MEC Kelowna

Tried to return an item within a couple weeks of purchase. Item was clearly defective. Manager “Ashe” would not allow it because I used an item at work. I have never heard of an item being exempt from warranty because it was used at work. The item is a waist pack/ wallet.

MEC used to be an amazing store. It used to have durable items at a great price. This store in Kelowna has the worst customer service I have seen at any MEC.

This Manager “Ashe” was also training another new employee while this was happening. What a great example to set! Sad experience MEC very disappointed in a once great store.

What an awful company MEC has become. Be warned, they will take your money for online orders and not mail you the product. It will be stuck in "processing" indefinitely. When you try to contact them either through messaging, email, or phone, you will get nowhere and not be able to reach anybody. I know they went bankrupt and were bought out by a private equity firm but I didn't realize they aren't even a shadow of their former self anymore. I won't be shopping with them after this.

Very disappointed in their customer service. Staff doesn't seem to care and store manager was quite rude

I was having a great conversation with a couple of very friendly employees when the so called “manager” (she wasn’t dressed like one) started bugging the employees about getting to back work. Since when is customer service not working?

Good service. The girl at the running shoes helped me very well to choose between a couple of nice pair of shoes. Patient and kind. Thanks again for the service

These people are so customer service! Every time I go there, every single one is so impressively professional. Well done. Today I had the most comprehensive, patient and thorough discussion with the bike tech. The best bike conversation I’ve had with a salesperson since moving to Kelowna! #bikelanesfordays

Went here to return a jacket that started to come apart after 1 week of light use. They refused. They were also rude and unhelpful. I've shopped MEC for 20 years. MEC used to be a different. Times have changed. I won't be back.

I was here to pick out my first pair of climbing shoes.

Huge thanks to Caity at the climbing section, we spent close to an hour and to tried and demoed at least ten pairs of shoes in different sizes and models.

Caity provided expert advice on the proper fit and style of shoes that most suit my purpose. I finally found the perfect pair!

Great place. Helpful staff. Plenty of outdoor gear to browse through and find what I like in person.

Worst customer service I've ever experienced in my life. Rude staff and a hostile environment, not a place to shop with your family

Wonderful service, great selection for your activities. And a sale on jackets.everything I was looking for

Everything I needed was in stock and extraordinary assistance from the bike department. Really happy with the experience and purchases.

I'll be honest, I love and hate this place, the workers are super friendly and know what they are talking about from my experience so far (mainly the rock climbing department). However I would like to note that there is one particular worker (maybe manger not sure) that has been an absolute hassle to deal with for the two years I've been shopping here. Other than that one work lol its been fantastic.

To start, I have purchased thousands of dollars of products from MEC.

Until now.

Their ROCKSOLID return program is a pain in the backside.

Purchased a paid of La Sportiva shoes and the stitching was defective and fell apart within a couple of months.

We brought the shoes back, and deal talked with one of their reps. The rep was about 6ft tall, very lean (thin), darker wavy hair and super rude.

He tried to convince my wife to not return the shoes, he stated that their prices were dependant on the store profitability and we should consider that when making a return to keep prices lower for other members? !? !? !? !

I showed the rep the toebox of the shoe as it opened when you walked due to the broken stitching. He felt they were "wearable" and stated he would not allow a return based on his "opinion". Wet feet or sand in your shoes is perfectly fine to this rep.

I had to get the store manager to deal with it. It gets better, the rep tells the manager he felt the shoes were wearable with the broken stitching and that he strongly advised the manager not to accept the return. We just wanted to switch the shoes, not get a refund. We did get a new pair and they worked great and did not fall apart. HOWEVER!

The process was absolutely crazy!

I shouldn't ever had to escalate to the manager nor be spoken to by a member like this. What is the purpose of offering a "Rock Solid Guarantee" if you don't back it up. When you buy shoes there, they tell you about their guarantee and it's a selling feature for them.

I will not EVER recommend this store, their customer service is frustrating and abysmal.

Excellent service on my bike repair by Ben, the bike mechanic. He communicated and made sure the brakes and dropper post was all fixed. First time there for a bike repair and Ben went above and beyond and was very professional.

Wow! Living in Vancouver I thought to know what a MEC should be like. Boy was I wrong. Lately Vancouver Stores were almost empty excusing the lack of stuff with COVID. But Kelowna? Fully stacked and a huge selection on top. It was absolutely great. We found stuff there we never were able to get in Vancouver. Thanks MEC Kelowna! Love it!

MEC sports a vast selection of products for cycling, camping, hiking, running, snowsports, watersports, climbing, and travel.
I’ve found a wide selection of bright and reflective gear for safer cycling.

Thanks to Adam (sp) my brother and I found all the right fitting gear for rock climbing! He was beyond helpful and so patient. Made an incredible first impression

Firstly.after all this time.a "customer" wants to shop with his shirt cover as a mask.must be great to live in the bush for the past 5 years.dont make the great team at MEC teach courtesy and respect.as they are excellent at knowledge and customer service! Let them shine and shop with intelligence!

Although listed as unavailable employee checked and located a hard to find rim in old stock inventory.

Great outdoor store with awesome return policy and a added one due to covid since they dont have change rooms open.

Helpful staff. Ended up buying a new tent a few days ago. The sales person was very knowledgeable. Told her what I was wanting to do with the tent and they ended up saving me money. I planned on buying a more expensive one but they said it was overkill and will just be more heavy. So I got a nice little tent that will work out perfectly. Sales people were perfect but the prices at MEC are kind of over the top I think.

Showed up and didn’t know a mask was mandatory. Security said having a shirt over my face was “unnacceptable” and it had to be a proper mask even tho the one he’s wearing is just a piece of cloth.ask if they can just grab me the one thing I need I didn’t want to wander.this was in acceptable.they don’t want to provide a mask as i don’t have one. And won’t sell me one as I’d have to enter the store to get it.what a joke!

Go to atmosphere!

it’s 600m away super great staff and they will let you in the door! They will also sell you a mask if you want one. Cause there a real company.

Always nice to get a hand the items you buy, some of the sale prices were great, would like to see more variety of dehydrated food though.

Had a massive Lodge 4+4 tent that we got from MEC 5 years ago but last summer the exterior zippers started to go. I took it into MEC this week to see if it could be repaired and they took the tent and gave me a credit for the original amount of the tent. Gotta say I’ve always loved MEC but this is some outstanding customer service and way to stand behind your products! Very impressed.

This review is for MEC online shopping. The return policy when online shopping is terrible. We live in an area that does not have a MEC that we can go into easily so shopping online allows us to get access products otherwise unavailable. I purchased a backpack for my son, however the waist belt was not as supportive as we wanted for back country camping. For us to return by mail MEC will deduct $11 off the refund for the product. I have NEVER had any company charge for a return when the product does not fit and in store returns are not possible.

One thing they have going for them is service. Customer service has always been a huge plus & Rock solid guarantee.

In terms of product selection, I find they do not cater to their specific surrounding area, and often lacking in items and their buyers need (ed - as they're now bought out) to do a better job.

I disagree with how they have also handled the current health situation and it's made the customer-experience much more difficult and unpleasant. Their community focus has disappeared & rental program is quite poor (non-existent atm). If only MEC didn't chase all other competitors away. True outfitting shops seem much better suited to gear advice/help. MEC strayed from it's roots and that has hurt them.

Expensive have some things that are good but out stock on most and don't carry big enough backpacks plus followed me around the store like ide steal something regretting my overpriced little backpack purchase that somehow I need to fit enough stuff to go on a solid 2 week excursion.disappointed thought this place was alright and its not so not going back

Thank you MEC for being a leader in COVID controls and enforcing mask wearing prior to entering store. As a concerned Kelowna resident, we wish more stores would take the same initiative to protect the public.

Wide store with tons of stuff from climbing to kayaking to clothing to shoes.
Good quality material, known brands like North Face and Arcteryx,
Smaller accessories for camping also widely available, tents and sleeping bags and everything you could think of.
The personal is also super helpful and friendly.

They have a schedule of free activities as well.

You do have to pay the fee as it’s a coop but it’s very low, then it’s forever.

I went in looking for snowshoes for my girlfriend and I, but wasn't actually acknowledged by anyone who could help me. After standing there lost for 15 minutes, I sheepishly put back the other stuff I had grabbed and walked out. It shouldn't be difficult to get acknowledged in a store and it's a bad look when employees are talking to each other rather than checking in with customers.

I have shopped at MEC for many years and always been impressed by the quality, selection, and quality and knowledgeable staff. Just this past week I had my first issue with a product from MEC. My coat zipper was jammed and a female staff person (named Treanne? Not sure of spelling) fixed my coat in less than 5 minutes. There was no hesitation at all and she was lovely. The coat she fixed (that I soo dearly love) was on sale in other colours so I purchased a second one. When you know the quality of the product, staff and warranty is so high its a pleasure to do business at MEC.

Curtis in climbing was very helpful. I have a difficult time finding climbing shoes that fit, but after trying on a few pairs he recommended a pair that he had on their website and i ordered them on the phone. Not only was it the best fitting shoe I had ever worn, the size he recommend fit perfectly! He answered all my questions and caught me up on what's changed in the climbing world in the last 10 years. He really knows his stuff, all the employees seemed to be asking him questions about gear. If you need a hand with any gear ask for him. Great service and I will definitely be back!

I recommend shopping anywhere but here.
You have to pay 5.00 to become a member to shop here.
I paid the first time, great!
Second time they said I wasn’t in the computer and asked me to pay the 5.00 again.
I needed my items last minute so I paid it again.
I went back this week only because I was shopping next door and once again they said I wasn’t in the computer and ask me to pay a third time.
Items are the same price or more then at atmosphere, sports check and every other sport store. Not sure what makes them think they are better and ask people to pay to shop there.
It’s not like the prices are any cheaper or Of better quality. I recommend shopping ANYWHERE but here.
I have it two stars because it was clean.

Curtise In rock climbing really knows his stuff! He help me get set up and spent the time making sure everything fits perfect. Young guy but old school costumer service!

The kind man behind the counter informed me that if the rock climbing rope I bought failed that I would receive a full refund

Just walked through to look at hiking boots and as I was walking out the store, Adam (not working the the boots section, I think climbing?) asked if I had any questions. He took the time to explain different boot fits and answered all my questions in a super positive and helpful way. Thanks Adam! I've now narrowed down my search and will be back in-store to buy soon!

They stopped carrying the helmet I was going there to buy for political reasons, apparently they don't like the US constitution or something? I'm confused why their anti-american politics determine what helmets they carry, apparently made by the same brand that makes gear to protect our military that they hate.

Good place to try stuff on or whatever, then buy it online or from some place that DOESN'T gouge you. If you don't like practical advice, feel free to pay them five dollars just for the privilege of shopping in their fruity little granola commune.

I normally am a huge fan of MEC stores but went here looking for 2 items (approach shoes and Smartwool underwear). While they had men's Smartwool underwear and about 5 different pairs of approach shoes on display for men, they did not have womens Smartwool underwear and they only had one pair of approach shoes for women - one pair, in the clearance section. It would be nice to see a more even representation between the selection for men and women.

Finally MEC in Kelowna! Prices are great. Customer service is great and staff are all usually knowledgeable. If they don't know the answer they will find someone that does.

Let's begin with the good. I found what I went looking for, the check out was fast and effecient.

Let's go with the bad.
I went in looking for bike shorts, I approached a service rep, he points out and says, well, they are here and here and there and walked away.
I was also looking for bike mirrors, all kinds of service agents milling about and just ignored me. Some were talking to other agents and not interested in brealing their conversation over received boxes.

I went into the change rooms, they need to be cleaned too, dirt, dust and yes, I noticed hair on the floor. With all these agents around, the change rooms couldn't be cleaned?

This is my second time experiencing this level of inadequate customer service. Why do I bother?

The bike shop was fantastic. I needed my bike fixed fast as I use it to commute to work everyday, and they got the job done in one day. Thanks mec, I’ll be back again for sure.

The staff are great and helpful I used to love Mec. Got a backpack from there over 15 years ago and it was my favorite pack but can't find one like that anymore. The quality was great before. I purchased a light weight Mec Down jacket but the feather kept coming out. And a rain jacket but not even fully water proof when I used it to my trip in Peru feb 2018, water soak through my supposed to be waterproof jacket. I'm disappointed in the quality of the products for the price I spent. I do like that they do offer price match if you find something on sale either online or in store of any other Canadian retailers. They also let me exchange a product that I wasn't using to something else even I bought it 6 months ago. So they customer service are good just dont trust buying Mec brand

They do carry a lot of stuff but everything is so very expensive.

Saw several items priced 20-30% above what I saw in other local stores.

Don’t need to order on-line to beat MEC’s prices.

Must be a lot of people in Kelowna who have money to burn keeping these doors open.

Such a nice store and has tremendous variety of anything you could ever need for the outdoors! Their availability for renting select items is also quite convenient and not bad price as well. Such a well kept store and once again has anything you could need! I will certainly continue to shop here for all my outdoor needs.

Erik was absolutely awesome. He spent an hour with my girlfriend and I helping us decide on the perfect climbing shoe (we thought we knew but we certainly didn’t!).

Best customer service I have received in a very long time. Thanks Erik!

Really good mec. Friendly staff, with good product knowledge without being pushy. Everything is set out logically, so everything was easy to find. Typical MEC prices, with their brand stuff being well made, but cheaper in price. I'll always recommend MEC as a first stop winter clothing store.