I hated going to MEC and so did my spouse. Their customer service is so inconsistent - a few of them are great, but most of them are resistant and don't have a clue. I do like their return policy though - no problem no worries.
I was disappointed because everything is over-priced and expensive. Especially their clothes - very annoying and pricey and is nothing special - the style and quality is not that great. I generally don't like the majority of their brand names.
I also got my bike fixed there a while back and I wasn't happy with the advice I got there. And their bike repair shop is NOT free, nor is bike maintenance free. I found a new bike mechanic elsewhere. And he was a gazillion times better and was way more reasonably-priced.