We’ve read the reviews on the web for REI and summarize the results below:

Universal Ranking

Peak Score: 74 (out of 100)
User Rating: 3.17 stars
Expert Rating 4.9 stars

Learn more about Peak Score and Ratings.

Pros & Cons

Reasons to buy:

User Reviews

Good return policy.
Ethical company that isn’t just looking to make money
Return policy is the best in an industry that is known for good return policies
High quality products, helpful staff, great customer support
Membership entitles you to significant savings
Friendly employees

Expert Reviews

Accurate shipping of orders
Very easy returns
Fast email and phone support

Reasons NOT to buy:

User Reviews

Shipping is too slow
Their customer service no longer matches their reputation for being consumer friendly
Archaic return and exchange systems
Employees not given enough authority to solve problems
Online inventory is not extensive enough
Big ticket items aren’t included in their 20% off coupons
Expensive and they don’t price match
Brick and mortar stores can get very crowded
Hit or miss whether employee is knowledgeable
If their corporate mission wasn’t so moral and positive, there would be no reason to shop at REI instead of Backcountry.com

Expert Reviews

No cons

Summary:

REI is the leading retailer for outdoor gear, clothing and footwear. Their brick and mortar stores are well designed and highly visited. Their website, while it may not have the inventory selection as some other online retailers, is still impressive and comes with REI’s strong customer service.

Media:

User rankings were reviewed on trustpilot.com sitejabber.com resellerratings.com. Expert rankings were reviewed on stella service.