[at-l] REI and LL Bean

[Mara Factor]

I've had good experiences from REI, too.  Items (hiking poles, goretex 
jackets, shorts etc) replaced no questions asked...  Just go pull a 
replacement off the rack and leave the old one with customer support please.

LL Bean also has a similarly good reputation though...  I know AT thruhikers 
using their shoes that have had Bean replace blown shoes as they've 
thruhiked.

Even more amazing was a friend of mine who was wandering around LL Bean 
doing some shopping.  One of the salepeople approached her and mentioned 
that LL Bean would be happy to replace her shoes.  Huh?  She hadn't thought 
about it, but when she had put her shoes on, she put on an ancient pair of 
Bean shoes - you know, the kind handed down to her that were 20+ years old 
with a few blown seams.  She wasn't even in the shoe department when that 
happened.  She tried to refuse but thanks to that observant employee, she 
ended up walking out in a brand new pair.

Mara
Stitches, AT99
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>David Addleton wrote:
> > I ordered ...online at REI.
> > ...
> > All's I can say is I've never met a retailer like REI for customer 
>service
> > and, yeah, you can get gear for cheaper, but I've NEVER found customer
> > service at any retailer as good as you get at REI
> >

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