 Poster: A snowHead
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| DaKid wrote: |
That makes sense. If you have a 200-mile round trip to a bootfitter, then I admit going three times, without even a guarantee that the third will fix it could be a bit OTT! |
Chamonix is a lot further to get tweeks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
I understand, Arsen Wenger never played football. That said i'm critical enough of myself to see the work of others as 'lazy' at best. I welcome a challenge. So ready for this!!!!!!!!!!!  |
Playing devil's advocate here .......
You often criticize others work, that could mean
a) You do a better job than they do.
b) You think you can do a better job than they do.
c) You want us to think you can do a better job than they do.
As a customer how do I know how good you are, are you qualified in bootfitting? do you have a certificate or something? Is your experience logged? How do I know I'm not going to go home from a one week skiing holiday with a problem pair of ski boots. Have you 100% satisfied every single bootfitting customer within a weeks holiday?
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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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I had a guy come to me looking for a job, 20+ years experience, tidy vehicle, good tools, very presentable, seemed to know what he was talking about. Gave him a shot, ended up replacing it.
Practice makes permanent, not necessarily perfect. He was crap 20 years ago and he's still crap now.
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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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DB, I compare my work on the basis of happy customers and tidiness of work, when you see others work, we have to be critical, you pull someone's work to pieces to understand the problems people are having, when you then solve them and they come back to tell you are happy you take this on board. I don't know how many people that have been unhappy with my work, for sure we have people come back for work, but to date, the last 4 years we have not refunded 1 Pair of boots, nor been close to it.
I have no qualification, infact at all, the only qualification I have is a driving license.
I have solved some unreal problems in my time, successfully fitted world champions, elite sportspeople and beginners alike.
There are bootfitters work that I have never been able to improve or even understand the problem a client has with them.
People that would say they are not satisfied with my work would probably more say they like less my attitude at times. I reserve the right to judge and be whom I wish to be, should this effect my business or clientbase of satisfied clients then I will look into it. Being popular is a bonus, but not something I search for. If being objective to the point of criticism upsets my peers I will have to accept this. If i unnerve them, or infuriate them, it isn't a personal thing, just my vision, my opinion.
I was once introduced to someone who was supposed to be the best in the world at what they do. I was so disappointed, I had an preconceived idea as to what I should expect, they fell well short, since then I have decided that I would try and become what I expected them to be, I will continue to push, query and ask what, why and how until I have the answer to every question regarding my trade.
I am happy to say I wish to be the best at what I do the world over, I will continue to push what I do, understand it more and keep learning until such a time when I can say this without any query.
I will happily undertake whatever it takes to make this so, whether I need to take 20 of another bootfitters clients to see if I can improve on what they have already, whatever is needed to prove this. I watch, listen, read and study other bootfitters and am happy where I am going with my take and opinion on things. I am happy to have been first to many new concepts, directions and projects.
I love what I do, ski boots are beautiful and a great challenge time after time, I, while doing this will clearly, with my approach have to rub a few people up the wrong way if I am to get the answers I want.
Peace, I can be a dick at times, but the net result, I think, is alot of improved skiers and satisfied customers.
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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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SMALLZOOKEEPER,
I'm not sure where being critical of other peoples work (however much deserved) helps, it inspires other people to citicise your work (and none of us is perfect). You are also 'unqualified' which leaves you fully open. One wrong criticism could cost you the chance to get where you want to and be the best at what you do. I like CEM's approach - he doesn't criticise and normally comes up with an honest solution. OK a customer who was 200 miles away and had difficult feet decided not to go back for the third time (fully understandable) but even CEM advises other people who live far away from him to go to other boot fitters. You're a character who pulls the strings and I like that. It's great to have you and CEM here advising people and helping them. You are both well respected here and the feedback from your customers means more than any certificate. I've recommended you both to friends who were looking for ski boots and trust others here will do the same for you. If I lived the UK I would see pro's and con's for using you or CEM to fit my boots - which is better cannot be decided by you or CEM, only your customers. I doubt every boot fitter in Les Arc is as good as you / CEM, now can you take that critics hat off for a moment and recommend the OP a good bootfitter in Les Arc or not. ? 
Peace
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I haven't critisised anyone's work, have I? I've meerly and continually wish to point out and support resort bootfitting, it is the environment where such work will thrive and as i've stated before given the right person, they will improve much quicker than anyone townside, this is a fact, simple product of environment. Whether people wish to buy in resort or townside after is their choice, however I welcome anyone's input whom has experience of having worked in both a townside store and a resort to bring a comparison to the differences in the trade. So far, we've not had this, only from me.
Being critical of others work is part of my job, or personality, however I haven't decided that I will be an authority on judging others abilities and then awarding them with a qualification, that they will pay for. That is arrogance in my opinion. Self serving, self appointed. I would welcome the opportunity to assess people assessing others, now that would be fun. 
To some degree that's what I do here.
As for the Bootfitter in Les Arcs, I have a few on a list here, just doing some asking around to see who would seem to be best placed, the list is huge as it now covers all of France, so getting answers at this point regarding a specific shop is not very fast, we are in France after all.
I too would like to be in a position to send people to the best person, closest to them, but experience and reputation are key. Colin maybe happy to recommend these people in the UK, I do not know any of them and have only their work that comes to my shop to go on. I can recommend at this point only a handful of fitters, people I would trust to fit my boots, Colin is one of them, we've worked together, I know him very well, I understand him and know how he works and what his approach is. This however will not mean I will stop recommending resort fitters, despite it apparently wasting your time on holiday, I see it as the logical thing to do, all of my customers agree, very few of them live here in Chamonix.
My approach is simple, I provoke people, thoughts, attitudes to understand them and perhaps change them, I do that to everybody, but what this does for me is enable me to trust a few people completely.
We all have silly reasons to believe what we choose, marketing plays a massive part in this in our industry, this is in it's purest form here on the forum. People get their backs up when their choices are questioned, that I do in spades, and it may make me unpopular with a few, but honestly defending purchase or choices based on avoiding the crux issue enables me to understand people and do my job better, at least the psychological part which is huge in convincing people that what they want or have, isn't always what they want or have.
Need to breathe. 
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, haven't you just had the first decent dump of snow in almost two months in Chamonix? Get out skiing man!
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Phew, so by the very nature of my direction I will upset pretty much every single one of Colin's clients and thus him too. I am questioning their choice, not for choosing Colin, but for choosing Townside fitters. And they will defend their choice with fury. Thus I will be seen as a thorn in their side, this inturn will make me unpopular, meaning i'll never probably see many of these people, should they come to Chamonix.
So, am I to stop my approach?
Hell no, i'm not going to be bullied by groups of people all sticking together, united, I will continue to push my opinion, my own opinion, how many of these people would actually come and see me and let me see if I can prove my point? None is the answer, alot of this kind of person is not going to actively search out a reason to be proved wrong are they, instead they will have to keep repeating themselves in numbers and hope the loudest group noise will without., and inturn these people will defend Colin to the hilt, which is awesome for him, he should perhaps pay me some kind of "W@nker Tax" dunno how we could work that one. 
Makes me howl with laughter, not at anyone in particular, just at the fact that humans are so damn interesting and funny. Of which, i'm the funniest.
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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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Sideshow_Bob, Tomorrow, been a bit busy and any spare time is spent with my sweet young lady that is about to pop out her first little baby. We do the summers now mate, skiing less and less as it just feels too much like work, we're always thinking appraising kit and getting good feelings for things, it helps us ask the right questions of our clients, helps them to explain to us the problems, again, it helps being in resort.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, you haven't upset me, nor have you persuaded me that it's impossible to find good bootfitters away from resorts (although it's a shame you've personalised it with nonsense about W@nker Tax  ). I support good bootfitters, not least because I've suffered at the hands of Saturday staff who put me in boots based on marketing blurb rather than good experience, so we should be on the same side, yes? I get a small but steady stream of requests from people about where to go and I have to say you're not making it easy for me in this thread to give advice for resort based bootfitters.
For the record, my last two pairs of boots were fitted by you and by Colin and I'm happy with the service from both of you. That is the basis for me being happy to recommend both of you.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
So every bootfitter in Le Arcs is better than CEM therefore it doesn't matter where the OP in Les Arcs goes? Or you've alread provoked all the Les Arc's bootfitters so can't give names?
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Not at all, infact until I can be sure they are at least at his standard, I won't be giving out any names.
| Quote: |
I'd imagine customers don't like being provoked nor do other professionals in the same business. Chuck Norris could fight his way single-handedly to the top but the rest of us mere mortals prbably need help (recommendations) from others in our industry. Alas maybe I'm misunderstanding your jibs at CEM.
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I'll fight for what I believe, if i'm unpopular for it, I couldn't care less. I will question and provoke whomever to get the best result. This is a job, albeit one i'm obsessed with, so as long as i can look my clients in the eye and confidently say I think I've done my best and can't see how it can be improved for the price, then I will. My clients come back not every year, because hopefully their boots last upto 10 years long, but there is a larger amount of people that seem to prefer our no nonsense approach to those that need fluffing and pampering, after all we sell functionality, not social care.
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| Quote: |
(although it's a shame you've personalised it with nonsense about W@nker Tax )
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I was referring to myself as the W@nker Rob.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think also that the role of the customer is very important too. When you are seeing people of all levels, that ski almost everyday of the season, you get to see these boots regularly and watch any deterioration and general wear and tear. With this information we are then able to judge better the likely possibilities of problems and anticipate them and fit more/less precisely. Even if you saw people that ski everyday on indoor or plastic slopes it would be a poor second to the availability of this information/feedback.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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It seems to me that people will have made their own mind up by now about several things in this thread 
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Poster: A snowHead
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DaKid, just so long as it's all clear.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, that's great if you only fit the super cool kids like Seth, but maybe recreational skiers who ski just once or twice a year aren't really worthy enough for your Superior Services. Perhaps they really are better off with recommendations for other bootfitters?
Any way, enough of this. I seem to have become embroiled in an industry spat, and that's not a comfortable place for me to find myself.
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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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| Quote: |
SMALLZOOKEEPER, that's great if you only fit the super cool kids like Seth, but maybe recreational skiers who ski just once or twice a year aren't really worthy enough for your Superior Services.
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Think i'm trying to help explain myself here, not an industry spat at all. The most of my Client-elle are exactly as you describe, we don't discriminate on the basis of ability, if fact lower ability skiers are very much more rewarding.
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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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If Seth (37 going on 38?) is a kid I must be a teenager 
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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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Well in the absence of a good report for a boot fitter les arcs based looks like I'll try and get an appointment at solutions for feet.
A known good boot fitter in the UK is better than an unknown boot fitter in resort IMHO.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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neilcharlton, Bet you didn't expect all this, sorry if it has wondered a little. Good luck, Colin will sort you right out.
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haha - can and worms .. its a good discussion and i think most people would agree if you get a well respected boot fitter in resort you will probably get a better result -- just being able to ski in them everyday is a the major plus point.
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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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Spyderman, I'm not laughing - it's cost me a fortune to refund the postage!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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holidayloverxx, Should have gone to Specsavers.
26.0 is good for a UK 9 with a bit of work on them to get them fitting right. Worth the effort, so they're not like wellies once they've packed down.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
, but to date, the last 4 years we have not refunded 1 Pair of boots, nor been close to it.
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Really?
That's either seriously impressive figures or you just don't give refunds.
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FAQ
my ebay customer has just told me it says they are 26.0 as marked on the boot not 28.0 - no the wonder MrHL's toe nails dropped off!
