Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Outside's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Outside

  1600 Pearl St Ste 300 Boulder, CO 80302

• 

  Outside Magazine

  400 Market St Santa Fe, NM 87501-7300

• 

  Outside Magazine

  400 Market St Santa Fe, NM 87501-7300

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/04/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I went to the Outside Festival in ******, ** on June 1, 2024 and entered a raffle drawing for a free paddleboard. I was notified by **** ***** who works for Outside who put on the festival that I won a paddle board. He collected my address and promised to send me the paddleboard. We emailed back and forth for several months and then he stopped replying and I never got the paddle board. My ideal resolution would be for him to mail me the paddleboard.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/06/2025

  Thank you for reaching out. *** confirmed with our events team that the paddleboard was ordered on November 14, 2024. Have you contacted the vendor regarding this order? Ive attached the email receipt confirmation for your reference.
  
  I wanted to update this ticket today as we are closed this Friday. I am still awaiting additional tracking information from the events team.
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/07/2025

   
  Complaint: 23020080
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I never received the paddleboard. Is there a tracking number? 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *******

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2025

  Thank you for your patience while we investigated this issue. We placed the order with the vendor as shown in the attached receipt. After multiple attempts, we were able to get in touch with Hellbender, and it appears the board was returned to the warehouse but lost during the hurricanes at that time. The vendor has agreed to reship a replacement, and we want to ensure we have the correct shipping address to avoid any further issues. Please provide your updated address at your earliest convenience, and we will forward it to the vendor for shipment. Let us know if you have any questions, and we appreciate your understanding.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/21/2025

   
  Complaint: 23020080
  
  Thanks! Here is my address:

   

  *********************
  ******,CO 80211

   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *******

  Business Response

  Date: 03/30/2025

  This complaint can be closed now. I wasn't able to respond to the claim earlier, but I've been in contact with ***. We got in touch with the vendor and theyve reached out to *** to provide a replacement board. Heres the vendor's message to *** for reference.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/12/2025

  Hello - the issue was resolved. They sent the paddleboard and it arrived. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/21/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have contacted Outside + for the first time back in September about my account for Trailforks and Pinkbike being deactivated. After each contact, I get an email with a call ticket and then nothing happens. I tried to find a phone number to contact them to resolve this issue and there isnt any.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/03/2025

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. After reviewing our records, we were unable to locate an account under the email address provided. To assist you further, please reach out to our support team at *********************************** with the email address associated with your Trailforks or Pinkbike account. We are happy to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/04/2025

   
  Complaint: 22840388
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have been trying since September 2024 to have you give me back access to my Trailforks and Pinkbike account. Having had three call tickets automatically assigned but nothing done about it, I filed a complaint with BBB. They reached out to me today and said they finally got an answer from you.
  
  In their answer, you state that there is no account under the email provided. I am including proof to the contrary, my ***** account name and my early adopter subscription paid in full in September.

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 02/11/2025

  Our Trailforks/******** team has confirmed that this customers issue has been resolved, and their support ticket has been closed. Their account was compromised and subsequently deactivated. However, they have since reset their password and regained full access.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/11/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/07/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Because of Gaia I was forced to create an account for ******************** 1 even though I unsubscribed to everything I get several junk emails a day. 2 I logged in to my account to see i was auto subscribed to a $99 plan for something... I don't know what that is.... 3 Every time I click cancel membership it says the user is not subscribed but the membership says ACTIVE. 4 Also I realized EVERYTHING is public 5 and when I try to remove my coros connection it logs me out... And it automatically ***** all my runs from coros and makes them public to the world Please fix all these

  Business Response

  Date: 01/28/2025

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. A recent support ticket from this customer (#******** did not mention the issues outlined in this claim. To ensure these concerns are addressed promptly, our team will reach out to the customer directly within 24 hours to assist with troubleshooting and resolution.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/28/2025

   
  Complaint: 22779550
  
  I am rejecting this response because: company claims they contacted me but i see no emails or contact re ticket *******
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Bogie **********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/30/2025

  After they tried to close the BBB complaint claiming they contacted me , and AFTER i rejected that, they finally reached out to me and all they said was that tehre was a bug . THEY DID NOT RESPOND TO THE EXPLAINING WHY GAIA IS SECRETLY CONNECTED TO MY COROS AND WHY THEY PUSH MY TRACKS TO TRAILFORKS AND MAKE THEM PUBLIC ***alll this without my approval****

  Business Response

  Date: 02/04/2025

  On 1/31/25, our Support Operations Manager reached out to this customer to address the issues mentioned and provided the following information (see attachment). If the customer has any further questions or requires additional assistance, please feel free to respond directly to the open ticket (*******). Were here to help!
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/04/2025

   
  Complaint: 22779550
  
  I am rejecting this response because: i NEVER connected my coros to Outside and the 3rd party Apps on Coros does NOT show any connection 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Bogie **********

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2025

  Our Support Operations team has responded to the customers open support ticket (#******** with additional information, including steps to resolve the issue and remove the device from the account. If any further assistance is needed, we are happy to help.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/12/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I subscribed to the Gaia trail map application managed by Outside over a year ago and I was satisfied using the application. An automatic subscription renewal is required and I allowed my subscription to renew despite the price going up over 51 percent. Several months later I went to use the app as usual and I was blocked from doing so without signing up for an account. I looked into how I might get an account without revealing a lot of personal information that I didnt want to share. I found that was not possible and I read that of you dont accept the privacy policies, dont use the app. This was obviously after the application has been paid for. Numerous attempts to contact the companys support have gone unanswered. I finally deleted the app and cancelled my subscription, although the money is already gone.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2024

  After reviewing the customer data and tickets, we found that all four tickets were submitted and responded to within 24 hours. Please see the attached evidence of the tickets, along with the responses from different team members. It is possible that the customer's email service is blocking these responses. As a workaround, our team will be reaching out to the customer directly via email, which should bypass any issue that may be occurring on the customer's side.
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 22275446
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   We have not resolved the issue, we are however in the process of communicating about it, which is good.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/17/2024

  This complaint is active. The correspondence from you included some attachments of conversations between the company and I that I had not received from them (submitted by me to their support through the app). I discovered that I can save them as images in my phone where I can view them. I got one saved, but lost my service connection before saving the remaining three. When I got service again my code to access my correspondence with you had expired. If I could get access again, I would like to see those attachments.

   

  As for the complaint resolution, I responded to an email from Outside but have not heard anything back. They dont seem to be understanding the basis for the issue that Ive experienced. They provided links to several articles and I skimmed some of the information and didnt find anything helpful. Some of the articles that I looked at had links to more articles and Im not interested in spending a great deal of time going down that rabbit hole of articles and policy work arounds. I only wanted to continue using the trail application that I paid a subscription for as I have been for over a year.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/30/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased and am a current member of the Outside+ account with premium Pinkbike and Trailforks account. As of 8/26/2024, Trailforks (Outside+) de-activated my account with no explanation. Trailforks reached out 8/27/2024 at 9:42am (#*******) and re-instated my account explaining that the "system flagged me as a spammer".At 4:19PM, 8/27/2024 the accounts were de-activated again - deleting all of the saved data including: for sale posts (8), Sold posts (101), saved routes (14), and offline data).I reached out again at 4:13pm 8/28/2024 with a new ticket number (#*******) and again at 4:19pm 8/29/2024 (#*******) with zero response from the Trailforks team. I reached out to Outside+ for an explanation at 8/30/2024 (#*******) with no response.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2024

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The customer account in question was deactivated due to a violation of our Terms of Use. For more details on our policies, please refer to the following link: *****************************************************.
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/06/2024

   
  Complaint: 22222323
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  I did not break any of the "Terms of Use" and was notified of any pertaining potential infringement. 
  There was absolutely zero communication OR reasoning prior to deactivation

  -There was no scamming of people or items. 100+ items SOLD with ZERO Incidents
  -The Trailforks account was used as a personal use, not commercial
  -There was no sale of any patent, trademark or copywrite items. 
  (All items on sale were purchased legally from vendors WITH RECEIPTS)
  -There was no promotion of activity that would violate law
  -There was no inappropriate comments or lude behavior uploaded (Absolutely zero comments were made)
  -There was no impersonation of entities or persons
  -There were no bots used
  There were no violations of Activity Feeds, Guidelines, or Commenting (Absolutely zero comments were made on Pinkbike or Trailforks)

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

  Business Response

  Date: 09/23/2024

  We received a report from a business that items listed by the user in question were counterfeit. Upon internal investigation, we determined this to be a credible report and a violation of our Acceptable Use Policy, as stated in our Terms of Use.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/10/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have an active Outside+ subscription that entitles me to the hard copy VELO magazine. I have reached out to Outside as the publisher in regards to not receiving the issue over the past week. First the e-mail address listed in the magazine for subscription issues is not in service ***************************************** after getting an undeliverable message I have used their "Contact Us" feature from the website and have been passed around to numerous people with the last message stating "Thank you for contacting Outside Magazine. We do not publish the magazine in question and are therefore unable to assist with your inquiry." The VeloNews website (********************************************) clearly shows their ownership by Outside. When I inquired again I have now been met with no replies to my queries.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/10/2024

  Thank you for your message and for notifying us about the incorrect support email address listed in the magazine. We have confirmed that our fulfillment house was using an outdated email, which we will update as soon as possible.
  
  We located the customer's support ticket (#********, which was received on 7/9. After looking into the account, we verified that this customer was not entitled to receive the free Velo print magazine. The offer was given randomly to a limited number of Peloton/VeloNews past subscribers who were actively receiving Outside magazine. All others will need to purchase the issue if they desire a copy, which is sold in Outpost and ****** & *****. However, as a one-time courtesy, we tracked down an extra copy of this magazine and will mail it directly to the customer. The customer will receive tracking information once it ships.
  
  Please note that we have closed support ticket #******* as the resolution was handled through this complaint.
  
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/04/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My debit card was charged $99 for an outside+ that I never signed up for. I requested a refund and was told I need to log in to one of their apps to delete my account. I do not have any of these apps and do not have any login information and therefore cannot cancel it on my own. They will not refund me even though it have no access to any of the supposed membership. I did not authorize this membership

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2024

  Additionally, while investigating the actual issue, it looks like the ** ticket was received and resolved within one business day. I will provide screenshots of my inbox as well as all confirmations from our support platform, including the payment processor confirmation.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/30/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was charged a usurious amount for a renewal that I did not sign up for and cannot cancel. They will not refund the charge. There is no customer contact but an email box that does not respond.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/05/2023

  
  Hi BBB,
  
  It appears that this customer reached out on the same day she filed the BBB complaint. One of our agents promptly located the charge under her husband, *********************** name, processed a refund for the charge, and addressed her inquiries regarding the Velonews magazine and Tour de ****** issue. We believe we can now consider this BBB complaint as resolved. See ticket for reference. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/06/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/26/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I got an email on April 26. Fraudulent advertising. Pushing outside online at $2.99 month but billed as $35.99 year. Thats ***** year. Not $35.99. Math is wrong. Please adjust your fraudulent add. It is $35.99 per year. Not $2.99 month.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/26/2023

  Thank you for reaching out regarding the recent promotion. Due to the non-rounding of numbers into dollars the stated monthly value is $2.99 however our billed annual rate is $35.99.  We only bill annually.  If ************ would like to order Outside+ at $35.88 we will honor it for him. I've attached a copy of the marketing email for reference. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 19984001
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  no. End fraudulent advertising!!!!
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/15/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The magazine will not give me a status update on my magazine. What happened to my last magazines of backpacker? When will I get the refund for the issues they didnt send? Also. When does my outside magazine subscription end? Probably plan on me not renewing outside. I have been with them for almost 2 ***********.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/20/2023

  Thanks for reaching out about print subscriptions. According to our records, your Backpacker print subscription expired with the Fall 2022 issue. We cannot find any active subscriptions as of 4/19/2023, so no refund is available.
  
  In a prior request filed through the Office of ********* Attorney General (File No: BJW/2022/5378382/C) for Triathlete Magazine, we issued a refund check dated 10/12/22 for $9.00. As a good faith measure, we issued a refund check for $60.00 on 10/20/22. In addition, we transferred the remaining two issues of your Triathlete subscription to Outside Magazine, as a one-time courtesy. That subscription expired with the Jan/Feb 2023 issue. A copy of the Consumer Assistance Request Form is attached for reference.
  
  Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/22/2023

   
  Complaint: 19941053
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  why wasnt I receiving written notification along the way?   Why did I have to badger them to get a status update?   so it sounds like my outside is now expired.  I dont remember receiving the harassing letters asking to renew.  Thats interesting.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

  Business Response

  Date: 05/01/2023

  If the customer is inquiring about a notice from Backpacker magazine, then they are correct in their assumption that we did not send a notification of the transfer. This is because the Backpacker subscription for this particular customer had already been fully served.
  
  With regard to renewal notices, our fulfillment center stopped sending renewal notices in early 2022 on all publications.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/05/2023

   
  Complaint: 19941053
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  When was the last issue of backpacker?

  when was my last issue? 

  I dont see any dates here 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2023

  Here is a comprehensive overview of ****'s subscriptions. ****'s subscription to Backpacker ended with the Fall 2022 issue. As for Triathlete, there were two remaining issues, which were then transferred to Outside magazine. **** received the Nov/Dec 2022 and Jan/Feb 2023 issues of Outside magazine, in addition to being fully refunded (2 refund checks, one for $9.00 and one for $60.00).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 19941053
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  I dont remember the $9 check.  I remember the $60.  Once again when was the final issue of backpacker?  Not my last issue.  When was the last issue of the magazine?  Was it before my final issue or after?
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2023

  Enclosed are the receipts indicating that both checks have been cashed. The Backpacker Fall 2022 issue marked the conclusion of the magazine, serving as the final issue for both the publication and your subscription.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 19941053
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  why didnt they send written notice of  this?  
  

  this is the rebate check for another magazine.  Triathlete.  Which they also ended early with no refunds unless I contacted the state ag    That was a breach of contract   
  

  this check was not for backpacker.  Why are they sending this check copy?  This was for another magazine  
  

  What they should send was original payment I made for backpacker and terms of that contract.  How long I had it.   How convenient my subscription finished the month their print copy finished.  Im not buying it.  If you send check copies, make sure its relevant.  Send copy of my payment for backpacker (not triathlete) and then send the terms of that contract ***** months or whatever.  
  

  again this check copy is misleading.  This was for the other magazine they ended early without refunding unless I contacted state ag. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

  Business Response

  Date: 06/05/2023

  Hi ****,
  
  I'm reaching out to provide some clarification regarding your previous complaint. Since you didn't recall the $9 Triathlete check, I went ahead and sent copies of both Triathlete check receipts for verification purposes. As mentioned in our previous communication, the Backpacker Fall 2022 issue marked the final edition of the magazine, serving as the last issue for BOTH the publication and your subscription.
  
  Here's a breakdown of your most recent Backpacker order:
  Payment: $36.00 received via credit card on 08/26/19 for a total of 26 issues. This subscription began with the Jan/Feb'20 issue. Please note that most issues were double issues, meaning they count as two issues. You received the following 26 issues:
  
  2020
  Jan/Feb (double issue)
  Mar/Apr (double issue)
  May/Jun (double issue)
  Fall (double issue)
  Nov/Dec (double issue)
  
  2021
  Jan/Feb (double issue)
  Mar/Apr (double issue)
  May/Jun (double issue)
  Summer
  Sep/Oct (double issue)
  Winter
  
  2022
  Jan/Feb (double issue)
  Spring
  Buyer's Guide
  Summer
  Fall

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 19941053
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  once again.  The checks were for triathlete. Not backpacker. Please quit confusing the two.  I still think you owe me 1 issue of backpacker.  I had 3 magazines with your company   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************