What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

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Reefmonkey
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What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Reefmonkey »

I hit their I-10 @ Voss store occasionally to browse, but other than a Guy Harvey T-shirt for my daughter, and a sticker for my car, I haven't found much reason to buy there. They certainly don't compete on price, and I get it, they have a better selection of high end offshore gear than you're going to find at Academy, so that's a niche for them, I guess. But if you're going to be a higher end niche store, I kind of expect you to have knowledgeable employees.

A while back I went upstairs, to their kayak department, to find an add-on skeg to improve tracking on a short little beginner kayak I had bought for my 9-yo daughter. The guy working the department saw me looking, asked me if he could help, I told him what I was looking for. He looked at me like I was speaking Greek. He said he had never heard of putting a skeg on a kayak (really? skeg vs rudder is the classic debate among kayakers! ) and that he didn't even know of any place you could get one. I said, well, dedicated paddling shops have those. He replied that he had worked in a paddling shop before, and they never had those. I walked out of there and was able to order one online.

I get that FTU is not a dedicated paddling shop, and if their paddling department isn't going to carry everything you'd find in one, that's fine, but just admit it, don't try to make the customer feel dumb by acting like they are asking for something odd or unreasonable. In this era when brick-and-mortar retail is folding left and right, all stores have going for them is to provide a satisfactory in-store experience and face-to-face customer service by knowledgeable employees, but I think a lot of Houston's local small-chain recreational equipment retailers just don't get that. Bicycle World on Memorial lost my business years ago after I brought my stepson's bike (a cheap $100 model you'd buy an 11 year old who tends not to take care of his stuff and leave it unlocked and unattended in public) in for a repair and the repair dept guy made a big loud public show of insulting the bike for being heavy and bright yellow and "Hummer" branded. I don't know how small businesses that treat their customers like that stay in business.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by CaptJack »

well said...
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by larry long shadows »

i would make a comment but this looks like one of those post that will get deleted ..by a higher power
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Never been in one.


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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by TroutSupport.com »

Unless one actually calls the company and complains to them directly .. nicely, and explains what they can do better then it really doesn't help anything get better. Call them up and tell them how that employee didn't know about the solution and that it made you feel a certain way. That's going to motivate them to find the answer and solutions, provide better service, etc etc.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by mmwaggie »

I agree with everything you said. Brick and Mortars still exist so you can physically touch the item you're looking to purchase and to extract information about the products from employees. That employee did not handle the situation right.

I also agree with Tobin. You should definitely contact the store and speak with a manager about how the customer made you feel. If it goes unchecked they have no way to correct negative interactions that they aren't aware of.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Reefmonkey »

TroutSupport.com wrote:Unless one actually calls the company and complains to them directly .. nicely, and explains what they can do better then it really doesn't help anything get better. Call them up and tell them how that employee didn't know about the solution and that it made you feel a certain way. That's going to motivate them to find the answer and solutions, provide better service, etc etc.
I did send an email to sales@fishingtackleunlimited.com, which was the only email I saw on their website, and I posted the details of my encounter in a Yelp review. No response to either. It's 2017, if you're a local business that isn't monitoring and responding to negative feedback on social media, you're doing so at your business's peril.

larry long shadows wrote:i would make a comment but this looks like one of those post that will get deleted ..by a higher power
Hah! I was a little bit curious to see whether my thread would still be here this morning because I remember FTU at least used to be a sponsor, and I also remember years ago complaints about disappearing negative comments about a certain brand of kayaks when a moderator who was also a mfg rep was here.
Last edited by Reefmonkey on Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by tastywavescoolbuzz »

im still baffled that anyone still uses brick and mortar "retail" stores (ftu,bass pro,bucees,etc). I sit outside in my chair with a brew and watch as ups/usps pulls up with my merch.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Kayak Kid »

I have been a customer of FTU for many years. It was a standard stop on my way to the Galveston area. I have been a customer at the I-10 location ever since they opened. I also shop at Academy and Bass pro.

I have been kayaking for over 65 years. And, while certainly not any kind of expert, I love the damned things and have made it a point to learn a great deal about them. I'm quite familiar with both skegs and rudders, yet, I have never seen, read about, or heard of an add on skeg. To use this one, relatively rare, item to judge the merchandise knowledge of it's employees is a bit of a push.

Compared to the other full service sporting goods stores in our area, I have found the employees at the I-10 FTU to be the most knowledgable, the friendliest, and the most customer oriented. Fact is, the department heads in each of their departments are very knowledgable about their products. Some, I consider to be experts.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Reefmonkey »

Kayak Kid wrote:I have been a customer of FTU for many years. It was a standard stop on my way to the Galveston area. I have been a customer at the I-10 location ever since they opened. I also shop at Academy and Bass pro.

I have been kayaking for over 65 years. And, while certainly not any kind of expert, I love the damned things and have made it a point to learn a great deal about them. I'm quite familiar with both skegs and rudders, yet, I have never seen, read about, or heard of an add on skeg. To use this one, relatively rare, item to judge the merchandise knowledge of it's employees is a bit of a push.

Compared to the other full service sporting goods stores in our area, I have found the employees at the I-10 FTU to be the most knowledgable, the friendliest, and the most customer oriented. Fact is, the department heads in each of their departments are very knowledgable about their products. Some, I consider to be experts.
Well KK, the plethora of online buying options and how-to articles I was able to find on the internet would argue against your experience with them being so obscure. And as I said in my OP, I didn't judge FTU for not carrying them, and if the employee had simply admitted he had never heard of one, I would have been surprised, but it wouldn't have been a big deal, it was his attitude that if he had never heard of one, it must not be a real thing. It's a simple rule: don't try to cover up for your ignorance by trying to make your customer feel stupid. His behavior turned an experience that I probably would have forgotten about within an hour to a lasting negative association with the store.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Covfefe.


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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Reefmonkey »

tastywavescoolbuzz wrote:im still baffled that anyone still uses brick and mortar "retail" stores (ftu,bass pro,bucees,etc). I sit outside in my chair with a brew and watch as ups/usps pulls up with my merch.
I do a lot of online buying but there are certainly reasons to shop brick and mortar.

Analytical person that I am (with an emphasis on the first four letters), I did a breakdown on costs on stuff we regularly buy on Amazon that would be eligible for Prime free shipping versus local store prices, even factored in gas costs to drive to stores, and how much we buy from Amazon per annum versus other websites (I can often find better prices on other websites) and especially with the monthly Prime fee, a Prime membership doesn't make financial sense for my family right now. So if I know I can buy something down the street at a fair price and get it immediately without paying shipping and handling, that's the way I'm going to go.

Then there are some things that you want to see in person before you buy. Reading dimensions on a website is okay, but I'm a visual guy, and so sometimes I want to hold something in my hands to see how big it really is, how big it is going to look in or on something you already own, how durable it feels.

And then there are clothes and shoes, which I rarely buy online, I want to try on a couple of sizes of the same item, see which looks and feels best on me, and I don't want to hassle with requesting a return, printing shipping labels, boxing something up, driving it to a UPS dropoff because it didn't fit right or look like I thought it was going to look.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by tastywavescoolbuzz »

i can dig it reef. no offence. hell, I have fam that shops at bucees for clothes and purses :lol: as for attire, my shorts and flips never go out of style. if they do, its off to the resale shop. not your typical merican that has to have all the newest shit. peace
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Yaklash »

I buy quite a bit on line, but I am old school and prefer brick and mortar for things I hold in high regard - guitars, tools, home entertainment, guns and fishing gear. I like browsing an actual space with things on shelves and talking about those things with people. I like holding a product in my hands. On line shopping is good for some things as the prices are almost always lower.

But if price was my decision maker for all things, I would definitely not be fishing for food. I can get fish cheaper at a market, but I do it for pleasure and the bonus is I get to eat my catch. If I chose my average meal by price, I would never, ever eat out at restaurants, whether they be high end or fast food - I can always make it cheaper and more nutritious at home.

What's UP With FTU??? Well, as far as I can tell, what's up is , for something like 35 years, they have been offering the best service ands selection on the best fishing tackle and gear in the City of Houston. Hands down. They have taken on what was the benchmark - Oshman's in their own back yard and came out alive. They have competed well with the more affordable Academy by offering better selection and service. And in my experience, they beat the pants off of Gander Mountain and Bass Pro Shops when it comes to the products that dominate the local market in Houston, Texas - Saltwater, and to a lesser degree, Freshwater fishing gear. Has all retail service fallen off? Yes. Was your question about skegs perhaps handled in a less than exemplary manner? Probably...the two trips I have made to the kayak department at the I-10 store were both uninspiring. But skegs on kayaks is not really a common subject around these parts. I have been on this site for years and can't remember any other thread involving skegs.

But as an American, you are welcome to do business with whoever gives you the best of what you want.

I will still be making regular trips to FTU.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by creekstone »

Kayak Kid wrote:I have been kayaking for over 65 years.
Holy cr@p! :shock: Did you carve your first kayak out of a log?!?

I'm kidding Kayak Kid. But I really would like to hear about your first few kayaks. :)
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Tombo »

I have shopped at "box" stores since I can remember. What I have learned is if not familiar with the product, I find those that know what they are doing and stick with them.
At the FTU off Fuqua, I was helped by a nice young man in the kayak dept. with my purchase of a new Hobie kayak. This fellow helped me from the time I came in, until I left with my kayak.
After my purchase I called FTU to praise their employee that helped me.
Some advice I give inexperienced folks is in the beginning to listen and learn. Their attitude should be if they don't know the answer, find some one who knows and tuck it away in your brain for the next time.
Some things I will not buy online are clothes to wear, kayaks and fishing rods.
Just my opinion spending years making mistakes.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by tastywavescoolbuzz »

Cuervo Jones wrote:Covfefe.


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brilliant! mericans :roll:
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by TroutSupport.com »

Reefmonkey wrote:... and I posted the details of my encounter in a Yelp review. No response to either. It's 2017, if you're a local business that isn't monitoring and responding to negative feedback on social media, you're doing so at your business's peril.
So, the below is not specific to you Reef Monkey but to all of us that shop and buy anything anywhere, I appreciate how exact and precise you are and how you just want people to be served first class and things to be done right. I do appreciate that. The following is just an alternate perspective.

Great, good job on the email.. you communicated to someone and they'll probably ... ;-) have a meeting, that will be elevated to corporate, they'll have more meetings, schedule meetings with the employee, then bid out to have someone design an employee training program, after a rigorous selection process, implement a test training, revise the employee training manual based on the review of the program, bid a print job for it, run it and then have a meeting discussing how to implement it... then,... then they'll circle back to you to let you know what they've done to remedy the situation. ;-) That person could have maybe been on vacation too; who knows.

and as far Yelp Goes... companies can't have a yelp review removed .. EVER... a Billboard was just created for them and everyone was just told not to shop there at all ever again.. The hell with changing.. they won't have chance too. What if our own quarterly reviews or whatever review system of where you work, or worse yet, our bad dates, were put online on the company website or 'Yelp for Dating'.. Sure that would change things at work or the dating world wouldn't it. Most of us would probably have to leave where we work and move to a new city .. oh wait the internet is all over the world. Done, Toast.

I'm just saying put the shoe on the other foot and get involved in the community (you're local retail fishing supply is a partner in your community, tell them what you want them to carry). People at FTU may even buy stuff from where you work or some service you provide. I'm sure someone will be bitter toward me now for looking at the alternate perspective and speaking out... but we might take a hard look here in America about how we're kicking our own ass ...

So, please, everyone.. if you have some input into how to better a company... call the manager or the owner and make sure he get's the point. He'll take care it. At least you give them a chance. The only time to kill someone online is where there is blatant certifiable fraud. Most companies will give you a complete refund or 25% off your next visit or more if you treat them right and help them learn something how they can do better.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Reefmonkey »

Yaklash wrote:But skegs on kayaks is not really a common subject around these parts. I have been on this site for years and can't remember any other thread involving skegs.
Well that doesn't surprise me. I figured out years ago most of the people on this site are fishermen first and kayakers a distant second (I always got a chuckle out of what Doug Poudre said years ago: "I was going to try to develop a curriculum for kayak fishing last year, but I realized how futile my expenditure of energy would be. If it might inhibit having fun, drinking on the water or catching fish, it's not worth giving it a second thought. "). And I get that FTU's paddlesports department is a paddlesports department within a fishing gear store, so is logically going to be focused on fishing from kayaks, but they do have SUPs and other non-fishing related paddle craft, so I thought there might be the possibility they had other kayaking gear outside the fishing realm. If they don't, that's fine, but their employees should just say so rather than covering for it by insulting their customers' intelligence, that's all I'm saying.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

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TroutSupport.com wrote: and as far Yelp Goes... companies can't have a yelp review removed .. EVER... a Billboard was just created for them and everyone was just told not to shop there at all ever again.. The hell with changing.. they won't have chance too. What if our own quarterly reviews or whatever review system of where you work, or worse yet, our bad dates, were put online on the company website or 'Yelp for Dating'.. Sure that would change things at work or the dating world wouldn't it. Most of us would probably have to leave where we work and move to a new city .. oh wait the internet is all over the world. Done, Toast. [....]So, please, everyone.. if you have some input into how to better a company... call the manager or the owner and make sure he get's the point. He'll take care it. At least you give them a chance. The only time to kill someone online is where there is blatant certifiable fraud.
I've heard people, mostly small business owners, lament Yelp along the same lines you are now. I always wonder what these small business owners thought happened before Yelp, before the internet even? A person would have a bad experience with their business, would tell his friends and acquaintances, and the negative perception would spread via word of mouth at the water cooler, at dinner parties, backyard barbecues, in the health club locker room, on the golf course, etc., all without the business owner ever hearing about it, and he'd just be left wondering why his business was dropping off. At least with Yelp a business owner knows what people are saying about him, and can do something about it, first by addressing the issue so more people don't give him bad reviews for the same thing. What's more, while a company can't (and shouldn't be able to) get a legitimate bad review removed, they can publicly respond to it right there, so that the next person who comes along and sees the bad review immediately sees the company's response to try to fix the situation and satisfy the customer. Honestly, seeing that a company is responsive when it hasn't satisfied a customer probably has several times the positive impact of a glowing rave review on the average person looking at Yelp when deciding whether to patronize a company. I know it does for me. So actually, even a bad Yelp review can end up being a positive for a small business, if they choose to handle it well. FTU chose not to handle it at all. Their choice, but I don't see anything wrong with customers using tools like Yelp either in addition to or even in lieu of calling the manager.
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Seems like a whole lot of time and words being spent on a single bad experience. Maybe try some Enya tunes and a refreshing bubble bath?


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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Reefmonkey »

Cuervo Jones wrote:Seems like a whole lot of time and words being spent on a single bad experience. Maybe try some Enya tunes and a refreshing bubble bath?


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Coming from a guy who has provided three pointless posts in a thread about a store you say you've never set foot in. Mmm hmm.
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What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Make that four.
My sympathies to the sales guy.


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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by Reefmonkey »

Cuervo Jones wrote:Make that four.
My sympathies to the sales guy.
I wonder if he has trouble self-rescuing in waist-deep water?
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Re: What's up with Fishing Tackle Unlimited?

Post by TroutSupport.com »

Probably doesn't need to without that damned rudder ;-) LOL
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