During our last skiing trip to Whistler in January, my wife suffered an ACL injury, and I underwent shoulder reconstruction surgery in June of this year. As a result, I did not regularly check my email account that was used for holiday booking, I was auto-charged for the EPIC Pass for next year.
Given these circumstances, it is impossible for us to ski for the foreseeable future. Despite reaching out to the company 4-5 times over the past few months to explain our situation and requesting the cancellation of my EPIC Pass and a refund, the company’s response has been disappointing. The lack of empathy and understanding for individuals dealing with significant injuries is deeply disheartening.
Instead, they informed me that they will proceed with charging my credit card next month for the passes for me, my wife, and my children, citing the fine print in the contract.
Knowing that my wife and I are injured, the company’s lack of compassion and understanding of the stress we are going through is both immoral and unethical. We will never ski at any of the Vail Resort-operated locations again in the future.T.L. (SoMa, San Francisco, CA) via Yelp reviews
Category: EPIC pass
Vail: fix your dumb payment system. Just for a change.
Another year – another moronic error produced by Vail’s Epic payment system. Perfectly valid card which I am using nationwide and worldwide. And yet another stupid payment error by Vail. This company simple cannot help itself. Vail sucks even in small details.
Heavenly: “Idiots running the show”
Ok I’ve been here before and it’s exceptional. Today we found that the iconic gondola was shut down. For how long? Nobody knows. It’s there infinite wisdom the Heavenly Valley intellectual juggernaut’s decided to cram everyone onto the California lodge lift. At the same time the two other lodges are closed and leaving the innate idiots that run this place to keep everyone jammed into the California lodge. This created a logjam and over 4 hour wait to get off the mountain by unfortunate patrons. Got a heart attack, broken leg or massive bled well we will get you down after we let our own employees down first. This is a perfect example of people in positions they should not be in. Having an alternative plan, alerting the public or Just using common. Sense. Perhaps these are the same fools discharged from the state department that led our glorious evacuation from Afghanistan? Either way I’m sure the trail lawyers awaited at the bottom with their salivary glands in full effect
Jim M via TripAdvisor
Visited Tahoe for the holidays and unfortunately there wasn’t much snow. You would expect reduced rates under such poor skiing conditions but instead the prices at Heavenly were outrageous. $200 for 1/2 day lift ticket, $800 for a private lesson… Fortunately I found other mountains with similar conditions and great views at much lower prices.
David B via TripAdvisor
Absolutely poor customer service. Ski resort announced opening on 17 Nov, only to delay it opening to after our trip. No refunds, poor communication. We also only found out upon arrival to Tahoe with no email notification.
Stay01608001420 via TripAdvisor
I wanted to like the experience of Heavenly, but the skiing was way too crowded especially during the weekends. It’s never fun to be at risk of bumping to a skier and have to wait until going down an entire run. On the plus side, the snow wasn’t bad and the scenery of seeing Lake Tahoe was beautiful.
Noah W via TripAdvisor
Heavenly is a corporate resort that regards skiers as profit centers while their real customers are Wall Street analysts. For spring skiing they have reduced lifts and grooming to a bare minimum. Sky lift is the one that reaches the highest altitude so it has mid year weekend lines. The trouble is this means 2 non heavy slush runs max vs 6-10 runs in winter. Grooming has been cut to almost nothing. I observed far more corduroy at Diamond Peak and Mt Rose. This made my decision on renewal for me as Northstar parking and crowds make that resort a no go. I would have renewed if spring skiing was even an average experience. By the way thanks for eliminating the ski carts at NS which has one of The most onerous walks in NA. We figure the green eye shades saved 20-25 cents per Skier visit on that one.
Willy K via TripAdvisor
I am a season pass holder with the Tahoe Local Pass. The experience here is truly disappointing. I went on a low traffic day (Monday) and the the experience really sucked. The only thing decent was the grooming. Vail resorts is run strictly by Wall Street guys and pointy pencil bean counters interested only in the bottom line. To this end they sent all of their low paid J1 visa employees packing on 3/31/23 and now they are running with a skeleton crew of locals. At least two key lifts are closed and the lines (Sky and Dipper) on a Monday were crazy at 10-15 minutes per ride. Vail resorts are the kings of no-customer service. As a long time pass holder, Vail resorts may have crossed the line for me NOT to renew my pass for the 23-24 season.
Michael A via TripAdvisor
“Outrageously scandalous”
The winter lift ticket on Sat Dec 23 was sold $256 for having not even half of the slopes open. Outrageously scandalous.
Roger Deballe via Google Reviews
Lift kept stopping every 2 minutes. $200+ for a day lift ticket is outrageous and having to pay for parking also is lame
neglsha n via Google Reviews
Slopes were not well groomed. Too much powder and difficult to ski. Many lifts were not open for the $269 price. Also, this is the first place that did not provide a veteran discount. They said they give military discount for season passes but not daily passes.
Richard L via TripAdvisor
Horrible conditions right now due to lack of snow. Very few runs and even fewer lifts open. Even if you bought an Epic pass, do not throw good money after bad by wasting $$S on lodging and parking. Better off flying to a resort with snow. Will update if conditions improve.
Kevin G. via Yelp
A Racket to put simply. Bought two days, our passes did not work both days. Waited in line several hours. Employees were extremely rude and none of them even tried to speak English. Insane for the price! This place has went downhill so fast
Nolan S. via Yelp
Really subpar experience today with low snow levels, tons of moguls even on blues (blacks are impossible), and shrubbery peeking out everywhere. Trails need to be groomed or at least they could try with some snow machines to make more snow. The resort was extremely crowded and the rentals took almost 2 hours. The rental system of having groups serviced by one personnel makes no sense and groups of 3 or more end up taking extremely long. The gondola experience for new visitors to the resort who have skis is extremely stressful and staff do not care to help. We barely made it into the gondola and it seems unnecessary to be stressed before you even hit the slopes. I had higher expectations for a Tahoe resort after living in LA for many years going to Big Bear. I will be going to other resorts in the future.
Jenny M. via Yelp
Way too crowded to be enjoyable. Too many people going way too fast on greens/blues with no one enforcing slow zones.
E M. via Yelp
Very disappointed in the group lessons. I booked 6 full day group lessons for ages 7-14. Cost about $400 each. Check in was at 8:45. After an hour and half later, and standing in two different lines (we were not even renting gear) the kids were checked in. The instructor was rude and short with the kids. There was a total of 11 in the group with one instructor. When they came back, all said they never wanted to do it again and it was miserable. My 8 year old was crying. They barely skied and mainly stood around. Flat out, was not an enjoyable experience. The instructor was just plain rude.
Shay O. via Yelp
Year after year they raise prices and provide less and less.
Am A. via Yelp
“I will no longer renew our EpicPass”
My entire family has the EpicPass and we’ve stayed at Catamount several times. I really really wanted to like Northstar but my experience this week has sourced on me even before the 2023/2024 ski season started, and therefore I will no longer renew our EpicPass this year. Instead, I’m going to get the entire family on Ikon Pass next time.
Kevin C. via Yelp
Here’s the story. Northstar had originally planned to open on Nov 17th so I booked lodging for the family starting on Nov 20th. But because of the warm weather this year, they cancelled the opening date. It would seem that they should be able to make plenty of snow by the end of the week (good 10 day forecast), so I asked them to move my reservation to Nov 23rd. But then the service lady told me 1) I can only move the date once and 2) there’s no way they will open up in the next coming few weeks, and I better book something much later in the year.
That caused a lot grief for me because all of my free vacation dates for 2023/2024 are completely packed. I spent a whole day trying to cancel my other vacation plans (with heavy financial penalties) just so I could re-use my Northstar lodging credits. Then guess what? A few days later, I got the news: Northstar is opening up on Nov 23. Great. Just great.
When you keep flip-flopping on your customers, giving them wrong information, and ripping them off with this ridiculous no refund policy– don’t expect them to come back ever again.
“Epic passes not received. Epic coverage is a scam”
Spent $1800 in April for Epic Passes. They supposedly shipped to an address that was not even in my account, tried to charge me for a reshipment of the passes the erroneously shipped to the wrong address, and have still not shipped out the passes after finally putting in the reshipment order. Customer service is quick to say “I’m sorry” and then wring their hands as they give you phone numbers that just hangup on you or general email inboxes for you to vent your frustration to the ether. Any lawyers out there because this is sounding like a great class action brewing.
David R via Tripadvisor
Epic pass is a total scam.
M1A via Tripadvisor
I’ve been promised mine is arriving for several weeks.
I want to use a partner benefit in France and have been told via online chat (Impossible to find 99% of the time) that I just need proof of purchase.
I’ve found three different links to what you have to do.
1. proof of active pass and ID
2. Actual pass and ID
3. You must register your visit on the Three Valleys site 10 days before.
Well, I don’t have a pass to show and have no idea how you register your visit on the Trois Vallees site – No details given.
Epic coverage is a scam. They make it as difficult as possible. Claims are handled through sedgwick so they can avoid providing basic customer service. Once you are denied Epic and sedgwick will provide no support. They are just waiting you out until the pass’s epic coverage is expired. For reference my pass was never used.
Ty7188 via Tripadvisor
The customer experience is a horror show….took me 50 minutes to order 3 4 day passes for adults….horrific, and pathetic. I don’t care about the mountain, the snow, whatever, the customer service experience is the worst, and gets worse every year…..I choose to go elsewhere
Paul B via Tripadvisor
Epic Failure with Epic Flexpay: A Vail Experience
I’d like to take a moment to share my recent and utterly frustrating experience with Vail Resorts’ payment system, specifically the “epic flexpay” option. While the idea of purchasing Epic pass 6-day tickets sounded appealing, the execution left me more than disappointed. It’s one of those experiences that leaves you questioning whether the service you’re trying to utilize is really worth the hassle.
The Beginning of the Trouble
The system flatly denied my application, citing a freeze on my credit report. As someone with an excellent credit score, this was both baffling and annoying. However, I played by their rules and lifted the freeze with Equifax, only to be met with further disappointment.
Unspecified Failure
After complying with their request and trying to process the application again, I was met with an infuriatingly vague rejection: “Thank you for your application. Unfortunately, we can’t process your application because we need additional information from you.” What additional information? Why was this not specified? These questions were left unanswered.
A Pathetic Experience
I’m left to conclude that Vail’s credit payment system is as pathetic as the rest of the services they offer. The entire process was marred by a lack of transparency and a user experience that feels disconnected from modern practices. I consider myself a patient person, but this episode has worn thin on my nerves.
Conclusion
It is my suspicion that Vail’s “Epic Flexpay” is nothing more than a “click and bait” scheme, a facade to lure customers with the promise of “0% APR, 0 down payment.” What they don’t tell you is that these attractive terms are nearly impossible to access, and you may find yourself having to pay in full or with a far less appealing “15% APR.” This experience has left me feeling deceived and disappointed.
The mountain might be epic, but the payment experience is anything but. Vail, if you happen to come across this, please know that transparent and honest business practices go a long way in building trust with your customers. I hope you take this feedback seriously and make the necessary changes to ensure that future customers don’t fall into the same trap.
“Not worth the lift ticket prices”
Rude personnel, extremely strict rules… inconsistent feedback from people working here regarding the resort rules.
Not worth the lift ticket prices and f**k vail resorts altogether
This place is an absolute nightmare! Do not come here unless you want to wait in line for a shuttle for over an hour minimum and wait to park your car for an hour as well. Just parking your car will make you wanna leave it’s so chaotic. Have fun looking at the backside when you arrive, there’s fresh powder everywhere, however they won’t open it and force feed everyone into lines once you hit the front side. It’s honestly the worst resort I’ve ever been to. Just a giant trap to take your money away from you. Oh and when it’s time to leave be prepared to wait in another hour line to get back to your car and then another hour to leave. Avoid at all costs
2 hours to download from village to parking lot. 100+ people line built up from 3:30 to 4 waiting on first bus. Supply trucks were dangerously pulling in and out through the queue of people. Cutting left and right with no direction. Total mess.
No lights in the pitch black parking lot at 6 pm to top it off. This resort needs a total overhaul on customer service and parking functionality. Frankly unacceptable from an upper level management perspective. They have the $$ to do it right.
Don’t come here unless you stay on site. 4x Epic Pass holder. Heavenly and Kirkwood are visitor friendly.
After paying for very EXPENSIVE ticket during Christmas, we were informed by staff that the mountain is closed for the day due to safety reason and extreme weather, after only less than 2 hours of total time spent at the resort. When asking about partial refund or credit, nothing was offered and staff told us that “this situation happens frequently at the resort”.
Source: Google reviews
“What is this rental facility fee? Seems like a scam for them to charge more. (It’s Vail resorts)”
This is the same company that charged $4 shipping for every online pass purchased earlier this year, even if you reactivated a pass you already had, or picked your pass up in person without any shipping.
they will continue to pull this shit as long as people accept it.
Forget “experience of a lifetime” this is clearly turning into “whatever it takes to make this quarters number”
And they’re going to continue to do so as long as people accept their shitty business practices. F**k Vail. Stop supporting them, people. If you complain after paying the presumably hundreds of dollars shown here, it kind of doesn’t matter. They got what they wanted and the consumer put up with it.
Source: Reddit
“Why get a pass if you still have to stand in the long lines at the resort with everyone else”
Similar to others, the passes never come. Impossible to get any help. Prices change on whims. You have to call to stop the auto-renew and that can be a huge hassle. The customer service is far from stellar. If you love to ski/board at their resorts and know exactly what you want it may work for you, but if you are doing it for the first time or wanting to try it out, spend the time to make sure you know what you want/need and see if it’s worth it. They are little to no help and they seem not to care much about your experience.
Michael B via BBB.org
Do not expect to get your ski pass in the mail, ever. I ordered mine 15 business days ago and it still has not shipped. I spent an hour on the phone with customer service, and they said they did not know why it had not shipped and could not say when it would. Kept referencing that it should have arrived in ** business days and that there may have been shipping vendor delays
Rachel R via BBB.org
I order passes previous years but this year is crazy. Ordered passes 16 Nov and 5 Jan still nothing. ** * and they just tell you we will mail them. Can’t say when or anything. I ordered 2 months in advance so I don’t have to stand in lines but looks like I will be. I emailed them several times and no reply. Logged on line nothing. No one can tell you anything just we will mail them. Might be last time using them. The customer services call center is completely incompetent. confirmed the names and shipping address multiple times with the agent and STILL Nothing almost 2 months later. I agree Why get a pass if you still have to stand in the long lines at the resort with everyone else?
Richard H via BBB.org
If you happen to get your passes when you order them, then you will be happy. If there is a problem in getting your passes (paid in full of course), then the true agony begins. We ordered passes in October and 10 weeks later we still do not have them. I spoke with support services twice, sent multiple emails to **** resorts and had a live chat. One of our two passes was sent to the wrong address twice and the other one was never sent. The support services call center is completely incompetent. I could not reach anyone who was fluent in English. I confirmed the names and shipping address multiple times with the agent and STILL the wrong number of passes were sent to the wrong address. Why get a pass if you still have to stand in the long lines at the resort with everyone else? No compensation for this major inconvenience was ever offered.
Lynne M via BBB.org
The online ordering process is terrible. After you provide all the information including credit card information you get an error message telling you to call the 800 number… You call and have to wait a long time to be assisted over a terrible call quality line. I could barely understand half what the guy was saying.Over the phone I was told to create an account online (which I tried unsuccessfully). They completed my order over the phone but I could only get the passes mailed to me if I created an account online and sent pictures of the whole family.I tried to create an account after the attendant instructed me to do so and got an error again… It said I already had one and should reset my password. The link to reset was never received. Then after some time my wife (different email address) got an email with the link. She tried to reset the password but got an error and instructions to call the 800 number (again…). Summary: terrible customer service and I’ll need to wait in line at the resort to retrieve my passes on site…
Fernando C via BBB.org
Source: BBB.org
NorthStar California Sucks | VailEpicFail 