Alright so this may be absolutely nothing to you guys but, this is my outlet sometimes so, feel free to say what you will or nothing at all. So I'm scrolling through Facebook on my phone and see a post from a local archery pro shop. We have 3 within my driving range but, only two within a decent area of this particular shop and all the other ones are hole in the wall little mom and pops hunting shops that have bows just because they can make an extra buck but, no pro series bows. Now to the post: "Here at ________we don't just sale you a bow. We custom fit the bow to you then we take you to the range and teach you how to shoot it. When you leave out shop your sighted in at 20yd." Ok so here is my rant. Really custom fit? Shouldn't that be properly fit! Sighted in to 20yd, shouldn't a shop that has an indoor range do this as standard? Isn't this part of what a pro shop does when you buy a bow? Isn't this part of a bow buying experience? Then when I ask isn't that what a pro shop does? Their response is: "Yes but, most shops don't do everything we do." Umm, I know the other shops and yes, all the other pro shops do! I guess my irritation with this is the shop is trying to make them selves seem better than they really are. Yes, they are trying to sell bows but, don't make it sound like you do more for your customer than what you really do. when My first trip to your shop it took 30 minutes for a single person to acknowledge I was even there. Then when I tell you I preferred my bow over a Hoyt CE when i have owned both then you look at me funny then you attitude changes toward me and you loose interest in talking to me. I guess that's why I have such an issue. I had planned on going to use their range during lunch breaks but, after the experience of being there I haven't been back. I guess if you are spending a grand, it's different right? Anyways, rant over. Thanks for reading if you did.
I've had a similar experience, on friday actually. I went to a pro shop I have never been to before, I wanted to check out the new Hoyt spyder and carbon element, my local pro shop, which is the bomb and i have great connections with doesn't sell hoyts.. anyhow I drove to this "pro shop" and there was about a dozen guys in there, seemed to me they all new eachother. Drinking beer and bull****ting around, the guy working was stringing some bows, i was looking at the new hoyts for a good fifteen minutes, held several of them. Figured if the guy wants some busniess, I was looking to find out what I could get for a trade, and the guy never even said hello. But he was bull****ting all the while with the local guys and obviously didnt want some busniess so I left. Could't believe how bad of service it was, nice shop but appears to be under some horrible managment. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Have a pro shop 15 mins from where I live that I have never been to because I refuse to do business with him. He is the type that if you don't buy the bow from him, or shoot a certain one he is going to trash talk it. So instead I choose to drive 45 mins away, and so far just this year have spent over a grand there. Plan to spend more when I buy arrows and trail cams. So just by by being an a s s to some people I know and them telling me about it, he has lost a little business. That's the way it goes to. Some one has a good experience, they may tell a few people, but if they have a bad experience they are going to tell a lot of people.
I've had a similar experience at more than one shop in the area...frustrating. What puzzles me more is the mom & pop store rely heavily on their reputation and absolutely delighting their customers for sales and business. Yet, step foot in a big box (e.g. BPS) on a weekend and its might be several deep at the counter...and less than the complete service you described above...
I had one "pro shop" tell me they wouldn't service my stuff because I didn't buy it from them. This is the reason I started learning how to do my own tuning.
Yep its their loss. One of the "better" pro shops in the area lost a customer right as i walked in. I got looked at and then they went back to work and didnt say one word to me until i asked a question and even then they were rude and acted like they didnt want my business. So i never went back it wasnt worth the trip to go where i wasnt wanted, I found a shop in town near me they are not as big but they are willing to help me with anything, very friendly and they have decent priced items and services. The first impression of a shop is huge.
Until I found the shop where I bought my Assassin, I always had bad experiences at bow shops and stopped going into them. All my local ones had attitudes that just be being there was bothering them and if you weren't in their "click", you got treated very poorly. I hated that attitude and that's why I started shopping online years ago. But the shop I bought my bow at was great, very friendly, very helpful, didn't mind my questions, etc. They get my business from now on.
Our local shop is the same way. You might stand there for 30 minutes before anyone even acknowledges your presence. They talk down to you like you don't know anything. The two guys that run it have attitudes bigger than the whole store. I now drive 35 minutes to a shop where the people are nice and very helpful. Well worth the drive to me
All these stories about bad proshops makes me think that yours was right to post what they did on facebook.
I once walked into a car dealership and got a car salesman who talked to me like I was stupid. Tried to sell me a $20k Honda Civic. I went down the Street and bought a 30k Toyota Tacoma because I didnt want to buy from that guy. But I understand how you feel, if I dont like a shop or restaurant I always go elsewhere. Sure one person may not hurt and it may not make a difference, but its my stand against them.
Yeah, there are shops here that do the same thing, sure hope it's not the industry standard. Sadly, time and distance do play a role in where you go. I am a novice and need plenty of help, so finding a pro that is reasonably close is important to me. However, it’s not important enough that I will allow someone to talk down to me. You can educate without being condescending.
I like doing everything myself but I still visit a couple local bow shops every year...mostly to shoot the new models and see what i like...Honestly last year was the first time in about 15 years that I bought a new bow from a pro shop, more of an impulse buy for me. I usually pick bows up used, pretty easy to get even a used 2013 bow for bit less then the same new one hanging on the rack....... For the most part the shops I haven been to are knowledgeable and friendly...yes some are opinionated but thats to be expected when you work on bows everyday..you get your likes and dislikes. Pro shops are a tough business, I dont know of too many retail sales items that people expect the same level of service...sometime months after the initial purchase. Bows dont have a particularly high mark up and they are some what labor intensive....and after the original sale every time the shop messes with a customers bow unless they hand him a bill costs the shop money in time/labor...not all is easily recouped.... One more thought...The meek inherit nothing, if you took time out of your life to travel to shop and your not getting the service that you expect ...speak up, sure you shouldn't have too...but you already made the investment in time an effort so you might want to try for better results. All sometime a shop keeper sees you browsing and they assume, sometimes wrongly that if you want help or info you will ask.....The worst thing you can do is be silent and leave......as that result has very little upside. It all depends on what you want, for the money I invested in a press, draw board, vise, chronograph, work bench ect.....it may take you awhile to recoup that...and if your only messing with one or two bows a year well a proshop might be more cost effective....
Well they aren't lying to customers that they will do that stuff for them. I kind of get your complaint but you may be over reacting just a bit. These people have to sell their product, and getting you into the door or marketing their services is very important. We are blessed in central Indiana. We have a number of shops with great and knowledgable employees that look out of the customer first. There is one shop that I don't think realizes they have any competition, but the guys are at least nice, just way overpriced and unrealistic when it comes to time allowance (not going to drop my bow off for a week and have them charge $80 just to look at it).
I love my archery shop! They are the most friendly group of guys. They greet you when you walk in...asking what they can help with. Even if they are busy with someone, they acknowledge you and let you know they will be with you as soon as they can. I have never had a bad experience at this place.
Well it could help that you're a female and when you walk in they just want to help you out in any way possible. They have a pretty lady to look at. Opposed to when some grizzly looking guy walks in they just don't give him any attention.
Don't try going in with makeup and lipstick on oly!! I would imagine that will only get u shunned even more. :D
Oly don't listen to REMY! I say give it a go and let us all know how it works out! We'll be waiting..
Haha i feel like it would end and me getting punched or something. Imagine you start talking to a "girl" who you think is good looking then find out its a man. Now if it happened to me id punch that person in the face right there so it a dangerous task.
