NO LONGER A SATISFIED CUSTOMER
Up until a month ago, we were huge fans of Coastal Farm Supply. We don't have a farm, but we do have a good sized piece of property, a dog, and lots of DIY projects. We've purchased pellet stoves & pellets, gun safes, pet stuff, work clothing, work boots, tools....you name it, at the Cornelius Coastal. I have also referred business from my employer to Coastal. A huge part of the success of Coastal was the excellent customer service provided by their former Manager, Caesar, who was recently let go. (tune in to area gossip for the lame reason) Caesar always took the time to ensure we were satisfied with our purchase. When we encountered a problem, he made sure our needs were met, on our schedule. He arranged for service calls to fit my husbands busy work schedule. Caesar even personally made a service call to our house. In addition to Caesar, there are a handful of exceptionally friendly and helpful staff working the Cornelius Coastal location.
However, that excellent level of service is no longer available.....it left when Caesar was let go. (There are still a handful of excellent floor staff.) Last week we met the new Manager, Lynde, in regard to an issue that Caesar helped with in the past. Lynde's words, body language, and attitude made it perfectly clear to us that we would NOT be receiving the level of customer service we had been accustomed to with Caesar. The parts we were previously receiving under warranty will no longer be covered. She stated we needed to have a service tech out to look at the problem. (We've already done this a few times in the past.) The service representative for the issue only works Tuesdays. (Taking time off on a Tuesday is not an option for my husband at this time of year.) She made no effort to see if an alternative date could be arranged. Which was something Caesar always worked on with us in the past. So, we will no longer receive warranty parts until the service tech looks at the system. And there will be no effort made to accommodate my husband's schedule. So, I'm not exactly sure how we are to have the tech make the call. Caesar would never have let this happen. Caesar would bend over backward to make sure a rep was available on our schedule, and that parts were taken care of under warranty because the issue is a known defect with the product. (Not Coastal's fault.)
Oh....as loyal, repeat customers, Caesar offered us a discount on our purchases. Lynde has indicated that Caesar's customers will no longer receive such a discount. I'm assuming her favorites will....but not Caesar's long-term customers. Regardless that we've spent a substantial amount of money in this store.
Although I've heard talk...I am not clear on the reason that such an excellent Manager as Caesar would be let go. Only to be replaced by a Manager that blatantly displays her distaste for loyal customers who were treated well by Caesar. I cannot imagine this is the business model that Coastal would prefer to be recognized for. While I cannot say that Lynde was full-on rude. It's clear that our business is of very little importance to her, and that she will make no effort to see that our needs are met, or that we are satisfied with our purchases.....or our experience shopping in the store. She basically made us feel as if she couldn't care less about our business.
While we remain loyal to the handful of sales staff that have treated us so well over the years, the manner in which we've been treated by Lynde has left a seriously negative impression. I can easily see us driving up the street to Wilco in the very near future.
Coastal......you made a massive mistake in terminating Caesar. However, that mistake pales in comparison to the mistake of making Lynde your new Manager. read more
