Play It Again Sports & Ski — Local services in Seattle

this is a long review but i have a lot to say! tldr: play it again sports drilled holes into new skis without checking if the brakes would fit and lied to me multiple times!

i brought in a pair of skis with bindings on them and a pair of new skis. i asked the guy to move the skis from my old pair to the new skis. i got a call the next day, during which i was told that the brakes were too narrow for the new skis but holes were already drilled into the skis. i asked if they would be able to bend the brakes and they said they weren’t able to with this type of binding (which makes sense). i then asked if they normally check to make sure that a binding is fully compatible with a ski before drilling holes into a ski. the guy on the other end was already a little curt but after this question, he became extremely rude and combative. he immediately responded saying ‘this isn’t our fault. you can’t blame us. it’s not possible to check brake width’. i responded and said ‘i wasn’t casting blame or accusing - i just need to know for future reference when i want to move my bindings again. but i do feel like it is possible to check brake width before drilling holes into the ski.’ then, the guy said ‘mounting skis is very complicated and it has a lot of parts and you wouldn’t understand. it’s not possible to make sure that the ski is compatible with the brake.’ and i responded ‘i feel like it is possible to measure the brake width or just hold the ski between the ski brakes to make sure the skis fit properly. it’s a check that would take a second but feels really important.’ he kept saying things that weren’t factually correct and eventually i just wished him a good day and ended the call. i know i maintained a nice and respectful tone throughout the call but the guy was very rude, condescending, and mean.

then, i talked to a friend who has worked at a ski shop out in a ski town, and he said that this should have never happened. checking brake width is extremely simple - you just put the bindings on the ski with the brakes down… if the brakes won’t fit, the bindings literally won’t lay flat on the ski. i also called around to other ski shops in the area and they also said that the brakes were part of the routine check done before bindings are mounted onto the ski.

the next day, i went into the store and talked to the store manager. he was nice enough during our conversation. i asked him about the checks they do before mounting bindings. he said that they just eyeball the brakes before mounting the bindings (personally, i’m not sure if anything should be eyeballed when it comes to mounting skis) and that it’s not possible to know if brakes will fit the bindings for sure. the entire time, it definitely felt like he kept trying to end our conversation and get me out the door. when i brought up that i had called other ski shops and they confirmed that they checked brake width before filling holes, he said that they just forgot to check… which directly contradicts his claim that it’s impossible to check. he said that they were doing a rush job on my skis since i needed them back quickly, which isn’t true. i dropped them off on monday and said that i would love to pick them up on friday. there was no mention of a rush and that is basically 5 days, which should be more than enough time since it is the end of ski season. the store manager made up this lie about rushing my skis and then lied about not being able to check brake width.

also, even though they made a mistake, they never apologized or offered to refund me. instead, they lied to me multiple times to cover up their actions and tried to convince me that they were right. the mount wasn’t cheap either...

TL;DR - Play It Again Sports made stealth charges against my credit card, lied about sending receipts, and refused to communicate with me.

Unfortunately, while eating lunch at Stevens Pass, my rented skis went missing from a ski rack right near the main lodge. I promptly informed Play It Again Sports about the missing skis, searched around the area for a few hours, and reported the missing skis to the lost and found at Stevens Pass. Unfortunately, the skis never turned up.

That evening, while dropping off the poles, boots, and helmet to Play It Again Sports, the sales associate handling our returns told us the following: Play It Again would wait a few days to see if the skis showed up (in case someone accidentally picked up the wrong skis and eventually returned them) and then would notify us before making any charges on the credit card. If the full charge for the skis had to be paid, the cost of the rental would at least be refunded (we shouldn't both pay for the rental and "buy" the lost skis too).

Both of these claims were proven false since two days after the rental, there was a charge (without any prior communication) for the full ski replacement made to the credit card on file and there was no refund. I would have never known that a charge occurred if I didn't have notifications turned on for my credit card.

I have tried calling the store three times in the intervening weeks to get an explanation and have been informed each time that the manager wasn't available to address my concerns. I then sent an email to the manager of the store (Dave) explaining the situation and asking to at least receive a refund for the rental and a receipt. After 3 weeks went by with no response from the manager, I called yet again and a different rep claimed that the refund was already deducted from the full cost of the skis. When I asked for a receipt, this rep claimed he would send it over email, but it has been multiple days since then and I have not received anything.

Obviously having skis stolen is unfortunate luck and I understand that it is ultimately our responsibility to pay for replacement skis, but I have been severely disappointed in how this whole ordeal has been exacerbated by the lack of transparency and communication from Play It Again. I have zero confidence that if my skis actually turned up to the store, I would...

UPDATE: 3 years later, I was told by a neurologist I have nerve damage in my left arm as a result of the crash due to negligence by play it again sports by selling me a faulty bike and explicitly claiming it was not faulty. Buying a bike from here can leave you permanently damaged for the rest of your life, with worsening conditions over time.

UPDATE: 1 year later, major scars on my left arm. Left shoulder is still not fully recovered. If you want to buy a bike to ride home to your family, don’t buy one from here; it’s more likely they’ll be visiting you in the hospital.

Buying a bike from this place may cause severe injuries.

The following occurred while riding my brand new (never used) bike on the road: 2nd time I rode the bike the front wheel fell off 3rd time I rode the bike the pedal fell off 10th time I rode the bike the chain popped off when switching gears, sending me over the handlebars and resulting in a significant concussion, major shoulder bruising, AC joint separation, and abrasions covering my entire arm, as well as my hip, knee, and both hands. My helmet cracked from the impact The mechanic broke the shifter while fixing the bike and admitted the bike was installed improperly and never received a final check

I would recommend never buying a bike from this store if you value your health/life. After the incident, the store owner gave me a full cash refund for my bike, which I appreciated given all that I was put through. I used that refund on an MRI for my shoulder.

Also- when I bought the bike, I asked the store worker to final check the bike to make sure it’s fine before I buy it, and he said, “It’s brand new it’ll be fine” and so he did...