Poor Customer Service Experience

[iacas]

I had my RAC MB TPs regripped recently. When I went to pick them up, the clubmaker - let's call him "Aaron" - pointed out that my 5I had a small dent in the shaft under the bottom of the grip.

I told him to order a new shaft and call me when it came in and I'd drop off the club so he could re-shaft it.

A week goes by. I call and am told that the shaft arrived the day before. No call from Aaron.

I drop the club off with another of the sales people (Aaron basically "rents" space in a retail golf store). I leave an extra grip, my phone number, and name.

I call back in four or five days and tell them I need my club the next day. The salesperson tells me "Aaron will be in tonight and I'll make sure he does your club so you can get it in the morning."

I call the next day at 3pm - the club isn't done. I'm told it'll be done that night. It is, and around 4pm the next day I go in to pick it up.

What I find is a club reshafted with a solid black ferrule (the RAC MBs have a double silver ring on the ferrule) and no shaft band. I don't care one way or the other about shaft bands or ringed ferrules, but I do like my irons to match each other as much as possible.

The sales woman hears my complaints and lets me leave with the club, my original (dented) shaft, and without paying ($46!).

Aaron calls me later and says "I didn't think you'd want the shaft band on, and I don't carry ringed ferrules." I tell him I'm not sure what I'm going to do. In a later conversation he says he can order a ferrule with a single silver ring and put it on. Never does he suggest he could use the old ferrule.

I call another clubmaker around here and he agrees, for $20 as a favor, to pull the shaft, take the old double-ring ferrule off the old shaft, and install everything. I let him, he does, and I have the club back about 24 hours later.

Today the retail store where Aaron rents space calls and gives me lip about not having paid yet. I call back and ask that they mail the shaft band to me, give them a credit card number, and tell them I'll gladly pay $30 but not a penny more.

The saleswoman puts Aaron on the phone and wow, I must say I've never had a worse customer service experience in my LIFE. I told him I was giving him a free pass on not getting the club done on time since he's not the one to make the promise, but that in the case of the shaft band and ferrule, he had two options:
1) call me and get an answer
2) assume that I'd like the club to look the same as it was when I dropped it off (minus the dent in the shaft)

He did neither of those options, instead assuming _incorrectly_ that I'd want a mismatched ferrule and look to the shaft (no band).

I told him I thought $30 was fair - it'd cover the $15-20 he likely paid for the shaft and still give him a little money for labor despite the fact that I'd had it reversed.

He continued to push and argue and practically yell at me, saying things like "I've never had a customer care about what ferrule I use" and "If you wanted special options you should have let me know" and "I fulfilled the terms of the contract!" (What contract? He can't even say we had a verbal contract since I didn't talk to him AND I didn't know what the price would be.)

Finally, after giving him every chance my sanity would allow, I told him that if I saw a charge on my card for any more than $30 I'd dispute the charges with my credit card company.

I went to dinner with my family and come home to see $48.76 (sales tax on the service? Not so sure about that one...) on my credit card.

The owner of this particular store happens to be the head pro at one of my clubs, so I put a call in to him and he's going to call me in the morning to work things out. I'm fairly certain this will be resolved, but wow: I've never been treated so badly in my life.

Simply put: for a measly $16, Aaron converted me from a customer who might never use his services or that store again into a customer who will go out of his way to make sure other people don't use his services or that store again.

Writing this has been therapeutic.

[Spectrums]

I bet it has been therapeutic. Luckily for me, I haven't had an issue like this yet. But it is a shame when an employee can't go out of his way to do things correctly.

[iacas]

I bet it has been therapeutic. Luckily for me, I haven't had an issue like this yet. But it is a shame when an employee can't go out of his way to do things correctly.

I've talked to five other clubmakers. They all say you either assume the customer wants the club to look like it did before or you call.

In other words, I don't quite believe I was expecting the guy to go "out of his way" to do things correctly. It almost feels as if he went out of his way to do things _in_correctly.

[asianpsuation]

wow i was wondering why you were being so picky about the shaft and ferrule, personally i wouldn't have cared. But "aaron" certainly has no right to charge you some fictional amount picked out by who knows. Getting yelled at on the phone from some guy who A. messed something up (even though it was quite minor) and B. refused to accept a reasonable amount for the serve would make me too.

[iacas]

wow i was wondering why you were being so picky about the shaft and ferrule, personally i wouldn't have cared.

That's you. I have enough eye for detail that I want to see the same thing when I look down at all of my irons. I don't want a bunch of mismatched irons.

I would bet most half-decent golfers are probably the same as me: who wants to look at a bunch of mismatched irons? I'm not a Tour quality player by any stretch of the imagination, but I've heard tales about how picky they are about their equipment that would make your head spin. The sensitivity Tiger Woods has to his equipment's look and feel is literally the stuff of legend.

But "aaron" certainly has no right to charge you some fictional amount picked out by who knows.

I don't have a problem with the $46 (even though I had guessed it would have been closer to $40). I have a problem with the fact that he failed to do what was logical (assume I wanted my club to look the same as it used to) or safest (call and ask me), THEN got a bunch of attitude with me when we discussed his mistakes and a possible resolution.

Getting yelled at on the phone from some guy who A. messed something up (even though it was quite minor) and B. refused to accept a reasonable amount for the serve would make me

Yeah, see, I don't see it as "quite minor." The shaft band is an easy fix. Swapping out a ferrule... not so much.

Again, I think Everardo would back me up here: these kinds of things matter to people.

[asianpsuation]

That's you. I have enough eye for detail that I want to see the same thing when I look down at all of my irons. I don't want a bunch of mismatched irons.

dont get me wrong im not disagreeing with you, the ferrule thing is just personal preference i suppose. I've never had irons with mismatching ones but i can see how it would be distracting.

[TourSpoon]

You know, some people never quite get it. They look at the short term and don't see the big picture. That is probably why he is renting space.

Now I'm sure that if his response would have been, "I'm really sorry about that, how about if I take it tonight, use the old ferrule and have it back to you tomorrow" you would still be a customer there. You might even tell your friends that you went somewhere, they made a mistake, and they took responsibility and made good.

Making excuses is never popular in the customer service world...and everyone knows that golfers are notoriously anal when it comes to their clubs. I know that I am, and the wrong ferrule would rub me the wrong way.

[The Rambler]

I have dealt "Aaron" before, he works another job during the day and does his golf work as a hobby. I had him reshaft my r580 with a Fuji shaft and he totally screwed my order up. He actually cut it down an inch. And after a week and a half of calling I had to physically go in and ask for my club after being told that it wasn't done yet, but sure enough it was right there in the corner gathering dust. As part of my order I told him to use the same TM grip and he did but he had put 7-10 layers of extra tape under the grip to make it "better for my hands" WHAT!? So I had to buy a new grip and put it on myself(which isnt all that hard but I couldnt use the club for a day or two) And then there was a piece of solvent in the club head which was rattling around. Ugh! Erik I feel some of your pain. Yours seems so much worse than mine. Personally I go to Bert(i forget his last name but i will have it up tomorrow) Bert works out of a store called the Erie Golf Club Service. Actually now that I think of it he works at Whispering Woods. Good luck with your club Erik. Think of it as a sign to get those Mizunos you want

[aidanmcg33]

Speaking of poor customer service, i went to purchase my new clubs the other day, i had been through a custom fit service which included me hittin balls with 5 different types of clubs and picking the ones i felt i liked the best. I then told the shop keeper i would take the set i wanted. He said it would take 7-10 days to get them in. 10 working days later no call from the shop, rang and he said Ill ring the manufacturer and call you straight back, never got the call. Rang again the next day and asked about them he said ah yes i remember you, you rang the other day and i rang you back but never got an answer which was lies as i gave my mobile number, checked it was correct and had it with me all day. He then rang me later that night to say the clubs had arrived and i said i would pick them up the next day. I went in the next day and he had the clubs sitting on the counter, i asked about the bag i had ordered as well and he had totally forgotten, so he went into the fitting room, emptied one of the bags that was in there holding clubs and brought it out to me. He then told me the price. I had seen the clubs elsewhere for 100€ less the week before hand, and i asked him could he give me any money off the price, and he said no they were already at an excellent price, which i didnt agree with as id noticed them also on several websites for cheaper but id felt safer buying through a local store. I then mentioned that id seen the clubs elsewhere for 100€ less, lets say the shop was called "Golf World" and mentioned the possibility of discount again. He then totaly flipped and said well just go to Golf World then and get them there, and get out of my shop. I was a bit taken aback by this and firstly said "i was only looking to get some discount", (surely you would regardless of what product you were purchasing new car, new furniture etc. I had noticed the clubs 100€ less in the other shop but as id already told the man i would take the set i was fully willing to pay the asking price, i was just hoping he might give me something off them)

He then told me to get out and i said no problem ill go to Golf World then. Later that day, his shop assistant rang when i was out. I was informed of the call so i rang back to the shop. The man i was initially dealing with who i forgot to state was the owner answered and i asked could i speak to Aaron (the assistant) and i could tell he was saying something to the assistant before he put him on the phone but i couldnt make it out. Aaron then came on and said that the owner would just like to apologise for what had happened earlier and we just wanted to let you know that the clubs are still available to you at the initial price. Couldnt believe he didnt apologise himself and i definitely wont be buying the clubs from that shop or any other items for that matter. I since was told about a website from a number of people and their shop took me through a more detailed fitting process, and are supplying the clubs plus another club, bending the lie angle as well all for a far cheaper price than the first shop was selling them for.

[The Rambler]

jeez we really had a lot of great service on this forum

[NM Golf]

Yet another reason why I do my own basic club repair. For more intricate stuff there is a fantastic (thank goodness) clubsmith that I trust completely to get the job done right.
As far as the importance of matching clubs, are you kidding me, they have to match. I remove all the shaft bands from my irons, personal preference, but they all match. And above that all my grips match too.

[Everardo]

Yeah, see, I don't see it as "quite minor." The shaft band is an easy fix. Swapping out a ferrule... not so much.

Absolutely! As a club maker I wouldn't make these assumptions when building or repairing clubs for my customers. Any discrepancy in color, finish, band, logo etc I feel I owe it to the customer to make that decision. Personally it wouldn't bother me if a band was missing but mismatched ferrules would and at less than .25 cents it's a quick fix to get the right ferrule for the job.

[iacas]

I have dealt "Aaron" before, he works another job during the day and does his golf work as a hobby.

I've just also found out recently that "Aaron":

• Is not a Class A clubmaker.
• Is not a golfer (he doesn't play, so he places little emphasis on stuff like what a ferrule looks like).
• Has several part-time jobs, screwing up clubs being one of them.

Personally I go to Bert (i forget his last name but i will have it up tomorrow) Bert works out of a store called the Erie Golf Club Service.

Bert works out of Whispering Woods now. If they get a building on the range he may even put a little time in there and work out a deal with the course, but for now, they just hand out his card. He's the only (un-retired) Class A clubmaker/repair in Erie. His last name is Reed, and he's at 882-4804.

I wanted to use Bert but couldn't get ahold of him in time. I wanted my club done both quickly and correctly. Neither condition was met by not using Bert. When I got ahold of Bert again, he fixed my club, as I hope to have mentioned in my original post. He did so proficiently and quickly.

Think of it as a sign to get those Mizunos you want

They've already been ordered. :)

Yet another reason why I do my own basic club repair.

Yeah, I can do my own grips, but I'm not keen on pulling shafts and doing all that just yet, mostly because I rarely need that kind of work done.

As far as the importance of matching clubs, are you kidding me, they have to match. I remove all the shaft bands from my irons, personal preference, but they all match. And above that all my grips match too.

Agreed.

Absolutely! As a club maker I wouldn't make these assumptions when building or repairing clubs for my customers. Any discrepancy in color, finish, band, logo etc I feel I owe it to the customer to make that decision. Personally it wouldn't bother me if a band was missing but mismatched ferrules would and at less than .25 cents it's a quick fix to get the right ferrule for the job.

Thanks, Everardo. Not only did Aaron assume incorrectly that I wouldn't care about having my 5-iron match the others, but he failed to ASK too.

I've talked with the owner and he's, oddly, standing by his employee. I've offered, again, $30 which is still profitable. It more than covers the cost of goods. The owner is hung up on the fact that "Aaron" offered to fix things. He seems to be missing the point that I had absolutely no faith in "Aaron's" ability to fix things quickly OR correctly. Since the owner also happens to be the head pro at one of my courses, I'm seriously considering dropping my membership there immediately. Oh, I also happen to have designed (and still maintain) that course's website as well.

[nykfan4life]

Since the owner also happens to be the head pro at one of my courses, I'm seriously considering dropping my membership there immediately. Oh, I also happen to have designed (and still maintain) that course's website as well.

well maybe they will get less visitors to thier golf course if someone 'accidentally' changes thier website to say that it is being turned into a big k-mart!

PS- just kidding

[iacas]

well maybe they will get less visitors to thier golf course if someone 'accidentally' changes thier website to say that it is being turned into a big k-mart!

The thought crossed my mind, made me smile, and then went away.

Anyway, situation "kind of" resolved. They claim they'll put $16.96 back on my credit card, but I cannot believe how much pushing it took to get them to do the right thing.

[nykfan4life]

The thought crossed my mind, made me smile, and then went away.

yeah, i understand, i have no tolerance for this kind of thing, one time i even wrote in to the local paper about a locksmith who sold me keys which didn't work and then charged me full price and didn't accept a refund, when there was no policy. They went out of business last year.

needless to say, it will be awkward next time you go there

[The Rambler]

i dont think that he'll go back

[nykfan4life]

i dont think that he'll go back

it's his home course. Mine is 5 minutes away, i think i would commit hari-kiri if i couldn't go back