REI="Return Every Item" is no more

[Lindahl]

I don't see how this will change anything. It might cut down on a tiny bit of abuse, but the people that really abuse the policy will just abuse it more frequently - what's to stop them from returning the stuff and cycling gear at 11 months? The only people this hurts is the people who have legitimate satisfaction issues after a year (as Danno suggests, 1 year of ownership != 1 year of use). That said, 1 year is still a long time, and will probably cover most people in legitimate cases, but it won't cover all of them, like the old policy did. Maybe the more frequent abuse from the real abusers will cause them to be red-flagged more often - I guess that could be a win, but without knowing internal policies about red-flagging, who knows.

Note other key phrases in their new clause:
"REI’s guarantee doesn’t cover ordinary wear and tear or damage caused by improper use or accidents."
"If your item has a manufacturing defect in its materials or workmanship, you can return it at any time. See our limited warranty."

[neck beard]

hey, the fuckers at REI won't even take responsibility for selling defective product under their own label < insert Big Steve legal defense of the bullshit >


Nice to see BC & REI acting like the WalMart's they are.


awww fuck TGR avantlinking REI? That's crap. REI sells defective made in China shit fabricated by underage slaves.

Just read the bicycle story. Nasty.

[GeezerSteve]

So, REI is like a (corporate) victim of the system?

No. You guys don't get it. Did you read the TAY thread? I made it quite clear that I personally think branders should be legally liable as manufacturers. See the TAY thread.

I'm an unwitting shill because I think brander's [sic] of product should be held responsible for the product the sell?

Correct. Ranting against REI is exactly what those in power want you to do. Scapegoating is key to the insurance lobby's plan. If you buy into their scapegoating, you're their shill.

The Monika/REI case was about the interplay between two sets of statutes, one of which -- a law shielding branders -- was the product of heavy lobbying by the products liability insurance industry. I explain that in detail in the TAY thread. If you want branders to be responsible as manufacturers, the change has to happen in 50 different state legislatures and will involve a fight against the insurance lobby. Good luck on that. Directing your ire at REI won't do shit. That's exactly what the insurance carrier lobby wants you to do, i.e., ignore the problem and rant about a scapegoat.

If there's any group that has the weight to change these laws, it's the American Association for Justice fka The Association of Trial Attorneys of America. But, of course, they are evil because the insurance companies have told us that all trial attorneys are evil. So, whatever you do, don't support anything coming from the evil trial lawyers lobby.

Get it now?

[philth]

This thread is awful. EVERYBODY here knows more than one asshole that has abused REI's return policy repeatedly and fuck them. REI sucks balls as a company but I don't blame them one bit. Nobody gives a shit if you used your product 5 times in 3 years before it broke. Your kid could of drove over it in the garage and never told you. Your a fucking douche to try and return it. If you don't feel like a worthless pussy walking in with your return then the laugh is on you. The pussification of America continues......

Like Big Steve said they will honor defective products and manu warranty's.

[Hugh Conway]

Get it now?

I'm not a jury or judge, not qualified to make that decision.

How much of the $2 do the sea lions get?

they probably get a fish kickback. was curious if the platform owners collected protection money from all the boats in the harbor.

[GeezerSteve]

Laugh all you want, boy. Since Reagan era deregulation, the exposure to big jury awards has been de facto regulation of consumer products.

[Stairmaster]

You've been hording Arc'teryx for this moment haven't you?

Don't get why anyone would be "happy" ain't none of this going to trickle down to you in savings. If anything cutting off geartrade/attic sales reduces bargains for bargain hunters

Haha, I'll never give up my Arc'teryx. I'm a gear whore and a hoarder

I shouldn't say I'm "happy" but it will be nice not to deal with people whining about how great REI's return policy is.

[concretejungle]

Danno - If you don't use something enough within a full year to determine if you are satisfied with it, then you probably didn't need it in the first place. Maybe take this as an opportunity to buy less random crap that you never use?

Um, why do you think he upgraded to a double wide?

[RootSkier]

Jesus fucking christ Danno, step away from the keyboard.

Also in this thread: Hugh spewing faux outrage. Shocking!

[DasBlunt]

I don't get your point. If the chair falls apart in less than two years, it's defective and REI will cover it. If the chair does not fall apart until years later, the chair had outlived its useful life, and you got a good deal on a cheap chair that lasted for its foreseeable useful life. The problem with REI's former policy is that many -- yes, many, i.e., thousands of -- people used an item well past its foreseeable useful life and then returned the item on the pretext that they were "not 100% satisfied" with their purchase. Proving subjective satisfaction is impossible and people therefore have the ability to game the system by merely lying, and that's why the old policy was absurd in the first place.

BTW, I have a couple of those chairs. They failed in their first year. I repaired them. Repairing gear is what I almost always do when it fails; I'm the guy who pays a higher price for everything to subsidize those who game the system.

Some people don't like to return defective stuff and "fight" over the claim, the simple process of old was much less confrontational.

Having said that, I have returned perfect unused shit I found at home , for money or for trade at REI. I knew I would pay full price, but I also knew I would be able to return it.

REI has garage sales where they keep the margins of loss VERY low. One of the reasons I bought big ticket items there is because I knew if any strange shit went down with it, I could get out of the item very painlessly, and also know they were still making their money....or maybe not.......

.....I don't know, if they failed to return stuff to the manufacturer on real defects...........Mid level President failure, eh? I would get someone fired for that nip-slip..

I call bullshit on the decision unless they are that dumb not to follow up with manufacturers about real claims and they really did lose all that margin because the garage sales don't profit compared to actually returning shit.

I guess Backcountry is now it? I bought some snow pants, and a seam busted from my fat ass hiking so much this year. I know the manufacturer will cover it, but Backcountry will too.....dealing with the Manuf. will actually be more of a hassle.....

[Hugh Conway]

Jesus fucking christ Danno, step away from the keyboard.

Also in this thread: Hugh spewing faux outrage. Shocking!

rootdouche responding to the junior rontele sign in the clouds, out of breath from his ambulance 5K, still feeling the tribal bond with his retail barista bro's. A little gluten in your diet might help the brain function.

[splat]

I don't see a little tension in the convo preventing some good sourdough wit and cold steel legal opinion from surfacing.

Bravo, Hugh Conway and Big Steve!

[neck beard]

rootdouche responding to the junior rontele sign in the clouds, out of breath from his ambulance 5K, still feeling the tribal bond with his retail barista bro's. A little gluten in your diet might help the brain function.

First class Hugh right there. damn good.

[spook]

Laugh all you want, boy. Since Reagan era deregulation, the exposure to big jury awards has been de facto regulation of consumer products.

unless you're a hip co-op of urban tats. then you're just nice and regulate yourself as part of the community - it's right there on their member events calendar for june.

[iceman]

REI sucks. People game the warranty because the store sucks and they don't give a shit if it goes out of business. So instead of making the store better REI tightens the warranty program. Bravo REI. Now die.

[moose pit]

This just in, Patagonia's warranty is STILL awesome.

My old Torrent shell just lost a good potion of the seam taping. I brought it to the Ventura store with the hope they could just re-tape the affected seams, if only a temp fix. At the most I thought they might give me store credit for the original price. Turns out it was 18 years old, or at least they found it in an 18 year old catalog, I don't think it was that old. Instead they just gave me a brand new shell. FNKA.

They could have told me to pound sand and I think they would be totally justified. Hell, if they could fix it I was just going to use seam sealer.

They did tell me if this shell failed in 18 years not to bring it back and just call it even. So much for a lifetime warranty

Maybe stateside... I picked up a whitesmoke soft shell for the wife (I think it was 280 ish retail) day two of use and the seam tape blows on one side... I says return it to Patagucci, they send $120 gift card for their online or retail outlet. I shoulda fixed it myself.

[GeezerSteve]

Not getting this "everything at REI is full MSRP" thing. REI sells a shitload of stuff at sale prices. Is that only in the Seattle flagship store? Most of my REI purchases in the past several years have been for sale items or using a 20% off coupon or a 30% off friends/family coupon. REI's return room has some smokin' deals, often <50% retail. I also have an REI Visa card that gives me an additional 5% dividend on top of the annual (usually 10%) dividend (and also gives me a 1% dividend on non-REI purchases). So, when I buy a "full price" REI item w/o a coupon, I get a 15% discount, i.e., 15% off retail is the most I ever pay for an REI item, and I usually pay considerably less than that cuz I buy most of my items on sale or I use a coupon. Sometimes the -15% beats the best deal I can find elsewhere. Sometimes not. Nonetheless, I don't shop much at REI and most of my gear money goes to local shops, directly to domestic manufacturers (e.g., McHale, Feathered Friends, Oware) or for materials to DIY make/repair stuff myself.

ETA: To my best recollection, in my 37 years of being an REI member I have returned one item under the subjective 100% satisfied warranty. I have returned numerous items for objective warranty reasons (i.e., defective stuff).

[Hugh Conway]

there's better reward credit cards, outside of seattle the "return room" blows (it's peak was ~2000 when it was shelves in the back of the store regular like anyways), and they don't stock anything worthwhile at most stores outside of the PNW. ex: most bay area REIs stock little for bc skiing and climbing. as in not even a few touring skis or bindings or boots.

[GeezerSteve]

You should take all measures to avoid such an awful place. Terrible that you've had to suffer so much 'til now.

Seriously, REI is just one more resource, e.g., everybody around here sells isobutane/propane cans, prusik perlon and other sundries for the same price, so why not get them at REI and get the 10% dividend? FWIW, the Seattle flagship store has a very well stocked climbing section, not much different that MMW and better than everyone else in town.

REI = Safeway. I don't usually shop at Safeway, but I don't hate on it.

[Hugh Conway]

You should take all measures to avoid such an awful place. Terrible that you've had to suffer so much 'til now.

Seriously, REI is just one more resource, e.g., everybody around here sells isobutane/propane cans, prusik perlon and other sundries for the same price, so why not get them at REI and get the 10% dividend? FWIW, the Seattle flagship store has a very well stocked climbing section, not much different that MMW and better than everyone else in town.

REI = Safeway. I don't usually shop at Safeway, but I don't hate on it.

REI killed off most of the other outdoor stores "here" asshole (and many other places). But keep on with the "I'm from Seattle, isn't everywhere like Seattle? schtick". Most REI's... aren't like the Seattle flagship. You know, what I wrote in the post you didn't read so you could respond with your Seattle is speical and awesome schtick?

[DasBlunt]

REI killed off most of the other outdoor stores "here" asshole (and many other places). But keep on with the "I'm from Seattle, isn't everywhere like Seattle? schtick". Most REI's... aren't like the Seattle flagship. You know, what I wrote in the post you didn't read so you could respond with your Seattle is speical and awesome schtick?

My rental this week is from Seattle, she rocks.

[GeezerSteve]

REI killed off most of the other outdoor stores "here" asshole (and many other places).

Other online retailers have contributed much more to the demise of B&M outdoor shops. HC, do you refuse to do biz with online outdoor retailers? Yeah, figured not. It's all about hating Seattle for you. Something happened in your childhood, e.g., your uncle from Seattle buttfucked you? Or is it merely envy?

FWIW, I will always hate on REI for killing off mom & pop bicycle shops. That's the reason I don't feel bad when I try on boots, etc. at REI and then buy them elsewhere.

Funny thing here in Seattle aka Top of HC's list of Most Hellish Place in the History of Humanity: Several locally owned outdoor shops (e.g., FF, Barefoot Ted's place, Play It Again) have set up shop within a block or two of the REI flagship store.

[Hugh Conway]

Funny thing here in Awful Seattle aka Most Hellish Place in the History of Humanity: Several locally owned outdoor shops (e.g., FF, Barefoot Ted's place, Play It Again) have set up shop within a block or two of the REI flagship store.

errr - I've stated many times it's the Seattleites (or to be specific a vocal subset of them) that make Seattle suck. The whole lecturing Hugh about the place he lived and things he knows like he's a retard thing is an A1 example of the Seattleite douche.

[GeezerSteve]

errr - I've stated many times it's the Seattleites (or to be specific a vocal subset of them) that make Seattle suck.

Not the nicehole drivers?

[Rip'nStick]

REI = Safeway. I don't usually shop at Safeway, but I don't hate on it.

^^^ This. In many places in the US, including my new home in SoCal, REI or Adventure16 are the only decent outdoors stores in miles. I don't shop there much, mostly because I pretty much have everything I need for the foreseeable future. The last time I stopped in, they were the only place I could find quality thermal underwear for little rippers. I cruised the whole store and realized I had everything that I might want on every aisle but I picked up an icebreaker t-shirt from the clearance rack.

I really don't get all the hate and outrage at REI. Their generous return policy definitely tempted me into purchases I would have thought twice about and I am not ashamed to say I returned a tent where the shock cord in the tent poles lost its stretch. Do they fill a function - yes indeed. Have they put some independents out of business - sure, that's the free market we are lucky to have. Do people bitching about the 1YEAR return policy need to get a life... I'll let you answer that one yourself.