Sojourn Outdoors Source For Adventure — Local services in Barrie

Cardinal rule broken: Sojourn's "shoe manager" ran a $240 charge through on my credit card in Spring 2018 without my knowledge, approval, consent or authorization. I had no idea they had my credit card number on file, and this guy was prepared to use it on a whim without my knowledge or consent. I had made an earlier order some months previous where I entrusted Sojourn with my credit card details -that purchase was sent by courier to me and was perfectly executed by Sojourn staff, who were great otherwise. I made a subsequent order for eventual in-store pick-up which took many weeks to arrive from their US-based supplier (about six weeks) and my trip to Barrie for pickup was slow to materialize due to my distance from store (100 miles to north), so I on several occasions called Sojourn to advise them I was indeed coming to pick up the order, which was at a premium price compated to numerous other retailers in Ontario. I also asked, when I would place these several courtesy calls advising them of my guaranteed arrival, "would you like me to pay now?" (i.e., by credit card over the phone) to which Sojourn personnel always said, "no, not necessary, you can pay us when you arrive in-store".This "shoe manager" even called me the same afternoon of the day I made a call to Sojourn earlier that morning, advising them I was planning a stop into the store the next week to pay for and buy said hiking boots. "Shoe Manager" had a tone in his voice, an attitude of indignation, and came across as a real piece of work, but I let it slide. I asked him directly at that time (a little surprised at his tone and his calling me, as I had just called them that morning), as I asked the Soujourn employee earlier that day on the phone, would he like payment now over phone by credit card, to which he replied "no, not necessary, pay when you get in-store to pick-up next week". So you can imagine my shock when I saw a charge to my credit card when this "shoe manager" took it upon himself to ram this charge through my Visa without so much as a courtesy phone call. I called Visa and they said no way is that kosher and I have many options to forfeit my commitment with Sojourn to follow through with that purchase. There is a RIGHT WAY and a WRONG WAY to do business, amd despite Sojourn's excellent efforts to serve me during my earlier engagements with this independent retailer facing stiff competition from the likes of so many other excellent retailers, both "bricks & mortar" and online retailers, this was a total display of disrespect and a direct breach of trust by this "shoe manager" who seems to dislike his customers whom he has never met or spoken with on previous occasions, except that one call he made to me. I cancelled the commitment to buy and turned around and online ordred from a Canadian retailer the same purchase at about $50 less. So no more Sojourn Sports for me – EVER!! – on a MATTER OF BASIC PRINCIPAL! NO WAY!! Good luck with that way of doing business, Mr. Shoe Manager. I spent well over $10k in 2017-2018 on outdoor gear from MEC, The Last Hunt, Altitude, Atmosphere, Cabelas, North Face, Au Sommet, PRFO Sports, Backcountry, and several others, and never encounteed anything unusual with my credit card with any of the over dozens of online transactions. With Sojourn, the misuse of my confidential data was a BIG PROBLEM for me, and my anticipated purchases of some big ticket items from Sojourn like a tripping canoe, where I was prepared to spend several thousand $, has been rethought. I cannot honour a store with my business and dollars when someone there acts so shady as that, and someone there packs an attitude when...

I'm typically a five star reviewer looking to help businesses get the recognition they need especially small box stores like this one during this time. Having seen their 4.6 star rating, I decided to drive 2 hours to get some XC bindings that I couldn't find anywhere local to our small town, the day before the stay at home order came into effect. After a phone consult a few days prior I met a young person in the stores front foyer as per their protocol and he brought the product out. Early last year I'd been duped by a salesperson at another chain retailer to purchase ultimately what were incompatible boots and bindings and I was at this more reputable store to make it right. Trying to keep this short, this sales person was extremely short and lacked any interest in me as a NEW paying customer who had essentially taken the day to pay them a visit. While there I noticed a significant defect in my new boots which likely added to my dilemma yet this staff showed zero interest and consistently walked away from the plexiglass barrier-fitted area around the corner. I tried for some assurance on my purchase and asked for advice on how to proceed with warranty on my boots but he had no interest in carrying on our interaction. Now at the peak of frustration was this sales persons repeated questioning from around the corner "so just the bindings then" and "will that be all then". At the point of sale they tried to sell me at full price as well which I had to correct them to their half-off pricing which I'd been quoted for this final sale item. I had planned on purchasing other items that day and making acquaintance with this store that suits my families lifestyle however I am apparently second-rate, and too much of a bother as a customer it seems and will likely never return to the store. Not wanting to leave a lengthy negative review I made attempts to reach the manager via phone to discuss however this same sales person shooed me away once again on the phone claiming the manager was "busy" and that I should just send an email. Shopping during a pandemic is a challenge albeit the online options are looking that much more friendly today. The friendly staff at Algonquin Outfitters in Huntsville on the other hand readily took in my boots and are handling the warranty and suggested I get new ones with the credit which now...

I recently placed an online order with Sojourn Outdoors for a pair of slippers that was never delivered to me. When I contacted their customer service, I was shocked by the response — instead of investigating the issue professionally, I was accused of fraud and told that no refund would be provided.

They claimed the item was delivered, yet the delivery information they shared clearly indicated it was either missing or sent to the wrong address. Despite this, they showed no willingness to assist, were rude, and handled the situation with complete negligence.

This experience was incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I would strongly recommend against ordering anything from Sojourn Outdoors. Their lack of accountability and disrespect toward customers is unacceptable.

Reply To the Store :

Instead of taking accountability, Sojourn Outdoors has chosen to brush this off by claiming the package was “handed to someone” — some invisible person who magically appeared at my door, with no name, no signature, no proof, and no confirmation that it was actually me. This is not how legitimate deliveries are confirmed.

Rather than admitting the obvious — that the package was clearly delivered to the wrong address or individual — they’ve offered GPS coordinates and generic door photos that do not match my home and then accused me of fraud when I reported the issue.

Refusing to issue a refund or replacement while hiding behind this flimsy excuse is not only unprofessional, it’s a lazy and unacceptable business practice. If you cannot verify who received the package, then you did not deliver it properly. Full stop.

Customers deserve better than deflection and blame-shifting. I urge others to think twice before ordering from...