“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

Vail Resorts Stamping Out on Those Leaving Their Equipment to Reserve Place in Line at Heavenly Mountain, CA

The reader who shared the picture says that “…people are placing their ski or snowboard equipment up in the front of the lift line in the morning, then go hang out in their warm cars until about ten minutes before loading the lift.”

Source: https://snowbrains.com

“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

“Avoid month to month billing for the EPIC pass”

I signed up for a month to month billing thinking I would be billed a small amount each month. Instead they just delay all of your payments until months later and hit you with hundreds of dollars all of a sudden that they will f**k you if you don’t pay. When they finally took the $577 out of my account they charged it again 2 weeks later. I called 3 times to dispute the charge and received no help. I have now submitted the double charge as fraud to my bank. My 19 year old friend was also double charged the same way. Luckily they didn’t have the funds in their account for the second transaction to go through.

Devon B via BBB.org

“Auto-renew is a Scam”

Resorts, what should be a proud company, is just a scam business committing fraud. When I purchased online a 4-pack pass for my 17-year old daughter last year, they claim I clicked on auto-renew for the upcoming year. I did not intend on auto-renew and it is impossible to get out of auto-renew. They automatically charged my credit card and my daughter does not intend on skiing this year so we are paying them without receiving any benefit. I think that is their scam. Bump up their revenue from people that will not be visiting their resorts and adding to their long lines. Resorts refused to refund my money. They directed me to their insurance process for a qualifying loss, which is impossible to meet the document requirements because there are a very narrow set of circumstances in which to get a refund. I filed a complaint with the AG directed me to file a complaint here. I likely will not receive my money returned but I will NEVER visit another resort or shop at EPIC Sports, owned by Resorts. I have likely spent over $2000 there in the last two years. Never again and I will tell everyone I know what a fraudulent operation Resorts has become. Resorts, I hope you are proud. Now, I just want as many people as possible to know the truth. Read the entry below from 9/23 and 10/9. They have no remorse, just their shoddy explanation of claiming “we sent you an email”. The employees should be embarrassed to work for such a fraudulent company. Be aware.

Connie B via BBB.org

“Judge Grants Final Approval of Vail Resorts’ $13.1-Million Offer to Settle Labor Law Violations Lawsuit”

Vail Resorts will pay $13.1 million to settle five wage and labor lawsuits brought against the company in California for claims of labor law violations.

Preliminary approval of the $13.1 million deal was given in March 2022, and on Friday 19th August, 2022, Judge Michael McLaughlin granted final approval of the settlement offer in court in South Lake Tahoe. The decision will likely put an end to a similar class action lawsuit filed in Colorado.

snowbrains.com

“Vail Resorts employee dies after tree falls on chairlift at Utah resort”

A Vail Resorts employee at the Park City Mountain Resort in Utah died on Monday after falling from a chairlift, according to resort officials. 

According to the resort’s Senior Manager of Communications Sara Huey, a tree fell on the line of the Short Cut chairlift at around 10:45 AM. An on-duty employee that was riding the lift fell from his seat, falling an estimated height of at least 25 feet, Huey said. 

outtherecolorado.com

“Another scary Vail resorts accident”

..just witnessed the chair directly in front of us fall off the haul rope during a wind hold on the peak 8 superconnect at Breckenridge’s Peak 8 SuperConnect. The chair was close to the top terminal and fell about 20 feet. ski patrol was already there and the guy riding the chair is ok.

brettmgoldberg1 via Twitter

The lift involved was built by Leitner-Poma in 2002 and connects Peaks 8 and 9 with three stations. There are normally 190 chairs on the line.

..

This is the second carrier to fall from a detachable lift in North America this season. Earlier this month, an empty gondola fell from Mont-Sainte-Anne’s gondola, an incident blamed on human error after a grip attach fault. Last season, an occupied gondola cabin fell from the Sunday River Chondola in high winds. Prior to that, a chair detachment at Camelback, Pennsylvania injured three people in March 2021.

Liftblo

“Vail will collapse. It’s not IF but WHEN.”

Vail will collapse. It’s not if but when. When pass prices go up by 20% they can only muster a 6% revenue increase associated with a 12% drop in units sold their upper tier passes while buying FOUR new areas. This all in an economy with huge inflation and huge labor cost increases. The financials just don’t add up to sustainability.

Their Experience Of A Lifetime (TM) is turning people away. Limited snowmaking this year (disasterous last year).

…

Poor grooming quality. I laugh at some of the pics posted to the pass group on Facebook talking about the amazing conditions when there’s huge grooming ruts, 2 foot ice boulders, death cookies galore, etc. in the pics.

Lack of maintenance to their lifts leading them to break down all the time (Attitash last year, Stowe this year). Lack of running lifts. Non lifties running lifts. Grumpy employees some that scream at you for no reason. Bad traffic. Long lines. Charge you to park with no lifts running. I can go on…

Interest rates are through their roof. Their line of credit they’ve been using to fund their upgrades is now suddenly much costlier. Meanwhile their bread and butter resorts — Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckinridge, Keystone — have a ton of aging detachable that need to be replaced within the decade.

obienick via Snowjournal

“This was my family’s first and last time at Northstar”

This was my family’s first and last time at Northstar. Nightmare of a cluster to get to and from parking in 10-ish degree weather. Took two hours just to get on a shuttle and to our car at the end of the day due to Northstar management’s dysfunction while we froze in one of the longest shuttle lines. Food was stupid expensive and served haphazardly . It’s too bad because the snowshoeing and Nordic trails are great, and Northstar could be a perfect match for groups with some downhill and some Nordic skiers. But my family will head to Palisades and deal with limited Nordic or split between Sugarbowl and Royal Gorge in the future.

Jessica S. via Yelp