Originally Posted by
GerryinHouston
Purely a matter of staff/manager.
I bought the Thule Vertex 2 hitch mounted rack from REI. Through what I judge as weak design, I lost the anti-sway part, complete with its strap (it came off the rack while driving, this part swings from an axle, but there is no positive click when you hook it up, as a result, with no bike on and strapped to it, it can swing free and you lose it).
I asked REI if they had spares.
No.
I asked whether they could loan to me the part from a defective rack they have as a floor model (can't sell the rack, as the mechanism that holds it upright was broken) because in a week I was going off to a lengthy trip.
No
I asked whether they would order the missing part.
No, they only deal with complete racks.
Being the helpful sort (!) he offered that I should Google Thule and see if I could order it myself directly!
I did. Thule shipped the part which was delivered with 2 days to spare.
With something like this, the best move might have been to return the rack and get a different one. And I agree with you about the design - it surprises me that the anti-sway units can be detached so easily. Even though the REI policy is return within 1 year from purchase, sometimes they will fudge on that - especially if there is a design problem (or a perceived design problem). As far as the floor model, quite often those are not owned by REI but are put there by the rack company for display, so the store can't really sell the rack or any part of it. Ordering the parts from the company is definitely the quickest way to get a replacement part (done that with both Yakima and Thule).