REI — Attraction in Tustin

**UPDATE 03/25/17: since the service here was so terrible, I went to a bike shop and got all the time and attention that I needed and bought a bike that was Just right for me and over the $700 budget I thought Was the max I would spend. Such terrible service here It's a shame because I was ready to buy!

This is for the workers in the Cycling department.

Bike Dept Associate Cassie: It was a weekday earlier in the day, it was super busy and Cassie still took an great amount of time to give me details about different bikes and let me ride two of them. I feel like I now know a little more about the bikes Rei carries since I'm extremely new to cycling. She was just really detailed about everything. But it was getting time for my husband to go to work and I didn't want to make a rushed decision. She even told me to come back when I had more time. I thought that was great I didn't feel like she was pushing a sale on me but that she actually cared I got the right bike. Oh yeah and she even went an extra step and Checked if there were some basic classes to teach me how to care for my new bike.

A few days later, I returned to REI to buy a bike I felt like today I had more time to make a sound decision.

I walk in no one is in the cycling department but I see an older man he says he'll be right with me but takes a while. So I walk around The bikes and see another associate I recognize from the other day. She says she can help me. 🙄

Bike Department Associate Aga (speaks with an accent and is blonde) : I tell her I'm interested in a $709 cannondale and I'd like to see others in that price range. She says there is NONE? I compare it to a $500 bike and she says the higher priced one is much better. Well damn I want a bike but I don't want to go over $800 with taxes, so it seems I have only my one choice ?? Also considering I want an XS frame I don't know (this is my second time in this store in my entire life, I really didn't know??) So I really wanted a bike and bought it. When I get home I decide to go on the REI website and see there were so many other bikes that could've been recommended to me. Overall she was a horrible sales person I believe she looked at me and my husband's going to think that we were going to spend money, she didn't really care ? She remembered us from the other day, Maybe she thought we were going to leave without buying anything, I don't know ? All that I know is she was absolutely NO help at all, didn't give us any attention that we needed, especially since we were completely new to the store and completely new to cycling. This is the first expensive bike purchase I've ever made. I was really put off by her I think that if this was the first time I ever went to the store I definitely would not be going back because I felt like they didn't care to help me even though I was spending good money and nobody likes to feel like that. I...

Member Since 1993. Very Unsatisfied in the way REI has cut back on customer care over the years. My wife was never "100% Satisfied" with the bike I purchased for her only being available in one size and the color she wanted was out of stock but we still kept the bike and made it work. REI rarely discounts bikes anymore and after waiting forever and that never happening I proceeded with the purchase of the bike for my wife. So you can understand my frustration to see not very long after the initial dissatisfaction of the bike purchase of course now that brand of bike is now being discounted. I would have thought I could get a credit back especially if it was with in the supposed "1 year" "100% satisfaction guaranteed return or exchange". Need less to say I found out that's not the case. During a call with the store manager regarding the dissatisfaction of the bike I purchased for my wife and asking for some kind of credit back and It was explained to me by the manager since we're past the 14 day price adjustment period we don't qualify for a credit. She also stated to do a return even though we are with in the "1 year 100% Satisfaction return or exchange" period, as she put it, "it isn't in the Spirit of the Co-Op". Which means they really don't stand behind everything they sell and it really doesn't matter if you are not "100% satisfied with your purchase", you can't always exchange or return even if it's within the "1 Year" period from purchase. I wasn't even trying to return or exchange, I was merely asking for a credit back from the difference between sale and purchase price whether it be monetary or store credit. I have to say the "Spirit" of the co-op has definitely changed in the last 30+ years I've been a member. There was a time when you could get a prorated or even full refund for a return item years later after purchase. To me it makes no sense to have a "100% Satisfaction Guarantee" if you're not going to stand behind it and the nerve of the manager to tell me "it's not in the spirit of the co-op to return the bike". There is absolutely no reason why I should be denied a return or exchange for an item that's with in the "1 Year - 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed" period, no reason...

My first time trying to shop at REI today and it was pretty frustrating. I bought a used bike and decided to go to the REI Tustin store to see if they could fit it for me. When I stopped by the first time I explained to the sales guy that the bike was too long and I had to get the handlebar stem shortened so I wanted to make sure they could do that before I carried the bike to the store; of course he told me to come back with the bike so they could assess what to do and sold me on the membership. I bought the membership, went back home, loaded my bike in the car, drove back to REI and then waited a while before I was helped because it was busy, which is to be expected on a Sunday afternoon. Two people did my work order, they recommend I got a tune up which I was fine with, meanwhile I kept asking about shortening the handlebar and getting fitted on the bike which is what I asked for in the first place. One of the guys checked the bike and showed me how to change gears, then called another sales associate and asked her if they could order the part that I needed to shorter the handlebar. I asked again to be fitted on the bike but neither of the two bike techs were at the shop - one seemed to be on lunch break, the other one I have no idea where he was. At this point I had an open work order for a $90 tune up and I had been standing by the counter for over an hour and spoke to three people. Then the woman finally came back and said that they wouldn’t able to order the part for the handlebar and that I would be better off going to a specialized bike store. There went my afternoon: 3 hours and two trips to REI with nothing accomplished because they gave me the wrong info in the first place. While everyone was pretty nice and accommodating, they weren’t unfortunately very knowledgeable. Also if the sales people addressed what I asked for the first time I walked into the store, I wouldn’t have wasted all this time and trips dragging my bike back and forth to REI. I really wanted to love this store but this experience doesn’t really make me want to shop there...