whataniceguy Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 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 http://sn144w.snt144.mail.live.com/default...33&id=64855 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. Crappy tire really is the worst isnt it! Quote
ironfly Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 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 Up until now, I've been a big fan of MEC. That may have to change. Which anti-hunting groups do they support? Quote
birchy Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 Up until now, I've been a big fan of MEC. That may have to change. Which anti-hunting groups do they support? About 5yrs or so ago, MEC allowed some conservation groups to set up a display against the Grizzly hunt. Some hunting groups took exception to this and labeled MEC antihunting. EDIT found this: http://www.gamewarden.ab.ca/archive/Summer2004/departmt.htm Regards Mike Quote
lethfisher Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 Not a big fan of Bass Pro, more because it's not a local shop. I shop a lot Troutfitters, they are pretty cool there. MEC is sweet and same with Campers Village. That link didn't work that Botangles posted here is what I think he was trying to post. Quote
ÜberFly Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 "Anti Hunting" is one of the reasons why I support MEC!! P Quote
ÜberFly Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 Yeah my 1st exp. at FTs was about the same... I did give them another chance however and they have come through for me on several occasions. Same goes with CPs and BRTFs - I've had mostly good exp. with both of those shops, but the odd time you get someone that is an idiot, or is having a bad day... It's important to develop a relationship with the employees at the shops as they can make your experiences worthwhile!! It's good to have a choice - that's capitalism! P 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: Quote
CTownTBoyz Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 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. But it's OK to haggle the small shops for the same price as the big box stores....right Rick? Quote
mnm Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 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. The wire you are crying about is from Ultra Wire company . They have 2 styles of wire one is Standard colors and the other is called Hot colors that cost the stores more. im sure the shops can live without your dollar, Quote
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 nope, 2 different colors of pink (1 hot, 1 dull, both different sizes). I tie a SHAT load and for me it builds up on every perches. 1 here 2 there but it all adds up. Bass pro has not let me down nor has it impressed me with customer service, but i have never had a problem with whole sale....except finding pink thingemabobs... Quote
fish4trout Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 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. Cat got your tongue? If someone is standing there doing nothing, why dont you just ask to look at a reel? Some people these days lack social skills big time, and then come home and complain about it on the internet(that will surely work!). I'm not saying they have good service, but sometimes if you ASK they will be more than happy to help. Quote
tgo Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 nope, 2 different colors of pink (1 hot, 1 dull, both different sizes). I tie a SHAT load and for me it builds up on every perches. 1 here 2 there but it all adds up. Bass pro has not let me down nor has it impressed me with customer service, but i have never had a problem with whole sale....except finding pink thingemabobs... I think that's what mnm meant, the "hot" pink is more expensive than the dull, even though they are both Ultra Wire. I had to pay more for the fl. chartreuse than the reg. chartreause and was a bit confused too. Quote
SanJuanWorm Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 But it's OK to haggle the small shops for the same price as the big box stores....right Rick? It's ok to haggle at any store. If that's the way you want to roll. Quote
bigalcal Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 Not a big fan of Bass Pro, more because it's not a local shop. I shop a lot Troutfitters, they are pretty cool there. MEC is sweet and same with Campers Village. That link didn't work that Botangles posted here is what I think he was trying to post. I thought I got rid of that before I posted. Thanks for clearing that up. Also I'm a Hunter and I shop at MEC all the time. Hunter is my last name!! Quote
osbornes Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Yeah my 1st exp. at FTs was about the same... I did give them another chance however and they have come through for me on several occasions. Same goes with CPs and BRTFs - I've had mostly good exp. with both of those shops, but the odd time you get someone that is an idiot, or is having a bad day... It's important to develop a relationship with the employees at the shops as they can make your experiences worthwhile!! It's good to have a choice - that's capitalism! P I agree wholeheartedly, BUT it is really hard to develop those relationships if I only get the chance to darken the door once or twice a year. For a new guy, I find the elitist attitude in some of these fly shops a wee bit intimidating. I prefer Bass Pro, simply because I don't expect amazing service when I go in there, I just expect an amazing store! Quote
EveretteD Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 I agree wholeheartedly, BUT it is really hard to develop those relationships if I only get the chance to darken the door once or twice a year. For a new guy, I find the elitist attitude in some of these fly shops a wee bit intimidating. I prefer Bass Pro, simply because I don't expect amazing service when I go in there, I just expect an amazing store! well said Quote
Smitty Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 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 I too have heard this straight from a MEC employee - admittedly that was years ago. MEC advocates "self-propelled wilderness travel" and experiences, and I will say, from my experiences in talking to them, they do not support fishing or hunting, tacitly or otherwise. Or, stated differently, I think - more like a gut suspicion and a well-educated guess - that a significant number of people that help organize and run MEC are not fans of hunting and fishing. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that MEC's hypocrisy surely runs deep. They'll take money from fishermen and hunters, but don't support their activities? If they were truly committed to their brand of environmental policies, they would require a litmus test from every member of the public before selling them a membership, and prevent hunters and fisherman from shopping there. Naturally, this is only my point of view, and if any "higher-ups" from MEC wish to correct me on my perceptions, please do so. Smitty P.S. So I've been tempted - purely as a pointed protest - to take up big game hunting, get a tag and fill it, pose for picture consisting of 100% MEC apparel and equipment - and my bloodied animal carcass -, and then sending it to the catalogue people asking them to "include my story" for their next catalogue... Quote
robert Posted March 22, 2011 Author Posted March 22, 2011 Cat got your tongue? If someone is standing there doing nothing, why dont you just ask to look at a reel? Some people these days lack social skills big time, and then come home and complain about it on the internet(that will surely work!). I'm not saying they have good service, but sometimes if you ASK they will be more than happy to help. Wow, panties in a bunch? It's not my job to ask when people aren't busy. It's called customer engagement. Heck, I'll engage other customers when i'm out hunting for gear FFS, not hard to tell when people are not sure what to look for. I don't mind offering some help or advise and it's always appreciated from the other party. When I first walked in the door, first thing I notice is that all the cashiers having a grand old chat. Totally brushed off in the fishing section? Now i'm morbidly curious... Relax fish4trout, if they want my money, they'll have to work for it a little. I don't mind paying the extra to get some better service at different shops - hence my post here. Quote
whataniceguy Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 I agree wholeheartedly, BUT it is really hard to develop those relationships if I only get the chance to darken the door once or twice a year. For a new guy, I find the elitist attitude in some of these fly shops a wee bit intimidating. I prefer Bass Pro, simply because I don't expect amazing service when I go in there, I just expect an amazing store! I feel you man, I didnt think the elitest attitude could get worse than it is in the golf industry until I started flyfishing years and years ago! Which is wierd to me because golf pros are actually better than most were as anyone with a rod and some hooks can go out and catch fish, so it just baffles me as to were the attitude even comes from. Guess its just human nature! If you go into a situation expecting good service or for someone to treat you as an equal you will most likely be disappointed. Im with you, I dont expect great or even good service anywere anymore I just expect a great product/golf course! Quote
reevesr1 Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 But it's OK to haggle the small shops for the same price as the big box stores....right Rick? If you can just remind me what your position is. I'll be the opposite. Funner that way. Quote
Giovanne Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Yeah my 1st exp. at FTs was about the same... I did give them another chance however and they have come through for me on several occasions. Same goes with CPs and BRTFs - I've had mostly good exp. with both of those shops, but the odd time you get someone that is an idiot, or is having a bad day... It's important to develop a relationship with the employees at the shops as they can make your experiences worthwhile!!It's good to have a choice - that's capitalism!P Do you think the experience is mutual when dealing with the legendary "uberflie"? Your interweb persona is getting the best of you. laffin out loud on this one... Generally speaking my best retail experiences are at fly shops. Says sumpthin', doesent it? You dudes sure love to whine. Quote
fish4trout Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Relax fish4trout, if they want my money, they'll have to work for it a little. I don't mind paying the extra to get some better service at different shops - hence my post here. fair enough Quote
ÜberFly Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Cool! I've reached legendary status! I guess that's better then "douche bag status", like some - yourself included! Do you think the experience is mutual when dealing with the legendary "uberflie"? Your interweb persona is getting the best of you. laffin out loud on this one... Generally speaking my best retail experiences are at fly shops. Says sumpthin', doesent it? You dudes sure love to whine. Quote
robert Posted March 27, 2011 Author Posted March 27, 2011 Took your advice and went down to fishtales today, highly impressed. Picked up a new Amundson TXS 5/6 reel, they spooled it up with new backing and my floating line. Brought my rod in to check the reel fit, the damn seat fell off - no problem, he took a few minutes, mixed up some epoxy and fixed it up for me. Think the young fellow's name was Curtis. Will definitely be dropping my cash on their counter when I gear up for the spring. Small place but good environment, they had a fly tying show on the go. Went down to fish creek for a peek, not a chance i'm fishing there today. Not a soul there, wind is pretty strong and cold. C'mon spring!!! Quote
darrinhurst Posted March 27, 2011 Posted March 27, 2011 I have dealt with Curtis many times. Good guy, knows his stuff. Has given me lots of advice about chucking streamers. Great shop. Easily my favorite in the city. Quote
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