REIReviews of rei.com

Customer service went south for this place - used to work for them 25 years ago - not the same.

As an adult, I've been a loyal member of REI for over 30 years. But even before then, I remember visiting the flagship store in Seattle, looking for camping gear for my many Boy Scout adventures. In fact, I still have much of the gear that I used as a youth. But in more recent years, much of that culture has changed. Don't get me wrong, most of my visits to the stores are just fine. The employees are typically friendly, but you don't find many who actually have experience in the outdoors, especially technical experience. On a recent trip to the Lynnwood, WA store, I purchased a bicycle for my wife. So naturally, we made our way to the bicycle area. There was only one person in that area, so we asked for help in determining the most appropriate bike for my wife. She didn't know a lot about bicycles, but we politely listened to her make a couple general comments. We then told her that we have narrowed our choice to two models. She then quickly said, "well when you decide, let me know", and then walked off. Up until this point, we probably talked for only two or three minutes, so this was a very short conversation. So we made our final decision and looked around for this girl. I could see her at the other side of the store doing laps around the main path inside the store. It wasn't like she was helping anyone; she was just slowly strolling, as if she was bored. Well, she never came back to the bicycle desk, so we had to find another employee to help us. This next person was fantastic. But our experience with the first employee was so off-putting, that the experience really colors my view of today's REI. But even more concerning is the quality of their own branded products, namely the jackets and coats that use their proprietary waterproof/breathable membrane called Elements. Between my wife and myself, we have had 3 jackets with Elements that have failed. Two of them began leaking at the seams very quickly. Another one failed because it began to de-laminate and eventually ripped (I could see the rip through the inner nylon lining). Well, because these all failed outside of the "return" window, we were told that they couldn't help us. Now I know that retailers have to protect themselves from unscrupulous professional "returners". These unethical returns represent a significant drain on profits. However, if a customer has a legitimate issue with a failed product, a company should take that seriously. REI used to be that kind of company back in the day, but it's more like a Wal-Mart these days (no offense to the Walton billionaires.) It's very sad because I still have a lot of REI branded clothing, among a lot of technical gear. But now I tend to look at different online retailers who have the same products. In the past, I would opt to head to my local REI store in support of the local economy. But today's REI does not give me much incentive to do that any longer.

I liked their service until I attempted to sign up for a credit card. I was promised a $100 gift card that never showed. I called US Bank to question the issue only to be treated rudely by an arrogant phone rep. It appears they only care about the money while pitching their Earthy front.

Ordered a bike rack online. Supposed to be shipped to store on Wednesday. I called on Thursday. The guy said it's still in transit and it'll be in the Saturday's shipment. He said it with such a stern voice that it's just business as usual for them to delay a shipment by 3 days. No apologies whatsoever. And they advertised the $50 min free shipping online, but then if you want to order a bike rack, which is not really that oversized in the grand scheme of things, they want an extra $20 to ship to your house. That, and it's just an overpriced store running by a bunch of snobs. The only reason I shopped there was because I had a $200 gift card. In this day and age when everything is free shipping, there's no reason to tag on another $20 for shipping on a product that's overpriced to begin with.

REI makes it impossible to shop online. Their website keeps showing errors like it has been hacked. When you contact their customer service line they tell you it's your fault. Do they want people to spend their money or not? This is not the action of a company that cares about its customer OR about staying in business.

REI please get better software for your website it is frustratingly slow. it did not filter by price properly either. I am only shopping on it because someone gave me a gift card. OMG I can't believe I just wasted so much time it is absolutely NOT worth any money saved on brand names