Huge fail purchasing my first set of ski equipment here.
I went to Skiis and Biikes in October 2013 to get outfitted head-to-toe with ski gear. As a new skier with just one year of skiing under my belt, I was really relying on their experts to give me good advice and sell me the right equipment. I purchased ski boots, skis, poles, snow pants, gloves, ski socks, a helmet and goggles. Needless to say, I made a very significant investment with this business.
Today, I am disgusted with this store. Frustrated literally to tears over the last year, and yesterday was just the icing on the cake.
When I got fitted for boots, there was one pair that the salesman told me were perfect for me. Not knowing otherwise, I only tried on this one boot. They felt tight. Very tight, but I was assured that with a "custom mouldable shell" anything was possible and they could be customized to fit me perfectly. I was assured that no matter what, they would "make it right" if I wasn't happy with the boots. I did voice my concern at the time of purchase that I was quite worried they were not the right size of boot, but I was reassured by the salesperson not to worry.
Ski Day 1: I wore the boots for just 3 hours. Obviously something was seriously wrong, because when I took them off, both of my baby toes and both of my big toes were bruised. The bruising lasted for about 2 months. The nail beds on both big toes cracked horizontally across the nail. It took nearly a year for this to resolve. After this I went back to the store to explain what happened. My boots were then moulded to my feet for the first time. I was told that this should fix the problem.
Rest of the 2013/2014 ski season: Every time I skied I experienced excruciating pain in my toes and feet. I went to the store 5 times over the course of my first season to have my boots adjusted, punched out, stretched, orthotics put in, heel risers put in.... really, they tried everything. THE BOOTS HURT! At no point did anyone say, "Maybe this isn't the right boot for you." It was always, "We can make this work, we'll just try another adjustment" or "Buy this foot bed, it will make a difference." I thought that maybe the damage had already been done on Day 1, and decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. I kept the boots over the summer to see if they might be comfortable when I went back to skiing in December.
December 2014: I went to Stowe, Vermont. I was able to ski only 2 runs before I was in pain that had me in tears. I ended up renting ski equipment for the rest of my trip. As soon as I was back, I took the boots to the store again, and they stretched to toe box, yet again. I wore the boots again the next week-end, and ended up having to rent boots again from the rental shop because I couldn't stand for another second in the boots. Yesterday (January 9, 2015) I went back to the shop and told them I had had enough. The boots clearly don't fit. They aren't the right boots. If you can't make them comfortable after 1 1/2 seasons and countless adjustments, then I don't want to wear them. At this point, the salesman went to the back and got another pair of boots which I tried on. Imagine - the boots he was suggesting are specifically made for wide feet, and are "made to fit". I was also told that "if these had been in stock when you had originally come in, this would have been to go-to boot for you." Why didn't they tell me right from the start "There is a boot that we recommend for people with wide feet, but we don't have it in stock. We can give you a call when they come in." That would have demonstrated good customer service.
They were unable to offer me any form of compensation for the other boots because it had been "over a year" since I purchased them. I asked, "So, if I would have put my foot down last year, you could have helped me?"
The pain and frustration I have endured over the last year and a bit has been unfathomable. Anyone who has struggled with uncomfortable boots can tell you that foot pain is the worst pain. Although they have professional boot fitters who work there, they are all about the sales. Making the sale at the moment was clearly more important than selling me the right boot, and because of that, I will NEVER shop at Skiis & Biikes ever again.
Oh, and by the way, the over priced snow pants tore at a seam in the first season.
0/5 stars read more
