Tim S.

Disappointed to say the least. 20+ year REI club member and will never shop here again. Always though REI sold quality product and offered great customer service however my most recent experience has left me disillusioned. Recently purchased a pair of Keen sandals from what I thought was a closeout or discontinued display. They looked fine and did not appear to have any damage of any kind. Tried them on and they seemed to fit fine. Took them home wore them for about 20 minutes and they turned out to be the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever owned. Attempted to return them to the store the following day and was informed by the cashier and the manager that they were "Garage Sale Items" and were unreturnable. I politely protested and questioned how was I supposed to know they were unreturnable. Neither the item tag, the receipt, or any signage in the area displayed the return status of this item. In fact when question about the location of the signage stating that the "Garage Sale items were not returnable the manager just said that "its over there somewhere". But wasn't exactly sure where that was. The store manage insisted that they would not offer a refund under any circumstances so told her I have no use for the sandals and that I would never attempt to sell or give them to anyone knowing the issues with them so would she be kind enough to dispose of them for me. Left the shoes on her counter and left the store. Immediately contacted corporate customer service and after 43 minutes and speaking with 3 supervisors and a 1000 apologies the best resolution they could come up with was to offer me a $25 gift card for the $66.83 defective shoes they sold me. Really not a sincere and adequate resolution.

No problem with the no return policy on the "garage sale" items however if you truly pride your reputation on exceptional customer experience, you really should have the items marked as unreturnable and the cashier should acknowledge clearly that the purchase is a "garage sale" purchase that is not refundable. REI you made your problem my problem and were indifferent of my 20+ years of loyalty. My loyalty was worth less than $66.83 and the bitterness will remain indefinitely. Buyer Beware-Hope this saves someone else the inconvenience and the time.