I'll admit, I have done my fair share of returning items I wasn't completely satisfied with, sometimes after a year of purchasing it but these were usually items I had purchased then just had sit around for a long time while I never used them. I didn't see any harm in returning them for a store credit so I could but other things I needed much more.

As an example, I bought an OR Alpine Bivy in early 2010 and used it once, in 2011, then never used it again and just recently I returned it since I realized I will probably never use it again (I'm a fan of a tent in almost all cases) so I got my 269 dollars back and baught cams (which I now need ASAP lol). Some people might say this was abusing the policy but I didn't think so.

Now I have had other items I used like crazy for years such as my REI Half Dome 2hc two man tent that I probably slept in well over 400 nights over a 5 year period in all types of climate and terrain. Naturally the zippers started to break and the fabric was filthy and becoming stiff. I simply bought another Half Dome as that IMO was the right thing to do. The cost to fix the zippers on my old text would have been almost twice the cost of just buying a new one!

I suppose the change in policy won't affect me but I can understand why others may complain. REI has also been very generous when it comes to fixing my gear. I have never had a problem bringing gear to then and getting parts, such as a trekking pole tip etc. withour charge. I'd rather do that than return it for a new one if possible.

Well, at least 1 year should be more than enough time to find out that the zippers on REI brand stuff still suck and the item needs to be returned...

Buz Groshong wrote:

mrchad9 wrote:You said I was justifying my own bad behavior. Not true.

For example... I bought a pack, used it for eight years. Then the ice ax loop fell off. I took it in and asked if they could fix or replace it. Their decision was to look it up in their system, see what I paid for it, and refund me the money. Then I bought the same pack again which by that time was $17 cheaper.

Nothing wrong with doing that, it was their decision. And that policy has encouraged me and many others to be loyal customers and buy 100s of other items that didn't get returned.

I guess we're just different. I wouldn't have expected them to fix it or replace it after 8 years. I'd have just fixed the loop myself, or maybe bought a new pack.

What if you only took the pack out 2 times in 8 years?

DrGranola wrote:Well, at least 1 year should be more than enough time to find out that the zippers on REI brand stuff still suck and the item needs to be returned...

That is the problem some of us wash our zippers after using the gear and now the tent may last 2 years rather than just one. What their new policy tells me is that I should just abuse my gear like everyone else.

Many good companies (e.g. Big Agnes) will replace zippers for nothing if they fail in less than three years and the tent does not look massively abused. Osprey tends to replace packs even when they are abused. TNF sent me new tent poles at no cost 25 years after purchase (after a pole sheared in a storm), even though the 3 season tent poles were not guaranteed.

I've returned many items to REI when there was a clear defect; e.g. I had a gaiter strap that ripped off after 3 uses, two packs that split down the middle of the back, and a pair of boots that destroyed the top of my toes after the rand caved in (on the 4th day they were worn).

I'll miss the ease of return, but it was bound to happen. There are too many slackers who grossly abused the policy. The outdoor community is not the same as it was in 1990. I really don't want to pay --indirectly-- for the jerk who returns his boots after 3 years, simply because they wore out from constant use and a lack of maintenance.

The old policy seemed to encourage a lackadaisical attitude (at REI) toward quality control. I pleaded with them to fix the design of the old flash 30 packs, but was told I could return the gear if it failed. If something fails 20 miles from nowhere, there is little comfort in knowing that I can return it when (if) I get back. The old policy also encouraged people not to care for their gear.

MoapaPk wrote: The old policy also encouraged people not to care for their gear.

The new policy encourages some to help it fail before the year is up.

Shitheads are going to be shitheads.

norco17 wrote:

MoapaPk wrote: The old policy also encouraged people not to care for their gear.

The new policy encourages some to help it fail before the year is up.

Shitheads are going to be shitheads.

Couldn't that happen anywhere? Most places will replace merchandise with defects, and always take the chance that someone will rip a pack/tent intentionally to get a return.

Matt Lemke wrote:I'll admit, I have done my fair share of returning items I wasn't completely satisfied with, sometimes after a year of purchasing it but these were usually items I had purchased then just had sit around for a long time while I never used them. I didn't see any harm in returning them for a store credit so I could but other things I needed much more.

You mean once the buzz of an unnecessary new purchase bought off you wanted another hit and found a cheap way to score it.

As an example, I bought an OR Alpine Bivy in early 2010 and used it once, in 2011, then never used it again and just recently I returned it since I realized I will probably never use it again ... Some people might say this was abusing the policy but I didn't think so.

No, selfish people usually don't see themselves as selfish. We justify all kinds of things in the pursuit of self-interest.

How about just take responsibility for your poor choice and not expect others to wear the cost?

This attitude to gear returns, not just at REI, has been something I've noticed here on Summitpost over the years. I've always found it ethically reprehensible and socially disappointing and I'm not surprised the economic consequences have finally hit home. Time to grow up.

Choose smarter. If you make a mistake, sell it, take the loss and do better next time. It's not about 'policy', that's a cop out - it's about responsibility and integrity. Don't expect others to pay for your incompetence.

MoapaPk wrote:Well, I hope they still keep the stores open, so I can try out gear, and try on shoes, and then buy those items at lower prices on-line.

This used to be my policy as well. But when Marmot Mountain Works in Berkeley shut it doors I changed. I like having local options that offer a broader selection of technical gear than REI may carry. So now I try to make it a point to buy most gear/clothing items from local shops such as Mammoth Mountaineering, The Fifth Season, or The Backcountry, even if I wind up paying more, as I don't want to have REI become my sole local option and then become even more reliant on internet vendors. While you may not consider those as "local", they need support to keep the doors open. YMMV

This week I'm taking a pair of boots I bought back to REI. Some of the stitching is coming loose and I will be damned if I am going to be stuck with it after a year is up.

I need a new medium size pack too. Normally I would just pick the best one REI had around, as their return policy was always an option if the pack didn't work out... And I have 100s of items I never returned (so this suggestion that others have to pay for returns doesn't even being to hold water). Anyway... now I'll use REI to try out some packs for size and then go online and get it cheaper from backcountry.com or something. No doubt the new policy will save REI some money, but it will cost them some too.

And someone mentioned the vendors themselves often have great warranties. +1 for Black Diamond, who just replaced my trecking poles free of charge. I've also got a tent from them, several ice axes, and plenty of other gear. I'll be buying more thanks to their excellent customer service.

96avs01 wrote:

MoapaPk wrote:Well, I hope they still keep the stores open, so I can try out gear, and try on shoes, and then buy those items at lower prices on-line.

This used to be my policy as well. But when Marmot Mountain Works in Berkeley shut it doors I changed. I like having local options that offer a broader selection of technical gear than REI may carry. So now I try to make it a point to buy most gear/clothing items from local shops such as Mammoth Mountaineering, The Fifth Season, or The Backcountry, even if I wind up paying more, as I don't want to have REI become my sole local option and then become even more reliant on internet vendors. While you may not consider those as "local", they need support to keep the doors open. YMMV

I was being ironic. Big Box stores all over are in trouble. Especially for items like footwear, I always buy them at the place that lets me try them for fit. It's false economy to buy on-line at 75% of the price, then never wear the boots because they don't fit well.

mrchad9 wrote: Normally I would just pick the best one REI had around, as their return policy was always an option if the pack didn't work out...

Why not just research and buy the best pack rather than rely on trial and error at someone else's expense?

And I have 100s of items I never returned...

If you have bought '100s' of items that you don't use and don't need then you shop too much and the problem is not with REI.

Damien Gildea wrote:

mrchad9 wrote: Normally I would just pick the best one REI had around, as their return policy was always an option if the pack didn't work out...

Why not just research and buy the best pack rather than rely on trial and error at someone else's expense?

And I have 100s of items I never returned...

If you have bought '100s' of items that you don't use and don't need then you shop too much and the problem is not with REI.

No I just meant I'll try packs on within the store to see what fits and then go buy it cheaper online. It isn't at anyone's expense.

And I use 100s of items I haven't returned. Never said I bought them and don't use them. You assumed things I didn't say.

mrchad9 wrote:No I just meant I'll try packs on within the store to see what fits and then go buy it cheaper online. It isn't at anyone's expense.

Those stores where you try on packs, but don't buy, will be out of business soon. They have to hire employees, pay the utility and rental bills, pay for inventory maintenance and shipping, etc. They can't compete with on-line stores. Then we will have just on-line stores where you can't try anything on, and some fraction of the items you buy will be unsuitable and will just sit in your closet or end up at garage sales, or you may be able to return them for shipping and a substantial restocking fee. Circle of life.

I really doubt REI will go bankrupt or out of business, they didn't with the old return policy and probably won't with the new one.

I remember many folks saying BP would go out of business for spilling a couple tankers worth of oil in the Gulf. But they never got close.