giggleycraft wrote:I had a great experience with Pete there when I got my Yamaha electric cello. I had walked in to get a MIDI cable for my keyboard. As soon as I came in, Pete said "Did Dan tell you what we got in last night?" I hadn't been talking to Dan, so I said no. Pete "We got a Yamaha electric cello (SVC 50), do you want to play it?" That was a no brainer, I'd been wanting one of those for at least 15 years. He got me set up with a big Traynor keyboard amp (that sounded great with the cello), a bow some rosin, and I got plenty of time to play around. I wound up buying it later that afternon after calling the bank to increase my debit limit for the day :)
Editted, cause I realized I had names mixed up. I'm really terrible with name.
This is of paramount importance.warrbeat wrote:...consistancy...
warrbeat wrote:
Yup! I think given the chance to evolve properly there is a pretty good chance that every person in that store could be a Bill if properly groomed. Sure Matt, you might think that Geoff doesn't like you and maybe he doesn't but eventually if given the chance and a pinch of respect both of you can figure out how to get what you need as a customer. There also needs to be salespeople that are accessible to all levels of musician... I remember walking into a store when I was a kid and being completely ignored because the one guy who was on the floor was talking to a gigging musician and I obviously was just starting out... I hated that. An even level of attention to all customers is difficult to maintain granted and unless I'm in a real hurry I don't mind stepping aside to have someone like Peter so he can talk to a kid about a entry level guitar.
warrbeat wrote:As far as Long and McQuade as a Fast food chain... there are aspects about the store which I appreciate and others I dislike completely. The problem with a chain which is Nation wide is that they need to keep operations and policies consistant across Canada... It will never be a Morris Music with it's local flare nor should it be. Some rules can be broken if the sales person has the authority (that's why I mentioned being handed a $3000 guitar to lend to a friend) but if their hands are tied than there's no changing the situation.
warrbeat wrote:I get great service from some more than others at different times... some people are more consistant than others and some will never give me what I need from a sales person but I can still go in there and chat about stuff, buy stuff, try out stuff and hopefully some of these guys will some day know what kind of strings my kid likes before he says it Admittedly I find some things frustrating such as being cut off mid conversation/sale so someone can chat with someone who might want to spend $50 more than me... I must say I hope that any kind of tutoring that the staff has recieved from their boss from Halifax is taken with a grain of salt... I'm guessing that what ever cookie cutter management style Long and McQuade have tried to get Halifax to use has been warped and lost in the dish washer.
warrbeat wrote:I'm a big fan of having a store like Long and McQuade in the city. If nothing else without the store, I wouldn't be able to met up with most of you in person on a Saturday afternoon... Nothing better than a good Pow Wow about the biz and the scene....
warrbeat wrote:Must stop rambling....
W
brianm wrote:My name is Brian McConnell L&M District Manager for Atlantic Canada. The discussion posted here is now circulating around Long & McQuade.
brianm wrote: I’d like to start off by stating that I have worked in the music business for about thirty years, In Canada, the U.S. and abroad and there are two things that brought me back to L&M: (I worked in the Toronto store for nine years at the beginning of my career) the opportunity to live in Atlantic Canada, where I have family and the chance to work with the most honest and honourable company I have ever known. L&M’s commitment to customer satisfaction is deep and receives discussion time at virtually every meeting.
brianm wrote:Having said that we understand that we are far from perfect and our quest for the best possible customer service is contingent on making sure that each of us throughout the company is committed to constant improvement. The most important measure of our success in all of this is customer satisfaction. In other words; if your experience in our store is in any way disappointing then we have failed. If we’re lucky, you will express your dissatisfaction directly to us and provide us with the opportunity to learn and improve. Not that that we take any pleasure in hearing of our short-comings but we appreciate the input and we do take it to heart.
brianm wrote:This brings me to this thread. If you are interested in contacting us directly and giving us the chance to correct the problems that caused this discussion then I invite you to contact the store manager Steve Zaat, myself or Company President Steve Long. You have Steve Long’s contact info and you can find contact info for Steve Zaat and me below.
Scott DeVarenne wrote:For the record, Mathieu/Drumwaiter is not speaking on my behalf.
Nicely done.clinton wrote:oh man if high ups are reading this thread then let me take the opportunity to say that Dan Chamberlain should get a massive raise. He is hands down one of the best salesmen any music store in these parts has ever seen.
Like in life, in this forum you get the bad with the good.zaat wrote:...I see that we are not alone though and there are other local businesses that employ musicians that are also subject to mean spirited criticisms and I guess that’s what happens on this forum and I can always choose not to partake...
Glad to see you here.jammy jamz wrote:wow.
whres the eating emoticon when i need it. i'ld tell you all what i think, but really.........who cares.
but, matt, i can feel your pain, when you say that you ordered something well in advance, only to find out, it wasnt even ordered. man, that would chap my leather pants super bad. especially if you needed it (which of course you would, or you would've just bought it off ebay, or whatver)
but, i have to say, i've only had good things happen for me, when i go into that store. i deal with bill, peter, or dan....and, with what they have to work with, my experiences, have been almost all positive.
.... all the folks in there seem to really love thier jobs. i miss scotty, but, you know, life's hard.
kinda like haiti.
zaat wrote:Hello and greetings to the many of you who have been reading this thread. I’ve been staying out of this discussion not because I’m being censored as Matt speculated but because I don’t see the dialogue here as being constructive.
zaat wrote:I’ll bet most of those viewing this thread would prefer that these types of issues be more discreet not just for saving face but because most of us like to deal with difficult situations in private.
zaat wrote:I’m going to be selective about what I say here and I hope the reasons for that are obvious. It may be construed as spin and will probably be broken down and analyzed as flawed but I accept that so here we go.
zaat wrote:There is a large focus on customer service here at L&M and I have no doubts that Brian’s comments about wanting to do better are sincere as are mine. Mistakes happen but we want to learn from them.
zaat wrote:This store has six staff members who show up to work each day at a place they feel is enjoyable, enriching and ultimately making a difference. Do you remember when you got your first instrument and how that impacted your life?
zaat wrote:I feel bad for the guys here that have to see their roles here at the store so heavily scrutinized like we’re characters on a sit-com. (I want to be played by Dick Van Dyke)
zaat wrote:I see that we are not alone though and there are other local businesses that employ musicians that are also subject to mean spirited criticisms and I guess that’s what happens on this forum and I can always choose not to partake.
zaat wrote:That’s all you’ll hear from me publicly on this matter but I will reiterate that I can be contacted at any time if you the reader feels we have fallen short and you would like to discuss it.
Greg H. wrote:I agree with everything about Dan, I'm just a regular guy compared to most of the musicians on this thread, but he's always treated me with respect, and never left me to go take care of a customer with a higher order.
I bet persons and businesses that are singled out in those pesky newspaper "letters to the editor" wish that things were kept private as well, but sometimes things need a little light shed on them to get something done. The internet, when it's handled well, is merely a 21st century version of that forum.zaat wrote:I’ll bet most of those viewing this thread would prefer that these types of issues be more discreet not just for saving face but because most of us like to deal with difficult situations in private.
This thinly veiled attack on what we do here bugged me again when I read it today. We all know who the "other local business(es)" are that you're referring to. It's one, and not several, and although I'm not opening up that debate here, I welcome anyone to correct me about my misunderstandings about that organization and what they are doing.zaat wrote:I see that we are not alone though and there are other local businesses that employ musicians that are also subject to mean spirited criticisms and I guess that’s what happens on this forum and I can always choose not to partake.
jammy jamz wrote:
.... all the folks in there seem to really love thier jobs. i miss scotty, but, you know, life's hard.
kinda like haiti.
Drumwaiter wrote:However it's not their problem to deal with, it's yours, and if they haven't made that clear to you yet, I will.
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