Scandinavian Ski Shop — Attraction in Northfield Township

Summary: Owner is a jerk. Staff is clueless. Bait-and-switch pricing.

Details:

If you like getting treated like garbage, this is the place for you.

I've been skiing for 25 years. I know my stuff. I've been in a lot of ski shops. Compared to other shops, the staff here is slightly more clueless and unhelpful. Still, I like to support a local business when I can, so I stopped in there last week.

I went in to purchase some (rather expensive) skis and bindings that my wife had been wanting. I spoke with the manager there, who quoted me a price that was slightly more than I could get at some other places, but reasonable. The price was not a sale or time-limited offer. I wanted to do some further research on the best ski length and binding options before I purchased, and it was getting close to closing time and I didn't want to keep anyone late. So I left, did my research on the length and bindings, and came back today, driving over an hour to be loyal to this store, ready to buy. That was a mistake.

Today, when I went back to complete my purchase, I happened to speak with someone different - the owner.

As I was getting ready to pay, the owner's new price was suddenly $170 higher than what I was quoted previously. I politely mentioned the price I was quoted the other day. At that, this knucklehead began to yell at me and accuse me of "trying to screw him over like a used car dealer". He literally turned red in the face and also began crabbing to me about his "blood pressure going up". I called over the manager who confirmed the previous price for me. Even with this, the owner refused to make good on the price that that I was given the other day, or even just offer an apology for accusing me of trying to "screw him over". To be clear: I was simply trying to purchase an item at a price that had been offered to me. I was not haggling, negotiating, or doing any super-sneaky trickery.

Now, in case you think I'm an unreasonable bargain hunter or something, here is where it gets really ridiculous: At this point, I told the owner that I understand his pressures as a small business and I'd even be willing to consider paying a higher price if we could talk calmly about it. At this, he told me "I'll have other customers, so it doesn't matter to me what you do".

That was when I left...for good.

I don't even care about the price difference. It's about the attitude. If you like high prices and crappy attitude, this is the place for you. Maybe you can be one of the "other customers" that this guy is counting on. Have fun with that.

Otherwise, go to one of the other shops in the area: Viking, Snowbird,...

I'm all about supporting local businesses - but AVOID THIS PLACE. My fiance and I stopped by over the weekend to try on boots. They were extremely busy and advised we needed to schedule an appointment if we wanted to try on boots. Understandable. Per their instructions, we scheduled an appointment on their website for Monday during our lunch when it wasn't busy and many appointment times were available. Upon arrival, my fiance tried a few boots on to get his size and advised the young man with the glasses (probably the same guy that was mentioned last week's review for being rude) that he is a beginner and did not know what he needed. After trying a few boots on, my fiance asked if they do shoe fittings/molding with shoes ordered online. This changed the sale's associates tune and he said that if we do a boot fitting there, we HAVE to buy something from them there at that time. I asked if their store offers any online price matching for the same product (as I've seen they've ripped off another customer's daughter by well over $100 from other reviews). And the associate said "No. Not this year." He also went as far as saying that WE were being rude for scheduling an hour long fitting if we weren't planning on buying something from the store. For one, we simply followed the older gentleman's instructions over the weekend to schedule an appointment if we wanted to try on boots. Two, we could have purchased something if we liked the product as well as have a friendly experience. Three, the website requires hour long fitting appointments. Four, I do not see anywhere on their website that requires the customer to purchase an item after the fitting. You need a disclaimer posted on your website, so fix your website. And post signs in your store that you require all customers who do a fitting purchase an item after it. Five, maybe you should hear out your customer's needs first before telling us to do XYZ and then in turn, be called "rude" for wasting his time. You wasted our time too buddy. They need new staff or have a lesson on customer service. We are beginners wanting to get into snowboarding and skiing and with this experience, it is a huge turn off from the ski/snowboarding community. My friend who boards often told me to try Erik's Bike, Board and Ski in Skokie as he had a great experience there with friendly staff and was able to try on boots to get his right boot size, measured his stance, etc. I told him what happened and he agreed this place is not it. I recommend anyone to go to...

I would give zero stars, but, it does not allow.

Just like some of the other reviewers, I too like to support small local businesses. Usually you get far better service since you are dealing with the owner or a family member or employees that really understand that it is far easier to lose a customer than to get new ones. I merely wanted to return some goggles that I changed my mind about. When I went to the store to make the exchange I was surprised to learn that they had a 14 day return policy and anything that is bought at sale prices can only receive a store credit. They said that it was “store policy”. Well, the problem with “store policies” is that they are designed to be in the STORE’S best interest. And when they are unwavering then customer be damned. I asked them why they didn’t notify their customers that their policies were so different than what was standard. Their response was an insulting. They said our policies are in line with other stores. I said I’m pretty sure that 30 days is standard. …sure enough with receipt: Dick’s 60days full refund, Sports Authority 30days full refund, Target 90days full refund, Walmart 90days full refund, Amazon 30days full refund. I’m not sure if the guy I spoke with was the owner or not, but, he told me: “…this is the end of the season, I’m trying to get things out of the store not bring things back in”. He chose to be in a seasonal business. That is his burden! By transferring that burden to me makes me feel un-important. Any store or company can excel when things go smoothly. It is how a store reacts when issues or complaints arise, that is the measure of a truly GREAT store. It is unfortunate that more and more businesses fail to measure up but instead fall down the path to mediocrity or lower. …BEWARE, this is not a...