Reviews of Abominable Sports (Optics Shop)

Brahm Leupen

I bought some ski boots from these guys and my first time using them I tore the tongue out. I returned them and the staff said they are probably under warranty so I should be fine. I latter get a call from the manager saying the boots are my own fault and I don't know how to put ski boots on and put all the blame on me. Really arrogant and rude guy. Even after talking to some people who have worked there, the managers is a real knob and they gear isn't the greatest with a permeant "sale" that is really just normal price but they upset their gear. Don't shop here!!!!!

Alex Savitsky

Abominable indeed. Cashier was extremely obnoxious and rude, acting like he's doing us a favor for just being there and barely doing his job. Whatever dude, you get to keep your overpriced merchandise, there's like a dozen of similar places in the same town.

Parker Adam

I haven't been to the store, but I'll sum up all the reviews and why it's rated so low. Their return policy is non existent so do t even try. Also Kevin the owner/manager as well as the other staff are very rude.

Emily Clare

I had the BEST experience yesterday (march 5th 2019) at Abom! I came in with my 3 month old puppy, Timber and we were instantly greeted by all the awesome staff! the were super rad and friendly and made Timber's first day to Banff a total success! Huge shout out to all the homies working that day, cant wait to return regularly!

Alan Griffith

Super friendly and knowledgeable sales staff. We got a great price on three pairs of hikers.

Aziz A

Ben from Ottawa was really helpful, however I decided to not buy/rent anything there because of an older employe (or manager?) constantly pressuring me to sign the paper work to rent, and I felt kind of uncomfortable.

Felica L

Ok omg I think her name was Amma? She was amazing I bought an extra of shoes just because use she was amazing. Thank you girl for all your help????

Kirsten LeBlanc

Great selection, but service isn't the best. Unless it isn't busy..

Nico Brandes

great service, very knowledgelable

Sonia BujanFernandez

WORSE EXPERIENCE EVER!!Skip this place, over prized, poor service very money driven. Worst service I have ever received in my life. Kevin ( owner) was arrogant, full of promises, he def had no intention or time to follow thru cause oh yeah...."sorry i cant do it now" although I promised you the world before you spent over $1000.00. He obviously assumes you have time and money to accommodate him. Big fan of supporting local biz but skip this one!! Their staff is brand new and seem scared of the owner thus they will not help you if you have a problem with your purchase. An unconfortable place. Bought ski equipment and when i returned home i found the exact same stuff half the price. Utterly disgusted. In the mean time, I feel like I just threw hundreds of dolllars out the window cause my equipment still not fixed, badically can't use it. Basically Kevin's train of thought; I knew i didn't do a good job the first time but I ran out of time, but oh yeah; " come back and give me a week's notice and I will have it fixed cause I basically couldnt care less to do it properly in the first place but you are coming back to Banff anywayz...."WILL NEVER BE BACK and I will make sure to advice my clients to skip this place. I now will have to spend more money to get my stuff custommed adjusted here so that I can actually ski with it. It will certainly be cheaper than going back , Kevin obviously has no repect for my time but def was very vested in my money since he charged me extra for adjustments that obviously he screwed up on.

John Mcaulay

Great store, friendly staff and a large range of products! Great ski rental section too. You can basically rent your skis and if you like them then you can just buy them. Such a good way to buy skis.

Charlotte Petrie Farrant

Beware. Their stock is old. Sold me a pair of boots new in April 2021 - come to find out they are from 2013. Enough said.

Francis Ishak

Been there only twice, both times have been bad experiences, poor, service, the salesmen in the shoe department in the dungeon were too busy yakking to each other rather than to help customers, wouldn't recommend this place

Juls Mac Mac

really friendly service and helpful staff. I’m happy with what I purchased but after going home to do some more research (I wish I’d done before) I found what I bought on Amazon and sold by the original brand for $50 less than abominable’s SALE price. I’m happier to support local than Amazon so I’ll deal but probably won’t go back.

Katherin Rudolf

Kevin is one of the most knowledgeable and attentive people in the Bow Valley for all your ski and hiking needs. His caring nature will make you feel at ease and find the right ski/hiking boot and skiis for you. Highly recommend

Joel Brochu

Went to return something about 1 hour because I found a pair of shoes in the colour I wanted, but was told they don't have a return policy. Not a word about this was mentioned during the sale. When I questioned the salesperson, he pointed to a wall and said "that's why we have the sign"... What sign? Useless. Will never shop here again.

Jenna Zanella

SO RUDE! Wish I could give negative stars

Kaitie C.

Awesome guys down in the rental portion of the shop. Super friendly, cracking jokes and made it a great experience. Only renting for a day, really good prices for what we needed. Definitely would recommend.

Melissa Barry

The owner gave me advice on hiking boots. He was so knowledgeable. I felt really confident that with his guidance, I purchased the best pair of boots for me.

Daniel D.

High price and very unfriendly management

Marissa Lim Molino

They treat you nice when you are buying but they will not be very specific at the time of payment that; returns or exchanges are not allowed even if you do in on the same day or even less than 6 hours!!!! Then once you try to return they point on to the fine print in their receipt. And simultaneously treat you abominably. Indeed this store should be called Abominable Service or better yet... Atrociously Abominable Service Store

Paigge W

Do not buy from this store, especially if you are a snowboarder. The owner Kevin, is incredibly condescending, arrogant and rude and would prefer to make money rather than sell products that are actually suited to the customer. I was sold a board that was too thin for my boot size, after asking several times if it would fit and being assured it would. I later went in to ask for a refund as the board did not fit. Kevin refused and did not want to discuss the issue, knowing he was in the wrong. In mid conversation he said "I'm done!" and stormed out of the store. I have never experienced customer service like this, especially from an owner of a store. I even showed the board/bindings and boot set up to other more knowledgable snowboard stores like Unlimited and Rudeboys where I was told the board was set up completely wrong and that the overhang of the boot was 3 inches (on the toe edge side), which is far too much. I left the store in tears and have never been spoken to so poorly before. Spend your money elsewhere.

darrenvox

Abominable sports are pretty reputable and do great work. They sell a lot of great ski and snowboard equipment in the winter and bikes in the summer. If you were looking for anything sports related I would go there...

Paskal S

Terrible place. The only good thing about this shop is the location. Staff is rude and so is the owner. Check out Monod's or Atmosphere instead.

Brett Telfer

Heaps of gear, good for a look around. Put my board in (wax n tune). The workshop is offsite, so you'll need to have it in by 5:30pm if you want it the next day.

Benjamin Miller

Beware of their return policy. Purchased some gloves, did not use them, and attempted to return them the next day. They would only do store credit and not a full refund. Prices are high and selection is limited in terms of gear. Would not recommend.

Dom Tinney

Bought new snowboard bindings. Product broke..after 6 months.. no ability to replace it

Cloé Laflamme

Went in just to take a look and left with a bunch! The deals just kept adding up. The staff was friendly and welcoming. Oh, and super helpful! They also gave my pals a discount on their item because they were shopping with us. No complaints here. Definitely worth checking out and deserve a better rating.

Michelle Bertrand

Haven't shipped upstairs, but I'm obsessed with the shoes in the lower level. Amazing service, gorgeous selection and great prices, especially for Banff. I've only been here a couple of weeks and have already bought 3 pairs I love. Definitely going back for sandal season..

Madeleine Limé

Warning, do not go here. The manager / owner is only interested in his own profit. He cannot be Canadian, I think he is from the US. Upon complaining nothing was done to better the situation, just brushed off. Price of rental of skis is 30% more than in nearby stores. The skis was also 5 years old not this years skis as they claimed.

Adam Connell

My wife rented skis from Abominable Sports during our trip to Banff and we had a fantastic experience. We told them that we were hoping to get on the mountain for a half-day warmup when we arrived and they were able to have her skis ready in ~30 minutes. Very friendly staff, Michael was great!

Jessica Bermel

Excellent products and excellent service! Kevin helped me get into the right size boots and was patient with all of my questions. I've been skiing on them for the last 3 months and have no complaints! As well the rest of the staff my partner and I chatted with were super knowledgeable and friendly. It was an great experience!

Geoffroy Cannesson

Worse shop in Banff. I went to buy some Salomon shoes and an old guy take care of me. I ask him the size 12 and bring me 12.5 and 13. He's starting to open the boxes and I ask him if he has the 12, maybe he misunderstood. He started saying that if he had the size 12 if would have bring it, do you see any pair of 12 ? No so theres none. I'm like wow, nice customer service so I say to him maybe thats better if we dont talk to each other and I will just try to shoes because I need it for today. He throw the boxes on the ground put the shoes back and went back to the closet to put the shoes on the self. He refused to serv me anymore. So I went upstairs to find a manager and I think it was the owner of the shop, I tell him whats just happen and the ONLY thing hes answering, do you still want to buy the shoes ? In what world a manager or EVEN MORE a owner would answer that to a customer. People told me to not go here, I totally understand why. Since I'm buying almost 1 pair per month I'm glad to spend my next money somewhere else. Absolutely insain experience. Dont go there, theres plenty other shop with the same product and the same price around.

Sarah McColm

I was in search of hiking boots as I bought some brand new from the same store the previous summer and they hurt my feet to the point where I could not walk. I went into this store to have a look one day on my lunch break and the employee I initially dealt with at this stage was brilliant. Super friendly, professional, helpful and all the rest. I tried on a few different pairs of boots and told the employee that I would be back after I finished work with my existing boots to compare to make sure I was not going to experience the same amount of pain. I asked them the price of the boots I liked and he told me the price, naturally I asked them if he expected them to go on sale when they received their new summer stock and of course they weren't able to tell me. They did say that they would be able to do them for a lesser price if I was to buy them today and the price he quoted was reasonable in my opinion. I came back to the store later that afternoon with a friend, my partner and my current hiking boots and was met by the owner, who on first impressions he seemed a bit odd as he made a condescending remark to my partner. Nonetheless he proceeded to be quirky but helpful. I finally decided that I wanted to by the same boots I had tried on earlier and again asked the owner the price. This is where my experience turned from weird but ok, to the worst experience and treatment I have ever received in my entire life in any situation. The owner told me the price and again naturally I asked him if this was the best price he could offer to me. He said yes they were already reduced. I then mentioned that I had actually visited the store earlier and was given a different price for the boots and the owner turned nasty at that very moment accusing his staff member of stealing from him and that the particular employee doesn't have the right to make those decisions as it is not their store. I instantly panicked because of the owners angry reaction thinking that I may have landed the employee in hot water and retracted my statement hoping that would be the end of it and said to the owner that oh no maybe the employee didn't say that. The owner proceeded to attack me calling me a liar and saying that he runs his business with honesty and integrity and that I have none. I said to him that I will leave the boots today and he spitefully replied with "I think that is a good idea." As I got up and walked away I was shaking with anger and shock as I could not believe what had just happened. The owner proceeded to yell abuse at me as I walked back upstairs to exit the store. All because I dare ask for a discount. Do not under any circumstances purchase anything from this store, the likeliness is that you will be ripped off or treated disgustingly! Your money is better spent elsewhere.

Carson Yusishen

Just awful. Don't know how shops like this one even survive in Banff considering the amount of other great shops in the area. I had an interview here not knowing how brutal it was and the owner just dragged me around for close to 3 hours …

Joseph Davis

Good selection and friendly staff

Ken Billingsley

Awesome service, great selection and 20% off with their team green card on ski and snowboard packages. Best deal in Banff!

Matt Grace

This place is awful. Is it possible to leave zero out of five stars? I bought something and realized I needed to return it 20 minutes later, obviously not used. The staff are so rude and nasty and refused to refund me, pointing at a small sign by the desk without even looking at me. The prices are also astronomical, I think they prey on innocent tourists.

Katie Kons

Amazing service and awesome sales, the staff were honest, friendly and helpful.

Jonny Penny

Staff were very helpful, and the manager pointed me to their best deals. I came out with an excellent board and pair of boots at 40% off or something, it was great. The only downside was that the manager, although a lovely guy to me, didn't appear to talk to his employees with that same kindness. All in all though I'm one very happy bloke with all new gear from abominable sports.

Tom Monaghan

Abominable service. Could not get a part for my snowboard boot that I purchased from them just over 12 months ago. I was told by the duty manager that they bought their boots online and could not get spare parts. Never again would I shop here or recommend to anybody. Shop elsewhere.

Robert Beasant

Very helpful staff. Definitely the place to go for snowboard boot fitting.

Sharon Montague

Not going to buy here again! GO TO MONOD SPORTS! First visit to abominable we asked about hiking boots in certain size. We were redirected to runners in wrong size. We Explained they weren't useful to us if dont fit. We got directed t buy elsewhere. Went to Monad. Found perfect size and professional staff to assist!! Son really wanted a vest snd backpack at abominable. We returned and purchased. The guy CUT OFF all price tags, products tags and washing instructions. I asked what he was doing. Said thats how he keeps inventory. REALLY?? (I think its So you cant return items.) So I asked at least for washing instructions tags back. He wouldn't give all of them. Strange business practices and seems suspicious. And, if I gift these items they don't appear to be new without tags. Unreturnable!! We again went back to Monads where professional staff, best prices, (price match). We bought two nice jackets and a shirt and two pairs of Timberlines at up to 50% off. WE EVEN GOT TO KEEP THE TAGS. I don't trust abominaable.. Not shopping there ever!

Teagahn Vales

I honestly don't understand why this store has so many bad reviews. I went there 2 days in a row (1 for rain gear and the next because I burned a hole in my hiking boots and needed to replace them) both times I had a great experience! A no return policy is a no return policy. Lots of stores have them and there is a sign at the till that explains it. I had no issues exchanging the sweater I bought the first day for a smaller size. When I went in to buy my boots, they took the time to explain what to look for in a good boot, top to bottom, and then fitted my foot. I was brought different boots to try on and choose from. I found the customer service to be top notch both days. Whenever I return to banff I will be a return customer!

Marco Bold

The Boss is treating his employees really bad. Starts screamig without a reason

Duncan Mackenzie

Purchased expensive boots. Broke within first hour. Abominable wouldn't do anything other than "help fill out warranty claim" to send to the manufacturer.

Jo Marsh

Bought ski goggles to go over my glasses they sold me the wrong ones. Had to ski without glasses then they wouldn’t refund my money or attempt to make it up to me in any way. Got a store credit. Il use that and il never shop there again. Pretty sure the sales guy was hung over and their stalk is very unorganized and miss labeled

Terry Rogelstad

I bought a set of trekking poles that had a defect on one of the straps. They replaced it no questions asked after I used them twice.

Cherie Fernando

Purchased boots and had to make a return. Kevin was great to talk with and was provided great service!!

Christin M

My sister and I wanted to rent some Skigear for one day since the one I usually went to was closed (Ultimate Sports). We went there not expecting a lot and the guys upstairs were really nice. We went downstairs where all the rental stuff is and the worst customer service of our life started. The owner was extremely unfriendly and it was just awful. We were so close to just leave because we felt so unwelcome. I told him which size I usually wear and he kept telling me he knows better since this is his store. He tried to show and tell us that his store is way better than Ultimate just because I told him I usually go there but they're closed today. I also kindly asked if we can pay as we wanted to grab the next shuttle to Sunshine Village and he said in a really bad way: When the paperwork is done you can pay, yes. We told him we are in a little rush but he didn't care at all and kept helping other customers even though there was more staff in store. When we returned the gear (he wanted us to return everything before 5pm but they're open until 9pm or something) he wasn't there anymore and we told the other ones in store how awful he was and they started apologizing for him and that they know how awful he is. I mean? Do you really want to have a store where your staff has to apologize for their own manager/boss?! Do yourself a favor and DON'T rent anything here!!! I can highly recommend Ultimate Sports across the street. They are cheaper, have a local discount and are extremely kind, chill and funny! And you can return your gear the next day or easily call them to have them for another day and pay when you return them.

mark damaso

Very poor and rude service. Would not even consider my unused item for return a day after I purchased but changed my mind. I would not recommend anyone shop here.

Grace Kelly

Horrible experience Kevin just wants to make a dollar. Never buy anything here he does not know how to fit a ski boot

Jack Penny

Ben was an extremely kind, friendly and attentive employee. He helped me and my girlfriend out immensely for our first time purchasing a set of skis. The products he sold us were fantastic and Ben really showed he cared about helping us …

Andrew Lipman

Had no idea about skiing. After visiting ab sports and talking to hayden-now I'm pro. Nice bloke When it comes to snow sports he is the king. I highly recommend. ..

Lisa Tilley

Great store Good quality in both boots, pants & jackets Have never had issue & staff is super nice & friendly Always stop to shop there when in Banff We will definitely be back...

Deena Li

I bought a discounted board for $150 and the bottom started peeling off the very first time I took it out. I went back to the shop with the broken board and was largely ignored by all staff, including Kevin the owner. I stood around waiting to be acknowledged by just anybody for at least 15 minutes. Kevin was extremely rude and condescending; he told me that I could only get store credit or get the piece of garbage board fixed. Of course, I took the credit and had no option but to pay more and upgrade to a better board, but the next cheapest board was double the original board's price at $300. I will never shop there again and will warn everyone about going there. The only reason why it's always busy is because of the poor schmucks who visit Banff on a vacation thinking they will buy some quality ski/snowboarding gear and end up with some garbage they won't be able to get their money back on.

Ada

Really nice and helpful staff, good selection of shoes.

Riley YeliR

Maybe tell your staff not to tell there customers how much they can't stand people from their country as an opening conversation m, then awkwardly get other employee involved. I couldn't barely shop because if it harassed both downstairs and upstairs

Dean P

Excellent customer service!! The people there are so friendly but not pushy and know their products. I bought a pair of hiking shoes which I got to try around the store. God selection of shoes and boots. I would recommend this place hiking and snow gear.

Charlie Nodus

They would not give me a refund on my shoes that were defective. The staff of the stood was good, but the owner was arrogant and stubborn. Also, a very poor selection of shoes, had few sizes.

Pierre Lyons-Thomas

Saw a 50% off sign and needed something. Told it was an up to 50% off sign which it was. Fair enough. When I asked what percentage off was told 0%. Please don't bother with this place. It deserves to go out of business.

jimmy terp

Good staff gelpful

Phet Patt

Unkind and bad service.

J D

Good price on rentals, staff were helpful when looking for some new gear as well.

Niloufar Abdo

Kevin was very helpful and knowledgeable. Excellent customer service, price matched a product I found online. Definitely recommend!

J yapitac

Class A, fake products. Bought a Liquid jacket, Abominable said original price 550$ and selling for 280$. Immediately after paying, the cashier cut off the price tag and tags on the jacket so you can’t return it. I only realized the implications after. Went to liquid website and contacted them, was told they never sold that kind of jacket and was way overpriced. Warning! A lot of positive reviews here in Google, obviously paid reviews! Shame on you local guides!

omer shahid

The guy who helped us had an attitude problem. Didn't even have a bag for the items I purchased.

Austin Brunell

Skip this store. The employee I spoke to didn't know basic information about the products they sell, and they sell a weird brand of Isobutane canisters for $13, when you can get MSR elsewhere in town for close to $7. Seems like they're just trying to take advantage of people. You're much better off going to Monods or any of the other places in town.

Michael Backo

Stopped in to purchase a pair of boots. The staff was attentive to my needs and I ended up with a nice pair of boots and a pleasant shopping experience.

Yak Yak

In November 2016 I bought a pair of FLOW (brand) Snowboard Boots from this store. On Dec 27th, on the 3rd use, the pull cord broke (essential for use). On Dec 29th I brought the boots to the store, initially I was looking for a refund/new pair but the man at the store assured me 2 weeks to go through the warranty and be repaired. As I had plans to ski the next few weekends, I didn't mind not having my board boots. Two weeks (Jan 13) later I came to the store to check on the status; and they boots were still behind the counter. The staff said that they were having trouble deciding if FLOW could send the parts to the store for repair or if they needed to be sent away. The next week I called and was told the boots had been sent away (Jan 20). I had a snowboarding trip planned 2 from then, so I asked the manager to give me a call when they had an ETA, because I would otherwise have to rent boots for my trip. I did not hear from the manager. Two weeks later (Feb 2), I went into the store again. The manager informed me the "Warranty guy" from FLOW was off on vacation and they were unable to do anything about it. I requested the FLOW reps contact, the manager (Kevin) insured he would call me with the contact number. He did not; did not reply to my messages requesting this info. A week later (Feb 9) I went to the store and left a message with the staff to have someone call me to see if they had got through to FLOW. I didn't receive a call. On Feb 16 I went to the store again and request a call, again. Still nothing. I decided to call FLOW directly (Feb18), within 5 minutes I was connected to the "warranted guy" who had not been on vacation and had no boots from the store in for repair. Within a day the FLOW guy had figures out that Abominable had in fact sent the boots to the WRONG address (that had changed years ago), and they had been returned to Abominable warehouse, where they had been sitting for weeks. The FLOW contact was great, and coordinated the repair. I stopped int he store on the 24th of Feb and again I was told that the FLOW "warranty guy" was still the issue. Today (Feb 27th) I received my boots. I understand mistakes are made. But to lie to customers and also be so lazy that you don't even attempt to fix a mistake is not reasonable. I spent a great deal of my time sorting this out, I wasted money on rental boots and my experience was completely negative. This shop has the reputation of being the worst in town, and after giving them a chance I completely agree. The manager/owner, Kevin is a condescending piece of work that needs to check his attitude with customers and realize hes in the service industry.

Raistlin Majere

(Translated) I bought a Canadian-made hat of great quality, plus it is my size and I can wear it very regularly …