Mountain Equipment Company Reviews 

198
TrustScore 2 out of 5

2.1

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 34 reviews, most reviewers were unhappy with their experience overall. Many customers expressed dissatisfaction with their orders, citing issues such as items disappearing from carts, incorrect sizes being sent, and never receiving their purchases. Reviewers also frequently found the prices to be too high, especially considering the perceived quality of the products, with some items fading or deflating quickly. The customer service was a significant point of contention for many, described as rude, unhelpful, and difficult to communicate with, particularly regarding price matching and warranty claims. However, some people were satisfied with the staff, praising individuals for their knowledge, helpfulness, and ability to resolve issues or assist with product selection. A few customers also appreciated the quality and design of certain products, such as hiking boots, jackets, and backpacks, finding them suitable for outdoor use.

What people talk about most

Product

People report ambiguous experiences with product quality and availability. Many consumers praise the quality... See more

Customer service

Clients share ambiguous opinions on customer service, with some reviewers expressing appreciation for helpful... See more

Order

Customers express significant dissatisfaction with the ordering process, citing issues such as unexpected... See more

Price

Reviewers mention negative feedback about price, with many finding prices to be on the higher side and... See more

Staff

Users describe ambiguous interactions with staff, with many customers reporting positive experiences due to... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

I found a great pair of hiking boots and I really liked them when I signed in they disappeared - my assumption was maybe but they weren’t available - so I thought well they must not be i... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Awful company to deal with. Claims of easy returns is utterly a lie. What a debacle just to get a pair of shoes. They also lied about using alternate carriers during Canada Post's impending strik... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I called their support for price match and they explained me a insanely complicated process that too with no guarantee of price match. I guess at all other stores, they see the price and give you the... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I had ordered and paid for a pair of thermal underclothes from them at half price discount only to have they cancel my order a few days later saying they can’t complete the order. When I looked on the... See more


Company details

  1. Outdoor Clothing and Equipment Shop
  2. Camping Store

Written by the company

Since 1971, MEC has sold exceptional products at fair prices, and people who shop here get one of the best guarantees around. We inspire and enable everyone to lead active outdoor lifestyles. We do that by selling outdoor gear, clothing and services. We match our members with gear that suits their needs. But we offer more than products, we offer passion. We love to share our expertise, experience, and enthusiasm.


Contact info

2.1

Poor

TrustScore 2 out of 5

198 reviews

5-star
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1-star

No recent history of asking for reviews

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Hasn’t replied to negative reviews

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2.1

All reviews

(198)

37 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Today I had the pleasure of dealing…

Today I had the pleasure of dealing with Nat-Cat, and she turned a sour situation into a sweet one!
She was friendly, compassionate, and went above and beyond to make sure we left on a positive note. Her kindness and genuine care made all the difference.
Thank you, Nat! On behalf of our entire family, we truly appreciate everything you did. You are a warm, beautiful person, and your exceptional customer service did not go unnoticed.

Cheers Samantha, Asher, Asha and Meagan

June 29, 2026
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely awful customer service

Absolutely awful customer service. I called 1- 800 number yesterday and spoke to a woman in Winnipeg, who had a limited understanding of English and couldn't understand what I was asking about re: warranty information. She was very pleasant but completely clueless about something as significant as a return policy. Even the store at Queen Street had a hard time understanding what the policy was about purchasing returns and delivery. I was ready to order a kayak, but then discovered it wasn't available , the staff member didn't know how to check the MEC website for product availability. Very frustrating, very disappointing and infuriating beyond measure.

June 21, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I bought a small backpack from MEC

I bought a small backpack from MEC. It did not work out for me. It was easy to return it and get a refund.

I still needed a pack for day-to day shopping and walking around.

Ash, a very helpful MEC staff, helped me find the right pack . She spent more than 1/2 hour with me until I found the right one.

That is incredible service. Kudos to MEC and their service attitude.

June 17, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I ordered an item for same-day pickup…

I ordered an item for same-day pickup at my local store. The item showed plenty of stock availability, yet it took more than a week before I received any notification about my order.

Because I needed the item that day, I purchased it elsewhere and contacted customer service to cancel the order. I was told to wait until the order status was updated online before a cancellation could be processed. Once the status finally changed, I was informed that an $11 refund fee would be deducted from my refund.

To make matters worse, I emailed customer service to explain the situation and request that the fee be waived, but I have received no response after five days.

I never requested shipping or any special handling—only a same-day pickup for an in-stock item. The delay, poor communication, and refund fee for a problem that was not caused by me made this a very disappointing experience.

I have been a customer for over 20 years, and this is the experience that will end that relationship.

May 29, 2026
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Stay away from this joke of a…

Stay the hell away from this joke of a place!!!! I ordered vessi boots recently, and when I received them I was beyond grossed out! The bottom of the one boot was dirty, there was a piece of a dirty cotton ball in the box, and there was two long black hairs stuck to the boot! (YUK). It took several attempts to contact them, and each time I called I was listening to loud music as I waited for someone to answer my call. Three times I waited for 20 minutes before someone answered my call. I was forced to order something else from this place because they gave me a gift card. I ordered runners, and when they sent me my order receipt and confirmation they had not taken off the $30.00 gift card. So, I tried calling them and waited 25 minutes for someone to pick up the phone, and nobody ever did answer my call. I hung up! So, I had to resort to chatting with someone and it got straightened out. straightened out. NENER AGAIN WILL I ORDER FROM THIS JOKE OF A COMPANY!!!

February 25, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Horrible costumer service

A company that calls itself a “co-operative,” yet increasingly feels disconnected from the outdoor community it claims to represent. I have been a customer for many years, but lately I have started to notice a decline in product quality.

Last month I purchased a pair of shoes. The size turned out to be too narrow, so I requested a return without ever using the product. After a long back-and-forth with customer service, a representative finally agreed to a free return and sent me a return link.

However, after the package was received, I got another email asking why I had returned the item. I had to explain the same reason again. To receive the refund, I then had to contact customer service once more, and in the end the refund was issued with the return shipping cost deducted.

Considering the size of Canada and the limited stock often available for online purchases, making returns this difficult reflects very poor customer service. It also makes it easier to understand why so many people choose to shop from companies like Amazon—even if I personally do not support that model.

MEC should be ashamed of this customer experience.

March 8, 2026
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I will never purchase from this company again.

I had ordered and paid for a pair of thermal underclothes from them at half price discount only to have they cancel my order a few days later saying they can’t complete the order. When I looked on their site they were still selling the same garments but for full price now. I will never purchase from this company again.

January 13, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

MEC will hide lower priced items from you once you sign in

I found a great pair of hiking boots and I really liked them
when I signed in they disappeared - my assumption was maybe but they weren’t available - so I thought well they must not be in stock
I ordered another pair
Then I’m looking for a headlamp. I do a Google search and it directs me to MEC so I’m like why not
I go click on the link and I add it to my cart and I see tje original cheaper boots in my cart!! Yes!! that’s fabulous. Now I can afford the headlamp and the boots
I’ll go cancel my original order
I’ve now got the headlamp and the cheaper boots in my cart.
I use the MEC platform to find out how to cancel my order.
I call the number and I go back and double check my cart to make sure I can Place the order for those other two items once this higher item has been canceled
But now my cart has been emptied both the headlamp that was a regular price and the discounted boots both gone,
completely gone
and yes, I was signed in and added them to my cart but once I tried to delete the higher priced order for the lower priced order, they just disappeared. I know that AI is helpful, but I do feel this is a bit predatorial
MEC it’s just another corporation looking for your money. Be really careful while shopping. It’s your money spend it the way you want, but recognize that they only see you not as a customer, but as an obstacle to get your money out of your pocket.

January 18, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Was sent Canada Post tracking no longer works.

I ordered a bondi 9 running shoe...used PayPal to pay..for some "strange reason" I was sent a link to trace item thru Paypal. WHAT?? The shoe was to be sent to the store. As of this moment..the link NO LONGER WORKS..I don't have the Canada Post tracking number so my only hope is that if it shows up at the store and..they notify me.. Who knows? Ot might even show up at my home. Absolutely the STUPIDEST way to track something.. Hope they did not lose it!

January 8, 2026
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Mec has lost their soul

I have been a MEC customer for 30+ years. Their products & service have always been very good. I recently purchased a Suunto Peak 9 pro watch. I unfortunately took possession a few days before a month long trip and left it at home so I could focus on operating it correctly when I returned. My 1st impression was that it was very complicated and difficult to operate. I was able to figure out some basic operations such as mapping a hike which included a heart rate evaluation. Within a few weeks it became obvious that the heart rate results were incorrect. So was my blood / oxygen level as were the results tabulated from my walks / hikes. I called customer service and was told to go to the nearest MEC store (Kelowna) and they would help me. The “Store Manager” said, without any inquiries that I was 2 days over their return policy; so-> no return. It took a while for the watch to show its real capabilities but it took 2 minutes for the store manager to demonstrate what MEC has become; a for profit store that has “0” interest in customer service. Utterly shocking. Thanks to the proliferation of quality outdoor merchants i now have better prospects for my outdoor purchases. Very sad to see what MEC has become.

January 8, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding staff

When I went into the store to do a return I was created by Lauran. She was pleasant and happy. She helped me return a pair of shoes I had purchased on Sunday that were too small. I spoke to her about the shoes and indicated I wanted to purchase another pair. She messaged the gentlemen in shoes to tell him I was coming over. He treated me in the isle. He introduced himself as Spencer. I explained to him the issues I dad with the previous shoes. He explained to me that if I need the wide fit then I would be better to go with the me s shoes. They are all pretty unisex now so that doesn’t bother me. He measured my foot and then proceeded to go to the back and find my size.
He came back I tried them on and they were the perfect fit. We discussed different options of different shoes I had questions about the gore-Tex shoes. He explained that they are water proof but do not breath the same as the Moab shoes I had on. We decided the Moab shoes were the best option for me.
Spencer was knowledgeable and went out of his way to assist me. I walk with a cane and needed assistance doing up the shoes he helped me without any judgement. I went back to the cashier Lauran who was very pleased to cash me out with my new purchase. Overall the staff were outstanding.
This was my first experience with this store but will definitely not be my last . I have already in a few hours told others how great the staff was at the Whitby Victoria st store.

January 8, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding work on my daily CX…

Outstanding work on my daily CX commuter bike done by Ryder to keep me riding in the winter weather. The guy not only helped on the spot but made an offset incorrect free hub swap that was quick for not so easy of a job. 👍

January 2, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Price Match Designed to Discourage Customers

I called their support for price match and they explained me a insanely complicated process that too with no guarantee of price match. I guess at all other stores, they see the price and give you the product at the competitor's price but here it's a extremely complicated process. I guess the price match is for namesake and they are there to do everything possible in their capacity to stop you from matching the price. No wonder they are being eaten up by competitors like Decathlon and I am happy to see it happening.

December 17, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

MEC is a great go-to for quality…

MEC is a great go-to for quality outdoor gear. I’ve been really happy with their backpacks and hiking equipment, everything feels well designed, durable, and suited for real outdoor use. The selection is solid and the staff usually know their stuff, which makes it easier to choose the right gear. Prices can be on the higher side, but the quality generally justifies it. Overall, a very good experience and a brand I trust for hiking gear.

November 4, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Back to Canada

Good support from them, they literally call you when there is a problem with your order and coordinate with you to make sure you receive it. Been a member since it was a coop and while it isn't a coop anymore, happy to see they still have their own brand that surpass or equal the high end ones. Just one nitpick, please copy REI designs more!!!

September 28, 2025
Unprompted review

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