Haters Haters, when are you going to realize its a business with a key demographic that is not dirtbags like us. I don't think sturts is gonna hurt if you go to evo, so go for it. Bottom line, I've never had an issue in there, they're mounting my S3s right now, getting me my boots back by Friday so I can ride saturday and were really helpful. So what if they cater to the "don't know about gear" set, thats the point of a store with equipment experts. I walked in there, pulled the S3s off the rack, said I need these mounted, and off we went. Yes, the industry is evolving, and stores are popping up that cater to the 'newschool' movement, however, when they've had the staying power that Sturts has, then you can talk about them in the same conversation. No hate here, I love all the local shops: Sturts, Evo, Seattle Ski, Alpine Hut, they're great and have done nothing but stoke the vibe...but you can always find better prices on the web.
You waited a year to go after warranty? I'm surprised they still sent them in, but theGoat is right, its not sturtevants job to warranty the equipment. You should have just sent them into Head's warranty department. Also, its the beginning of ski season, of course its gonna take a while to get anything processed.
Editorial on REI, yeah, they have guarantees, but their selection is lacking.