Customer Service Out The Window?

[robert]

Not sure if I'm allowed to use retailers names but I finally managed to drop into Bass Pro north of Calgary for the first time. Wow, what a nice store, so much put into it.

 

But another wow? Not one employee approached me to ask if I needed help. Went to the fishing section first, wanted a new fly reel - I didn't see the fly section so I stood next to the two employees talking about bait casters, one of them looked at me but carried on his conversation. I shook my head and walked on.

 

Into the fly fishing section, i find the reels - the guy that was working there looked at me, just wandered around, nobody else in there and I stood there looking like an idiot by the counter. Ok, I need a new tent and sleeping bag, upstairs to the camping section. 5 employees standing there yapping as I waited next to them - too polite to butt in on the conversation. Again, totally ignored.

 

I browsed all over that store for the better part of an hour, seen many employees (it wasn't very busy) and as I was on the way out a lady stopped me and explained nicely that I had to exit behind the registers. I said to her that after an hour of browsing that she was the first employee that has opened her mouth to me and to have a good evening as I left.

 

I'm not one for calling stores to tell them of their issues but I couldn't let it go. I had a talk to the manager on duty and told her exactly what happened - first impressions are a lasting impression. Apparently I wasn't the first one to complain today, I really hope they get their act together.

 

 

 

That said, what other fly fishing shops do people frequent? Some customer service and a good selection?

I also need a new tent, one that doesn't have built in vents, near froze my arse off camping in the banff mountains cause the icy wind was blowing on through from under the fly.

[Simpson]

Too bad about your exerpience

 

IMO

 

Tents - MEC

 

Fly Shop - Fish Tails

 

 

Cheers,

 

James

 

 

[Roast]

Too bad about your exerpience

 

IMO

 

Tents - MEC

 

Fly Shop - Fish Tails

 

 

Cheers,

 

James

 

agreed:)

[whataniceguy]

Dont get to worked up about it, customer service is a thing of the past. Being treated like a piece of shoe gum is the best we can hope for in these stores these days.

[robert]

I'll check those places out...

 

i'm not getting worked up about it but there are still some stores that give great customer service. Seems to be one extreme to the other. The way I look at it, it's my money and i'll drop it where I want but not some place that's going to treat me like the piece of shoe gum. That's what it was tonite.

 

 

Managers? stores need some better ones, they shouldn't have to rely on people complaining to realize their staff doesn't give a crap. A manager should know what's going on in their environment.

[pokerfish]

great service, knowledgeable staff - 1) Fish Tales 2) SouthBow

 

good service, some knowledgeable staff, some not so much - Fishin Hole and Wholesale Sports (flyshop anyways)

 

Tents - MEC

 

 

[bigbowtrout]

You can't go wrong with any of our sponcor's http://flyfishcalgary.com/flyfish_calgary_sponsors.php

 

x4 Mec for tents

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

im done with all small fly shops in Calgary!! i went in to get some wire rib (med and br, blue, green, pink). Everything was great untill i looked at the recipt and noticed they charged almost a doller more for pink wire!! WFT just because some looser is going to tie some SH patterns with it they charge extra!!

 

that was it for me! FT,SB,WW,CP can all go F@#K them selfs, i will never buy anything from them again!

 

I'll take my money to Whole Sale or a few internet stores i frequent.

 

OOOH, you get good customer service at some of these shops but for all the small gouging im OUT and vocal about it.

[Timo]

im done with all small fly shops in Calgary!! i went in to get some wire rib (med and br, blue, green, pink). Everything was great untill i looked at the recipt and noticed they charged almost a doller more for pink wire!! WFT just because some looser is going to tie some SH patterns with it they charge extra!!

 

that was it for me! FT,SB,WW,CP can all go F@#K them selfs, i will never buy anything from them again!

 

I'll take my money to Whole Sale or a few internet stores i frequent.

 

OOOH, you get good customer service at some of these shops but for all the small gouging im OUT and vocal about it.

 

Profit is not a dirty word in my vocabulary. Your money and choice of store is your own of course. Honestly, really a dollar ... one dollar? I guess I can sympathize because you lost more than one dollar, you also lost those sunglasses that the loonie was wearing.

[Bigtoad]

I had a similar experience at the flyshop in Wholesale in South Edmonton and sent an email to customer service complaining about my experience. Never did hear a thing back. Went to Wholesale in Calgary a week later and it was totally different. Helpful people who actually knew something. I guess it just depends on who is in charge. Might even depend on the day?

 

I've never had bad service at the smaller shops either, but I do expect to pay a little more for some stuff (but am sometimes happily surprised).

 

Cheers.

 

 

[troutstalker]

Be glad you have options. I drive 1/2hr to the fly shop in Fernie, only to be gouged for something I don't really need because they didn't have what I went there for in the first place. :$*%&:

[troutlover]

Ya i have to say the calgary Wholesale sports has improved big time. I know they earned a reputation in the past for bad service but i have had great service there since christmas i think they are responding well to complaints and resolved a lot of their issues. If you tie flies i find that you need to go to a few places to get what you need and i get great service from. Wholesale, FishTales and Southbow. Is it just me or has anyone noticed a change at Home Depot. Before LOwes came to town you had to prctically grab an employee by the neck in home depot to get them to talk to you NOW i cant make it out of the store with out ten employees asking ne if i need help. BIG CHANGE. but kinda ticks me off a little that they didn't fell the need to improve till Big competition came to town. One thing it do like is the prices there have been some GREAT sales lately.

[whataniceguy]

great service, knowledgeable staff - 1) Fish Tales 2) SouthBow

 

good service, some knowledgeable staff, some not so much - Fishin Hole and Wholesale Sports (flyshop anyways)

 

Tents - MEC

 

I got dogged at Wholesale a long time ago, havnt been back since and wont be ever!

[whataniceguy]

im done with all small fly shops in Calgary!! i went in to get some wire rib (med and br, blue, green, pink). Everything was great untill i looked at the recipt and noticed they charged almost a doller more for pink wire!! WFT just because some looser is going to tie some SH patterns with it they charge extra!!

 

that was it for me! FT,SB,WW,CP can all go F@#K them selfs, i will never buy anything from them again!

 

I'll take my money to Whole Sale or a few internet stores i frequent.

 

OOOH, you get good customer service at some of these shops but for all the small gouging im OUT and vocal about it.

 

 

Doesnt them treating you nicely ease the pressure you feel from behind.............it doesnt me either lol!

[darrinhurst]

great service, knowledgeable staff - 1) Fish Tales 2) SouthBow

 

good service, some knowledgeable staff, some not so much - Fishin Hole and Wholesale Sports (flyshop anyways)

 

Tents - MEC

 

great service, knowledgeable staff - 1) Fish Tales 2) SouthBow 3) Honda West

 

Just thought I'd throw that out there.....

[Nick0Danger]

basspro gives me awesome services, the gun counter guys know me by name, the fly sesction always asks if i need help. will not shop at mec, they support anti hunting groups

[reevesr1]

I don't understand how people can think the small stores are gouging anyone. If you cannot buy in bulk like the big box stores, you have to spend more. I know some of the small shop owners pretty well. Trust me, nobody is getting rich on the backs of the fly fisherman, at least not here in Calgary.

 

Big box stores, IMHO, run a fine line. In many cases they are keeping their costs low by buying in bulk, and by minimizing staff, both in numbers and knowledge level. So you are typically stuck with smaller # of staff per customer, and certainly less knowledgeable staff overall, than at a smaller shop. So it is incumbent on the customer to seek out the knowledge in the store. Not defending it, just pointing it out. If you do not want to "bother" the staff, then don't go. By the way, that is my response. I don't go to the big stores, except very rarely. I'd rather spend more and support the shop (or in my case shops!) to retain that level of service and local knowledge . I don't in any way think that this is the decision everyone will make, nor should they. Everyone has different needs and opinions. There are room for both types of shops, again IMHO.

 

But as someone wisely said above "profit is not a dirty word". Or something like that.

 

 

[tgo]

Customer service is much better in the smaller shop. I'll pay extra cash for better service because I'd rather buy from somebody who is helpful. Usually I now what I need, but it's good to know there are knowledgable staff who can offer advice on alternative fly materials or tricks on the vice, or who actually know a little about the product they are selling. Wholesale is pretty good too, there's a couple of really good dudes working in there.

 

Bass Pro's fly department is a joke.

[beedhead]

Bass Pro Fly and Fishing departments for sure needs some staff, I was far from impressed, not a bad fly reel selection mind ya....However I did get some fantastic service from a young lady in the Clothing department, I was looking for a water tight Columbia Jacket, they never had the one I was lookin for, but she managed to hook me up with an even better Columbia jacket for well under $100, and also got me an additional $10 dollars off that, I was impressed....I had a list of stuff I needed from all over the store, and the young lady pointed me in the right direction all morning long, she knew that store inside out....Some good deals in there if you spend the time to look, I spent almost 5hrs last time I was there....

 

Cheers...Jeff..

[EveretteD]

i also find bass pro a joke.

I frequent that store a lot since i live in the NW or the city. But when i go there i know exactly what i want and where to find it. If i only have to talk to the cashier then i'm happy..

 

 

[osbornes]

I hate to say it, but I have to disagree about the service at Fishtales.

 

I am a newbie flyfisherman, do not live in Calgary, and I only get there a couple of times a year.

 

Last summer I was in Calgary for one day, and went into Fishtales to pick up a dozen or so flies and find out a little about the Bow River.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the trays of flies laid out before me, I asked the guy behind the counter (who appeared irritated by being torn away from his magazine), "wow! How does a person choose from all these flies??"

 

His response was, "pretty much any one of those is working right now." (back to the magazine.)

 

Me: "so where would you send a newbie who is just in town for the day and has a few hours to fish?"

 

Him: "just go anywhere on the river and you should do fine."

 

"Really? Anywhere?"

 

"Yup. That'll be $24 for the flies." (Back to the magazine)

 

So I went down to the dog park at the end of Southland, walked to the river, and got yelled at by a dog owner for fishing where there could be dogs swimming.

 

I don't want to know his secret spots, but he at least could have lied to me and given me directions to some place under some bridge somewhere, so I would leave the store with a good taste.

 

I like to test a store for their customer service with a small purchase. When it comes time for a larger purchase, Fishtales will not be an option for me. :derby racer:

[agbff]

I hate to say it, but I have to disagree about the service at Fishtales.

 

I am a newbie flyfisherman, do not live in Calgary, and I only get there a couple of times a year.

 

Last summer I was in Calgary for one day, and went into Fishtales to pick up a dozen or so flies and find out a little about the Bow River.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the trays of flies laid out before me, I asked the guy behind the counter (who appeared irritated by being torn away from his magazine), "wow! How does a person choose from all these flies??"

 

His response was, "pretty much any one of those is working right now." (back to the magazine.)

 

Me: "so where would you send a newbie who is just in town for the day and has a few hours to fish?"

 

Him: "just go anywhere on the river and you should do fine."

 

"Really? Anywhere?"

 

"Yup. That'll be $24 for the flies." (Back to the magazine)

 

So I went down to the dog park at the end of Southland, walked to the river, and got yelled at by a dog owner for fishing where there could be dogs swimming.

 

I don't want to know his secret spots, but he at least could have lied to me and given me directions to some place under some bridge somewhere, so I would leave the store with a good taste.

 

I like to test a store for their customer service with a small purchase. When it comes time for a larger purchase, Fishtales will not be an option for me. :derby racer:

 

 

Really? Fish Tales?

 

I find this a little hard to believe as i've only received the most helpful and polite information when frequenting Fish Tales. As a beginner not all that long ago... Fish tales would listen to my uneducated and silly question, answer with more than adequate information, and send me in the right direction(s). That is a hell of a lot more than other store closer in to down town have done for me... The people working at Fish Tales seem like they actually want to be working in a fly shop. They are glad to shoot the *hit with you, show you a few knots, or tie up a pattern you've been having trouble with. I have never left the store with a bad "taste." I'd recommend giving them another shot.

[whataniceguy]

Really? Fish Tales?

 

I find this a little hard to believe as i've only received the most helpful and polite information when frequenting Fish Tales. As a beginner not all that long ago... Fish tales would listen to my uneducated and silly question, answer with more than adequate information, and send me in the right direction(s). That is a hell of a lot more than other store closer in to down town have done for me... The people working at Fish Tales seem like they actually want to be working in a fly shop. They are glad to shoot the *hit with you, show you a few knots, or tie up a pattern you've been having trouble with. I have never left the store with a bad "taste." I'd recommend giving them another shot.

 

 

I dont have a problem with anyone dropping Fishtales into the mix, have you ever been there if Dave, Nancey or Terry arent in the store that day? I have and have been ignored profusely. I havent been there in awhile but they used to have these two or three little kids that worked there, just a couple of snot nosed punks! Its like everything else, if they know you great, if they dont you might get dogged. It does matter who is working that day as well, I used to find that if one of three mentioned above is there then awesome, if not well you know!

[TerryH]

................. x4 Mec for tents

What does X4 mean?

[bigalcal]

Service at Bass Pro is hit and miss. More misses than hits IMHO. The best thing to do if you get bad/no service is what you and a few others did. Find a manager. Also if you get great service......find a manager.

There's a tent & gear sale at Campers Village Calgary April 14-15.

The reps will be there.

Canadian Tire is the worst, except for the one on Macleod Tr. There's a man as you enter that will tell you where to find stuff. Apparently they are the only store in CANADA that has that.

 

Customer service in big stores is basically non-existant.