Well, let me preface this by saying that this is NOT a bad business. The idea is awesome and it has the potential to be a great stop on a day trip for you and your family. Unfortunately it is Being exceptionally poorly managed.
My daughter and I camp at Bruin Lake Campground inside of Pinckney State Rec Area, it is a great campground, very well run, clean with a great beach and playground. When we checked in on Sunday 7/14' we were given a flyer for canoe rental at Scream's. we set up camp, went to the beach and planned to leave early the next day so we could take our 4 and 5 year old daughter's on a quick canoe trip in the morning before we had to take down our tent to checkout.
The next morning I called as we were driving over to Scream's and was met with an exceptionally rude person answering the phone, "this is Hell, WHAt? what!" I asked about availability and she immediately made me feel lie, a total idiot for not having a reservation (it was Monday Morning). I told her that I would just come in and talk to her because we couldn't get a good phone connection. I came in and everyone on staff (three younger kids) knew that I had called which made it obvious that Judy the manager had been saying negative things about our phone call. Unfortunately, I can't help our bad connection, we were in the middle of nowhere..
Once I got there, I showed Judy the manager the flyer I had received at the campground, which she snatched out my hand and demanded to know where I got it. (Seriously?) and said she was going to make a copy of it so this MISTAKE didn't happen again. The flyer quoted a rate of $10 an hour per canoe (we needed two) and she quoted a rate of $90 for a rental. She then berated every single person on her staff in front of us about what a mess and PROBlEM this was. And went as far as to attack one of them and say "get out of my personal space while I'm talking to you!!" We never asked her for a discounted rate, we simply stated that it didn't make sense for us to pay $90 to take a four and five year old around a lake for an hour, after much waiting and debate and conflict with her, she said " I am going to GiVE you a discounted rate, but we are not picking you up at your campsite (standard procedure), and we are taking other customers ahead of you. (This was after we already paid). She then INSULTED my FOUR year old and her friend and said "in the future, your children should not be in here dressed so inappropriately, I like shorts and shirts". Well Judy, if I thought it was going to take over an hour to rent a canoe, I wouldn't have dressed little kids in their bathing suits and flip flops. I would have brought a change of clothes and a snack.
After she was done insulting us, Christian ( who is clearly an angel from Heaven), helped us out with our canoe, getting it launched and all. We had to take an extra couple minutes, little kids had to go potty after what is now TWO hours, and we had to throw our entire campsite into our cars because we were now going to be late for checkout (thanks Judy). So, just when we were ready to go down to the ether, her comes Judy striding across the campground ScReAMING at Christian about not trusting him, and not following her orders. She then accused my sister who is visiting from Thailand, our 2 little kids and my friend who runs a cancer research center of being a threat to her purse that she left in the van we were in.
I wound up walking to the launch area and she rode in the van presumably to continue to abuse Christian and accuse my friend and kid of stealing from her.
I could go on for days about this experience, but the short story is this. Please continue to support this local business. But steer very clear of Judy, she is a classically horrible manager who does not honor advertising she screwed up, she tries to do everything herself and does it all wrong and Ineffectively, she humiliates her employees who are honestly trying to do a good job, and then punishes them for trying to take care of paying customers and make up for her exceptionally rude behavior and Unprofessionalism.
I am looking forward to speaking to the owner John when I get a free moment and can't wait to sing the praises of Christian.
I manage a designer brand of cosmetics that is based in NYC and Paris, I employ 30 people who work in four states. I am responsible for training, marketing, employee management, store communication and image responsibility. Judy, was unable to rent me a canoe in under two hours and be nice and courteous to a four year old.
So, if you go to Hell and want the FULL experience, talk to Judy! read more