How do I get through the phone menu to a real live person?
GetHuman researchers routinely call this REI phone number to document the phone system.
Here is our latest tip for weaving through the phone menu to get to a real person the fastest:Say "Representative", then say "Calling about something else", and wait to be transferred to a representative.
Here is how our research team describes the way the REI phone system greets you: What can I help you with today?
Below are some clips we've found from REI's phone menus and tips that help give an idea of what you will encounter when you call. We've highlighted why they are important as well:
They may ask you to say or enter information
"Thanks for calling REI.
What can I help you with today?
You can say product advice, help placing a new order, REI member account, existing order, or more options."
Excerpt from a call with REI
Monday, April 1, 2024 3:18 PM
The first phone menu
"Thanks for calling REI.
What can I help you with today?
You can say product advice, help placing a new order, REI member account, existing order, or more options.
Sorry. You can say product advice, help placing a new order, REI member account, existing order, or more options.
Which of these can I help you with today?
I still didn't hear that. Let's try this.
If you are calling for product advice, press one.
For help placing a new order, press two.
If you're calling about an REI member account, press three.
For status or help with an existing order, press four."
Excerpt from a call with REI
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 6:12 PM
What are the hours and when should I call?
REI operates the call center for this 800-426-4840 phone number Mon-Fri 5am-10pm, Sat-Sun 6am-9pm PT.The short answer is that you should call on a Friday.This observation and the following section are based on analysis of a sample set of 115 calls made in the last 90 days using our free, web-based phone (see above).
An important note: busy times vs hold times vs best time to call
When we refer to busy or less busy times, we are talking about the volume of calls. The busiest times are when the most people are calling this REI phone number (least busy times have fewer people calling). This high call volume does not necessarily mean that you will have a long hold time when you call. Companies like REI staff their call centers differently based on the time of day and day of the week, so you may experience a shorter wait on hold at the busiest of times. When we refer to the best time to call, we are referring to the optimal combination of lower call volume and shorter wait times.
The least busy time to call
The least busy day to call REI is Sunday.The most busy day to call is Thursday, which averages 257% more phone calls by comparison.Again, this is based on a sample of 115 calls made with our AI-powered, web-based phone in the last 90 days.
Sun
Quietest
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Busiest
Fri
Sat
The shortest wait on hold
We measured the shortest hold times to be on Wednesday.The longest wait in the queue on average occurs on Friday.
The best time to call
In summation, the best day to call REI is Friday.
Why call this REI number?
Below is a sample of recent calls to REI, and their purpose. Are any of these similar to the reason you are trying to call?
Product advice: "I need advice on which product to purchase."
- From a call lasting 1m 17s , Apr 5, 2024 10:46 PM
Modify shipping address: "I ordered something last night, and I would like to change the shipping address."
- From a call lasting 10m 54s , Apr 1, 2024 3:18 PM
Placing order: "I'd like to order a pair of hiking boots in size 9."
- From a call lasting 4m 12s , Mar 25, 2024 4:25 PM
Order size correction: "I just made an order this morning and just noticed that I ordered the wrong size."
- From a call lasting 10m 28s , Mar 24, 2024 8:04 PM
Gift card balance inquiry: "I thought I had a gift card balance from last year and I don't see it or I don't know how to find it."
- From a call lasting 9m 50s , Mar 19, 2024 1:00 PM
Order status inquiry: "I'm calling to check the status of my order."
- From a call lasting 3m 35s , Mar 13, 2024 6:50 PM
Missing shipment confirmation: "I ordered two things from the REI used resupply, one came but the other hasn't and I haven't received any payment or shipment confirmation."
- From a call lasting 3m 14s , Mar 1, 2024 8:43 PM
Updating contact information: "I need to update my contact information for my account."
- From a call lasting 2m 8s , Feb 29, 2024 8:51 PM
Assistance with using gift card: "I'm not sure what to do - I have this gift card and not sure how to use it for my order."
- From a call lasting 15m 23s , Feb 20, 2024 8:48 PM
Placing new order: "I'd like to place an order and my question is, is there a minimum for free shipping?"
- From a call lasting 6m 3s , Feb 6, 2024 9:09 PM
More Ways to Contact REI Customer Service
There are of course other ways to contact REI customer service besides the phone. Below we list the best ones, by medium.
Use this link to connect with customer service via chat
If phone-based customer service is not available, or the wait times are long, many people prefer chat as a next-best option. Some even prefer it to calling on the phone. Luckily, REI provides this option.
Use this link to find customer service help through their website
As a last, sometimes only, resort- REI customer service can be accessed through their website. This can entail digging through help articles before finding a form and "being allowed" to submit a problem to their team, and rarely leads to a real-time conversation, which is why GetHuman does not recommend this unless it's the only way.
Conclusion and closing notes
This is REI's best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a REI agent. This phone number is REI's best phone number because 48 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback. Common problems addressed by the customer care unit that answers calls to 800-426-4840 include Returns, Cancel order, Change order, Track order, Complaint and other customer service issues. Rather than trying to call REI first, consider describing your issue first; from that we may be able to recommend an optimal way to contact them via phone or web or chat. In total, REI has 1 phone number. It's not always clear what is the best way to talk to REI representatives, so we started compiling this information built from suggestions from the customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue to improve this free resource.
GetHuman does not provide call center services or customer support operations for REI. The two organizations are not related. GetHuman builds free tools and shares information to help customers of companies like REI. For large companies that includes tools such as our GetHuman Phone, which allows you to call a company but skip the part where you wait on the line to get a live human rep. We continue to work on these tools to help customers like you (and ourselves!) navigate the messy phone menus, hold times, and confusion with customer service. As long as you keep sharing it with your friends and loved ones, we'll keep doing it.