Mountain Equipment Company Reviews 193

This is an essentially an American Big Box store now. Supply chain and inflation issues I understand, but the real issue is that maybe 10 years ago they let go of a lot of the actual outdoor enthusiasts on their Board in favour of business people, brought in a bunch of other higher price point lines of merchandise, scaled back their MEC product lines, built a bunch of expensive Big Box stores, and then, when they almost went under because of their poor business judgement, had to sell out to an American Equity Fund, thus alienating what was left of their original customer base. In doing this they really sold their soul.
Now they’re just another crappy Big Box store with significantly overpriced merchandise and poor service.
I went in to get a simple bike part (a rim that could take a quick release skewer) for a five year old bike that I bought there. Not only did they not have it, but they said they probably couldn’t get it anymore, that they didn’t stock it anymore. I asked if that was a supply chain issue or a MEC decision. No answer and no eye contact.
Good luck paying off the debt you incurred while your business Board was running the Coop into the ground, because you’re not getting a penny out of me anymore. What a disappointment you’ve become. You used to be a store Canadians were proud of. Not anymore.

Evan Thomas

Wrote a review and received confirmation that it was posted but when I checked it was not there. I followed up with customer service and I was assured it was just to soon and that it would be posted.
Still waiting!!! Now I don't trust the reviews they post!

A couple of years ago I ordered several backpacking meals, I guess they didn’t have one of them(I ordered 3 of this one kind) so they picked another one and sent 3 of them. I order based on food allergies and live very far from a store to buy in person or return. I couldn’t get a hold of anyone by phone and they never replied to my email. I thought I’d reach out to them and try to get a sense of what type of customer service I would get before I attempted to order anything again( I’m looking at things a lot bigger than meals right now). Their customer service is the same, so glad I checked in before ordering anything big

Have ordered multiple times off the MEC website and it has been effortless. Shipping was relatively fast (and free). Had to return one item (no fault of MEC, I just ordered an incorrect size) and it was painless with the supplied return shipping label.

No longer shopping here. I've been a member for over 30 years.
Customer service is so poor. The teams that work there now do not care about the outdoors, or helping customers.
Returns are not simple any more and their MEC products are all no longer quality.

Purchased a bunch of small items. Was not given a paper bag. Was not even asked if I need a bag. Carry all the items outside the store and dropped a few items in the snow. Poor customer service!!!!

Ottawa ON store. Excellent service re: Osprey backpack. Surprise 25% discount at checkout!

If i was allowed zero stars I would. I have no idea who buys for this store these days but the selection is the ugliest, ill fitting, overpriced בד רע i have come across in the longest while. I wouldn't trust their gear in a chilly Floridian night never mind on the top of a mountain. I used to love this store until some corporate shills got their claws into it. You aught to be ashamed. Ive got a $400.00 gift certificate that it looks like I'll only buy a thermos or two with.
for shame

RETURNS ARE NIL.
Ordered and recieved a hiking backpack for my daughter in law. The next week it went on sale, so I called and ask for a refund on the price difference. Took a while to get through to customer service and I was assured they would make the price adjustment. Still 3 months later and multiple emails and calls put on hold ....NOTHING! This is not the MEC I once knew. Very sad! Will not ever purchase from here again.!!!!

I wish I could give them zero stars.
MEC has gone down the toilet in terms of customer service since the US take over.
I placed a $15,000 order two months ago but heard nothing about the status of the order even after sending the inquiry emails (I finally got through to someone by calling multiple times). After I contacted them, they finally started shipping *some* of the gear but then I received cheery notifications informing me that some of my gear order was canceled. The equipment was for emergency purposes (fieldwork) that I needed a month ago. That's the last business they get from me.

Ordered an item that was listed in stock only to have said order cancelled on me a week later because it apparently wasn't in stock after all (not the first time this has happened). Included in the cancellation email was a form apology with a "15% off your next order" promo code which, when I tried to use it, came up as invalid. I reached out to MEC through their chat form to get a new code and was then told I would have to call them, as if my time has no value at all.

I ordered and paid for a product to be picked up at the store. The product was not ready so I cancelled the order. MEC approved the refund after keeping me waiting for over an hour. It has been almost a year and I am unable to get hold of anyone. Needless to say I never got my refund.

I have written off my loss which was only around $50.00. Obviously I will never deal with MEC again

It is good to read the reviews and get the names of other companies that I can do business with, who are honest with their customers

Thanks to John, David and Craig at MEC, Edmonton South!
Three great guys, thanks!
Special thanks to John, we covered many topics during two visits!
I'll be back again because the service was *****!

No other business has such a slow and delayed return process. Problem is your return goes into a holding vortex with Canada Post so the return, even though it is at MEC, will not show delivered until MEC processes the return. This can take 6-8 weeks!! Insane. I will no longer be ordering anything from MEC but will be purchasing all my needs from Altitude, Valhalla and others who have much better returns. The new MEC is a disaster.

I purchased ski goggles with the expectation of receiving them within 7 days as stated during the ordering process. However, after waiting for a week, I was informed that there would be a delay and asked to wait a bit longer. Despite this inconvenience, I opted to wait due to the competitive pricing and the fact that my ski trip was still a few days away. Unfortunately, after another 4 days, I received a notification that my order had been unexpectedly canceled, leaving me without the necessary gear on the eve of my trip. This last-minute cancellation caused immense frustration as there was insufficient time to place a new order elsewhere. Based on this experience, I strongly advise against using this store for online purchases.

I made a purchase on Oct. 30, 2023. I did not receive it due to either a problem with MEC mislabeling the address, or Canada Post delivering it to the wrong address. The package was sent back to MEC and i got a tracking message saying it had been delivered to their shipping centre in Surrey BC. I then asked MEC to refund my purchase amount. It took at least 40 days for them to do this, after several queries from me. Then they short changed me on the amount by a fair bit of money. I am so fed up with dealing with MEC that I will never purchase anything from them again.

I was told refund process will take a…

I was told refund process will take a few weeks and will be notified by email, and few weeks later still no refund. I contacted customer service and I was told refund is still pending because they are experiencing delays in processing refunds and I will be notified again through email. They are not organized at all. Too bad you can't give zero rating.

Placed an order on January 18th...they don't expedite so the package arrived almost a week later. I returned it and there was no confirmation they received it by February 20th....tried the CHAT option which timed out when the agent go to me. Was instructed to call as the wait times were 5 minutes. Waited 40 minutes and then left a message. Agent called back about 3 hours later. They are overwhelmed in the return department and she said expect 5-6 weeks for a refund. In total that's 8 weeks MEC will have use of my funds. Unacceptable. Never again......

They have blocked my emails, Wow!

This place is brutal for customer service. Just the worst. Find your goods somewhere else. They simply dont care... Oh and if you have to return something they hold your refund for up top 8 weeks so they can use that money to invest and profit. Scumbags.