View Full Version : REI warrenty
trlhiker
02-09-2007, 22:28
Does anyone know what REI's warrenty for items that are a few years old? I know that LLBean will take back and fix anything no matter how old but what about REI? I have a nice REI fleece windbloc jacket that the zipper no longer works but cannot find someone close to me who repairs zippers.
Thanks
REI has an absolute return policy. As long as you have the reciept (or if you used a card they can pull up the account info) they will take anything back NO MATTER WHAT! I have a friend who returned an old cam (i'm a climber) to REI ten years after he purchased it and they took it back. Even damaged gear. It's kinda cool~just don't abuse the policy...
Blissful
02-09-2007, 23:17
Joining their membership is worth the cost, IMO. A few hikers several years back recommended REI membership to us when we were newbies and it was a good decision. I returned my Big Agnes air core I bought from them when it began leaking. I didn't have the receipt but the membership number got us an exchange. And the dividends are a bonus too.
REI = Return Everything Inc.
QHShowoman
02-10-2007, 00:35
Actually, REI does NOT take back everything. I know, I work in customer service. For your windbloc jacket, your local REI will give you the following options:
If you have no proof of purchase, you can opt to have REI send the jacket to RainyPass, our third party repair vendor, who will repair the jacket. Unless the repair is deemed to be covered under the warranty, you will be responsible for the repair fee plus shipping.
If you have proof of purchase, you are entitled to a refund/exchange, depending on the type of proof you have.
As an FYI, any climbing gear and safety gear such as bike and climbing helmets that are returned to REI are destroyed, regardless of whether they are new or not. Keep this in mind when shopping for gear ...
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-10-2007, 06:17
Does anyone know what REI's warrenty for items that are a few years old? I know that LLBean will take back and fix anything no matter how old but what about REI? I have a nice REI fleece windbloc jacket that the zipper no longer works but cannot find someone close to me who repairs zippers.
ThanksIf you want a repair, call a dry cleaner -- they usually know all the good seamtresses in the area and some have one on staff.
dirtyhippieboy
02-10-2007, 07:39
I used to work at rei, so from firsthand experience I can tell you that they have a garauntee on everything they sell. If it doesn't cut the mustard, bring it back. If you have a receipt, you can get the full value back, or if you don't you'll get it's current value. If you are a member, they will have a record of your purchase - no receipts needed. Good Luck!
Look for a fabric/yarn store. Took a jacket to one, the lady asked if I cared if the color of the pull matched. $2 and about 20 seconds later I had a zipper that no longer separated. Nasty looking tool she used to pop off the end clip thingy.
Big Dawg
02-10-2007, 10:11
$15 (one time fee) REI membership,,,,,, WELL worth it!!! That way you don't have to worry about receipts, cause they'll always have a record.
the_iceman
02-10-2007, 10:26
Going to the store may be easier than on the telephone but uf there is no store around they are still great. We are members and my wife bought a pair of zip off pants several years ago. Not only did they not fit but the color was not tan but an awful pea green. No one in the family would let her wear them in public. Some how they were put aside and never returned. We recently moved and you would be surprised at the things we discoverd, among them the pants. My wife called and they found a record and gave her an exchange. This was after a few years!
I had also bought a pair of hiking boots from their store in Reading, MA. to do the Wilderness section of the AT in Maine. By the end of the trip the soles we de-laminating on me and I had to duct tape them. I returned to the store and they gave me full credit and sincere apologies. REI is a first rate outfit.
Footslogger
02-10-2007, 13:13
Does anyone know what REI's warrenty for items that are a few years old? I know that LLBean will take back and fix anything no matter how old but what about REI? I have a nice REI fleece windbloc jacket that the zipper no longer works but cannot find someone close to me who repairs zippers.
Thanks
======================================
Worked at REI for over 5 years. Never saw a return refused outright. Most often the intial transaction is an exchange for the same/similar item if still in stock. Short of that, a store credit it typically the next option.
That said ...as an item gets older there is often a "pro rata" refund/exchange allowance applied to the replacement of the item.
Either way you can't go wrong.
'Slogger
trlhiker
02-10-2007, 18:29
Thanks for the replies. I am a member, have been since the early 90's and the jacket says REI on the zipper pull and the inside tag. Since I never get out to Raleigh, I'll give them a call.
trlhiker
03-26-2007, 19:20
Well, I finally got to take the jacket back to REI in Cary. The woman asked if the jacket was more than 6 years old and I told her that it was probably more like 10. She typed in my member # and told me to go pick out a similar one. So I got a brand new jacket for nothing. I thought only LLBean did his but I was wrong. REI rocks.
Earl Grey
03-26-2007, 23:37
Yes REI is awesome about this stuff.
Yesterday I took back some hiking poles that I bent earlier this month that I bought last year. Didnt have the receipt but I was a member so I got some new ones and returned those no questions asked. Awesome service.
======================================
Worked at REI for over 5 years. Never saw a return refused outright. Most often the intial transaction is an exchange for the same/similar item if still in stock. Short of that, a store credit it typically the next option.
That said ...as an item gets older there is often a "pro rata" refund/exchange allowance applied to the replacement of the item.
Either way you can't go wrong.
'Slogger
Well, I recently took an old REI sleeping bag in for zipper repair/replacement, and they gave me a hard time about it. I'm waiting to see what they are going to do about it.
Rei Is A Joke!!!!! I Spent A Few Thousand Dollers In The Store Last Year And I Hav'nt Recieved A Divadin. I Whent To The Store And They Don't Kno Why And I Called Them Up And Still Nothing. I Should Take All My Gear Back And Tell Them To %^#@ Off. I Am Going To The Newspapers And I Will Personaly Take On The Store!!!!!!!!!! So Don't Shop There!!!!!!!! They Are A Joke Of A Company!!!!!!! There Brand Stuff Sucks And Is Unreliable And Heavy.
TN_Hiker
03-27-2007, 10:28
Rei Is A Joke!!!!! I Spent A Few Thousand Dollers In The Store Last Year And I Hav'nt Recieved A Divadin. I Whent To The Store And They Don't Kno Why And I Called Them Up And Still Nothing. I Should Take All My Gear Back And Tell Them To %^#@ Off. I Am Going To The Newspapers And I Will Personaly Take On The Store!!!!!!!!!! So Don't Shop There!!!!!!!! They Are A Joke Of A Company!!!!!!! There Brand Stuff Sucks And Is Unreliable And Heavy.
I never rec'd my dividend either, but when I questioned it, they pulled it up on the computer and applied it to my purchase that same day + the 20% discount.
Rain Man
03-27-2007, 10:51
Rei Is A Joke!!!!! I Spent A Few Thousand Dollers In The Store Last Year And I Hav'nt Recieved A Divadin. I Whent To The Store And They Don't Kno Why And I Called Them Up And Still Nothing. I Should Take All My Gear Back And Tell Them To %^#@ Off. I Am Going To The Newspapers And I Will Personaly Take On The Store!!!!!!!!!! So Don't Shop There!!!!!!!! They Are A Joke Of A Company!!!!!!! There Brand Stuff Sucks And Is Unreliable And Heavy.
Ahhhhh.... I always enjoy a good laugh to start off the morning!!! :)
BTW, on the climb out of Bly Gap on the GA/NC border, I sure felt unreliable and heavy and was sucking air! So, perhaps you should just return all your gear to me! ~wink~
REI rocks! Have been a well-pleased, dividend-receiving member for about 30 years.
Rain:sunMan
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well I went through my receipes and I added it all up......112.22 was on sale items so I did'nt get it for that and then the wopping 3,481.12 was the amount I spent times bye 10% for divadin should be 348.12.....they don't want to give me back that money.... they tell me that they don't kno why so O' well I will spend my money else ware...I was going to get a bike and a couple of kyaks and a rack but to hell with REI there a joke!!!!!!!!
QHShowoman
03-27-2007, 12:08
well I went through my receipes and I added it all up......112.22 was on sale items so I did'nt get it for that and then the wopping 3,481.12 was the amount I spent times bye 10% for divadin should be 348.12.....they don't want to give me back that money.... they tell me that they don't kno why so O' well I will spend my money else ware...I was going to get a bike and a couple of kyaks and a rack but to hell with REI there a joke!!!!!!!!
If your spelling and grammar are any indication of your mathematical skills, I can understand why your dividend is less than you were anticipating.
However, here's what REI can do for you, Fonsie. If indeed you purchased $3500 worth of stuff on your membership in the past calendar year, you can go to any REI store and have Customer Service print you a list of what exactly you purchased and make sure it matches up with your receipts. You can then go through that list and figure out which items were eligible for a dividend and which weren't. Remember, you only get 8% back of those items you paid for via credit card (except REI Visa) -- and your dividend is calculated on the price of the item before tax.
If you are due a dividend, but haven't received it, note that you can give the cashier your membership # and s/he can apply your dividend electronically. You can also do this at REI.com during the check-out process. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE YOUR DIVIDEND IN HAND TO USE IT.
Pacific Tortuga
03-27-2007, 15:38
I did a 50 mile shake down and the second time I used my PUR water filter it failed to work. When I was in Baltimore they checked it out and even gave it CPR(clean partical res.) and got it to work. I said I'm not going to be able to do what they did due to lack of water to prime it and they understand, gave me credit and bought a MSR. I live out west and they had trouble finding the sale but extended the return policy anyway. Like said on another thread, "REI is da Bomb".
chknfngrs
03-27-2007, 17:16
Have to be honest here, REI is a great company to shop. Worked at one recently and saw lots (LOTS) of abuse on it's return policy. The guaruntee is for the lifetime of a product, not your lifetime. That often serves as a point of confusion.
The advice given Fonsie was spot on. If you have a dividend, it's there. I think it should be noted that the dividend appears first as store credit, usable online or in stores. As stated, no hardcopy dividend notice is required. After a certain point, you are able to cash out your dividend via check. But why? Just buy more gear!
I have a few pieces of gear that are REI-brand specific and have been excellent. A lot of their stuff is NBF (Nothing But Fluff) but some of their core mountaineering gear (little though there is) is my fave.