REI new return policy

[Honu]

no more unlimited returns anymore !
now its 1 year from purchase !

kinda bummed but typical if some took advantage of it that it was going to happen

if when I had to return stuff it was truly not happy with it ?

have to return my kids sleep pad ? tubes going head to toe its curling up on him in his big agnes bag ? never had the issue till recently ! better go today
a few things I had I was not loving I just sell off though bought 2 lanterns not stoked about as much as my goal zero so will put them up on expo soon ?
I dont like USING stuff heavy then returning it !
but I think getting something like the chairs trying them out at home a week is legit

I do think I will buy less from them and more from backcountry etc.. though ? save the tax and do mail order

 

[Kohburn]

the unlimited was far above and beyond but 1 year still seems pretty reasonable

 

[goodtimes]

One year is very reasonable - maybe even bordering on overly generous.

If it takes me more than a year to see if I like something, then I probably never use it & should ask myself why I bought it in the first place.

 

[Honu]

agree reasonable

only thing I liked about longer was the just in case say a sleeping pad fell apart after two years ? like came delaminated ? but I do think in some rare cases they might look at things individually ? when its truly a defect !

I know shoes I have only brought back twice ! once when Keen had a bad run and they came apart and the other time my kids shoes came apart but both were within the year ! when I was returning seems quite a few like batteries at costco wear them out then return !!!!!
kinda like when costco changed tv returns !!!

 

[tibfibber]

I agree, I've been expecting them to take this step for quite a while now. Abuse was pretty rampant in certain categories (but then again, then I've gotten some great stuff from the Used Gear Sales, which will no doubt suffer under the new changes) and have on occasion over the years taken back items that were old enough that 'only REI would have taken them back for a full refund', I admit it. The thing is, I almost always purchased something to replace that item during the same store visit; and often more items while I was at it. I always felt comfortable purchasing gear from REI under the old policy, and don't think the new policy will affect my future purchasing decisions at all.

Come on, if you can't figure out if some gear is working for you or not within a year??

I worked for a national motorcycle gear retailer(*) recently during the period when they tightened up their previously open-ended return policies significantly (to a posted 30 day policy). As a company with ~95 retail locations as well as online presence, there was some debate about how to handle stated policy vs implementation and customer service/relations in general. There was/is always a level of managerial discretion when it came to individual return issues, and if it had to do with actual defects, manufacturing or safety issues you should be able to have it addressed without any time constraints. In practice you might have to self-advocate, and be willing to stay on top of things. At corporate we usually heard when heard about it, when local stores weren't clear about it. I'm pretty sure the REI stores will be much more adept at managing individual cases under this new policy.

(*) should be obvious if you're around motos, there's only one in the US.

agree reasonable

only thing I liked about longer was the just in case say a sleeping pad fell apart after two years ? like came delaminated ? but I do think in some rare cases they might look at things individually ? when its truly a defect !

 

[nwoods]

Returns are one thing, what about exchanges? I really really REALLY took great comfort in the lifetime warranty aspects of the old warranty plan. I don't thing I should have more than 90 days or so to determine if I like a product, but if it breaks? Did they remove that aspect of their warranty? What about for REI branded products...is it different than other mfr items?

 

[Crom]

Regarding the new return policy, I read that if a product you buy had a problem after the 1 year mark and you believe it to be defective they will still help you. It appears it's not hard and fast.

 

[trailscape]

It's understandable I suppose, but I could only ever justify the substantial markup on items purchased there for that very reason. It was peace of mind on the rare occasion a tent pole might snap years later.

I only returned one item after a year and that was a backpack that sat on the shelf without even removing the tags.. Honestly, this will likely funnel more sales toward Amazon and eBay.

 

[Honu]

Backcountry and Moosejaw are also great online companies

I do wonder if its pro active or if its more for stuff purchased now and forward ?

 

[Rando]

Read the actual return policy:
http://www.rei.com/help/guarantee.html

You still have an unlimited warranty for defective merchandise, just a 1 year time limit for the 'I don't like the color' type of returns. If you can't figure out that those pants make your butt look big within a year, you have other issues. I think this is more than fair and still much better than the vast majority of retailers.

 

[454]

Reading the policy in its entirety, I'm satisfied that I'll still be satisfied in my dealings with REI.

 

[Honu]

I dont think its a issue of not being happy just they changed it ?

bad for hose people who abuse things like the stacks of 3 year old batteries at costco or all the used shoes at REI ruin it for everyone else

will be interesting to see if it changes many who buy there ? to me its more a you can buy it with no worries kinda like Nordstrom store and now its not quite the same level ? again might not matter

 

[Paredneck]

I just returned a defective thermorest neoair sleeping pad to them after having it for 3 years, no problem returning it at all. They will back up and defective product for life just won't take returns because something doesn't fit right or your unsatisfied with it after a year. still a better return policy than most places.

 

[hurricane harry]

first off it's a co-op, so shouldn't the members decide if the policy should be changed
second, when they take a product back it usually ends up in the basement at a very reduced price, probablly at their cost. So now you have a customer that gets a slighty used product at a great bargain, and the customer that originally returned the item is a happy customer that got to return the item. the time frame should not have been an issue

 

[Honu]

yeah was in this weekend asked the manager and the she said it was mainly shoes that lead them to the new policy and any failed item will be take care of if not abused !
they just want more power against those who abuse it !
they got an amazing about of totally worn out gear that they could not resell like shoes or gas canisters empty saying they did not work the way they wanted ? or pants worn out with holes 4 years old saying they were just not happy !
tents that were destroyed by age and abuse unable to sell etc..

sadly she said its amazing how many did abuse it but a year for most honest folks who buy something are not sure about it a year is a long time and again we will honor anything that does not hold up like it should !

my 4 year olds mattress was the long tube kind and it kept rolling up making him and his bag look like a taco every morning ? got the new quilted looking ones from Big Agnes

also returned a camp furniture piece in exchange for another TNF duffel

I have a few things I have to sell as I had them to long to return but was never happy with them or found something else better my fault !