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

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

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

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

When does the shipping guy get back from vacation?

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Whatever!

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

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

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

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

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

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.

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

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

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

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...

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!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

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!

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AW1
mum to Miss Lil (6yrs old)
mum to be to #2 due in March 08

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. Here's hoping your skates turn up.

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

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

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.

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!

I hope they come back to you!

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!!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

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?

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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?

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

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.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

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 - they suddenly had supposedly sold-out-wait-a-few-months coronation ace blades for me within a week.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

I bet Michelle Kwan stole them!

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!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!