O’Neill

EDIT: The shop owner sent me an email and they would exchange my wetsuit for a new one and take care of it with O’Neill themselves, Ty Colin!!!
TL;DR They aren’t O’Neill and won’t help you if anything goes wrong.
So here’s the story, I bought the O’Neill Psycho Freak 4/​3″ after my old one finished its career after about 5 years of use. However, after about roughly 2 months of use the welds/​seams on the new one started disconnecting (even though i was taking good care of it) and I took the wetsuit to the shop as it was still under warranty (3 months/​1 year limited).
The employee and store manager both agreed the wetsuit should be replaced/​fixed but here’s where it gets tricky… they told me they aren’t really O’Neill but they are the «La Jolla Group» and under their policy they cannot do anything and I have talk to O’Neill customer service myself about it, mind you the shop has a HUGE O’Neill logo on it (not «La Jolla» or whatever) and even the receipt has a logo and links to the
website, under nowhere does it even mention the La Jolla group or the store [no-]warranty «policy».
I spoke to the manager for a while about it and they wouldn’t even contact O’Neill for me, they just sell you the stuff under false pretense that they are actually O’Neill and if something goes wrong YOU will have to do the footwork yourself and contact O’Neill customer service YOURSELF, why would I even buy at the shop if not for the service when I can get the same exact prices (or lower) on Amazon with 2 day guaranteed delivery?

Walk in 15 mins before 9. Notice time stamp on this post. One guy says «We are just about closed.» Looks at I assume his manager who says «You know what we are closed. We open again tomorrow morning…» Walks over and opens the unlocked door I had walked in and says to have a good night. Apparently checking their closing times and walking in 15 minutes early when I could’ve gone earlier just doesn’t work. Eating dinner across the street. You know you work here right? And I’m the customer? You’re having on the clock management meeting on a Thursday night on 4^th of July weekend, one of the busiest we see here in Santa Monica. You lost a local customer. Have some tact and realize your job revolves around the customer, not the other way around.

Bought my wetsuit (my first surfing wetsuit) Jan 5,2015. Wore it for the first time Feb and by the 3^rd wear it was coming unstitched at the armpits. I do triathlons so have a many tri suits so I know how to size them and take care of them exceptionally. This suit was ALWAYS rinsed and never in the sun. Since it was winter and I thought of course they would exchange it understanding it was 30days since the first time I even wore it. Nope. Not the case. We all know there are exceptions to every rule but not here. VERY frustrated as I found out I have to ship it back to get it fixed. I was just learning and didn’t want to give up my suit. Figured I would wait till spring when I got a shorty.
Well now it has a hole in both armpits a huge hole in the front panel and the O’Neill logo is gone.
Very disappointed in the quality of this wetsuit. It was clearly cheaply made or defective.
I do not recommend.

I Went in today to buy a pair of sunglasses. Bought a pair off the rack. I was surprised to find that at 40 dollars they did not include any kind of cloth to clean them with nor did the salesgirl clean them. She refused had to get a tissue. Very poor customer service and frankly a rip off. Most places would have included a cloth case at that price point.

Always helpful staff and new items! A must visit each time I’m in SM!

The reason why I drive to Santa Monica all the way from the San Fernando Valley! They’re a flagship store so they always have jaw dropping sales. They had a 50% off all swimwear sale last time I went and always seem to have the 3 for $ 30 t-​shirt sale! Great place to find cute boho/​beachy clothing, I always wanna buy the whole store when I go. It’s a must when you’re in the area. Parking is kind of a headache but really worth it in the end. Super chill atmosphere too, that one blonde chick is always so nice! :)

My favorite shop in the promenade. Their staff is always happy to lend a hand, and is a pleasure to be around. The brand itself is great. Their tees are some of the most comfortable around, and wetsuits are amazing quality. Whatever you’re in for, youl find good quality pieces at great prices. Oh btw they also sell boards like a real surf shop should.

Great, helpful staff. Called in advance to check stock, street parking even on the 4^th of July, bought a quality O’Neill wetsuit for less than a POS Bodyglove suit costing 15% more at a Big Five Sporting Goods! $ 85 for the O’Neill, $ 100 for the Bodyglove. Nice.
Drive from Glendale kinda sucked but at least traffic was light on the freeways today.
I surf about two or three times/​month so this suit should last me years. Comfortable and looks good too. Not drinking anymore helped with the fashion as well, think I dropped three pounds from that alone.
Thank you sobriety.

Nice shop. Nice people.
I don’t frequent surf shops and honestly, I probably walked by this one often and didn’t give it a second look. That is until they filled the windows with Pabst Blue Ribbon /​O’Neil clothing.
I’m a big PBR fan. I grew up doing construction work and that’s the beer the older guys always drank and sometimes gave me one if I did a real good job.
Their window display of PBR/O’Neil gear stopped me in my tracks and I had to go in.
Great shop, great sales guy. Really friendly and helpful.
I had such a pleasant experience here that I now pop in whenever I’m walking by.
Also a big thanks to O’Neil for partnering with Pabst!
I love all of my O’Neil/PBR summer gear!

Cool staff, good selection of wetsuits and clothing. Reasonable too not super spendy.

Tiny shop, but plenty of the basics that you need. Employees were pretty cool. This shop would probably be a good stop for a tourist as they have a 3 t shirts for $ 30 deal, with their logo, and various LA designs on it…
Not so heavy on board selection to pick from, though given it’s at the Promenade, this shouldn’t surprise me…

Let me preface this by saying that I know I’m reviewing a clothing store, which may seem silly, yet I’m letting y’all know my impressions on the store, merchandise and customer service… Isn’t that what Unilocal is for? I thought so, and figured why not review? =)
Now, my husband and I are pretty big fans of surf brands. Having spent a lot of time in Santa Cruz growing up, he specifically was a big fan of O’Neill from the getgo. (I admit I’m more of a Roxy gal, but don’t discriminate when it comes to shopping, lol.) That said, we have frequented O’Neill stores and surf shops quite a bit. This does mean that we deal with sometimes the overpriced surf shops, so often try to find some deals. Interestingly, this shop (as with the one in Anaheim) has similar base prices you’ll find everywhere, but this what feels like an ongoing sale that makes the purchases worth it. (For example, we only buy items that are 40% off, which seems to always be the case here for clothing items.) OK, so obviously that is a great thing. Saving a few bucks on the «regular price» items always makes us feel better about purchasing what is supposedly $ 30 – 50 flops.
In addition to the sale, I must say that I always find at least one item I want here. That is not to say I always make a purchase, but more often than not… probably do. =) I would say that their store is smaller than I’m used to, but it seems they condense the stuff to fit in. Sometimes, it does feel a lil squished though.
The customer service at O’Neill is cool and lax. What I appreciate about the employees here is that they’re not too pushy or too enthusiastic. I’m not saying they’re not encouraging purchases or seemingly happy people, but they’re not greeting me ten times upon entrance and throughout my stroll through the store. The reason I mention that is b/​c surf shops are supposed to have surf-​style folks and some stores (such as the 3^rd street shops) have employees who push a little too much and make my husband and I jus twant to leave b/​c they’re following you around. Not so here. They do ask if I want/​need help, but aren’t overdoing it. I appreciate that.
Overall, I truly enjoy this store. The hubz and I often walk into just check out new items and/​or return for the items we were eye-​ing the last time we went in, but opted not to purchase at the time. I’m hoping this store sticks around!!!