REIReviews of rei.com

I bought some cool weather cycling gear, as their pricing was good and they had the items in stock. They were also offering free shipping. After 5 days, my order finally shipped. It was sent via 1st class mail (seemed strange to me, as the order should have been larger than an envelope). Three or four days later, the package (or whatever) decided to do a tour of California. Warehouse is in Phoenix, I live in Colorado, should be 2-3 days via UPS, but I digress. Calls to REI are impossible, they must be in the midst of screwing over anyone and everyone, so I went for a chat. This proved fruitless too, as the queue was forty deep. I waited my turn, and was promptly assured that the package was on its way. Duh, I have the internet too, I'm more interested in a resolution. To which it was to wait.

I bought a GoPro camera and accessories for $429+ and receive a camera that cannot take pictures unless you buy an extra SD Micro card. No built in storage. So I have to order (somewhere else, because never will I go to REI again for ANYTHING) again and wait more. Might has well buy a car that is delivered to you without an engine.

Horrible. We are ALL dealing with the effects of Covid-19, but REI seems to be taking advantage of its customers as a result. All of their stores are closed, at least here in NYC. I purchased a car mounted bike rack from their online store. It unfortunately does not work with my setup. So I wanted to return it. I can not bring it back to the store obviously, so my only option is to wait until the store reopens (whenever that happens) or ship it back at my own expense. It's RIDICULOUS! Especially when the customer service robots tell you how great their return policy is. It is NOT. Thanks REI for taking advantage of your customers during this horrible time.

Please stop sending out expensive, hard to recycle catalogs, not why I joined,#00764469

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.

Wow!!! Just got done getting... well completely screwed by REI. Ive never been there( now i know why) that place is a total RIP OFF. Paid $40 for a hydration bladder that amazon has for $12. The only reason i ended up there was i had a gift card. The card was $40.. i figured i could get a bladder and some other small BS(like chain lube,ect). The chain lube was $19(i got the same bottle from maxima for $5). All im saying , if you really need to get fuc#€d go to REI otherwise check anywhere else