ONE STAR -- AGGRESSIVE, THREATENING, AND COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL $200 in fuel charges after days…read moreuse.
I paid Pembine Sport and Lawn $275 for an ATV rental from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. My purpose was to ride the trails to Goodman and visit my friend, a local business owner whose property sits directly along the trail system.
I clearly told the man at the business that I intended to ride to Goodman. He never told me that Goodman was prohibited or outside the permitted riding area. Instead, he gave us confusing and contradictory information--saying that we could go there while also trying to discourage us because he did not believe we had enough time.
We followed the trail system based on the information available to us. As we approached Goodman, we became confused and accidentally traveled approximately one to one-and-a-half miles on Highway 8. We understood that the ATV was not permitted there. Most importantly, we had already stopped at the trailhead before we even knew that he was tracking us or coming after us.
Instead of recognizing that we had already stopped and were trying to correct a minor navigation mistake, he came rushing up behind us in a hostile and aggressive manner. He took the keys from me even though the machine was stopped at the trailhead, had not been damaged, and was not being abused.
What made this encounter especially disturbing was the way he used surveillance as part of his intimidation. He was wearing Meta smart glasses and repeatedly emphasized, in a threatening tone, that everything was being recorded. He also claimed that his vehicle had a 360-degree camera capturing the entire encounter. He did not mention these cameras calmly for safety or documentation. He announced the recording aggressively while confronting and threatening us, as though the surveillance was another tool he could use to intimidate paying customers.
A business owner tracking a customer, charging up behind him, seizing the keys, aggressively announcing that multiple cameras are recording, and turning a correctable trail mistake into a threatening confrontation is not normal or acceptable customer service.
I had not damaged his machine, abused it, attempted to steal it, or ignored any direct instruction prohibiting travel to Goodman. If Goodman was forbidden, he should have clearly said so before accepting my $275. He cannot tell a customer that Goodman is reachable and then erupt when that customer gets close to Goodman.
The encounter escalated into a physical altercation. He eventually returned the keys. Despite the confrontation and the time he took away from our rental, we reached my friend's property, stayed briefly, and returned the machine approximately 30 minutes early and in good condition.
When we returned, another confrontation occurred after I stated that I intended to write an honest review. A woman who apparently owns or operates the business began yelling, "I own this place," as we were leaving. Instead of listening to an unhappy customer or addressing what had happened, ownership responded with even more hostility.
My friend owns a business in the Goodman community and personally witnessed this experience. He is not happy about the way we were treated either.
Let me be perfectly clear: getting temporarily lost does not give a business owner permission to pursue, threaten, intimidate, seize the keys from, or physically confront a paying customer--especially one who was already stopped at the trailhead before the owner arrived.
The ATV was returned early and in good condition. The problem was the conduct of the people operating the business. I would never rent from Pembine Sport and Lawn again, and I strongly recommend taking your business elsewhere.
