Marin Ace Hardware — Local services in San Rafael

A bad experience with three employees.

Jackson sold me the wrong part. I found out when I looked at it after leaving the store.

Called and talked to Oscar who said he was the supervisor in charge. I asked for when an employee experienced in plumbing who could help me. He gave me the names of three employees who would be in the next day at 10:30am. I got to the store and told two of them didn't work that day and one would be in at 11:00am.

The store manager Scott turned out to be a jerk. While helping me, he went to a help another woman customer and spent fifteen to twenty minutes helping her while I waited.

This woman customer asked if I was in her way and I said, "Yes." and she said she needed to get to work, and I said I need to get to work also. And then Scott the manager who really shouldn't be raised his voice and said to me if you get confrontational with other customers, you will be kicked out of the store. That was totally out of line, and he should be fired.

Scott the manager was very slow and between waiting and helping other customers while helping me, I was in the store for forty-five minutes.

Scott ordered a part for me that isn't ideal, but hopefully it will work.

In fact, all three of the employees I discussed above should be fired.

I called and emailed a national number several times and requested to hear from a supervisor and they never got back to me. I also requested an email address for a district manager, and they forwarded my email to one of the owners of the store.

The store owner apologized to me by email and told me those three employees had been talked to in order to improve customer service.

I will say again all three of those employees should be fired. If you have difficulties with any employees especially these three, contact the owners.

In all fairness, I will say that with simple things I have had good customer service.

Here is an update a year later:

I went in the store for a big light bulb with a picture. Once again I dealt with Andrew the manager. He had trouble understanding what i was saying and I tried to make it as simple and clear as possible.

Maybe he was screwing with my head. He really shouldn't be manager.

Finally, he called Owen who promptly understood what I was saying and gave me the correct bulb which I wasn't sure at the time it was correct. It works in my light..

Owen did say several things in a...

Open later than most Ace stores. It is smallish but packed wkth merchandise! I walked in at 10 min till closing to try to find a very odd faucet adapter. Customer service man greeted me as I entered. He did not say one word about the fact that they were about to close; he just smiled and asked if he could help me find something. He went with me to the adapters...apologized for the low stock and spe.t at least ten minutes trying to help me find the correct adapter. I spent another 5- minutes finding a temporary solution-- a universal clamp on adapter.nkw it was past closing time and when I went to check out the cashier asked if I had ti!s to find what I needed and asked if I needed anything else. I asked if they had any nitrile gloves as three other stores had been out and I need them for my Eczema since my hands crack and bleed. Both he and the other clerk moved the grills they had already brought inside so they could get me a box of mediums. They were pricey but at this point I was so wowed by their customer service skills (far too rare of late ) that I didn't mind at all!!. What a nice experience!! Go shop here!! Ace costs a bit more than other big box or harbour freight stores but you get full measure for your money at this honey...

As an edit update yesterday December 8th 2021 I visited your store and of course naturally your employees there are always out pacing themselves in terms of customer outreach always willing and eager to help and it's extraordinary, a very nice person and woman named Patty helped me yesterday and single-handedly helped me creatively procure an idea to help me fix my or the hummingbird feeder which leaks out the bottom, and I didn't want to use any thing toxic so as to not cause birth defects or malformities biophysiologically for the birds, I was thinking plumbers putty might do the trick to lock the four to one ratio liquids of Moosie's filtered water and to sugar, instead this sweet person procured the idea of non-toxic threaders tape which I thought was brilliant, because then we don't have to use any number of potentially toxic solvents inside of say like foam or silicone sealants, and I hadn't thought of that as an idea or an option and so little does she know she helped to keep a hummingbird colony safe and alive thrilled and hydrated and well fed in this upcoming winter, on kittens. Thank you Patty you're a sweet girl you know you feel for your help...