The Things Customers Do

[Jiveturtle 0]

I used to work at a LHS in my high school days, and I was a skate sharpener for 3 of those years, needless to say I feel like I know what a well sharpened pair of skates should look like. The other day I go the the LHS nearest my college to get my skates sharpened. When the kid comes from the back room with my skates the right skates has one of the most uneven edges I have ever seen. Im talking the inside edge on the skate is almost a full centimeter higher than the outside edge, and on top of that he burnt both blades. When I told him I was dissatisfied and the edges were off etc, he picked it up looked at it and said, "These look even to me and I don't see any burnt spots." Needless to say I won't be going back to that shop.

[sogaduch 0]

Yeah, maybe but once I do that and he is out in the hallway bragging about the combo deal he got from me to the other hockey dads, then all hell breaks loose and I'm screwed. That is a great point you make. I never thought of it.

i hate that when ppl thnk they should get a deal cause there getting more than one item. but now what i can say is which true i had some guy drop 10K and didnt even ask for a deal because we gave him great service.

[kovalchuk71 212]

10k???? On what?

[asdfa 0]

10k???? On what?

goalie gear, skates, gear for his kids, maybe spread over 2 years, it's very possible

[aamir212 0]

I hate the customer who think they know it all when they dont, then they try to tell me i dont know anything. For example I had a customer who came in and wanted a deeper hollow on his skates, deep at our proshop is 3/8" and our regular is 1/2". So im like "sure sir 3/8 it is", and he is like no 5/8 and im 5/8 is a shallower cut. Then I asked him if he has gotten his skates sharpened here before and he told me yes and it was deep. He kept arguing with me that 5/8 is deeper than 3/8 for 30 mins, I was getting fed up so I took a pair of our demo skates did one foot 3/8 and the other 5/8 and showed him. Finally he admitted he was wrong after an hour!!!

[Cheesehead 0]

10k???? On what?

goalie gear, skates, gear for his kids, maybe spread over 2 years, it's very possible

Thats what the Synergy SL Grips will do to ya... :D

[HockeyDude1712 0]

I hate it when people come up to you and ask you to print them a new recipt for there ops that just broke and was still under warrenty when you know the dude is lying

[Chadd 916]

I hate it when people come up to you and ask you to print them a new recipt for there ops that just broke and was still under warrenty when you know the dude is lying

I used to ask them to give me the credit card number they used. More often than not they just said that they would get back to me.

[HockeyDude1712 0]

good idea. it always seems to be the same 2 guys at my rinks shop.

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

How about this one? Lady calls me looking for a particular skate. A size 5 mind you...I tell her to bring her son in to be fitted...husband comes in and all he's talking about is Perani's and how some girl fitted her kid for a 5 XXX and a 5.5 RBK...(yes, exactly )

I tell him he needs a 4 RBK and a 4.5 XXX...offer to drive 20 minutes away to pick up the skate because they need it by 4:30 the next day, he says okay...I go and get it and call them...went back to Perani's and got the 4.5 from them...how about them apples?

[BushLeagueDangler08 0]

How about this one? Lady calls me looking for a particular skate. A size 5 mind you...I tell her to bring her son in to be fitted...husband comes in and all he's talking about is Perani's and how some girl fitted her kid for a 5 XXX and a 5.5 RBK...(yes, exactly )

I tell him he needs a 4 RBK and a 4.5 XXX...offer to drive 20 minutes away to pick up the skate because they need it by 4:30 the next day, he says okay...I go and get it and call them...went back to Perani's and got the 4.5 from them...how about them apples?

I dont know how you do it JR........I'd keep calling him until he pays for your gas/time haha

[FlyChicaga 21]

If you don't mind me asking, how much do you guys bring home working at a LHS? I'm looking for a "backup career" of sorts in case I end up getting laid off at my job come the end of this year. I work in the airline industry, this is something we are always worried about.

I've been thinking about going back to school for Sports Medicine to try and work as a hockey trainer somewhere, or trying to work as an Equipment Manager, or just working at a large LHS like some of the places here.

[Chadd 916]

If you don't mind me asking, how much do you guys bring home working at a LHS? I'm looking for a "backup career" of sorts in case I end up getting laid off at my job come the end of this year. I work in the airline industry, this is something we are always worried about.

I've been thinking about going back to school for Sports Medicine to try and work as a hockey trainer somewhere, or trying to work as an Equipment Manager, or just working at a large LHS like some of the places here.

Unless you are in ownership or managing a very proftable location you aren't going to be raking it in. Outisde of the owner or manager most places hire kids because they're cheap labor.

[mew1838 0]

But if they hire kids, where is the so called "professionalism guarantee"?

[DarkStar50 679]

But if they hire kids, where is the so called "professionalism guarantee"?

I have been doing this a long time. What is a "professionalism guarantee?" I have never heard of the concept. BTW, I like your dog........woof

[pantherfan 0]

I dont work at the shop but its right opposite the rink shop and i think its really harsh what people do to the guy who works there.

When new skates come out eg. RBK 9K's, they ask him to order them some, then they try them on and say they will buy them next week and then they buy them off the internet once they are fitted.

I think its harsh because he has gone out his way to get the NEW expensive skates for you and fitted them for you and its also not exactly like he is raking it in.

[Megamandan 0]

Disrespectful people piss me off. You greet them with a smile and they expect you to cater to their every whim. I've had people litterally throw their skates at me and walk out. In other word "please sir, could you give me a sharpening?" I only have one grip. About a month ago a lady from out of town brings in her son's XXX Lite. It's broken at the handel and she starts ripping me to shreads. Note that I've only been working for about 5 minutes, I took over for one of my co-workers. She's screaming at me to refund her money or give her a brand new stick. I told her that we can't refund her money or give her a new stick it's up to her to deal with Bauer. She flips a lid and screamed that her kid used it 2 shifts, which it looked brand new, not a mark on it cept a crack like

________

____\_____ Just below the handel. The thing is she said it just broke out of the blue. The kid is a left haded shot and the crack was broken inward. there is no way not even on a shot could that stick have been broke inward for a left handed shot. It looked like he had taken a puck right in the shaft or had cross checked someone really hard. I told her she has to send it back. She threatened me that she was just going to take one off the rack and I told her to get ready for a free ride in a police car. After arguing my manager came in and what does he do? He gives her a new one. My manager is a softie and won't stick up to anyone. I mean if it was someone from town we always dealt with I'd have no problem with him giving her a new stick but this lady was whacked.

Edited April 28, 2006 by Megamandan

[Nick23 0]

The thing is she may not have known any better, her son was probably in the wrong but ofcourse wont tell her that, i see alot of people in that situation

[Megamandan 0]

Thats not my point, my point is that warranty's have to be made through the company and I can do nothing about it. I told her that at least 10 times.

[Gaborik41 0]

i know a bunch of the guys that work at the LHS but a few days ago i called the LHS to see if they had a TPS R2 blade to put in my XXX lite and the guy said that there was no way to put a tapered blade in a XXX lite but then i went to another LHS and they put it in right away. i knew i was right but i didn't want to argue with the guy over the phone.

a few months before that, my friend was at the same LHS that told me there was no way to put a tapered blade in a XXX lite and he was buying an Adrenaline and they said that if he broke it there was no way to put a blade in it.

[analog999 0]

After arguing my manager came in and what does he do? He gives her a new one. My manager is a softie and won't stick up to anyone.

That is the worst. It makes you look like an imbecile. If I was the manager I would have told the lady it was time to leave the shop or I would call the cops. I don't take bullshit from people. I run my own store (not a HS, and online only), but we get calls from asshats. I don't think they expect it when I tell them that they're being rude and I won't deal with them. Shuts them up really quick. Some people just think yelling is going to solve the problem. No - being honest will help solve the problem. I don't have problems with customers who call yelling at me if their problem was my fault and is correctable through me. I have problems with the ones that broke their own stuff and call and yell at me.

Edited April 28, 2006 by analog999

[Cheechoo 0]

Thats not my point, my point is that warranty's have to be made through the company and I can do nothing about it. I told her that at least 10 times.

So why would you have given a new stick to someone from your town? We don't have an LHS in my town, so I have to go somewhere else. I hope they won't discriminate against me just because of my address.

Don't get me wrong, I think the woman you described was way off and you dealt with her the right way. But why make an exception for someone local? As you said, it's Bauer's policy that warranties are made directly through them.

[analog999 0]

Thats not my point, my point is that warranty's have to be made through the company and I can do nothing about it. I told her that at least 10 times.

So why would you have given a new stick to someone from your town? We don't have an LHS in my town, so I have to go somewhere else. I hope they won't discriminate against me just because of my address.

Don't get me wrong, I think the woman you described was way off and you dealt with her the right way. But why make an exception for someone local? As you said, it's Bauer's policy that warranties are made directly through them.

I agree with cheechoo... just because someone is local doesn't mean they should be treated differently. What do you guys do with the broken ones?

[no.95 0]

Thats not my point, my point is that warranty's have to be made through the company and I can do nothing about it. I told her that at least 10 times.

So why would you have given a new stick to someone from your town? We don't have an LHS in my town, so I have to go somewhere else. I hope they won't discriminate against me just because of my address.

Don't get me wrong, I think the woman you described was way off and you dealt with her the right way. But why make an exception for someone local? As you said, it's Bauer's policy that warranties are made directly through them.

Megamandan does have a point. Store loyalty should be rewarded. Nothing strange with that.

[analog999 0]

Thats not my point, my point is that warranty's have to be made through the company and I can do nothing about it. I told her that at least 10 times.

So why would you have given a new stick to someone from your town? We don't have an LHS in my town, so I have to go somewhere else. I hope they won't discriminate against me just because of my address.

Don't get me wrong, I think the woman you described was way off and you dealt with her the right way. But why make an exception for someone local? As you said, it's Bauer's policy that warranties are made directly through them.

Megamandan does have a point. Store loyalty should be rewarded. Nothing strange with that.

But store loyalty is different than being local... unless that is what he meant by "local"...

Edited April 28, 2006 by analog999