REI Drops Their 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

[Big Bone]

I just got this Email-

" Since 1938, getting you outfitted with the right gear to enjoy your outdoor adventures has been our number one goal. We have earned a well-deserved reputation for our friendly expertise, and our 100% guarantee means that we stand behind everything we sell. REI has one of the best return policies in retail, and we remain committed to your satisfaction with everything you buy at REI. We also have a small, but growing, number of customers who stretch our policy beyond its intended purpose. To ensure that we can continue to offer our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, we're updating our policy: You have one year from purchase to return or exchange any item you're not satisfied with, except items purchased from REI-OUTLET, which must be returned within 30 days of purchase. If you want to learn more, please click here. These updates enable us to maintain our robust policy and, as always, stand behind all purchases made at REI and REI-OUTLET. We are committed to getting you into the very best gear and apparel for your outdoor adventures. This means offering you great service and standing behind the products we sell. That was the case in 1938, and it remains true today. I thank you for your support and patronage of REI and wish you a season of unforgettable outdoor experiences. Tim Spangler Senior Vice President, Retail"

Wow, thats a bad move on their part. That was the only reason I ever shopped there. It was an insurance policy so that if in the 4 times a year I used their product and it broke I could take it back.

[nelsonccc]

Not that surprising. My friend works there and she says you wouldn't believe the stuff people bring back. She was telling me last week how someone brought back a tent that was heavily used and 5-6 years old with failing zippers and wanted a full refund. I thing anytime people take advantage of something then the company will protect themselves. Have you ever been to an REI garage sale? You can score unbelievable deals for brand new stuff that someone returned after a few nights. Like my Big Agnes -15 down bag. Tag on it said it was returned for being "too hot". Brand new, got it for $40.

You still have a full year which to me is still phenomenal.

[Iceaxe]

Yeah.... but I also knew at least one person that severely abused the guarantee. He would buy stuff like shoes or mtn bike in the early spring, use them for a year and then take them back for new or next years version. He would tell me I was stupid for not doing the same... but dang.... I have a serious sense or right and wrong that kept getting in the way.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Scott P]

Wow, thats a bad move on their part.

They still give you a year to return, which seems extremely reasonable to me.

[UTJetdog]

It sounds to me like they intend to take care of 99.9% of sales in the same way they have in the past. This just gives them the option to exclude the obvious abuses like the ones mentioned.

[Mtnseeker1]

Cool them bass turds been taking advantage on my trails long enough, Them and Suwya.

[Byron]

Maybe now that they won't be taking it in the shorts so often they'll lower their prices? Fat chance of that, eh? But then again, I wonder how long they can keep up the 20% premium they charge for the "get it now" convenience. A majority of big ticket items I've purchased in the last 6 years or so have been through Amazon. I don't think I've paid full price on anything there in many years...coupon or clearance or forget it.

I've had to return a couple things there, but they were within a month or so and full on product failures. Yeah, I'm a pretty honest dude, too.

[Iceaxe]

I could care less what REI does. I haven't bought anything at that over priced place in over 5 years. I bet 90% of everything I buy is over the web...

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Big Bone]

I personally didn't mind paying over price for their stuff because I had an insurance policy that if it ever fails I could take it back and get a new one. That is why I always shopped there. At this point though I think I'll do the usual, go in, check it out, try it on, then buy it of the internet for a better price.

I think this is very foolish of them, especially in this day and age to make this kind of move.

[hank moon]

Only hardcore abusers (and careless consumers) will be bummed by the new policy. It's about time they did something about "Return Every Item"

[DiscGo]

Yeah, this is another example where the few ruin it for the many. This is no way changes my opinion of REI, but I'm hopeful that (as it says above) REI will continue to ensure my satisfaction to a reasonable extent.

[reverse_dyno]

There are lot of gullible people on this thread. Don't you think that REI can track the number of returns someone makes and then revoke their membership if they abuse it? Someone in this tread just said that he knew a guy that bought a new bike and returned it at the end of the season. Well, he can still do that. He just can not return it after two seasons, just one.

Nothing, in this policy stops people from abusing the return policy. What it does stop, is people like me that expect their backpack to last more than 1 season from returning the gear if it breaks in season 2. One season means ~30 days of backpacking. Shouldn't I expect a backpack to last 40 days of backpacking?

This is not to stop abusers, this change is due to the fact that much of the gear REI sells has become very low quality and only lasts 1 season.

The REI staff actually encourages people to return gear that doesn't last as long as you think it should. When I called them up and told them I broke one of my poles, they told be to return it. They did not tell me to call Black Diamond up and tell them to give me new pole. It was a warranty return, so shouldn't BD be responsible and not REI?

REI is simply using the abuse argue as a ruse, and it seems many people are buying it.

I now shop at backcountry.com, which still offers a 100% lifetime satisfaction guarantee.

[hank moon]

REI cannot reasonably revoke membership if someone is using their policy as stated. A 100% lifetime satisfaction guarantee is a great marketing tool, perhaps, but is unsustainable, at least for competitively priced consumer goods.

If a pack lasts through one season of brutal backpacking, then breaks during season 2, well, that's the breaks. Stuff doesn't last forever. I once bought a pair of Vasque Sundowner hiking boots (can't remember from where). After one 7-day backpacking trip, they were completely trashed and unusable. I tried to return them, but was refused - they had simply been worn out in 7 days. I really couldn't fault the mfg's argument, but it was the last pair of Vasque boots I ever bought.

You get what you pay for. Good stuff lasts, not-so-good stuff doesn't. Note that quality manufacturers have their own guarantees that may exceed REI's. There is no such thing as 100% lifetime satisfaction, as REI has demonstrated. Look for others to follow their lead.

[Partly Animal]

Can't help but wonder how long until backcountry.com does the same.