Park Skiers and Ski Techs (jerks)

Service can go either way. Ive had a shitty shop in a basement that agreed to remount and wax my skis for free as he was closing up. He was a retired guy with his wife and they were blown away by the park movement. I explained to him I was going to a contest at Blue Mountain and both told me how much they love where skiing is going. Every time I needed something, I would always buy it at his shop.

Working at the ski school for a few years, I have found out that ski technicians, ski instructors and race teams all work together. The sad thing is they dont want to recognize park like ski centers refused snowboarders in the 80's. I got really mistreated by management because I loved park and did not have any interest in gate bashing.
 
The shop I work at is absolutely opposite from this. The skitech there is all about park. At least for me he will tune my skis specifically for park. It also helps that his daughter is sponsored by elan and oniel for park skiing
 
As a park skier and Shop Manager I take this shit personally. Now don't get me wrong I'm not all butt hurt but techs get a bad wrap on this site. So here is my take on things. Park skiers can be dicks, so can racers, hell any skier can be. When you come into the shop realize that we trying our best. When you roll in with boots covered in mud and shit and toss them on the counter it gets everywhere. I don't want to take my time to clean your boots. I don't give a rats ass where you want your skis mounted but I will ask you twice. Remember the adage. Measure twice cut once. I want to make sure you know what you're asking for and not just some kid that read something on some site and thinks that's what they need. Respect goes both ways. I expect my employees to be treated with respect just like I expect them to treat every customer regardless of how they are being treated. If you want it done now expect to pay for it. I can't kick others off the bench to get yours done ASAP with out getting my other customers pissed off. I'll do it right now in a heart beat but $10 extra for sure. If you think we charge you too much. Do it your self. I have to pay rent, heat, water, payroll, tax, insurance, and so on. I know that's my problem and not yours but I'm not trying to rake you over the coals. I'm by no means getting rich. I'm surviving. If there is an issue come talk to me. No one is infallible, Shit happens but it's how you handle the issues is what matters, Give me a chance to make it right. Not by demanding new skis but by working with us to satisfy your complaint. I'm a skier first. I love to ski. I love to talk skiing. I love my job.

13561778:AK_ said:
There isn't a single innovation that has pushed our sport further (in and out of the park) than the modern three piece boot. Anybody who says anything else is kidding them self.
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You do understand that The "modern Three Piece boot" was invented in the 70's right. It is a direct rip off of the flex comp and has been around for years. Boots have very little to do with "park" unless you consider image and style.

13561844:chuckmarty said:
I went into a shop in breck wearing my dirty park rat outfit and asked the tech if he could de-burr my edges with a gummy stone (this step literally takes 2 minutes at most) and give the skis a quick wax. The clown wanted to charge me $60 for a full tuneup and refused to do just the gummy stone + wax for a reasonable price. I told him I didn't need my edges sharpened or ptex put into the bases but the dude just wouldn't understand. I promptly walked out of the shop.
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Or the fact that the shop does not offer that service and don't have pricing set up for a "quick de-burr" People come in all the time and ask for a "quick" what ever. I have customers that have taken the time and are in front of you. Yes a wax only takes a few but if I bump out my other customers for every person that needs them now I would never get anything done.

PS I value all customer and welcome everyone. Form the Nordic Racer to the Park Rat. We are all just sliding on snow. Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride.
 
13566771:SVmike said:
Or the fact that the shop does not offer that service and don't have pricing set up for a "quick de-burr" People come in all the time and ask for a "quick" what ever. I have customers that have taken the time and are in front of you. Yes a wax only takes a few but if I bump out my other customers for every person that needs them now I would never get anything done.

I can understand that. When I went into the shop I wasn't asking to cut in front of any other customers. I was just asking him to deburr the edges instead of really grind them down like one would do for a full tuneup. The fact that he would only do a full tuneup instead of a simple deburr + wax seemed a little ridiculous. That's just my opinion as a dissatisfied customer. He didn't want to satisfy my demand as a customer so I waited until slopestyle opened and took my equipment there instead.

I understand that customized tuneups can be a hassle for shop techs. It can also be confusing for customers to walk into a shop and see a hundred options for tuning so most of the time it's easier to just simplify it. I get that and that's okay.

Shred on, friend :)
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[

I can understand that. When I went into the shop I wasn't asking to cut in front of any other customers. I was just asking him to deburr the edges instead of really grind them down like one would do for a full tuneup. The fact that he would only do a full tuneup instead of a simple deburr + wax seemed a little ridiculous. That's just my opinion as a dissatisfied customer. He didn't want to satisfy my demand as a customer so I waited until slopestyle opened and took my equipment there instead.

I understand that customized tuneups can be a hassle for shop techs. It can also be confusing for customers to walk into a shop and see a hundred options for tuning so most of the time it's easier to just simplify it. I get that and that's okay.

Shred on, friend :)[/QUOTE]

I hear ya. Any shop should be able to handle most requests and I expect my guys to deal with them on a professional level. We have a by the hour rate for requests that are not on our normal "menu" A de-burr and wax should run you around $35 to $40 bones. Again might seem high compared to doing it your self, but that's life. I am all for the free market. Support the shops that treat you right! Don't forget, if you are of age some beer is a great tip. It is not payment. I can't pay my Gas bill in beer. As cool as that would be.
 
The thing about working in retail is that it causes you to literally hate everyone that you come across. If someone is being nice to you its because they still have the energy inside them to fake it hard enough to keep from getting fired.
 
I remember getting shit from a shop manager when I wanted my 194 new lifes mounted center. She was like "do you really ride switch in the backcountry" I was like no but they are symmetrical so could you pleeze mount them center other wise the purest in me will be bothered by it. Got em back measured them and damn str8 they were right in the middle. They didn't put the brakes on them but that was easy enough for me to do plus I had to bend the shit out of them for the extra 15 mm. It was only 25 bux though so who am I to complain.
 
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