is just happy to give me kisses on her birthday. I however made Brownies with a chocolate & cream cheese sauce.
well I ws going to add a cool pic... and the loader failed.... :(
wow, I have never heard of such flim flam from REI. That is shabby to sell you a used tent at those kind of prices. Return it and ask for a manager to report the complaint.
Rain Man
12-27-2014, 23:10
Looks like a mistake in a busy warehouse.
Maybe not even REI's. Could've been Big Agnes' warehouse/supplier.
I've been an REI member since 1976 and had a daughter work at three different REIs. I consider them a great retailer and they commonly get very high ratings nationally from industry and consumer groups for good reason.
Agree with Rain Man and others..... I'm a fan and shopper there for years and years. I don't buy everything from them but what I do is either what I expected or they make it right.
Sailing_Faith
12-28-2014, 03:21
I have constantly had good experience with REI. I like their branded gear also.
squeezebox
12-28-2014, 05:49
Christmas is a crazy busy time. Last year I ordered a sleeping bag, and received this box of plastic plates, candle lantern and other weird stuff. no original order info. couldn't return it, made sure I didn't pay for it. They sent me the sleeping bag. 6 months later I decided I didn't like the bag. Went to return it, couldn't because they had not charged me for the bag. At least I was on the receiving end of the glitch.
This isn't a poor experience with a retailer until you contact the retailer and try to work it out. So far, you have spent more time posting on here about an order made during an insanely busy shopping season instead of contacting REI and working toward a remedy. I'm not a spokesperson for big box retailers, but good god man, contact them and try to get it worked out before you start complaining.
Tuckahoe
12-28-2014, 13:31
Some of you may know that I am getting ready for a Thru-hike in March and that I'm collecting my gear that I need. The next item on my list of stuff I needed was a new light weight tent. So I did some research and I found that the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 was the tent that would work. It cost around $400 with tax which is a quite a bit of money for me but I knew that it was a good brand and it was something I will be using quite a bit. I decided to purchase the tent through REI because that was where I've been getting a lot of my gear and I like their membership discounts and what not. I bought the tent on Sunday night and it arrived Christmas eve. I had decided that I would wait and open it in the morning so it would seam like I had more gifts then I actually did. The next morning I was all excited because it was something I was very much looking forward to. When I opened it I noticed the steaks had dry mud all over them and the tent had leafs in it and a small hole in the tent fly. I was very disappointed in REI for sending me a obviously used tent. If I'm going to spend $400 of my hard earned money on a tent I at least want it to be brand new! But any way I'm most likely going to go through Big Agnes or Moosejaw when they send me my money back.
Okay thanks every one for your thoughts! I did end up calling REI and they were more then happy to help me out and give me my money back. Like a few of you said it was probably just a little mix up, I can't think of a reason that they would do it on purpose! I do really like REI and I haven't had problem in the past, I was just a little disappointed that it didn't come perfect. But anyway I hope everyone had a great Christmas!
This isn't a poor experience with a retailer until you contact the retailer and try to work it out. So far, you have spent more time posting on here about an order made during an insanely busy shopping season instead of contacting REI and working toward a remedy. I'm not a spokesperson for big box retailers, but good god man, contact them and try to get it worked out before you start complaining.
Gee whiz, cut the kid some slack. He only spent two posts over the span of 1 hour and 45 minutes on a fair gripe, during which REI took care of the issue.
Rick Hancock
12-29-2014, 23:30
Like Rainman I've been an REI customer since the mid 70's. Still got a couple of catalogs advertising knickers and Woolrich 60/40 parkas. More than likely it was a return that was replaced in the new bin by mistake. Just contact them and work it out. If you live too far away to return it to a store I'm sure they'll give you a free return shipping label. I've never had a problem returning an item. I know it's a hassle but that's part of life.
Rick Hancock
12-29-2014, 23:38
By the way, you can get the very same tent in a 1 person model for $189 or 2 person for a bit more from LL Bean. I think Big Agnes makes it but puts the Bean tag on it. I know that some years back I purchased a pair of Vermont Tubbs snowshoes with the Bean name on them and paid way less than from the dealer.
takethisbread
12-30-2014, 03:52
REI will make it right. It's 100% guarentee on that item. It's a good product as well. U will get a new tent and probably a gift card for your trouble . Actually it's a blessing.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Badpelican
02-11-2015, 06:36
If you think membership is annoying as a customer, try working there and being stalked by your managers over membership sales. There's something real strange about membership and I'm unable to drink the propaganda Kool-Aid anymore. I was a thru-hiker last year (2014) and I just left my job at REI. Except for your pack and your boots, buy everything else on your gear list wherever you can find it cheapest. Backcountry.com will run a free shipping / discount sale right around the time most people are gearing for a thru, so I'd keep my eye on what they have going on. As for REI, they've become the Wall-mart of outdoor products and they treat everyone as such, now. Don't support them anymore than you have to.
The employees act like they don't care about the store: They exchange. They take returns. There is employee theft. REI had never exchanged practically anything for any reason, or, no reason. REI never had so liberal a return policy. It is my impression, REI is being ruined by its own management.
LaFuma had a beach chair. I called it a sand chair. Maybe LaFuma did. I had one. I thought it woulld be much better if it disassembled and reassembled, so it could be more easily carried to the beach from the car and, importantly, stowed in my kayak for the beach.
I have designed before, having had industrial design at my college and university. In fact, I had a famous man in industrial design in as a guest for a 10 credit course I was teaching, on invitation, at a private college once.
I saw my beach chair at REI. I said so.
LaFuma pulled the chair from their line. Not much longer, the chair is sold under the REI label.
I did not sell my design.
REI membership #23-119.
I had shopped at REI, for years before that, but I saw no benefit in membership. For awhile, the dividends were quite good. No one else sold the items REI had for sale. I got a membership.
Their REI UL expert at the Tualatin, OR REI store said he got everything from my website. I felt complimented.
I do not feel complimented, about stealing my design.
I had spoken up at the Tualatin, OR REI where I saw my chair design under the LaFuma label.
Indeed: what has happened to REI?
I consistently find better prices elsewhere.
Traveler
02-11-2015, 08:14
The employees act like they don't care about the store: They exchange. They take returns. There is employee theft. REI had never exchanged practically anything for any reason, or, no reason. REI never had so liberal a return policy. It is my impression, REI is being ruined by its own management.
Indeed: what has happened to REI?
I have always found REI's return policy to be rather liberal as compared with other retailers. Employees don't have a lot of latitude in what is accepted for return and what isn't, though I have seen managers called in to make the decision as I stood in line waiting for some guy returning 5 year old trekking poles that have worn out grip straps, then arguing for 20 minutes with the "no" answer. oy
Theft is a pretty serious accusation to make in print. Do you have examples like names, dates, and items, or have you just heard this?