 Poster: A snowHead
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| Megamum wrote: |
| Will you ever be able to convince them that they need to spend full whack on a boot sold to them and fitted to their specific needs by a boot fitter? |
That's not quite the question that SZK asked. He wants to understand why some clients enter a discussion with him, spending time on questions about boots, but then decide the answers are unsatisfactory. Perhaps it is because they don't agree with the preconceptions the client had at the start of the discussion? My question to SZK is would you rather see a sale walk out the door than fit a client with inappropriate boots? I think I know what the answer to that question is.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Before I went into the shop to buy new boots I did something I would not normally do but it worked out great.......
Walk in and don't browse the shelves, walk directly to the fitter/assistant and state you need new boots and are in the said shop because you were sent/reccomended and you trust that you will be sorted out.
Learn about what questions to ask and also what question the boot fitter should be asking you, find out how to answer the questions correctly
If the shop does not deliver the experience you feel comfortable with then leave
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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My own experiences.....I only rented boots a couple of times and didn't like them as they stank/had God knows how many people's feet in them before mine, didn't like the idea of that for very long. I bought my first pair of boots in a sale from a shop in the Midlands somewhere (hadn't joined Snowheads then so I didn't know then about the benefits of proper bootfitting, and nor do a lot of people judging by the number of 'Which boots shall I get' threads on here!) and some young lad in the shop gave me them to try on just like in a shoe shop so there was no fitting as such, just asked me how they felt just like in a shoe shop. They were £80 (I think) brand new Technica boots reduced from about £200 at the end of the season/summer sale and I used them for a couple of seasons with no problems that I noted, so for that price I suppose they served the purpose and at the level I was then I don't know if I'd have noticed the difference to be honest with you. Unless they'd have been painful or uncomfortable obviously, they were nice and comfortable though.
It was only when I saw Mark Jones (ICE Val D'Isere) about something and happened to ask him about boots as I was planning on getting my next pair properly fitted (after reading about the merits of doing so on here) that he told me my boots were too volumous a shell for my feet although the shell size itself was right, and that I'd really notice the difference with some properly fitted boots, even told me the make and model which would be suitable (he had his own bootfitter there at the time but they had no stock left of anything as it was end of season). Went to Lockwoods after a guy there had been recommended to me and just left it to him to choose the boots for me without mentioning the other boot rec. He ended up coming up with the exact same boots as the Val D'Isere guy so that rang true. I was very happy with the service I got there and haven't had to go back, I did notice a difference skiing in them immediately as they were so much more close fitting, I hardly need them done up. Comfortable too and they definitely feel much more precise. I'd definitely have another fitting next time, I didn't pay anything for the fitting, just for the boots and for the footbeds.
I'm all for fitting but I don't know if the average beginner/intermediate would notice the difference, and a lot clearly don't know that good bootfitting is a very skilled thing so maybe that's why?
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 23-08-10 22:30; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Megamum wrote: |
| Will you ever be able to convince them that they need to spend full whack on a boot sold to them and fitted to their specific needs by a boot fitter? |
That's not quite the question that SZK asked. He wants to understand why some clients enter a discussion with him, spending time on questions about boots, but then decide the answers are unsatisfactory. Perhaps it is because they don't agree with the preconceptions the client had at the start of the discussion? My question to SZK is would you rather see a sale walk out the door than fit a client with inappropriate boots? I think I know what the answer to that question is. |
Could it be that a lot of people (unless they happen to have been educated on Snowheads or from elsewhere) don't realise bootfitting is very skilled and not something that just anyone can do just like that? Maybe when they go into a shop they see the person as a salesperson and are none the wiser hence they don't believe the answers they are given?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| VolklAttivaS5 wrote: |
| Maybe when they go into a shop they see the person as a salesperson and are none the wiser hence they don't believe the answers they are given? |
Perhaps, but why then would they ask questions of the bootfitter in the first place. Why not "I'll have those nice red ones over there please, in a size 7"?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Someone I know has bought up all the ebay'd stock of his favourite boots which had been discontinued. He then takes them to his favourite boot-fitter for tweaking, footbeds etc.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| VolklAttivaS5 wrote: |
| Maybe when they go into a shop they see the person as a salesperson and are none the wiser hence they don't believe the answers they are given? |
Perhaps, but why then would they ask questions of the bootfitter in the first place. Why not "I'll have those nice red ones over there please, in a size 7"? |
Hmmm, dunno. Maybe they know the person's a bootfitter then but they just think it's something that a Saturday boy or girl can do without hardly any experience or something? Perhaps they secretly want the ones they've seen online in a colour or design that will match their ski clobber and then feel disappointed when the boot fitter comes out with a choice of say 2 pairs (or 1) that will suit their feet, but not in the colour they secretly wanted? If that's the case though then really they haven't accepted what they need to do to get the best results from having a proper fitting, or maybe they don't know what they need to do?
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If we are to really examine retail psychology then surely it is aspirational. Why do we buy an item of clothing or a pair of shoes if not to look or feel fantastic while serving some practical purpose? Can that be translated into sporting goods as 'to perform in a fantastic manner'?
All I can speak from is my own experience. First pair of boots fitted fine (after 4 hours of fitting) and were very comfortable without pain points. Then the liners packed down and I found my feet floating inside the boots - resulting in a difficulty in fine control of my skis.
Second pair of boots were a size-and-a half smaller and fitted like a glove (after 5.5 hours of fitting) and I found that my skis were infinitely more responsive to my movements. This translated into me being able to ski better and feel better about my skiing. Thus, I felt more comfortable and confident and - I believe - my performance improved.
Perhaps the issue is not with personality clashes between fitter and customer but in level of education. If newbie skiers can be made aware that a rigid plastic shell needs a considerable amount of work to be molded to the correct fit and with a certain level of pain during the fitting process, then the result will be a more positive experience for both client and fitter.
I might add that the second boot fitter only charged me the retail price of the new boots and nada for the 5.5 hours of fitting effort (partly, I think, because they were able to use my original foot beds). I was somewhat surprised at that because I saw the whole fitting effort as chargeable time. So, I walked away from the second experience feeling that the bootfitters were not out to make as much money as possible from me but actually cared about the fitting. This again alludes to that level of trust I mentioned in the earlier post. I know that no matter where I may be in the world, I will now always make an effort to go back to that bootfitter when I need new boots. The bond has been forged and I will be a customer for life unless that trust is broken.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Zero-G, yes, I was surprised too when the guy said that no matter how long it takes I'd only have to pay for the boots and any footbeds I had, plus I can take them back and get them tweaked if need be for free too. As you say, that's why I'd make the effort to drive back up there next time and see the same fitter.
Definitely agree about the level of education.
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