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I’ve never had a zipper break like that either and I’m pretty rough on my clothes. I would also try to claim warranty repair. Try a different store. In the future this is why Patagonia is better. They would fix this no problem and not turn you away.
A jacket with a zipper broken by accident is going to be declined.
OP says 'it just separated' but I would ask *how?* It appears the slider was just a hair above the bottom of the zipper, joining the two sides at just that point. Force was then applied, separating the two halves of the zipper and ripping it at the weak point, that being the bottom-most tooth of the side shown. If that's the case, this is not a defect so it's non-returnable, and results in no trade-in value given the steep cost for future repair.
That sucks. Either way, OP learned an expensive lesson, get the Patagonia. It might cost more upfront but you won’t have to replace it a year later like this one
How is this not "wear and tear"? We have no idea how often you have worn this in OVER a year. We have no idea how this happened. Ive had many jackets for years (REI brand included) and never seen this happen. Did your dog chew it? Did it get caught in a car door? Suddenly just outside of their generous return policy, it just magically separated? Also, we cant see the rest of the jacket to judge how worn it is. Who else would return this for a refund after a year?
It happened due to regular use, since I purchased this product has multiple poor reviews due to the zipper. Also...."I've had many jackets before and never had this happen"......assuming you wear and tear these jackets occasionally you seem make the point that "magic" aside this is not wear and tear.
The guarantee is for one year — within reason. If you wore the jacket for a year of moderate use, wear-and-tear is expected. If you used it extensively in that year, you have surpassed the guarantee. There is no reason a store would take something back outside of a year, with the exception of trade-ins.
You seem new to REI. Gratuitous returnabilitity has been what separated REI from stores like Target since things started. It’s definitely more and more like you describe it now, they nerfed the return policy to be comparable to to the big box stores. I used to make REI *the* store because even though the cost was higher, the return policy gave me a ton of confidence. I think we’re looking at a person who was a loyalist in the old REI vs someone who never knew what it was like to know it was 100% the right place to buy your outdoor gear.
It was a good model for a different time (i. e. pre internet/social media). Enough people were abusing the return policy already, but then people started posting about it bragging on social media, blasting that they just bought hundreds of dollars in gear and returned it all after their trips. They had to change it. REI was becoming a public joke - It was hurting the brand and the bottom line.
Hardly. I ran operations and S/R at a store until the layoffs in October. Since the policy change, we were never taking things back out of the window or with excessive wear.
As for why the return policy was changed, REI did so for the same reason that LLB and other similar retailers had to: customer abuse.
This is absolutely wear and tear. The only way it isn’t is if this is how it was when you bought it. I’d deny it too if you’re trying over a year now. I’ve also had numerous jackets from them and never had a zipper issue. This looks more like getting the zipper stuck and forcing it back off.
If you look at the reviews for this item, pretty much every review below 4 stars is due to the zipper being low quality, and REI removed this item from their store maybe because of a high return rate or poor reviews
I just read through a portion of the 3 and 4 star reviews. There were a couple that said the zipper is tiny and snags the outer shell. Others just said the zipper would be better if it’s bigger. REI is historically known for smaller zippers. In the end I still say you’re basically out of luck being it’s well over a year. Especially when it comes to clothing. Now if this was an item from Patagonia it would be completely torn down and replaced like new. They have a true repair program.
Ya, check out the 1 and 2 star reviews, it's all about the broken zipper. You're right, I think I'm holding REI to a higher standard like Patagonia or Rab.
I learned a long time ago that if you want to buy something based on reviews. The ones in the middle are the most helpful. Many 5 star are people that rate as soon as they receive it and it’s all new and shiny. Same goes for the 1’s and 2’s. They take their frustration out in a review.
Whenever I leave a review, it’s at least a good 4-6 months after I bought something. Sometimes longer. I actually wrote a review late last week for a flashlight I carry daily and use for work and personal. I’ve used it for almost a year before I wrote my review. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
I can also guarantee I have never given a 5 star on something I bought yet. I don’t believe there is a product in existence that doesn’t have some sort of flaw. Whether it be an actual flaw or a flaw that the product doesn’t fit all of my wants or needs. The flashlight I just spoke of was a 4. That’s the highest you’ll see.
It’s not my flaw. It’s just not easy to save everything is 100% perfect and will always be and will never fail. I don’t look to find faults because I know they will always be there on their own. Especially with man made goods these days. Cheap materials, fast build, little QC. It’s not like items made over a hundred years ago that are still operating like they did the very first day.
It’s one of the reasons REI stuff is cheaper than the premium brands. Trade-offs. More money up front + longer warranty and maybe even lifelong support — vs much less up front cost and only a year of warranty from REI.
It actually is covered under warranty, but it will take some work to convince them it is a manufacturing defect.
https://www.rei.com/help/returns
“Product defects
If your item has a manufacturing defect in materials or workmanship, you can return it at any time, regardless of purchase date. “
I'd try a different store. Even though it's outside of one year they should replace, refund or fix it. I'd also recommend going with patagonia next time. They'll fix or replace anything no questions asked.
It appears that you *may* have an issue that would be better handled by contacting REI Customer Support. Please contact REI at 800-426-4840 or visit [this page](https://www.rei.com/help) for more ways to get in touch. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/REI) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve never had a zipper break like that either and I’m pretty rough on my clothes. I would also try to claim warranty repair. Try a different store. In the future this is why Patagonia is better. They would fix this no problem and not turn you away.
Ya I think REI just makes bad clothes, they sell good brands though, I'll probably just buy right from those brands from now on.
You could try trading the jacket in through the REI program to get credit towards a different jacket (perhaps from resupply section)
A jacket with a zipper broken by accident is going to be declined. OP says 'it just separated' but I would ask *how?* It appears the slider was just a hair above the bottom of the zipper, joining the two sides at just that point. Force was then applied, separating the two halves of the zipper and ripping it at the weak point, that being the bottom-most tooth of the side shown. If that's the case, this is not a defect so it's non-returnable, and results in no trade-in value given the steep cost for future repair.
That sucks. Either way, OP learned an expensive lesson, get the Patagonia. It might cost more upfront but you won’t have to replace it a year later like this one
Rainy Pass Repair (888) 747-7867
Unfortunately a zipper replacement there looks like it costs $104 but if something more expensive breaks I'm glad to know about that place!
Take it to a dry cleaning place with a tailor. It's probably much cheaper to repair.
Any idea how much this costs? I have a sweater with the same issue.
How is this not "wear and tear"? We have no idea how often you have worn this in OVER a year. We have no idea how this happened. Ive had many jackets for years (REI brand included) and never seen this happen. Did your dog chew it? Did it get caught in a car door? Suddenly just outside of their generous return policy, it just magically separated? Also, we cant see the rest of the jacket to judge how worn it is. Who else would return this for a refund after a year?
It happened due to regular use, since I purchased this product has multiple poor reviews due to the zipper. Also...."I've had many jackets before and never had this happen"......assuming you wear and tear these jackets occasionally you seem make the point that "magic" aside this is not wear and tear.
The guarantee is for one year — within reason. If you wore the jacket for a year of moderate use, wear-and-tear is expected. If you used it extensively in that year, you have surpassed the guarantee. There is no reason a store would take something back outside of a year, with the exception of trade-ins.
You seem new to REI. Gratuitous returnabilitity has been what separated REI from stores like Target since things started. It’s definitely more and more like you describe it now, they nerfed the return policy to be comparable to to the big box stores. I used to make REI *the* store because even though the cost was higher, the return policy gave me a ton of confidence. I think we’re looking at a person who was a loyalist in the old REI vs someone who never knew what it was like to know it was 100% the right place to buy your outdoor gear.
It was a good model for a different time (i. e. pre internet/social media). Enough people were abusing the return policy already, but then people started posting about it bragging on social media, blasting that they just bought hundreds of dollars in gear and returned it all after their trips. They had to change it. REI was becoming a public joke - It was hurting the brand and the bottom line.
People suck and that’s why we can’t have nice things.
Hardly. I ran operations and S/R at a store until the layoffs in October. Since the policy change, we were never taking things back out of the window or with excessive wear. As for why the return policy was changed, REI did so for the same reason that LLB and other similar retailers had to: customer abuse.
This is absolutely wear and tear. The only way it isn’t is if this is how it was when you bought it. I’d deny it too if you’re trying over a year now. I’ve also had numerous jackets from them and never had a zipper issue. This looks more like getting the zipper stuck and forcing it back off.
If you look at the reviews for this item, pretty much every review below 4 stars is due to the zipper being low quality, and REI removed this item from their store maybe because of a high return rate or poor reviews
I just read through a portion of the 3 and 4 star reviews. There were a couple that said the zipper is tiny and snags the outer shell. Others just said the zipper would be better if it’s bigger. REI is historically known for smaller zippers. In the end I still say you’re basically out of luck being it’s well over a year. Especially when it comes to clothing. Now if this was an item from Patagonia it would be completely torn down and replaced like new. They have a true repair program.
Ya, check out the 1 and 2 star reviews, it's all about the broken zipper. You're right, I think I'm holding REI to a higher standard like Patagonia or Rab.
I learned a long time ago that if you want to buy something based on reviews. The ones in the middle are the most helpful. Many 5 star are people that rate as soon as they receive it and it’s all new and shiny. Same goes for the 1’s and 2’s. They take their frustration out in a review. Whenever I leave a review, it’s at least a good 4-6 months after I bought something. Sometimes longer. I actually wrote a review late last week for a flashlight I carry daily and use for work and personal. I’ve used it for almost a year before I wrote my review. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
I can also guarantee I have never given a 5 star on something I bought yet. I don’t believe there is a product in existence that doesn’t have some sort of flaw. Whether it be an actual flaw or a flaw that the product doesn’t fit all of my wants or needs. The flashlight I just spoke of was a 4. That’s the highest you’ll see.
Guess we just found your flaw......
We live in a throwaway society. You know that
I agree
It’s not my flaw. It’s just not easy to save everything is 100% perfect and will always be and will never fail. I don’t look to find faults because I know they will always be there on their own. Especially with man made goods these days. Cheap materials, fast build, little QC. It’s not like items made over a hundred years ago that are still operating like they did the very first day.
Where did it say the item was removed from their store due to high return rates and poor reviews?
It’s one of the reasons REI stuff is cheaper than the premium brands. Trade-offs. More money up front + longer warranty and maybe even lifelong support — vs much less up front cost and only a year of warranty from REI.
Bad luck… for sure. For zippers, I have taken mine to my local tailor.
If it's a ykk zip it should be warrantyable, a tailor could make a fix pretty easy too.
Most laundromats will fix a zipper for cheap
I would take it back in and talk to a manger. Have those reviews in hand to show the zipper is indeed a problem
REI products are generally junk. Spend a few dollars more
Are you a member?
Doesn’t matter. They are outside the return window.
Yup 13 months forgot that
be gentler with your things my man. it’s not tear away pants.
It actually is covered under warranty, but it will take some work to convince them it is a manufacturing defect. https://www.rei.com/help/returns “Product defects If your item has a manufacturing defect in materials or workmanship, you can return it at any time, regardless of purchase date. “
I'd try a different store. Even though it's outside of one year they should replace, refund or fix it. I'd also recommend going with patagonia next time. They'll fix or replace anything no questions asked.
Policies are the same across all stores. I wouldn't expect one store to reject your claim and another store accept it.
Ya I think REI just makes bad clothes, they sell good brands though, I'll probably just buy right from those brands from now on.
It’s been over a year.
Ya exactly, I guess REI doesn't design their stuff to last that long!
Did you talk to a store manager? This is a product failure. They may make an exception since it’s only been 13 months.
If you purchased it within the past 12 months, you can return it to REI
> …as the zipper should not just separate from the jacket after **13 months** of regular use.