mitchmedic

I have been feeling like my bow is a lemon and took it to the pro shop " mathews rep" in my area. when asking for detail, the shop owner stated, That because I did not by the bow from him, he didnt owe me anything. I reminded him that he was a mathews rep and he decided to send my bow in. when getting back my bow, I was charged for shipping of my bow to the factory. Is this normal? The shop owner then marked a charge for " tuning my bow" with one of his help saying that he couldnt of done this with out my arrow length, type etc, wich he did not have. Is this normal response for a pro shop owner? I can probaly answer my own questions but I needed to vent some anger. thanks for all.....Mitch

Danny45

Some pro shop owners get a little persnickety when they have someone present them with a problem that they bought somewhere else. I can' t say as I blame them too much. I would hope that, and have run into this myself, that he would want you for a future customer and do you right hoping you' d come back.

Yes, it is normal for you to have to pay shipping charges for returning your bow to the factory. Some shops, again " customer service" , will eat this charge themselves hoping to gain you as a customer, or taking care of a long time customer.

And yes, a basic tune can be performed. Setting center shot, cam timing (on two cam bows), and setting brace height are part of the basic tuning process that doesn' t have to have your arrows, etc.

This is a good example for everyone. Support your local pro shops before they are gone.

Dalejbrass

It is normal to pay shipping cost. " Most" bow shops will charge a labor rate to work on bows, escpecially those that they do not sell. I know it sucks...but remember they have to make a living also. My local bow shop charges $10.00 an hour to work on used bows. Fortunately they have not charged me anything, but then again, I have bought two bows from them in the last month and half. I would question the shop owners attitude once they make a statement like " I don' t owe you anything, because you didn' t buy your bow here" . I think I would find another bow shop. That is one of my pet peeves! I spend a lot of money on bow hunting gear every year (approx. 2-3 thousand dollars to be exact) and I buy from many different companies. We have two bow shops in the town I live in. I buy from one much more than the other, which is a shame, because I like one better than the other. The one I don' t like is a Hoyt & Pearson Dealer. I own a Mathews (by choice) and everytime I walk in their door they all look down at me and make me feel very uncomfortable, because I don' t shoot the kind of bow they sell. Little do they know that I make a LOT of money and some of it could be theirs. If I was a bow shop owner, I would treat everyone the way I would want to be treated, because customer service sells. I would work hard to sell the mathews guys my other products. I may even try to get him to test my bows and see if I could CONVERT them. I wouldn' t carry a chip on my shoulder. With all that said, good luck to you and hope you did not get a lemon.

Danny45

Hey Dale, can I come work with you??? I want to make ALOT of money too!!!
Did you ever frequent Ron' s Archery Shop up there by the Fire Station? I used to be a regular there, and helped him out when he was busy. I haven' t heard from him in several years.

trestand

Everyone is intitled to make a living,but I DO know what you are talking about.We have bowshops here in Baltimore that have a bad attitude towards any one that does' nt shoot the bows or bow manufactors that they sell.It' s a shame,because I spend a lot of money on accessories,but I will go out of my way to deal with a shop that I like.By the way,I know what I' m talking about,I' ve owned my own business for 27 years....Bob

Arthur P

I would find another shop just based on his attitude about not wanting to help you with a problem with a brand he' s a dealer for. I would expect the shipping charges, that' s no problem. But if he' d charged me to tune the bow without being able to do it, and without my authorization, then I' d have a few choice words about it before paying the crook to get my bow back. When I got home, I' d send a nastygram to Mathews and file a formal complaint against that dealer.

I guarantee you, my shadow would never darken his door again.

timbow2

The guy sounds like a Dink. And a poor business man. He could of been nice to and helped you out and maybe gained a new costomer. Maybe you would' nt buy a new bow from him soon but we all need arrows and all the other asscesories there are. His loss.[:-]

tm

The shipping charge is normally the customers responsibility and if you bought the bow somewhere else there should be a charge for handling the deal. Mathews doesn' t have an 800 number so it requires a call on the dealer to get a return authorization # plus the time to pack and ship the bow. I really don' t know all the particulars but if you look at it from his viewpoint you might see it differently.

Bill Olmesdahl

As a small archery pro shop have had customer come in and ask for help with a bow they purchased from other dealer or from Walmart. I try to be helpfull, will get them a contact phone number, a address for them to call for service and to get a return authorization number. But if they want me to work on a bow to tune or correct a problem they are having it is $20 hour for my efforts. I have had a bad experence with some of the mfg, if you work on a bow and put new parts on to correct a problem, you may not get paid for all your efforts from the mfg of the product. So it is best to send the bow back, have them make good on the product.
I had a shipment come in on five bows from a major mfg, when I went to put them on the rack I found that they all had a problem with the top wheel did not have teflon spacers on the wheel and the botton did. I called the mfg, who wanted to send me the teflon spaces for me to put on, to me that is not acceptable as it them would cost me about a hour per bow to take the spring off, the c clamp, the wheel shaft and then insert the spacer and re assemble. So I ask them for a pickup for all the bows and had them do the work.

Len in Maryland

WOW, $10 and $20 per hour. I' m going to have to send all my work to these shops. After I pay my technicians a salary, pay their Social Security, pay their insurance, and pay some other incidental expenses, I' m way over those numbers. Then, if I want to keep the lights and HVAC on for them to work, I' m further into the red. Opps, I forgot about paying the rent. After all, they do need a place to work. And, don' t forget the maintanence, tools, shop insurances, permits, taxes, etc. Of course, I wouldn' t want to invest any money into new and unique items because I couldn' t make any profit. Danged, I forgot about ROI (Return on Investment). If I' m going to invest all this money to put people to work and to provide a PRO Shop for customers, WHY should I personally make any money????

I know that when I' m gone all the discount houses/mass merchants, and catalog sales outlets will provide the expertise that can presently be found in my shop. I know that customers will be able to get PROfessional advice from the high turnover employees at these places. After all, many of them are making minimum wage and have just gotten out of high school or are enhancing their income because they just aren' t making enough at their regular job.

Just venting.

Mitchmedic: If the person you took your bow to is a " Mathews Rep" and conducted himself in such a manner, you have every right to complain to Mathews. He has no right talking to you like that; but, has a right to charge you for shipping and disassembly/reassembly of any hardware on the bow. He should have told you ' up front' that the bow needed tuning and received your permission ' ahead of time' to do the work. PROPER tuning is done with the arrow. Cursory tuning, which shouldn' t be that much of a charge, should not be that expensive. Remember, he had to disassemble and reassemble your bow for shipment.

In my shop, if you purchase the bow from me, anything that goes wrong in the first year, except for the string and cables, is covered completely by us. We try to fix everything in the shop, including limb replacement to save you time; but, if the unit has to go back to the factory, we cover all expenses (for the first year). After the first year, we give those customers who bought a bow from us a discount on all labor.

Hope this helps you understand the situation a little better.