We came to check this place out as we have recently moved to the area and are looking for our new climbing gym. The gym itself is great- they have lots of routes and seem to change them fairly often. Seems clean, big space, and quiet during the days, if pretty busy at night.
The missing stars are from staff.
(Don't want to read what's below? Some of the younger staff are rude and condescending, publicly being rude about their boss & rude to customers.)
We went in our first time, intending to belay, and were told we needed to quickly get certified first. Standard and understandable. Mike was friendly & helpful & chatty, helping us get certified quickly while also helping to teach a lesson. Having climbed many times before, mostly outdoors, and having used an ATC to establish good habits, we checked with him as to what he preferred since they have grigris on all their lines. All gyms are different, after all- we have been to gyms that told us we needed longer tails, or that grigris weren't safe (lol), or that ATCs weren't safe (also lol), theories on harnesses and carabiners and everything in between- everyone has some theory. Its good manners to learn the local custom and adapt as needed (within safety). After a good intro, we set up, scooted up, and got passed. We went over to the front desk and told the maybe 17-18 year old guy there that we'd passed and he said he'd put it in our file. Simple! It was a lovely day of climbing, even if the place was packed.
The next time was not so great. We came in during the day, went to pay for our passes, and were told our testing hadn't been recorded and we'd need to test again. I understand that computer/employee errors occur, so we sighed quietly and agreed.
The guy who tested us, Oliver, seemed to be a gotcha kid- he didn't give us any information as to their local system, he didn't want to chat, he just was silent. I understand you don't want to tell people who are being tested what to do, but basic customer service dictates some communication skills and politeness. I understand that those who climb a lot can become complacent- let me assure you that that was not the case here. My partner has climbed at a collegiate level, as well as recreationally for years and as part of a military mountaineering team. I am safety obsessed, as I work for a government agency dealing with SARs and emergencies, and have been climbing for a few years now. Oliver decided we had each lifted one right hand off the rope once, and said we'd failed (even though Mike, his boss, had previously passed us.) He then proceeded to say that even though we'd failed, we could still go climb, we'd just have to test in again next time we came in. Which makes NO sense from a liability standpoint. Why would you let someone who failed climb??? If we failed, then we shouldn't climb. Or better yet, Oliver should have taken a minute to teach us what he saw as missing so we could proceed correctly.
Regardless of our skill or complacency, the issue here was Oliver. I wanted to ask him on the way out if he thought he had handled the situation well. Rather than being polite and asking us about our experience, he was rude and dismissive, committing what I consider after years of customer service experience the cardinal sin of communication- talking down to your customers. If a person walks through those doors, it doesn't matter if they are an expert who could guide thirty kindergartners up a mountain or a new person- they deserve your respect and your best customer service.
What if I had been a new climber? If someone just chucked a rope at me and said "test out", and I'd only had one lesson a week ago, it would be stressful, especially if it had been at a different gym. This is not the attitude that will attract more clients. It's most likely not going to be an attitude that will bring us back after our short term passes expire- we were shopping for a gym, and there are more in the area.
Mike, we liked you & appreciated your friendliness. You might consider addressing customer service with Oliver. Especially since upon learning that it was you who had tested us previously, he said "Oh, well that explains it, Mike doesn't really pay attention to stuff." Even if you don't agree with your boss, you don't tell the general public you think he's an idiot. I understand liability. I understand that testing is important and that accidents are serious. But as a business, don't you think you need to find a way to make sure good customer service is being maintained?
Oliver, you had an opportunity- you could have said after being told we mainly used ATCs, "Ok, cool, we use grigris here so are you familiar with using them?" Or even just politely pointed out what you perceived we did wrong and then said try it again. You don't get bro points for being rude. New people and experienced people both matter. You seemed young, so maybe you will learn that in time, but take a hint. read more
