Gibbys Electronic Supermarket — Local services in St. Catharines

Earlier this summer my firm was building a luxury, turn-key, oceanfront cottage. As a curated and furnished project we required a subwoofer which fit the aesthetic of the space and furniture. We found that the Klipsch Flexus Sub100 fit our needs from an aesthetic standpoint, had Bluetooth capabilities to accommodate a range of placements and as it’s built in part with Onkyo would compliment the Onkyo receiver and Klipsch speakers installed throughout the house. Upon install we were unable to pair the subwoofer with our receiver and Klipsch app so we decided to try hardwiring the sub conventionally. While this did power the Flexus Sub100 we found that even by “maxing” the controls on the Onkyo receiver the subwoofer added very little bass to the overall audio experience; bass-heavy music such as house and rap had muffled and marginal outputs. As I’ve had multiple, custom home and car audio systems I knew the results weren’t indicative of what should be expected. I returned to Gibby’s website where I re-read the description of the subwoofer as well as their FAQ section relating to the specific device. As read at the time of purchase I confirmed that their site indicated that the Flexus Sub100 could be integrated “seamlessly” into an existing home audio setup. With this information I contacted Klipsch Customer Support directly as I assumed the issue was perhaps with the subwoofer and not with a misleading statement on the sellers website. Unfortunately, the Klipsch Rep responded promptly indicating that the subwoofer I purchased was ONLY compatible and adjustable with the Flexus Soundbar. On finding this out I then reached out to Gibby’s Customer Support to find out if they had any suggestions as to how I could move forward as I thought perhaps there might be some sort of workaround that the Klipsch rep hadn’t suggested for one reason or another. The response I got from Andrew was succinct and essentially - tough luck, you can’t return it because you purchased it too long ago. I was flabbergasted that was the only response I received. When given the opportunity to make an additional sale and perhaps apologize for a misleading statement on their website, Andrew instead responded by saying I couldn’t return the device - an answer to a question I never had asked. Perplexed I emailed again, this time cc’ing the store manager expressing my concerns and confusion while again citing the issues. This email apparently didn’t even warrant a response as it’s been a couple weeks since it was sent. In a time when competition from companies overseas is rampant, it’s always puzzling to me why “local” businesses do their easiest job so poorly. The importance and ease of building relationships with a loyal customer base through exceptional customer service is clearly and sadly overlooked by Gibby’s. If I wanted to return the subwoofer in question I would have simply and clearly asked “can I return this?”, instead I asked for potential solutions to my problem and was met by a matter-of-fact response which didn’t address a single thing outlined in my email. An apology for a misleading FAQ section and confirmation that Kilpsch’s response was correct would have been disappointing but satisfactory. Asking what my current audio setup consists of and a tailored suggestion as to how I could make it better with a couple different and suitable subs would have been outstanding. Instead I was essentially ignored after having spent the better part of $500 on a single component. With more projects underway I’ll be sure to steer clear of Gibby’s despite having a few colleagues and friends recommend them (all of whom agree they’ll take their business elsewhere) and I’ll be sure to let clients know of my experiences. It’s clear through online marketing Gibby’s is concerned about their overall image; but based on my personal experience it’s clear that they’re a business who isn’t concerned with individual customer care after they’ve made a sale. Rated 2 stars simply because the correct product shipped in a...

My recent interaction with Gibbys Electronics regarding the purchase of a Sony A80L OLED TV was riddled with disappointments. Initially, I had high hopes, placing my order on March 18th and completing payment via installment plans by April 6th. While placing the order and making payments was a seamless process, it's when I needed help that the issues started.

These hopes were shattered upon receiving the TV on April 16th, only to find a noticeable dent in the frame. Despite my immediate notification to Gibbys on April 22nd, they disputed my claim, citing a delay in reporting, and even ignored my offer to reassemble the box with minor tape. This lack of acknowledgment and accountability left me deeply frustrated.

Moreover, the mishandling of confidential information added insult to injury. Private emails exchanged between my salesperson and the service department were shared without my consent. These emails contained sensitive details about my purchase and interactions with Gibbys. Shockingly, it became apparent that these emails were being used to try and discredit my original feedback. As a repeat customer who had built a rapport with the staff, I genuinely believed they were providing assistance and advice in good faith. However, in hindsight, it's clear that they were merely shifting blame onto Sony, leading me down the wrong path under the guise of helpful advice. This manipulation of trust only deepened my disappointment and disillusionment with Gibbys' professionalism and integrity.

Throughout the resolution process, Gibbys displayed a concerning lack of initiative, failing to adhere to Sony's policy regarding concealed damage. Despite my repeated attempts to convey Sony's directives, Gibbys ignored the explicit instructions from Sony's staff. Each time I reached out to Sony for assistance, their staff reiterated that Gibbys needed to work directly with their local Sony representative to resolve the matter. However, Gibbys consistently disregarded this crucial step, prolonging the resolution process and exacerbating the frustration and inconvenience I experienced. This failure to heed Sony's guidance further underscores Gibbys' shortcomings in customer care and their disregard for fulfilling their obligations as a dealer.

In stark contrast, Sony's customer service exceeded expectations. Once connected with the right personnel, they displayed genuine understanding and compassion in resolving the issue, emphasizing Gibbys' shortcomings in customer care. Sony was a shining beacon of light in a situation that initially felt helpless. However, it's worth mentioning that reaching the right person at Sony did take quite a bit of effort and a long process. Yet, despite the initial challenges, the dedication and professionalism of the Sony team made it all worth it. I truly appreciate the support and assistance I received from them throughout this ordeal, and it's clear that their commitment to customer satisfaction sets a standard that Gibbys Electronics should strive to emulate.

I mean no ill will toward Gibbys; I'm simply sharing my experience, what happened to me, and how I feel. I hope they can learn and improve from it. However, I must admit that due to this experience, I will never return as a customer.

As a wheelchair user requiring additional time and assistance with setup, the prolonged process underscored the importance of supportive customer service—a factor where Gibbys fell egregiously short.

Reflecting on this experience, I feel compelled to caution others. While supporting small businesses is admirable, the pitfalls encountered at Gibbys Electronics highlight the need for consumers to prioritize a satisfying shopping experience. For substantial purchases like electronics, larger retailers like Amazon or Best Buy offer better consumer protections, wider selections, competitive pricing, and reliable customer support services.

In conclusion, my experience with Gibbys Electronics serves as a cautionary tale. Despite their promises, their actions speak volumes I was...

Purchased a B-Stock AVR. Received it and after setting it all up and wiring the whole setup I found out that it was DOA. The whole output section appears to be non-functional and the main volume knob was physically pushed into the unit. When I called for support from Gibby's the experience got worse. I asked what the turnaround time for a replacement was and I couldn't get an answer on that because "it depends on when Ian is available to look at the unit." I asked if it was possible to bring it in directly to exchange it for a functional one (that I would literally test in-store before I leave because I don't trust the B-stock to be functional any longer and it's a few hours of my time round trip) and was told that it was not possible to exchange, only to refund, and that was also dependant on "whenever Ian was available." I asked when he was in the shop so I could coordinate timing so that I could do this in one trip and not be stuck without a working unit for another week or longer, and they told me it was not predictable that sometimes he had to "go out" so they couldn't arrange that either -- so basically my option was to either drive there and hope that someone could verify it was in fact dead, or ship it back and wait an undetermined amount of time to (maybe) get a refund. I was emailed a return label that is so small that it's unreadable by both human AND barcode scanners. When I said since they couldn't accommodate a proper exchange for the DOA product that they sold me I told them they would probably lose my business as a result -- I was ready to drop SIGNIFICANTLY more money on a much better and new AVR and I had literally just made another purchase of other equipment from their store the previous week -- but they really didn't seem to care.

This is NOT the level of service that they advertise and this is certainly a much worse experience than I would have expected for a shop that is independently run and has 60+ years in the business. So instead of a deal I got a DOA unit, a runaround, and at least a week or two without the refund or a functional piece of electronics. I should have bought it from Amazon then it would have been a simple return process instead of this run around I'm stuck with.

EDIT: I changed this to a two star review. The first unit I got was definitely a return that they didn't check out. I ended up driving to this place and spending an hour in store to get this resolved. The second unit worked properly (I asked them to please test it first) but after getting the second one it was very obvious that the first unit they shipped me was a returned unit because it didn't come with the same things that the second unit from the factory did. The first one had no warranty card, no batteries for remote, no manual. So while they did make it right it took me a half day of my time for it to happen and over an hour standing around in the store waiting for them to test both the returned and "new" hardware. I still won't be a...