Skates Lost In Mail!

[MusicSkateFan]

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
:frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus:

I was advised by a local pro-shop to send my skates back to Graf-Canada to have them re-built to get some of the original support back. This was supposed to be a 5-8 business day process...........

5 Weeks Later......No one Knows where my skates are!......The man who shipped them is now on vacation and has the tracking number........


If you see a pair of Men's Graf Boots with Pattern 99 blades. The left sole is signed by Robin Wagner......Please contact me. Their last known location is somewhere between DC and Edmonton!

I just may end up getting a whole new set of boots and blades(on the pro-shops dime) which would be fine. I am upset over the skating time lost and now the fact that my autographed boots may be gone forever!

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry

[Terri C]

Oh dear!!!
If that were to happen to me, that pro shop would learn to hate me very fast!!

[dcden]

When does the shipping guy get back from vacation?

[herniated]

I feel your pain!! I would be flipp-i-n-g out!!!

[jazzpants]

I would be SOOOOO pissed, MSF!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: I really hope you gte them back! That REALLY SUCKS!!! :x

[MusicSkateFan]

They did not know when the guy who shipped my skates would be back but they were going to contact him today(hopefully).

:cry:

[blackmanskating]

Man, I would be so heated!!!! I would be tearing up furniture from DC to Edmonton trying to see about my boots. If they couldn't find my boots I tell you right now it would be a misunderstanding. :evil:

[skaternum]

MSF, this bites! I'm sorry to hear it. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya.

[SynchroSk8r114]

I'm sorry to hear this. I would die if this happened to me! :frus:

By any chance, did you get your boots/package insured? I've heard of people doing this, often for a hundred or so over what they actually paid just in case something like this would happen...

[MusicSkateFan]

I did not ship them. They had to be shipped by the pro-shop in order for Graf to re-build them. The pro-shop would have had to insure them when they shipped.

I could probably use my homeowner's insurance but I don't think I should have to do that! If I had shipped them I would have insured them!
If they are truly lost......Trust me.....the pro-shop will be buying me new boots and blades!:twisted:

[AW1]

I did not ship them. They had to be shipped by the pro-shop in order for Graf to re-build them. The pro-shop would have had to insure them when they shipped.

I could probably use my homeowner's insurance but I don't think I should have to do that! If I had shipped them I would have insured them!
If they are truly lost......Trust me.....the pro-shop will be buying me new boots and blades!:twisted:

When I had to have my camera sent away for repair, the shop said they accepted no liability and I had to sign something stating they had told me that fact before they would even send it away UNDER WARRANTY! I think that is totally wrong but anyhow....

I hope the dimwit who mailed your skates kept records to help track them. If not, I would be standing in there store until they gave me a new pair of boots and blades!

[FrankR]

If they are truly lost......Trust me.....the pro-shop will be buying me new boots and blades!:twisted:

So sorry to hear about this, MSF. Even if the pro shop does buy you new boots and blades it's still a pain in the butt. :x Here's hoping your skates turn up.

[MusicSkateFan]

Thanks for all the support! I hope to have some news soon. I need to get back on the ice!

[climacus]

Let's hope they give you a new pair of skates, and then the original skates suddenly turn up too. I'd be freaking furious if they lose my well broken-in pair of skates.

[Jeanne D]

Very early in my skating career my skates left the shop with someone else. I don't know why she didn't return them. We both came in for blade sharpenings, she walked out with my skates. Anyways, new skates for me. ;)

Yes, the shop was very embarrassed, but fortunately they could blame it on the new kid. There wasn't any hesitation about giving me new skates.

Right now, I would love someone to walk out with my heavy Klingbeils...just kidding!!! They are blue so that's not going to happen!

[Jeanne D]

I hope they come back to you!

[MusicSkateFan]

Still getting the run around. The store owner (with the tracking #) is in the Carolina's, the tracking number is in his home in Maryland. The owner won't return the calls of the employee who is trying to get this resolved. I am supposed to hear from the employee tonight. The owner was supposed to send a relative to his house to get the tracking number(yeah right!)

At this point I am going to tell him to order me new boots and blades and see what happens. If mine turn up(which I feel at this point is doubtful) then I will have a back-up pair. I am going to be coming up on six weeks off the ice.......getting close to what I lost because of knee surgery last year!

I am soooo glad I decided not to do the adult camp in New Jersey! I doubt I will have skates by then.

This really sucks and I guess there is a lesson to be learned! Me being new to all this...I trusted the shop that said they do this all the time! Boy was I really dumb about this! NEVER AGAIN!!:giveup: :giveup: :giveup:

[dbny]

OMG! I can't imagine being off the ice for six weeks because of someone else's really stupid mistake. Additionally, since I coach, I would be out of work. I've actually thought about it, and decided that I would run out and buy a pair of Jacksons to tide me over. Since I'm getting new boots/blades soon anyway, my old ones will serve the purpose of emergency skates.

Good luck to you both in getting a new pair and in getting the old pair back. Is there another store you can patronize when all of this is over?

[doubletoe]

Still getting the run around. The store owner (with the tracking #) is in the Carolina's, the tracking number is in his home in Maryland. The owner won't return the calls of the employee who is trying to get this resolved. I am supposed to hear from the employee tonight. The owner was supposed to send a relative to his house to get the tracking number(yeah right!)

At this point I am going to tell him to order me new boots and blades and see what happens. If mine turn up(which I feel at this point is doubtful) then I will have a back-up pair. I am going to be coming up on six weeks off the ice.......getting close to what I lost because of knee surgery last year!

I am soooo glad I decided not to do the adult camp in New Jersey! I doubt I will have skates by then.

This really sucks and I guess there is a lesson to be learned! Me being new to all this...I trusted the shop that said they do this all the time! Boy was I really dumb about this! NEVER AGAIN!!:giveup: :giveup: :giveup:


That is absolutely amazing! You would think they would have an account with whatever delivery service they use (UPS, FedEx, etc.) and if they do, all they have to do to find the tracking number is call the delivery company or look up their account online. Makes you wonder how they manage to run a business, doesn't it?

[flippet]

That is so ridiculous. I'd be calling the owner personally and saying first, that they've lost a customer. And not just one, but many, because you WILL be telling people. (And not so much because they lost your skates to begin with, but because they're not falling all over themselves trying to find them for you.) And second, I'd be telling him that if those skates don't turn up TODAY, he's buying you a new pair.

There's no excuse for this kind of treatment. Mistakes happen, things get lost....but then you work to find them. Saying, 'sorry, I'm on vacation, sucks to be you' will eventually lose you your business. :giveup:

[Sessy]

Yeah loosing customers threats generally work!!! Use it! When I said I was going to Germany to get blades - and see if I'd find fitting boots there maybe too :twisted: - they suddenly had supposedly sold-out-wait-a-few-months coronation ace blades for me within a week. :twisted: :twisted:

Anyway if these were my boots I'd have ordered new boots within a week or so I think - then made them pay for them. Generally, when I write letters even the most obnoxious shops become very nice for some reason. I wonder if it's because I have friends who just graduated from law school sign those letters with their Master in Law (meester in de rechten, Mr.) titles? :lol: :twisted:

Also one more thing they teach us at law school. Don't get emotional with them. Deliver your threats undercooled to sub-freezing temperatures, icy calm, but make sure the threats are serious. Freaks people out. No, you're not mad, of COURSE you understand they can't make skates which are really lost magically re-appear. But given their work ethos and customer care, you can't exactly trust them anymore, so you will be going to an other shop in the future. And you'll be telling everybody you know not to make the same mistake... Over here it'd be something like breach of contract liability - if they can't return your skates, they have to pay you the value (this isn't necessarily the economic value, since breaking in skates costs ice time and thus money too) and might be liable for other damages. This might work differently in your system though.

6 weeks is ridiculous. 3 weeks would be ridiculous already.

[Summerkid710]

I am confused on one point -- Graf fixed them and they are lost on the way back or you don't know if they ever made it to Graf?

[MusicSkateFan]

The skates never made it to Graf. Graf has been very nice to me on the phone and was willing to help track them. The problem is that NO ONE has the tracking number! IT is in the pro shop owners house in Maryland while he is in the Carolinas.

I called the pro shop today.....No one answered the phone(I think they have caller ID)

I left the following on the machine: I told them to order me new Graf boots and Pattern 99 Blades to replace the ones that are lost. It has been six weeks and my patience has run out. If for some reason my original skates show up then we will deal with that then. I need my skates replaced and I expect to be in for a fitting next week.

[Jeanne D]

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
:frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus:

I was advised by a local pro-shop to send my skates back to Graf-Canada to have them re-built to get some of the original support back. This was supposed to be a 5-8 business day process...........

5 Weeks Later......No one Knows where my skates are!......The man who shipped them is now on vacation and has the tracking number........


If you see a pair of Men's Graf Boots with Pattern 99 blades. The left sole is signed by Robin Wagner......Please contact me. Their last known location is somewhere between DC and Edmonton!

I just may end up getting a whole new set of boots and blades(on the pro-shops dime) which would be fine. I am upset over the skating time lost and now the fact that my autographed boots may be gone forever!

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry


I bet Michelle Kwan stole them! :lol:

[MusicSkateFan]

OMG you are probably right! But why would MK want a pair of men's boots signed by Robin Wagner?(Maybe just to get back at Robin for coaching Sarah to the OGM and MK making the foolish mistake of going to the OLYMPICS with her dad as a coach!)

tee hee...thanks for the chuckle! It helps in this time of hardship!

[flippet]

I told them to order me new Graf boots and Pattern 99 Blades to replace the ones that are lost.

I hope you made it clear that it's at their expense. :twisted:

Someone needs to be taught a lesson that you don't blissfully vacation while you have a hopping mad customer. :frus:

[MusicSkateFan]

I have filed a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau here in the DC area. I have a certified letter that will go to the pro-shop on Monday demanding replacement of my skates/blades by June 11 or face legal action.

I sent a copy of the letter to Graf Canada to inform them of how a store that carries their product is treating the customer.

I left another voice mail with the pro shop describing the letter informing them of the complaint filed and my date for replacement!

I am officially Pissed!!:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[dbny]

Way to go!

[Scarlett]

Might I ask which shop this was?

[MusicSkateFan]

My Skates Made it to Canada on Friday. They are being worked on RIGHT NOW. They will be overnight shipped back to MD and I will have them by Wednesday or Thursday.(I will beleive that when I have them in hand!)

Too late to stop the Better Business Bureau complaint(oh well). I found out that even though I dropped off my skates on April 28 the pro shop did not ship them until May 18!:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: This shop really jerked me around!

I may be back on the Ice by Friday?

7 weeks later!

[jazzpants]

My Skates Made it to Canada on Friday. They are being worked on RIGHT NOW. They will be overnight shipped back to MD and I will have them by Wednesday or Thursday.(I will beleive that when I have them in hand!)HALLEJAH!!!! :bow: :bow: :bow: So happy for 'ya! (Yeah, I would be freakin' out losing a custom pair of boots with Robin Wagner's John Hancock on it too!!!)

Too late to stop the Better Business Bureau complaint(oh well). I found out that even though I dropped off my skates on April 28 the pro shop did not ship them until May 18!:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: This shop really jerked me around!WTF!?!?!! Yeah, let the BBB complaint be! They STILL deserve the complaint!!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[dbny]

WTF!?!?!! Yeah, let the BBB complaint be! They STILL deserve the complaint!!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

ITA! While I'm happy for you that you will get your skates back soon, I do believe that this shop owes you something for the lost ice time and aggravation.

[MusicSkateFan]

I hope this is all over.

I thought that when I heard they were found I would be excited about getting back on the ice. I am not thrilled with playing catch up all over again like I did after surgery. I am not really motivated to do anything on the ice!

I may try it on Friday and see how I feel after doing some moves.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Aww, MSF, I was out of the country and missed this whole ordeal.

But I'm glad to hear it's been resolved! 8-)

[skaternum]

Would you tell us the name of the shop, even if by PM, so we can avoid them in the future?

[Debbie S]

Would you tell us the name of the shop, even if by PM, so we can avoid them in the future?Yeah, me too! :)

Glad to hear your skates are on their way back, Robin Wagner's autograph and all. You'll be fine when you get back on the ice - hey, you came back pretty quickly after surgery to pass your Silver MIF and FS by the AN deadline!

[singerskates]

My Skates Made it to Canada on Friday. They are being worked on RIGHT NOW. They will be overnight shipped back to MD and I will have them by Wednesday or Thursday.(I will beleive that when I have them in hand!)

Too late to stop the Better Business Bureau complaint(oh well). I found out that even though I dropped off my skates on April 28 the pro shop did not ship them until May 18!:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: This shop really jerked me around!

I may be back on the Ice by Friday?

7 weeks later!


This is why you should have shipped them yourself through UPS, insured them and had the tracking number yourself. Don't expect the proshop to do anything for you.

Here's hoping Graf sends them back to you and not the proshop.

Brigitte

[Terri C]

Me three!
Word has it at my rink that the coaches that sharpen skates at home on the side (they do a GREAT job!) have gotten in trouble with the rink for taking income away from what I call the "pro shop with overpriced ugly dresses and tights and lousy customer service." They are so damn greedy that they wouldn't allow our skating club to have a consignment sale at the rink. :roll: :x
So it may very well be that I may be bringing my skates to DC for sharpening in the future.

[MusicSkateFan]

I am on my way to pick them up.

I was not going to give out the Shop's name but alas....after my last phone call with the owner....

I had sent my certified letter and had already placed an online complaint with the better business bureau when the shop called me on Monday saying that Graf was working on my skates that day.

The owner called me and left a nasty message on my phone saying that I had no right to file a complaint and that they did everything they could to track down my skates. My skates had been overnight shipped and were ready to be picked up.

I returned his call and he said that I flew off the handle and that my complaint was un-warranted. I told him that shipping someones skates and then leaving the tracking number at your home while you go on vacation was not good business. The conversation did not go well so I KNOW I will never be doing any business with them again. He seems to feel that letting my skates sit in his shop for two weeks before they even shipped them to Canada was normal.....I, however, do not!

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE DO NOT PATRONIZE "FOR SPORTS" IN LAUREL MARYLAND. THEY ARE LOCATED AT THE GARDENS ICE HOUSE

HOW'S THAT FOR FLYING OFF THE HANDLE, MIKE?
DON'T F*&* WITH ME!
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Award]

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE DO NOT PATRONIZE "FOR SPORTS" IN LAUREL MARYLAND. THEY ARE LOCATED AT THE GARDENS ICE HOUSE HOW'S THAT FOR FLYING OFF THE HANDLE, MIKE?
DON'T F*&* WITH ME!
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

They lied, and are obviously dishonest.

[manleywoman]

DO NOT PATRONIZE "FOR SPORTS" IN LAUREL MARYLAND. THEY ARE LOCATED AT THE GARDENS ICE HOUSE

Ahhh, The Gardens Ice House. Why am I not surprised? One of the more disfunctional places I've ever skated. There are some wonderful people there, mind you, and I skated there for years, but there is some bad karma there that attracts some wackos.

I don't know if For Sports is the same owner that was there when I skated there, but the skate shop owner there during my tenure pulled some fun stunts too. He was in a tiff with a coach at the Gardens. So his way of handling it? He put a professionally printed sign in his window saying "We Will Not Serve the Students of the Following Coaches" and listed this coach's name as #1, with spots #2 and #3 left open for other coaches who pissed him off. So he's punishing the kids of the coach because he doesn't like the coach. Immature much? Such bad business. And because it was hung inside his window, and because of the way the rental agreement was written, the Gardens couldn't control what he hung INSIDE his shop. So it stayed up for several days until enough furor ensued that he took it down.

I never ever ever went in there again. And I had bought a lot of tights and such there because it was where I trained, but I made a point to drive elsewhere rather than give them my money after that little incident. And I told everyone I knew about their practices too.

Again, don't know if it's owned by the same people, but that place has some weird karma.

[Terri C]

From what I've read, are there really any decent pro shops out there??
First my rink, ("Arena Sports" at Chilled Ponds in Chesapeake VA) then Laurel.

[MusicSkateFan]

It gets better people!

You should see the crap job they did re-mounting my blades! I have already taken pictures.

The one worker said to me "Don't Come Back".....I replied, " I don't Plan on it and I will tell others not to!"

They left holes open....two screws aren't in all the way.....the one blade now rides forward of the boot!

I will be going to a different shop to get the mounting fixed!
I will send the bill to For Sports in Laurel, MD!

[Debbie S]

Hey MSF, I recommend you go to Blades of Bowie at the Bowie rink (although I'm sure Loops and NoVa can chime in w/ recs for places in No. VA that will probably be closer to you). I have had my sharpenings done there for about 2 years (since Mike C moved to Waldorf) and I have been satisfied with their work. One caveat: ask for Chuck, who's the owner (or maybe just the head guy, I'm not sure) - in fact, you should probably call ahead and make sure he's there when you plan to go. And of course, there's Mike C down in Waldorf (I think the rink is called the Capital Clubhouse Arena?), but you have to call ahead and make an appt, b/c he's not open every day.

Manleywoman, I think the pro shop at The Gardens did change ownership about 3 years ago (is that after you moved?). The guy who ran it (named Paul, I think?) opened a shop at a shopping center nearby on Rt. 198, but then closed it (I knew a few people that got skates from him when he was there, but I was never there).

[NoVa Sk8r]

Hey MSF, I recommend you go to Blades of Bowie at the Bowie rink (although I'm sure Loops and NoVa can chime in w/ recs for places in No. VA that will probably be closer to you). I have had my sharpenings done there for about 2 years (since Mike C moved to Waldorf) and I have been satisfied with their work.I have occasionally gotten my skates sharpened at Bowie, and they did a good job. Ashburn, though far, reportedly has a good, full-service shop. But the last time I had my blades mounted was back in 2003 at Skaters Paradise, when it was in Alexandria! I'm not sure, on the basis of personal experience, who is really good. There has been a lot of turnaround since then. And the last time I had serious boot/blade problems, I went to Klingbeil in NY and then to this wonderful skate shop in Connecticut (Skater's Landing).

I hate the Laurel shop. Before I got my new boots in 2003, I *desperately* needed to get the tongues on my old boots replaced because the lambswool had receded and the tongues were splitting on the sides and cutting into my feet. So I contacted that shop, and I spent weeks trying to get them to order new tongues and set up an appointment, etc. I finally gave up. As luck would have it, the blade on my right foot came off while I was landing a jump (OK, maybe that's not really luck :P ), and I had to get new boots. Anyway, not 2 weeks later and 10 weeks after trying toget those new tongues, the Laurel Shop called me and demanded that I pay them for these tongues that were sitting around in their shop (but which they had failed to notify me of). Huh?

Oh, FYI: Paul F. runs the Wings of Steel (http://www.wingsofsteel.com) shop.

[dbny]

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE DO NOT PATRONIZE "FOR SPORTS" IN LAUREL MARYLAND. THEY ARE LOCATED AT THE GARDENS ICE HOUSE



I just thought this bore repeating :twisted:

What disgusting, dishonest idiots!

[jenlyon60]

Ashburn Pro Shop seems to do a good job. The rink lobby including the pro shop, is under renovation right now, though, and just about any skate-related work involves leaving skates overnight. The Pro Shop is temporarily housed in one of the party rooms at Ashburn rink.

[Scarlett]

I would just like to chime in and second Bowie/Piney Orchard Pro Shop. The owner, Chuck, is a good guy and was willing to keep adjusting my old Riedells without charge even though I bought them from somewhere else. Now I send them all my business.

Wings of Steel closed down a year or two ago.

[MusicSkateFan]

Thanks for the suggestions. I originally purchased my skates from the Ashburn store and was happy with their service. I only went to Gardens bc is was closer and I heard of someone else getting a sharpening there. One of the employees at Gardens had recently done a good job sharpening and fixing all the screws in my blades about 3 weeks before Nats. Unfortunately, this was the person that left my skates in the shop for two weeks before asking the owner to ship them to Canada. When I filed the complaint to the BBB the owner must have chewed out the employee who then took his frustrations out on my skates and did a sub-par mounting job with screws holes left open and screws not put all the way in.

I was not going to get into a big huff with this employee when I picked up my skates so I paid for them.......he told me "don't come back" I gave my reply and took my skates home, took pictures and will pursue the BBB.

[miraclegro]

Well, if it makes ya feel any better, over the past year and a half, i have sent my Klingbeils back multiple times for "tweaking." I finally told them they needed to remake them, and so they did, with the same skates! And i am pretty sure it wasn't Don Klingbeil, but whoever did it made them into a completely different pair if skates size-wise and length wise! The insole didn't even fit inside the boot right, the insole was about 2 sizes too small and my skates were made for a wide-footed person and i have a narrow foot! These were CUSTOMS! Needless to say they had to start from scratch and they just called me this week to say they were ready. It has been several months at this point. I have a competition this month....

If i hadn't had my old Harlicks re-built and new blades put on them, i would have been really up a creek! I am and so glad to have this back-up pair...

I totally feel your pain. I hope they track them down and soon....!

[skaternum]

I didn't realize the Mike C had moved Skaters Paradise to MD, because I stopped patronizing them several years ago. The last few times I and other local adult skaters went to his shop, he was very aggressively pushing Jacksons (over-aggressive, in my opinion). Mike may know something about skates, but the young guys he had working in his shop clearly weren't up to par. Once, we drove all the way up to Alexandria from NC, only to find out that Mike was on vacation, even though we'd specifically asked if he was going to be there that weekend and had requested appointments for a fitting with him. The last time I did business with them, they'd pushed me into the high end Jacksons, which didn't fit worth a darn and were actually warped and had 2 different heel heights. They ground down the heel and tried to do a few things, but wouldn't give me my money back. I decided I'd had enough at that point.

My gut feeling was that he'd been a victim of his own success. The huge increase in business had resulted in the addition of staff who weren't experienced or knowledgeable enough and decreased customer service.

I hope they've gotten things better in hand with the new location.

[momsk8er]

I just want to add some positive words about the skate shop at the Gardens. The shop has been under new ownership for several years. It is definitely more into hockey, but it is trying to build up its figure skating service. If you deal with David, I think you will be satisfied. He is very attentive to customer needs, sharpens skates wonderfully, and has fitted and adjusted our boots exceptionally well. Just don't deal with one of the guys who are focused on hockey - they could care less about figure skaters.

My 2 cents.

[jenlyon60]

Since Wings of Steel closed, I have been dealing solely with the Pro Shop at Ashburn. Tim does a good job with sharpening skates, in my experience.

Things have been a little bit disorganized the last couple weeks with the prep for the renovation and now the actual renovation forcing them to move into the party room(s) at Ashburn. So it's basically almost impossible to get skates sharpened on the spot. I don't know how long the renovation will last, either.

[dbny]

I just want to add some positive words about the skate shop at the Gardens. The shop has been under new ownership for several years. It is definitely more into hockey, but it is trying to build up its figure skating service.

And they seem to be off to a great start (now where is that sarcasm smiley?). I don't live in the area, but after reading MSF's report of his troubles with them (did you actually read it all?) I would not go near them with a 10 foot pole.

[Debbie S]

I hope they've gotten things better in hand with the new location.Actually, in the new location (inside a rink), it's just him and his wife. The others that worked for him in Alexandria are in other places (no idea where). This is sort of a phase-into-retirement type of thing for Mike - he's only there a few days a week, and not as many hours.

Mike mounted the blades on my current Klingbeils, and did all the work on my former SP-Teris (which I'd bought from him). He's always done a good job on everything, but Waldorf is quite a trip for me. I'm pretty confident about Chuck at Blades of Bowie, so I think the next time I need blades mounted, I'll have him do it. For problems with my skates, I've dealt with Klingbeil directly since I ordered directly (got fitting in person).

[NoVa Sk8r]

Actually, in the new location (inside a rink), it's just him and his wife. The others that worked for him in Alexandria are in other places (no idea where). This is sort of a phase-into-retirement type of thing for Mike - he's only there a few days a week, and not as many hours.Paul, who used to work with Mike in Alexandria, lives not 3 miles from where Skaters Paradise used to be. He sharpens skates at his home every Sat., and he is my main sharpener.

[momsk8er]

And they seem to be off to a great start (now where is that sarcasm smiley?). I don't live in the area, but after reading MSF's report of his troubles with them (did you actually read it all?) I would not go near them with a 10 foot pole.

Well... I did read the post, but I also go see David a couple of times a month for sharpening and advice. I have always been treated extremely competently and with plenty of good will.

[mikawendy]

Paul, who used to work with Mike in Alexandria, lives not 3 miles from where Skaters Paradise used to be. He sharpens skates at his home every Sat., and he is my main sharpener.

And JP, who used to do my skates at Skater's Paradise is in Iraq, at least as far as Mike C's wife told me the last time I was there. I hope JP comes home safe and I also hope that he wants to do sharpenings when he does--of all of the people who have sharpened my skates, I liked his sharpenings the best. The person I go to now was trained by someone who was trained by Mike C.

[climacus]

Completely unacceptable. But complaining to BBB won't do squat either. Your best option is to drag their name through the mud on the internet, and if you have free time and a hundred bucks, sue them in the small claims court. Since these people live in some kind of fantasy world where they're always right, they probably won't even show up for the trial. Then you can take your default judgment against them and harass them with a letter demanding payment once in a while. They'll never pay up, but it'll annoy the crap out of the owner. :giveup:

[MusicSkateFan]

:twisted: Climacus! you have foiled my plans!

[NoVa Sk8r]

And JP, who used to do my skates at Skater's Paradise is in Iraq, at least as far as Mike C's wife told me the last time I was there. I hope JP comes home safe and I also hope that he wants to do sharpenings when he does--of all of the people who have sharpened my skates, I liked his sharpenings the best. The person I go to now was trained by someone who was trained by Mike C.Oh, yes--JP was the best! I would always request him over the others. Whatever he did with respect to sharpening really worked for me. And he used to skate at my main rink, Mt. Vernon, that is across the street from where Skater's used to be.

[manleywoman]

Oh, yes--JP was the best! I would always request him over the others. Whatever he did with respect to sharpening really worked for me. And he used to skate at my main rink, Mt. Vernon, that is across the street from where Skater's used to be.

JP was my favorite too there. He's in Iraq now? Hope he's okay. I'm surprised though, since I eem to remember he had a really bad back.