Beaver Sports — Local services in Alaska

I’m giving 3/5 because although I’ve had negative experiences at the store, I’m trying to remain objective. On the positive, Beaver is a locally owned sporting goods store with relatively good stock and selection relative to its size. Furthermore, most of the staff are quite friendly.

However, there are two big issues I have with the store. 1) Staff are often badly under-informed about the products in their store, yet they seem to be instructed to still give out advice, even if it’s outside of their wheelhouse. While it’s annoying to get bad advice about a backpack or a stove, this behavior can quickly become dangerous when it comes to technical climbing equipment. I have received bad advice multiple times from staff pertaining to climbing gear. The most egregious incident was when I was in search of prusik cord, and was directed to cord that was 4 mm, which is not an acceptable diameter for such an activity. The store would do well to ask staff to be clear about the limits of their knowledge; this change would make the store safer and more respectful to customers.

2. My second issue is with their return policy, or more specifically the store’s misleading representation of it. I understand that a small store cannot operate with the return policy of a company like REI, and I wouldn’t expect it to. However, in light of that fact, the sales staff should be MUCH more clear about the VERY limited nature of the return policy. I recently purchased an expensive down jacket from the store, and was assured by a sales associate that as long as the jacket was returned within 30 days and was in “like new” condition, it could be returned for a full refund. Obviously, “like new” is a phrase that could be interpreted multiple ways, but what wasn’t made clear is that Beaver Sport’s interpretation of “like new” is that the article of clothing has never been worn, not even once. It doesn’t matter whether or not there’s any noticeable damage or wear and tear. If you so much as put the piece of clothing on, you can forget about returning it. It is extremely unethical not to make this point clear, especially if specifically asked.

Multiple of my friends also report such issues: being given false assurances about the essentially non-existent return policy, only to learn it after the expensive purchase is made.

I hope in the future, Beaver Sports improves their messaging and sales practices. I made a conscious choice to shop locally at the store, which typically means opting to spend more than at REI and certainly more than online. I will no longer...

I've shopped at Beaver Sports for years, have in fact spent a small fortune there. The salespeople have never been helpful and the prices are high, but the store is conveniently located to where I stay when I'm in Fairbanks, and I like to try to support small local outfitters when I can. Not Beaver Sports, though. After 13 years of shopping there, I recently had my first experience of needing to return a defective product, a $180 air mattress which did not hold air the very first time it was inflated (as a test, in the backyard, without ever having been in a backpack). I returned the pad 18 hours after purchasing it, in immaculate condition, clean, with all original packaging and contents, and the dated receipt showing I had bought the product (and several other items) the previous day. I had to wait 15 minutes and wade through three people before being handed to a manager, before anyone would even address the issue. Then Beaver Sports would not replace the mattress with a non-defective mattress, AND they would not honor their 10-day return policy because they claimed the mattress was not in new condition. Their reason? The mattress had "water" in it. The NeoAir Xlite is translucent. The "water" was condensation from my breath, from having been blown up the previous day. I tried explaining this, and the manager called me a liar and told me that I had to have taken the pad into the water. When I told him I knew perfectly well what I had done with the mattress and that I had never had it in the water, he handed the pad back to me and asked me if I wanted to "deal with the problem myself", through Cascade Designs. Which is what I'm going to do, at my own expense, despite the fact that I never got even a single day of use out of it. Not only did Beaver Sports completely refuse to honor their own printed return policy, they left me waiting repeatedly for long periods of time, accussed me of lying about what I had done with the pad, and were incredibly rude and condescending throughout the entire process. It was THE WORST customer experience I have EVER encountered anywhere in my life. I have never felt compelled to review a product or place of business online, prior to this. But I would strongly recommend shopping elsewhere. Because I need a groundpad for a backpacking trip immediately, I ended up going to the Sportsman's Warehouse, where I purchased an identical pad, at the exact same price. The salespeople there were helpful and friendly, an incredible contrast to my experience at...

While working for University of Alaska I wandered in on my lunch break early last spring. A beautiful Kona cyclocross caught my eye and they were saccharine sweet about everything up to the point of sale. Then when winter finally decided to die I started to bike commute; I love bikes more than anything on the planet. If you are not familiar with Alaskan roads I recommend a mountain bike firstly, because the pavement is wicked as a means of commuting. The bike itself is a marvel, Kona Jake the snake. I am definitely a fan. Except... the inevitable flat tire happened. And then again shortly thereafter. And then again. When I brought it to the attention of the Beaver sports people, they dug in their heels and gave me these awful lines about basically not giving a flying frick. I beleaguered the point and got a less expensive flat repair once, then bought my own levers to do the repair myself and later adhered rim tape. Problem solved. $23 for a flat repair is highway robbery; go to Great Land Sports near Creamer's Field. Those are good peeps. I always say... Fairbanks is where customer service goes to die. Beaver Sports just does not care once you wheel that pricey new horse off their showroom floor. Get a bike somewhere else so you don't have to go through...