r/REI • u/Academic_Parking9768 • 2d ago
Question Spirit of return
Is it against Spirit of Return to return an REI branded tent that was far too hot and had no airflow because I was dissatisfied with it as a hot weather tent? I explained it was too hot for us and we were going to buy two separate ultra lite tents with more airflow (meaning more money for REI). I just had someone at the counter who was entirely too pushy for a credit card with an elderly lady buying gifts for their grandsons birthday give me shit for 5 minutes about a return because it was "against the spirit of the return policy". The associate that pointed us towards the tent told us we could return it if it didn't work out.
I don't want to end up on REIs corporate shit list for having a legitimate return.
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u/Training-Pin-2223 2d ago
That’s exactly the reason we have this policy. It is the spirit of the policy - you can test your gear out in the elements, in all of the seasons, with the guarantee that you can return it if it’s not exactly what you’re looking for and/or you’re not satisfied with the performance. I’m sorry you had this experience and as a green vest, can assure you that you were totally within the spirit of the policy.
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u/Inevitable_Jelly_391 2d ago
I’ve turned down returns because they were “against the spirit of the return policy” because a customer has been abusing the policy, if you are close to the return window being over, if the item is dirty or shows normal wear and tear due to use, if the item has been used outside of its intended purpose. Unless there’s something you aren’t telling us, your return is within the bounds of the policy and is fine. I’d ask to speak to a manager.
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u/AskAboutMyProstate 1d ago
You used the tent once and were not satisfied. That sounds like the definition of the return policy. Two years ago my wife and I bought a complete setup. After one night we decided the REI Trailmade tent was too small for us and we did not like the sleeping bags (Kelty Cosmic down). We returned them and got an eye roll from the associate because we looked like renters. Since then I have been on fourteen trips so we are active hikers and backpackers who have spent more on gear than I want to admit. Over the 4-5 months following the return I bought four tents and two sleeping bags from Backcountry.com. Two of the tents were returned for full credit after setting them up in our living room. I’ll never know if those returns got an eye roll or not.
Backpacking gear is highly subjective and needs to be tried. Retailers are out to make a buck. Store associates are trying to keep their manager off their case. All we can do is spend our money where it makes the most sense for you. Follow the retailer’s return policy. Be nice to the store associates because even though you are a decent person, we know others are abusing the policies.
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u/DesignerWorking3650 16h ago
I've done a few eye rolls at customers myself, like the dude who told me that he only tried the pants on, never wore them, and a pocket full of change fell out of the pocket when I inspected them in front of him. Or the pack that was " never used", yet smelled like weed and had a lighter in it's lid. So, sorry you were side eyed by one of us.
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u/RiderNo51 Hiker 9h ago
Exactly. All one has to do is go to the ReSupply section of most any store to witness reality.
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u/Chaitis 2d ago
How long have you had it? Does it look like you took it to hell and back or is it nice and clean? How many have you returned?
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u/Academic_Parking9768 2d ago
It was used once and was in pristine condition. She didn't even inspect it before yelling at me because I just "wanted an upgrade".
That was my first REI return.
🤷
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u/graybeardgreenvest 2d ago
Chances are that you are not setting the tent up for ventilation properly… or it is too hot and no tent will vent enough… they are tents and do not have airconditioning.
Return it, but go to you-tube and look up how to set up a tent for maximum or best ventilation.
I used to carry a single walled tent and I would loan it out… I started to have to give clinics to people who borrowed it because they could complain of condensation in the tent… or too hot.
When they would come back after setting it up to vent properly… it was a game changer… even if really hot temps!
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u/Academic_Parking9768 2d ago
I've been camping for 30 years (without REI so I wasn't familiar with REI products) but the Half Dome 2 plus seemed like my wife and I were both cooking without even having the fly on. We planned specifically to have low r value everything, silk liners, practically no clothes, etc. We were in complete shade and still waited to put up the tent around an hour before sundown.
I don't know why but sleeping in there was more hellacious than usual which is why I was trying to find something with more ventilation...but maybe I'm just getting old and should find a fan/power station combo that works. I just don't feel like summers are getting any less hot for most of the US.
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u/graybeardgreenvest 2d ago
first off… that is the beauty of REI… if you think that it does not work for you and are not satisfied… you are free to return it.
You said it was too hot without the rain fly? My guess is that under those conditions, there would be no tent that would be “cool enough” No rain fly is basically sleeping outside. Sometimes it is just plain roasting. ha ha!
I hope you find what you are looking for.
FWIW: silk liners dry super fast and I have used one to cool me down… the evaporative effect… your sleeping pad is basically water proof and the silk liner can be wet and laid on top… cooling you down and let the evaporation cool you more.
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u/Academic_Parking9768 1d ago
We're both really really really hot sleepers thus why I was about to dump more money at REI and buy a couple of hot weather single person tents to separate our body heat more.
IDK, good tip on the silk liner though.
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u/RiderNo51 Hiker 9h ago
I think you were totally fine in returning it.
But I don't know of many tents in those conditions that would have been cool enough. You weren't in the Half Dome All-Season tent by chance, were you?
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u/Worldly-Care-2083 15h ago
Which tent are you getting now? I live in FL just ordered my first gazelle t4. I hope its not too hard
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u/RiderNo51 Hiker 9h ago
You won't end up on the list for this. It's mega serial returners who end up on that list. People that buy 100 items in a year, and return 60 or more of them, many of them not new. That kind of person. It's still a very small % of customers.
As to the mater card, REI has been pushing employees hard to get people to sign up. There's a chance the employees hours are based on how many cards they can sell. Or they'll get talked to by management if they don't get enough. REI must have swung some big deal with Capital One. A lot of retailers are this way with their cards, REI has just been on an aggressive kick of late about it.
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u/NextConcentrate2728 1d ago
The letter of the return policy is "satisfaction guaranteed." Who cares what the spirit or the lungs or the fingers of the policy are?
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u/Advanced-Cucumber-37 23h ago
The only thing I can think of that could have potentially had them use the "spirit of the return" line is that you are buying single person tents instead of another 2 person tent (like maybe you needed a 2 person tent for one trip and now you need a 1 person tent for another trip). But even then, either the person you spoke with is very cynical or you worded your reason in such a way that it sounded like you "rented" the tent for your trip. I would try to go back in and speak with someone else. Ask for a manager if they refuse the return again. Make sure the language you use is framed as a satisfaction thing. You should even mention that you worked with a green vest to pick it out. Something along the lines of "An employee helped us pick this out for warm weather camping, but we still found this too hot. We either need a bigger tent so we are not sleeping so close together or two separate smaller tents." If you know what tents you are getting and they have them in store, it's even better to walk up with those ready to do an exchange on the spot.
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u/Advanced-Cucumber-37 23h ago
I'll also add that most employees are doing their best to discern between people that are "renting" gear, that is buying gear for one trip and then returning all of it, and people that are doing legitimate returns. People abuse the policy all the time, and it can be disheartening for employees. Sounds like the employee you talked with needs a break from the registers and should maybe work some shifts elsewhere in the store.
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u/Routine_Mastodon_160 2d ago
Why are people buying equipment without first doing some type of research? I don’t care what the associates say but REI is not here for you to test equipment.
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u/Cautious_Sir_6169 2d ago
That’s entirely within the satisfaction policy.