REI change of policy gets front page in Wall Street Journal

“Chad Thomas, a longtime REI customer who has returned used items, put it another way: “Some people think I’m a scumbag,” he says.

“Earlier this year, Mr. Thomas, says he returned a backpack he bought in 2004, which he had hauled up the tallest mountain in Yosemite National Park and hundreds of miles across a number of states. But it “was getting old and dirty, and I didn’t like it anymore,” he says.”

Scumbag, scammer, … works for me. ( Best Warranties Thread)

I find it interesting that a piece comes out about it a few months later … A need to "justify" it?

There really is no reason to buy REI anymore IMO … Its not like they have the best prices or selection

Unless a company puts in explicitely that theyll take care of you, that policy is subject to abuse the other way … CSRs having a bad day, quotas, return budgets, etc … When u need to argue with a company and write the BBB, its lost any semblance of customer service

Of course a generous return policy will have a few people returning everything under the sun, thats the risk a business takes for its reputation

The funny thing is that companies not exactly known for top quality gear like lands end, ll bean, EB can do just fine … Even though they cater to the avg joe "return it all" schmoe

But some of the "best" outdoor companies who make the "best" gear cant do it at all

;)

Id say that is pretty accurate.the article, not the previous commenters post.

The policy is still more than generous. No sympathy from me.

Well it confirms what we'd been speculating, that rampant abuse of their return policy is what resulted in having it shut down.

Interestingly there's still some people here who defend that abuse, and take every opportunity to point out that it was REI's only selling point (in their opinion) so now they buy it cheaper elsewhere. Those are the type that ruined it for everyone else.

I can't speak for REI, but I know in my last business we would have said to customers like that, "Good riddance". A bad customer costs more than not having their business at all.

Frankly I'm quite amused how so many commenters relate to the abuse of rei's return policies to Obama.

"Frankly I'm quite amused how so many commenters relate to the abuse of rei's return policies to Obama."

Huh? None in this or the Best Warranties thread.

Citations please.

Sorry…the comments attached to the wsj article. Not here…

It seems like nearly all the commentary there discuss how the demise of this country's morals are to blame for REI's return policy about-face. And of course, we all know that's all Obama's fault.

Except for that one line of comments blaming REI's hippie, granola-crunching liberal environmentalist customers for all the world's ills.

Scammer vote for BAMMY … Theyre all welfare bums … We know that

Its funny how a few years ago everyone on BPL hated REI, saying they had cr@p heavy gear that scammer bought from

What an inprovement in their BPL image for reducing their policies

Next target … OR … How dare thy offer an infinite guarantee …. My BPL blood boils at the thought

;)

Jennifer where in the article is Obama mentioned????? Sorry I see you say in the comments section. Bunch of nuts in forums, Oh yeah I'm on a forum.

Eric, doesn't your standard diatribe get tiring even to you?

Up to you personal attacks again i see

Perhaps you would like to join the REI luuuv fest with a contribution on thr topic

;)

Here is a quick sample from just the first two pages of comments ON THE WSJ PAGE (there are now 7…):

Just another example of the fall of society in this country. We are going backwards people. No integrity. No accountability. That REI shopper who said he returns it because REI profits enough is all you need to know about society today. Most of his Obama supporters think exactly like he does.

long overdue. they shouls have even stricter return policy. I personally saw people return in REI completely used, worn off product, claiming "doesn't fit well". And I pay for that with higher price. Socialist attitude, get everyhting for free and fool everyone. Obama's army.

REI's customers are mostly liberal tree huggers and young over-indulged people who are ethically challenged, and who see no problem in taking advantage of a well intended, but naïve company policy.

As REI expanded & opened more stores in narcissistic, "yuppie", urban liberal areas like Santa Monica , Berkeley, and San Francisco , perhaps it was inevitable the new clientele would abuse the liberal exchange/return policies.
Too bad … a few ruined it for the many.

And let's not forget who ran REI recently, one Sally Jewell who is now BO's Interior Secretary. Part of the reason for her selection is she did such a bang up job at REI over the 8 years she was at the top echelon at REI. Yeah, right. But that return policy is perfect for government work.

Hippies can't run a business? Shocking.

"Failed parenting and parasitic entitlement" describes Eugene (and Seattle) to a T.

Obama has certainly contributed to the fact that some people are more willing to trade their dignity for anything else.

The Sc(u)m will always find a way to abuse the system for their own personal gain…These same people will vote Democratic by the way…and it is getting worse…that is why we need Voter I.D…and only one day to vote…not ten…

This is what you get when you build your business model on catering to hippie, granola crunching liberals.

Those are some real gems. Thanks Jennifer!

Yup.
President gets blamed for everything from people on the "other side". Same old . Nothing new, still wrong, but nothing new.

Chaff alert…

I wish the newspapers would shut down the commentary attached to these articles. Seems they only do this to pander to the low hanging/foil hat wearing fruit. Obama may be deserving of some criticism (and I didn’t vote for him or Mitt) but this is just embarrassing.

More on topic…

We've discussed this on BPL before but I still visit REI at least monthly and I'm glad they've changed their return policy.

REI as a metaphor for the Obama administration is an interesting socio-political conversation that has been ignored on BPL for far too long.

I say conservative Bible thumpers and liberal Christians alike should write in vote Jesus for president and all other congressional positions and see if anything gets done ever.

As for me, its all praise to the Flying Spaghetti Monster!

Also, this thread really got hijacked.

I think REI's new policy is fair enough–1 year is plenty of time for a return–it's still a lot better than most companies policies of only 30 days.

Yeah, sorry about the hijack. I'm home sick and bored to death.

President Obama Selects Sally Jewell, CEO Of REI, For Secretary Of The Interior
— so Sally got her slot, and now they change the policy. It is all so obvious. You could see it coming.

Oh, I did return a one liter bottle for being too small.

"Eric, doesn't your standard diatribe get tiring even to you?"

"Up to you personal attacks again i see"

Pointing out that you are, very often, a one trick pony when it comes to your BPL bashing is not a personal attack, it's simply stating the obvious.

BPL is not some single-minded, group-think conglomerate, but you persist, incessantly, in labeling its members as such. Not everyone in BPL ever hated REI – some did, some didn't, some didn't care either way. It's been that way for as long as I've been a member – a variety of individuals with a broad range of beliefs/ideas/ways of doing things. Just about any thread proves this – as there are very, very few threads where everyone agrees!

I don't know whether you just don't realize how you cheapen your comments with your (IMO) silly BPL bashing, or if you just don't care. Doesn't really matter, of course.

OK, I'm now officially sorry I posted this thread. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't.

I really don't understand why we need to bash REI, the business community in general, Obama, Conservatives, Tree-huggers, young people, Christians, and each other, based on this news article. I guess it's just open season on everyone.

But I see, now, what I did wrong. It's like Huck Finn's 'bag of cats.' You fill a burlap bag with tomcats, hang it in a tree, and smack it with a stick–the tomcats will tear each other apart. In this case, you post on a forum (the bag of cats), you link to a story of REI's return policy modification (smacking with a stick) and everybody starts tearing into everyone else.

If the new less-liberal return policy helps REI stay in business for another decade, I'm all for it.

"But I see, now, what I did wrong. It's like Huck Finn's 'bag of cats.' You fill a burlap bag with tomcats, hang it in a tree, and smack it with a stick–the tomcats will tear each other apart. In this case, you post on a forum (the bag of cats), you link to a story of REI's return policy modification (smacking with a stick) and everybody starts tearing into everyone else."

Sad but true.

"If the new less-liberal return policy helps REI stay in business for another decade, I'm all for it."

Agreed. I've always loved REI and will be dropping off my 29er with them tomorrow to get some work done on it. They've never done anything to me or anyone I know which would justify bashing them imo.