Don't shop online!

I bought a number of items from their online shop, most of which was too small. The size guide is completely wrong. That shouldn't have been a big deal, because online retail is an established an polished industry and companies like Takealot, Amazon and Under Armour have shown us how slick and easy the returns and exchanges process should be.

Not so at First Ascent online. I had to copy fields from the order and paste them into a text box on the First Exchange returns page. After I finally submitted the form, I recieved this email response:

"Due to a high volume of requests, a First Ascent Support agent will contact you within 24 - 72 hours (excluding weekends) via email only to assist you with your request."

Seriously, this is what online retail looked like 30 years ago. Today, there is no excuse for such a sub-standard experience.

I like the gear, but I will not buy online again.