# Bad time at Tractor Supply, but not with a dog.



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

This rant just does not seem to fit. Could have used General Information, if that fits better. 

Ok, so here goes. I was going out of town last weekend so my dad had to take care of the beasties. I have been down a kennel for a couple of years, when I put up a few panels in the puppy pen, and gave Joy her own spot. But then I got Gretta back. And I paid my contractor $1000 to start work on two more kennels. This was about six months ago. 

Gretta made eleven and I have nine kennels -- ten if you add Joy's section of the puppy pen. Well Babs has just been inside since Gretta came back. On Sundays Dad goes to my house to let her out. 

Then Hepzibah hurt herself. I took her out of Jenna's kennel and gave her the puppy pen, which meant that two bitches would have to be inside and I had a rotation where three bitches shared two kennels. But this would not do for a weekend of me being totally gone. Dad would come over twice on Saturday, but that is just not good enough. 

The kennels were supposed to be done, but the contractor had other stuff going on, and then he went to jail, and then when he got out it started raining. I have a massive hole in Far Field and now everything is totally soggy. Anyhow, before October I told him I needed those kennels by November. And October turned into November, and I was still rotating dogs. Now we have to wait until the ground freezes to get the concrete truck back there. Yay. 

So I am flipping out about this, when I realize, on the way back from my sister's on Sunday night that I could break two of my 15' footers in half using some of the same panels I used in the puppy pen. On Monday I called Walter, and we arranged for him to meet me on Tuesday at Tractor Supply.

They sell the Doc Bob kennels at Tractor Supply, and they sell the single panels, and gate panels. I saw little tags inside telling how much they cost. So I went there, to meet with the Contractor (the one Babs doesn't like), and I found what I needed. I saw they had a complete kennel -- five side panels and a gate panel, and they had a gate and 4 panels. 

I got the girl to come out with me and showed her what I wanted. I needed two gate panels and two side panels. She said I had to order the panels, they don't sell them separately. I said they must because you need 5 panels and a gate panel to make a kennel, there are only 4 there. She went and got her boss.

So I started out telling her what I needed. She would have none of it. She said she would sell me the two panels and the gate panel and order another gate panel for me. I told her I needed it to be ready before Friday though. She said that wasn't her fault.

I know it wasn't her fault. It wasn't my fault either, but who cares. What a crappy remark.

I told her ok, I will buy the kennel and the extra gate panel, but could I trade her some side panels for the gate panel as I really only need two side panels. No, that would be unethical. Unethical??? How. The side panels cost $70 the gate panel costs about $100. I would trade two for one, I would have traded three for one. 

Well she said that she could not do that. That I would be paying a lot more if I bought them separately. I would have to pay about $340 for two gates and two panels. I said Done. Will do that. The full kennel costs $300. But she would not, could not do it. 

I told her someone already had done it, obviously. She said they should not have. Ok. I said that I bought a gate and a panel a couple of years ago here. She still would not do it. Ok, fine. I pulled out the big guns and tried the old I'm-your-best-customer-card. She said everyone says that. 

Well, darn! Maybe everyone does say that, but isn't part of retail sales making customers feel special? Make them feel like they want to separate themselves from their greenbacks in your store? Maybe it isn't. I do spend about $200 a week at that store. It may not seem like much but it adds up. 

She gave me the sale price on the kennel, and with the extra gate panel, it cost me $375. So now I have 3 extra panels, that I really have nothing to do with, at this point. 

Whatever. I have to go and buy some dog food, and I am really on the fence now as to whether I want to use their store at all now. It is close, only 12 miles away which is a benefit. It just irks me. 

I am not usually such a crappy customer, but gee whiz, I wasn't asking her to open a box of something and selling me part of it. These panels are sold separately. They sell them! 

Ah well, I have to go there by eight to get another bag of dog food. I hope it came in or I will really be ticked. They had only one bag on Tuesday and I need two of each for a week. Uhg!


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

How frustrating. I think you should try to talk them into selling you half a bag of dog food.
(Take your own container.) HA!


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## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

I would call and speak to the store manager. She sounded rude, and I'm sure she didnt know what she was talking about. This sounds like what I go through at Lowes home depot.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

If it were me, I'd write a letter to the corporate headquarters and say pretty much what you said in your message!!!


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## A_selders (Jul 19, 2010)

*tractor supply*

I have to second what Arycrest and Patch both had to say. As someone who works retail both of these methods will usually get you satisfied. If a customer leaves our store and calls or emails corporate the complaint is rolled back to our store manager and he is made to call the customer and eat crow and usually offer the customer at least a 30 dollar or more gift card.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I had it typed out and ready to send from the website before I posted this. I did not send it. Frankly, if I had an employee that treated a customer like I was treated, there would be serious repercussions. And I don't want to get her fired. I just don't. 

I do like that store, normally get good service there, and I really don't want to have people looking at me funny when I go in there. 

One time I contacted a store about service. It was PetsMart in Willouby. It was when Heidi was a puppy and the groomer tied her by the neck up on a table and then went to answer the phone. She fell off the table and was hanging. I saw this happen from outside. Two other groomers had to grab her and put her back on the table. She let everyone pass by with dog in their hands, etc, and no problems. When I came in to collect her, the groomer failed to mention letting her hang herself and told me she was the most fearful GSD, etc, etc. I left the room and took the girl the circuit of the store (my version of counting to ten) and went back in there and asked if she thought maybe she had acted a little off because she dropped her off the table. She then told me the dog jumped. I was so furious with her that I walked out and called the manager after I got home -- about an hour's drive. The manager backed her up totally. I was shocked. I haven't been back to that store.


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## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

I wouldn't be surprised if the groomer called the manager ahead of time to tell her side of the story after you left.




selzer said:


> I was so furious with her that I walked out and called the manager after I got home -- about an hour's drive. The manager backed her up totally. I was shocked. I haven't been back to that store.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I expect she did.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Sorry it was a bad day for you! Maybe one day you might need the extra panels?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Kayos and Havoc said:


> Sorry it was a bad day for you! Maybe one day you might need the extra panels?


By the time Walter gets these kennels built, I probably WILL have to halve them too. 

Uhg! 

I just put Hepzibah's name at the bottom of my list as it looks like she will be with me for a while. I had someone willing to give me a couple of dogs, good pedigrees, good breeding, and if I had those kennels open, it would have been real tempting, but right now I really don't want to increase the number of dogs.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

wy didn't you ask to speak with a manager?


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

I would speak to the store manager and and maybe ask them if they know what kind of customer equity they would be loosing if you chose to take you business elsewhere.

Work it out beforehand
$200/week = $10400/year
$10400/year for even just 10 years = $104000

And that is only what you spend in that store. It doesn't include the consumers who choose to no longer patronage that store because of the experience you shared.

That kind of number will make a manager sit up and take notice (and maybe kiss a little rear). It would be much cheaper for them to make you a happy customer now than by being such sticklers for policy's sake.


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## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

selzer said:


> I had it typed out and ready to send from the website before I posted this. I did not send it. Frankly, if I had an employee that treated a customer like I was treated, there would be serious repercussions. And I don't want to get her fired. I just don't.


Send the letter, they won't fire her based on your one complaint, they can't. TS has a huge HR dept and rules. If she has a file of complaints and she's hit her limit then they will fire her, but why should you care? If she has enough complaints that yours is the final straw then you are doing them a favor. If it's her first complaint, then she'll get a talking to assuming they even care. In a perfect world, your letter would alert HQ to a serious flaw in their training and customer service.

I'd mention in the letter how much you spend there every month and that you will take your business elsewhere since it's not appreciated there. 
Find an independent that will appreciate how much you'd buy and strike a deal. That's what we did, we don't really get a price break on the food, but they deliver to us twice a month which is a big timesaver. (we have 12 dogs, so probably go through a similar amount of food as you do each month.)


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## The Packman (Jan 31, 2011)

arycrest said:


> If it were me, I'd write a letter to the corporate headquarters and say pretty much what you said in your message!!!


You'd be wasting a stamp !

IMHO...better to talk to the manager at the right time (when you know he / she won't be busy) and have all your toughts ready in your head.


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## 4score (Nov 4, 2011)

If you have any difficulty with the manager, consider using yelp.com. It's not just for restaurants. I've used it before for a pet store, and my "review" received a LOT of attention.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I think some employees get carried away with the power. I recently rented a van to travel some 3000 miles over a couple week period. I was advised my dog must travel in a crate, which is no problem because she always does. When I brought the van back after I left the employee decided to clean the van with sticky tape since their vacuum cleaner was not working. Note, the van was barely dirty considering how long I had it. Then they tried to charge me $59 extra for cleaning. The woman at the car rental charged after me in the lobby screaming and cussing at me that she would charge me double next time and I advised her I would not be renting any more vehicles from her and I was not paying the extra fee. I told her no way was I paying it, called my credit card company to block the charge and then called corporate head quarters regarding the entire mess. Needless to say the extra charge was reversed, corporate head quarters apologized and I will not be renting from the local Budget rental concession again. If the van had been covered with hair or dirt I would understand but I always leave my vehicles fairly clean. The employee took it on herself to make these extra charges. Shows you that the management is not always to blame.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Gharrissc said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if the groomer called the manager ahead of time to tell her side of the story after you left.


had this happen to me before. Luckily for me, I wasn't home yet so I turned around and drove back to the store with my very wet and smelly dog. Really wasn't anyway that she could argue with that.


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

arycrest said:


> If it were me, I'd write a letter to the corporate headquarters and say pretty much what you said in your message!!!


No kidding! I would do this also. There is no excuse for such bad service these days. And shops wonder why we buy so much from the internet.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have been contacted by a representative and they are working on it.


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## Wetdog (May 23, 2001)

Call around to some lumberyards and fencing companies-----many will not only sell you just the panels you want----they will also custom make them for you to your specifications. In a lot of cases, they will be the same cost or lower as the prepackaged, annoyance included from the BIG BOX stores.

BTW-----I always like portable kennels. Instead of concrete, put down a thick layer of bark/mulch. It worked well for me. If you have diggers----just lay down a mat of rabbit or hog mesh before you set up the kennel on top of the mat.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Well, my kennels are still not finished. The concrete is still not poured. I am beyond disgusted about that, but whatever. I did use those panels today:


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

Selzer you are right about groomers (my second wind, after sleep), not all but some! Now if someone sends a sour dog off don't ask how it went, you don't want to know. And there are some that will do all it takes to work (groom), or hang it, I worked that one time!  I hose, tub but I did see a place down the road where we could pay to let us use their stuff. I have a dog I would never send off to bathe unless I hated them , I do my own! I worked for a groomer one time.


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

I love people, but a vet does not know how to train, or a groomer a DOG. We all only know what we know , and help each other!!!


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

I would be showing up saying "what", then I see what they say too LOL!!! HELP EACH OTHER!!!


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

Ooooh, PUPPIES!!! :wub:

I can't believe you're still waiting! I hope that the weather clears soon and your kennels get done.


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

I ask a vet, and they ask me too.


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

My dog has been outside tonight after we got muddy again, dang thunder storms here all day!!


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

We got snow to look forward to again, that is so much fun for my dogs , they LOVE it!!!!!


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

selzer said:


> Well, my kennels are still not finished. The concrete is still not poured. I am beyond disgusted about that, but whatever. I did use those panels today:


Very Nice


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

I can never have another dog, but love what I see!!! Congrates!!!!


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

Guess what a dream come tru, I see snow


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## harmony (May 30, 2002)

Keep praying


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Swwet pups!


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## POWERSCOL (Jan 3, 2013)

This may not help much, but do you have a local farmers CO-OP near you. Mine will bend over backwards to find something I want, or even check who has it in the community or near by.


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## mehpenn (May 22, 2006)

We've bought single panels from our local TSC..... 

And that stinks that your kennels are STILL not done. Yikes. I'd being going insane!


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