REI Reviews

Too bad I no longer shop there. I’ve purchased maybe 8 things from them and was never truly satisfied with their sales staff, everyone seemed to be distracted and fairly disinterested in taking more than 40” with questions it took me 5 days of going to the store to ask the same questions on the tires for a bike finally the repair shop which REI does not own answered my questions.

The box for the new shoes shipped to store is destroyed. Huge holes in it! This is a gift and it looks terrible. They threw it around in truck. Awful looking gift wrapped with several knife holes. Expensive shoes too! Not very happy. BE CAREFUL WITH PAID MERCHANDISE.

Very disappointed with the customer service. I purchased the REI Co-op Half Dome SL 2+ Tent on July 13 to be delivered in Canada (QC). When I looked frequently on the REI website, no tracking number was provided, saying it is an international shipment (US -> CA). Since my delivery was one week late already (Aug 8), I asked REI for a tracking number by email.

I placed an online order for pickup, and it's been a nightmare with their payment processing system. I ordered two items that would take 2 weeks to ship into store. I paid with a VISA giftcard. It was all good until I received an email a week later letting me know that there was an issue with the payment. It turns out that REI will authorize and reauthorize the payment every week until the order is picked up to ensure sufficient funds. However, this process sucks since the re-release of the original pre-authorization takes 7-10 days for the funds to come back into the gift card. So effectively, there's always a massive delay between when the pre-authorization comes back to the gift card and the upcoming re-authorization, causing the funds to be drained from the gift card.

Never ever do business with them! Incredibly rude and unreasonable customer service! I bought some items from them a while ago and there were some issues like damaged, soiled and wrong versions. I sent them photo proof but they denied problems. I called them but they didn't want to help. They didn't reply to my messages. When I chatted with them, they disconnected me before the problem was solved! Their 100% satisfaction guarantee is a false advertisement. They eliminate these who they didn't want to do business with and the rest became 100% satisfied. They are thieves as well, as they revoked my membership card which has 10% rebate associated with all my orders.

Have been buying from REI for years but since last year I notice they always cancel orders without reasons and when asked they will say due to some logistics or management excuses. And the items are also arriving damaged and they refuse to take responsibility. Such a company is doomed to close soon.

Ordered a Pungo 120 online and shipped to a local store for pick up. REI put a pending charge on my bank account for the amount at that time. Then it came in a week later. I was on the other side of the country and had to wait. They put another pending charge on my account. Then the following week I picked up the kayak. Happy with the product, but they Then charged my account without removing the 2 pending charges. My bank has sent 2 faxes to get them to release the 2 pending charges of $2600.00. It is now a month later and no release of those 2 pending charges. We cannot access this money without a release on both charges. The kayak (Wilderness kayaks) company referred me to this store to purchase this kayak. This was the first time and will be the last time I buy ANYTHING from Rei. The staff was friendly but we continue to get the run around with the accounting department.

Soles came off both sandals within two years. REI‘s policy for returning is only one year. Keen's warranty is only one year also. Sandals cost over $120. When you pay that much for a pair of sandals and you go on trips around the world you need a reliable product.

Do not buy a bike from REI. They are real nice when you go to buy. They say 1 year guarantee, but when you go back with a problem they will charge you. They do not stand behind their guarantee!!! Torrance store.

On (1/16/2022), around 10:30am, I went to REI to pick up my running shoe (I called 20 mins ahead to make sure is ready). Some guy answered the phone with a lazy, unclear voice, then finally he said that my shoe was ready for pick up. I got there and a red hair girl said that..."It said here that your shoe was picked up". I said, "I just got here". Then she looked again and found my shoe in the back. Does REI has some kind of balance and check a customer picked up his/her item? Or was this guy tried to SCAM me?

I have read the negative reviews and they gave me pause but I purchased anyway and thought I would post my experience. I bought some Kinco gloves seriously discounted (via REI Garage) and I asked for them to be shipped to my store to save me $. They were suppose to show up Friday but I never got a they're here email and since I needed them for a xmas gift exchange I thought I'd better reach out which I did via chat.

Ordered a pair of Hoka sneakers. Wrong color was sent. Returned item within two days. Tracked the return and REI has had the return for three weeks and I still haven't been refunded. I have never had such poor customer service from any on-line ordering. Better off to stick to companies who will refund your return promptly and not hold onto your hard earned cash.

I have been a member (#**) of REI for 10 years plus now and I never had any issues in the past 10 years. I ordered 2 kids jackets and 2 adults jackets from REI with an estimated date of arrival of 20th. I could have Amazon it because the dates generally provided by Amazon is more to the point. But I didn’t, as I have been a fan and a big proponent of REI from ages and because of me, number of my friends are REI members now too. My order did not arrive on 20th and it's 23rd now and I still don’t have my order. I needed the order because of travel planned for thanksgiving and we are leaving tomorrow. I chat and called customer service many times. The first time I talked to them was on 20th as I was worried that my order didn’t arrive. The customer service representative said that generally the delivery date is an estimate and they can't do anything until it's 23rd.

Did not honor their policy on returns. Seven months ago I purchased a pair of La Sportiva hiking boots. They told me it had it one year return policy. I tried to return them today and they told me they would not take them back because they were too worn. They are hiking boots. I wear them three times a week and do 3 miles each time. This is not a lot of hiking. But they did not honor their return as I was told when I purchased that I had one year to return them if they became damaged. They tore out on the seams on both shoes. In all my years hiking this has never happened on any boot I have ever owned. This is clearly a flawed product. The tread is still intact. It was not overly worn. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. Please do not trust the one-year policy of returns. They did not honor that today. As I purchased these boots seven months ago and they refused to take them back.

The prices for repairs at this place is ridiculous. I took my bike there to have a shock installed a week ago, it’s the “promise date” today and the shop manager said it would probably be ready Saturday and here I am on Tuesday with no transportation. They also had no idea when it would be ready after the day they promised. Terrible customer service, terrible work.

For many years REI was our go to, trusted outdoor supply store. They always stood behind anything we bought there either replacing or repairing items that failed, even ones that weren't their own brand. This no longer is the case especially for tents. They just want to send items out to 3rd party retailers for repair at customers' expense or expect you to fix problems yourself, even when the problem is with their own brand tent.

While they claim 1 year return policy, they will not honor it for used shoes. I bought 2 pairs of Columbia shoes and both failed in the same location after 3 days of use in rocky terrain. Since we were on camping trip in another country we could not return them immediately. By the time we got them back it was 4 months since we had bought them. They refused return even though the wear and tear was only a week worth, but the product had failed with stitches. They said it's a warranty claim with Columbia and Columbia will like to hear from me since they have a defective product. Do not advertise 1 year return policy.

They will cancel you on a day before the event just because they did not have enough participants. I am not scheduling any events with them again. This is to be expected when hosting a group event, they many not get many participants every day.

Due to “guidelines”, I am forced to refrain from all caps, but this should be in all caps, never ever again, will I trade in a $300 tent for Rei to come, falsely back with, there was a “rip/tear” in a gently used mess than 6yr old Kelty tent with a poor design. Congratulations rei, I will no longer shop at your store and I will literally cut up the credit card bearing your name as well.

The whole online order was a mess because they claimed to have the items on stock when they didn’t. Long story short. I ordered doubles, and have not been able to receive a refund on the order I returned in person. No confirmation email, nothing. I order from Backcountry.com too and I prefer their service now, I have not have this problem with them.

I’m in the Alaskan bush and have no way of getting to a post office but I need a pair of hiking shoes exchanged that I purchased at REI. When I spoke with the representative I was told I haven’t owned them long enough (I’ve put well over 50 miles on them) and that I would have to pay FULL PRICE for a replacement pair until I could return the pair that’s giving me blisters. The only reason I would ever pay their ridiculous prices is for the shoe return policy but so much for that! Go elsewhere, REI is just another company in it for the money, they don’t care about their customers. I’m infuriated but beyond that I’m stuck with these shoes for the summer. Thanks for absolutely nothing REI.

I have shopped at REI for a long time in SF, I like the way the store is set up, how they display their merchandise. They have many things I am interested in, the staff have been friendly and helpful. I do not feel pressured and enjoy being there, There are good sales, they carry other brands that I like as well. I feel that I get good value. I especially like their selection of sporting shoes both running and hiking. I can unequivocally recommend REI.

REI has been my go to sports store for past 45 years. I have purchased various items from snow skiing, camping, hiking, swimming, for international travels. REI staff are very helpful, knowledgeable, informative and professional that makes one never forget to come back for more.

They have a wide variety of different brands. Employees are always very willing to assist customers. Shoe dept is my favorite. Good selection of types from sandals to hiking boots. I have always had help with fitting them.

REI is my go to site to find boots for hiking and fishing, gear for camping out, food to take and coolers to keep it fresh. They also have a wide selection of tents, sleeping bags, lanterns and nets if needed. Most of their gear is the best price you will find and so you can avoid the need to keep searching. They are nice looking clothing for men and women and often carry items that are out of stock on other sites. Great place and the membership is well worth it.

I want to preface this by stating that I fully support mask wearing and all other required COVID restrictions. I have shopped in many places during the pandemic where the staff has both taken all the precautions and provided excellent service. This was not the case when we visited REI a couple of months ago. The overall experience was very poor. The staff was way more interested in enforcing every element of COVID policy than they were in providing any service. The men's dressing room attendant spent great effort to educate us on how long it was going to take for him to clean and basically told us to go somewhere else. A separate clerk was more interested in the way my wife wore her mask than the fact that the sun glasses she was showing us had permanent scratches in the lenses.

Disappointed. My name is Daniel, I been a member for more than 8 years. I feel very disappointed with REI, because is the second time this issue happened to me. I bought a Yeti cooler online from rei and when I received the “cooler” in a igloo brand box (in a bad shape) I knew that something was wrong again (2nd time). I opened the box and the cooler looked like a bear was playing with it (super damaged and used). I called costumer service and they told me that they sometimes sell used retuned items. I told her that why they were doing that, because I pay for a premium product (yeti$$$). She only told me that they will give my money back. I told her that they lost a loyal costumer and didn’t care. I don’t it’s legal to sell used products for new at regular price, but not buying there again.

Purchased day pack $47 plus tax. Pack did not fit properly. I failed to read that purchaser is responsible for return cost. Return expense was $15. What a crock? Never again will I purchase from REI Used Gear.

Purchased kayak rack and asked for install. Although not available until the following week, James assisted me in putting the parts together in the store, showing me how it was done. Staff was very helpful and accommodating!

My husband received a gift card for $50 and had a difficult time scratching off the PIN and when he finally did, the PIN was unreadable. He called the company and they told him they could not help him without a receipt. This was a gift! - (Yes, when we give gift cards we include the receipt, but this individual did not) He had the card # which they should be able to track and see that it had not been used. Very poor customer service!!