WRV - - a service / retail biz that is lost

is that it??

 

I've had similar experiences with them and I try to avoid WRV unless no one else has what I'm looking for.
I went in the other day to pick up a pair of sidebite fins. The first sales associate was great, very helpful and friendly. Went back about an hour later to pick up a set of rear fins for a quad setup and the guy helping me acted like he didn't want to be there and was doing me a favor waiting on me.
Customer service is becoming a lost art.
I'd much rather give my money to Freedom or Surf and Adventure.

 

So did you speak to the manager?

 

I don't think I know Shane... but I can say that WRV employees Geoff and Dave are both super-cool, first rate guys. If you ever decide to give RV another shot, seek out either of these two guys and your experience will be 180 degrees from that which Shane provided. Hopefully Les or one of his managers will see this and set things straight.

I can second what VBWaveski said in that Dave Shotten and all of his crew at Freedom have always been welcoming and super helpful.

 

Xtreamly board in Dartmouth Ma. has excellent customer service if your ever in Southern mass check them out!

 

Yeah xtremely board is a great shop, sorry to hear about the bad service experience at wrv.

 

WRV is local. IF you are having trouble with the employees, Call the 757 number and ask for Dave. He is a good guy and has been around since I was a kid. He is either manager, owner, something, but definitely a lifer. Seasonal help, on the other hand, is sometimes shady. These guys are "too cool" for a real job. They are $10/hr celebrities. "I F**king run this place, kook". Let them have their fun. I wouldn't let it ruin your day any more than the b***h on her cell phone at the counter in the filling station. If you want a circle jerk at the counter go to Freedom surf shop and buy a $40 tee shirt that looks like it came from a yard sale... I mean, "I don't know what to tell you, man."

 

Except for the 80 dollar boardbag you just bought - AFTER being treated with disrespect by that idiot.

 

Good service is still hard to find. You would think that in these tough times where people are generally more selective as to where and how they spend their money, businesses would focus on their service practices to compete with the other guys.

Surf shops are the worst. I have one mentality when walking into a shop, and that's go grab whatever I need and gtfo. I'm over the attitude and bad service. Before I go in and make a major purchase, I'll just do my research so I don't have to end up talking to one of the lazy and unknowledgable punks they hire and screw up with my head since I can be so easily distracted. There's only one shop here where the owner himself runs the register, and I talk with him for 15-20 minutes whenever I'm there. It's small and he doesn't have everything, but it's where I go to get the basics: wax, leash, ding repair, rashguard, etc.

 

yankee....everytime i go in there (4 times total) it's been the same thing...the employees have no clue about anything they sell...they literally read the descriptions of theboards off the sticker. Also, they had no idea on any of the brands of boards in their used selection and said " we don't know other brands, just ours". I got a nugget from them and when the guy was putting on my new traction bad, he accident tore a chunk off it and acted like it was no big deal.."you still want it?" no i do not want to pay full price on a torn traction pad....and i paid straight cash on it and he said he would get me a deal and gave me 15% off the pad i did actually buy...place is a joke. The board is nice though. I wish i could order it online and just pick it up at the shop without having to talk to anyone.

 

oh and i much prefer freedom than wrv. they're employees are super nice and informative, and the owner actually works and talks to the customers. minus the annoying summer time surf camp, their shop is legit.

 

In any customer-centric business it starts at the top...if ownershipgeneral management accepts and/or ignores shoddy employee performance then that's the level of service you'll undoubtedly receive. And WRV VB is a classic example. Their owner is what he is...

 

Brave New World in Little Silver, NJ. Guys who work upstairs in the board and "equipment" room are extremely knowledgable and helpful. I have seen BNW get a bad rap on here in the past, and to be honest, just bought a used board with my nephew down in Point this summer, and the guys did not give us the time of day. Went there off the suggestion of the guys in LS because have a much bigger used board inventory. Not in a rush to go back to Point Pleasant, but Chris and the guys in Little Silver are legit and great to deal with.

 

Ryan at 17th Street in VB. A true waterman across the board...very knowledgeable and has a great deal of experience in the industry. He runs the Strawbridge location, but should be running the whole show.

WRV, I don't think Dwayne would stand for that incident.

 

It's a shame to hear about your WRV shopping experience. Every shop is going to be different, as every head is going to be different. WRV is one of the larger East Coast labels and I hope that they "fix the glitch" to ensure continued success.