Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Kudos to REI

Last week I went to REI for boots. My old boots had torn near the sole. They were less than a year old and still had a lot of treads, but I knew I had to get a new pair before they fell apart on the trail.

At REI the salesperson told me about the different brands. The ones that fit wide feet well were from Merrell. The problem was that the torn boots were Merrell boots also. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to buy another pair of Merrell boots. After all, the last pair I had came apart. As I told the salesperson about the last pair I had, she sent me to customer service.

The customer service person informed me that REI has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and they would be more than happy to exchange them for a new pair. After pulling up my record (I am a member), I was told to pick out a new pair. I tried on a couple of pair, and chose a pair of Merrell boots (they are still the most comfortable boots I’ve owned). I walked over to customer service wearing the new boot and turned in my old torn boots. The customer service person rang up the new boots, subtracted the cost of the old boots and I paid the 25 dollar difference.

I have never had a company do the right thing like REI did. If REI had just given me a discount on the new boots, I would have been happy with them. But, they went above and beyond what I would have considered fair. Kudos to REI.

1 comment:

peepnroosmom said...

That's awesome. There aren't many stores like that anymore. Most aren't concerned with customer service.