Snowbiz — Local services in South Island

Once the best - now amongst the worst!

Gone are the 2019 heydays of Snowbiz, which offered non-consecutive rental days, unlimited overnight storage with a prime location by the bus stops.

Now? All those premium services are no longer offered whilst the premium prices remain!!

Our experience - having purchased 5 days rental for my partner and I, we had hoped to store our gear at the store as we had booked accomodation a few blocks out of town. At the end of our first day skiing we were shocked to find out that this service was no longer offered. After pleading with a disinterested staff member about a current knee injury, explaining the difficulty I would face lugging the gear up the Stanley St hill and offering to pay for storage, it was clear the customer service standards here have dropped as he shrugged his shoulders and told me there was nothing he could do and to get a cab. Perhaps a more formal proceeding where said employee could’ve discussed with the manager and offered storage out of goodwill for one additional night wouldn’t have been too much to ask.

Secondly, my partner had purchased a pair of gloves from snowbiz the evening we were fitted. The following morning she realised they weren’t a great fit once she had her inners on and wanted to exchange them for a larger size. In the mania of evening fitment, my partner hadn’t been provided a receipt, as the cashier had run off to help another customer directly after finishing the sale. The following morning when she tried to exchange the unworn gloves, the exact same employee that had sold her the gloves, recognised her as having purchased the gloves the evening before, rudely pointed at the receipt bin, insinuating she could sort through the bin in hopes of finding her receipt and informing her they don’t keep a record of online sales. Despite him clearly recognising her as having purchased the gloves, again instead of trying to find a manager to rectify this issue, proceeded to ignore her and serve the next customer in line.

Thirdly, upon finishing up the 5th day of our trip and 3rd day skiing, a friend informed us that snowbiz had moved to consecutive days as opposed to their previous policy of honouring skiing rest days. Instantly concerned as we had already taken 2 rest days and planned to ski the following two days it quickly dawned on us that in the mania of fitment on the 21st, the staff had failed to inform us of this fact, failed to give us a return date, with no indication this policy had changed on the website. Thus, we popped into snowbiz after hopping off the bus to discuss our options. Sadly, again another condescending employee who informed there was nothing she could do, that it was our problem we hadn’t been informed of policy changes or our return date, which we had luckily assumed was that day. Again, failed to see if there was someone more senior that could help us rectify this issue and rudely informed us that we had already received a good discount having gotten 4 days for the price of 5 and there was nothing she could do because of this. We didn’t select this deal, we just booked 5 days and weren’t even aware we got a discount, nothing on our receipt mentions the deal. We were happy paying premium prices for premium services but it became abundantly clear that this deal forced upon online orders was a useful excuse for these cases. Somewhat disenfranchised but unwilling to return and refit our boots and skis elsewhere we surrendered and paid for the extra 2 days, yes they honoured whatever the online discount was, but had i bought 7 days online, those additional two days would’ve been cheaper, essentially we paid for a new two day hire. The kicker? When we asked if we could then store our skis overnight as we had essentially just rehired them, we were rudely declined despite the empty overnight racks that were usually packed full by 6pm.

Slew of bad reviews recently indicate that corporate greed - same prices, reduced services - will send people down to the green toad and...

DISAPPOINTING ALL ROUND! First off, my partner and I booked 7 days of ski/board hire for our trip. Upon arrival, the tall man with black hair was very friendly. (Probably the only good thing about this place.) the equipment is worn and my snowboard boots had holes in them. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. When we booked in June, we were told that we were able to swap over to snowboard hire at any point, with no extra cost. (Given that we weren’t ridiculous with it) We were told this by the first guy again, which we understood and only were asking to change over once. When we returned our gear last night, we were told that there was now a $20 fee to change over, and were told that it was something that was introduced mid July. We booked our gear much prior to that but were still getting slapped with a fee? When we went to the counter, the girl didn’t even know how much the fee was, and asked us how much the guy had said. POOR EFFORT. We ended up paying but then today, when we went to leave our gear overnight there for day number 6, the guy at the counter had said it was $10 a night surcharge to leave the gear there. Although, no one else had mentioned this before!!! If we had known about all these surprise costs, and rude service, we definitely would have found a better hire place with better gear. We’ve still got 2 more days of hire so who knows what hidden costs will come our way! Incredibly...

I recently had a fantastic experience with a service that exceeded my expectations. The website was incredibly user-friendly, allowing me to navigate effortlessly and find all the information I needed. The staff members were exceptional, demonstrating efficiency and a wealth of knowledge. They were attentive, addressing any inquiries I had promptly and professionally. When it came to fitting snow equipment, there were no issues whatsoever. Everything fit perfectly, ensuring I had a comfortable and enjoyable experience on the slopes.

In particular, I had the pleasure of being taught by Johan, a ski instructor at Coronet Peak. Johan was incredibly patient and friendly throughout the entire lesson. He took the time to understand my skill level and tailored the instruction accordingly. His expertise and guidance were invaluable in helping me improve my skiing technique. I felt encouraged and supported every step of the way, and Johan's positive attitude made the lesson both enjoyable and productive.

Overall, I cannot recommend this service enough. From the easy-to-use website to the efficient and knowledgeable staff, every aspect of my experience was exceptional. If you're looking for a seamless and enjoyable snow adventure, this service is...