Portland Swimwear

I would advise you to stay away from these guys as they are purposefully deceptive. I would suggest trying to purchase your swimwear at another store that not only has a better return policy, but that will not lie to you about the return policy before your purchase.
I first went into the Beaverton location (11 741 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy) to look for some swim goggles. It was a different brand and style than I’ve used before and I wanted to see how they would fit. They did not have the exact size that I was looking for so they called over to the downtown location and said they would hold a pair for me to come the next day. In the meantime I tried on a few different items while asking many questions of the lady who was working at the store. One of the items I asked about was the return policy, since the goggles I was looking at are hit or miss for leaking depending on who you talk to. It made sense to me that they could not return after the goggles had been used in the water, however the whole time she kept telling me that as long as they were in original condition (i.e., not used in the water) that they could be returned with no issues. I had another person with me who can corroborate the story.
So we left the store and the next morning we drove to the downtown location (8÷22÷15). I tried the goggles on and I liked that size better so I went ahead and purchased them along with another item. Again my friend was with me and we asked the same questions about returns and again was told that as long as it’s not used there is no issue returning. Again, that’s fair enough, although as someone who is getting into swimming it seems somewhat silly considering how everyone’s faces are shaped somewhat different so it’s difficult to know what will leak. I’m not sure if that’s a manufacturer or store, but again I understood what was told to me that if it was used I could not return.
Life got busy for a few weeks and so I didn’t have a chance to use the goggles and I never opened the bag that I took home from the store. During that time another friend had strongly suggested a different pair of goggles and I went to try on elsewhere and they fit even better and I purchased those. I was planning to return my original purchase, which was never used, and when I pull it out of the bag Portland Swimwear had stapled a nice little ‘Exchange Policy’ flyer onto my receipt. It boldly states that ‘Refunds not available’. It says that only exchanges are possible for items that are not used. Now when someone tells me that they accept returns, I expect that it means a ‘return’ and not an ‘exchange’, otherwise they would say that they accept exchanges only. At this point I called the Beaverton location (503−646−7946) to try to understand how I was blatantly lied to about their return policy. The lady that I spoke with said that she couldn’t really help me and that was the policy. She said that I should proceed to call their customer care number (503−467−4673) to speak with a higher level manager. This number is also printed on the exchange policy paper attached to the receipt.
I called the customer care number and of course no one picks up but I leave a voicemail. Since these guys were blatant scammers in my opinion I had a feeling that if I told them I was calling about a return that they would probably just ignore me and never call me back. So I left a voicemail that I had an issue and I was hoping to speak to them about it. I never received a phone call back. I called again a couple of weeks later… left a message with the same result… no call back. Most recently I called again last week and still have yet to receive a call back.
This is a deceitful, lying company and I would not suggest doing business with them. I shopped with them partly due to the convenience and I do like to support local when possible. However, I would not suggest stepping foot into this store (unless you want to use them as a showroom floor and order somewhere else — that’s what they deserve). Shop somewhere else that will not lie or be deceitful with customers and instead treat you with respect.
I plan to file a complaint with the BBB and submit my phone records indicating that I have placed numerous calls to their customer care line and have not received a single call back. I also plan to contact my credit card company and see about a possible charge back.

My experience could not have been better! First of all, Marissa, the salesperson, was knowledgeable about the products and greatly helped me narrow down what I was looking for. I’m not easy to fit, but with her guidance I found a rockin’ swimsuit that I will be proud to use and comfortable in, every single day while I’m on vacation! Marissa, you Rock! Thanks so much!

They have a lot of swimwear, but it was difficult to find good quality gear, and the customer service was lacking. I’ve been in there a few times, and the other Unilocalers are spot-​on. I only go to Portland Swimwear if I don’t have time to go anywhere else.

I want to like Portland Swimwear. As the only store I have seen in the area that’s actually geared toward swimmers offering an alternative to the crappy selection and stupid prices you see at department stores or sporting goods stores, I want to love Portland Swimwear. But I don’t.
Here’s what’s good: as I said, while you get smacked in the face by a variety of quality running gear just about everywhere you go, you get stuck in online order delivery purgatory as a swimmer all the time so any store that can save you from that from time to time is good.
Their staff is generally pretty friend (if not often distracted) and they clearly employ people who have actually spent a fair amount of time in the pool so they can give you practical advice.
They also carry a wide variety of both athletic suits and your sun baiting beach wear, along with goggles, caps, lotions, accessories and even some pool toys, and they carry everything year round.
The bad: They supply locally whenever possible. Sounds great, right? Not when the local option is Swim Essentials. This company makes a consistently shoddy product. I have bought two silicone caps from them (both Swim Essentials because that’s all they carry) over a few months. The first one was generally pretty crappy but functional until it snapped on me 2 or 3 months in. The second one snapped right out of the fucking box. I take good care of my gear, I don’t have a bunch of bobby pins in my hair, and my nails are non-​existent. There is not a single reason why I should go through two swim caps in 3 months.
A fellow swimmer at the gym was sporting a Swim Essentials suit and gave the pretty clear impression that the company’s faults do not lie in their caps alone.
To add insult to injury, when I went to return the broken cap mere days after purchase and with receipt, I was told no returns only exchanges. Awesome. Now I have store credit for a store full of products by the company that made the piece of crap I’m trying to return. I walked out downtrodden with a bottle of $ 10 swim lotion that’s probably identical to any kind of dry skin lotion at the grocery store and a dollar left in credit.
I headed over to REI, bought a sweet a cap for less money with better service and a far better return policy. Go there instead.