If you value your time, avoid the Academy Sports in Warner Robins. My wife ordered a swing set…read moreonline for curbside pickup and received a confirmation email on Wednesday, July 8th, stating it was ready. What followed was a masterclass in retail incompetence and empty corporate promises.
I arrived on Friday afternoon, July 10th, parked in the designated spot, and checked in. Ten minutes later, an associate walked out to tell me that while the item was in stock, it was on a high shelf. They couldn't use the forklift at that time and asked me to drive all the way back on Monday. Because Academy's system enforces a pickup deadline that just happened to land on that Monday, my wife had to call the store just to ask for an extension to Wednesday--all because they couldn't fulfill an item they claimed was ready.
Monday morning, I received a call assuring me the order was finally down and ready. I told them I would arrive late afternoon. When I got there, a different associate came out with a mind-boggling excuse: the swing set had been brought down that morning, but someone put it right back up on the high shelf during the day. I was told only the manager could operate the forklift to get it down, so I was forced to wait in my truck.
Another 30 minutes passed. The associate came out to serve another customer and apologized again. At this point, my time had been severely wasted. I told him that this level of runaround deserved a discount commensurate with my hourly work rate. He told me I would have to speak to the manager. I replied, "Okay, get her out here. My order was for curbside service, so I expect curbside service."
It took nearly an hour in total for two associates to finally emerge and load the box into my truck. The manager, Deni, appeared a few minutes later. To her credit, she was doing her best to accommodate me during our conversation. She was extremely apologetic, thanked me for not losing my cool, and said she totally understood my frustration when I told her I wouldn't bring my business there anymore.
When I repeated my request for a discount on this order, she explained that her boss would need to approve it. She wrote a post in the manager group chat, added my name, phone number, and discount request, and promised her boss would see it. Since she was off on Tuesday, she explicitly promised to follow up with me when she returned on Wednesday.
It is now Thursday, and I have heard absolutely nothing from Deni or her boss. They got their money, so clearly they couldn't care less about the abysmal service they provided. I guess the sale was final, and so is my patronage of this establishment.
If you are buying large items, look elsewhere--the Warner Robins Academy Sports has zero internal communication and zero respect for their customers' time. Never again.
