RANT! Connecticut Ski Shop Rip-off

WARNING: THIS IS A RANT!!!!!
$35 to have a ski binding heel piece adjusted forward, not redrilled, just moved on its rail forward?????? Arrggggh!!! I feel like I really got burned today. I went today to Alpine Haus in Wethersfield (south of Hartford) to have the heel piece of a ski binding moved forward. I also brought a web coupon for a "free basic tuning" which Alpine Haus offers, and my wife's skis, which needed a very minor tweak. I understood that staff's reason for not doing the tuning on the spot -- it's a busy week. Of course, winter is usually fairly predictable since it is one of four major seasons in Connecticut and has been for many decades, I hear. But being prepared for a busy week doesn't seem to have occurred to the shop. Anyway, fine, I was willing to put off the tuning. But I had travelled across the state because of the tuning coupon and needed my binding adjusted in any case. So the shop agreed to do the work -- it will take a few days however, they said. Their "service guy" had gone home for the day, they said -- I was there at 3pm. Nice hours, I thought, I need a job like that. So anyway, the shop says they'll do the work but it will cost me their fee ($20 !!) plus an extra $15 for an "instant adjustment." What jerks! I felt I needed the work done and in the end stupidly paid for it. Sure, I should have had all this work done by now and not looked for a quick fix, but $35 to have a binding heel piece moved forward is a rip-off and I am stupid for not doing it myself. I'll never go there again! It's just this kind of thing that makes me grateful for this forum. I'm all for ski shop expertise and everything, but I want to learn how to do more of this minor stuff myself. Luckily, there was some poetic justice in all this -- I stopped at Marshall's Megastore and picked up some superb, top-line Kombi gloves for $13, a silk undershirt for $12, and a bundle of wicking performance base layers for a few bucks.

Yeah, I actually parted with money. Dumb! They did do their stupid little high-tech test as part of the price -- I usually just figure if I take a fall and I hear my femur snap, I probably need to adjust my bindings.

But my larger point is that ski shops are all too ready to take money, a lot of money, for things that any skier with an IQ higher than their binding's DIN setting ought to be able to do. I mean, my dad used to build airplane parts. Can't I adjust a binding myself? I realized today that I want to know my gear better; I want to be able to service it myself as much as possible. I mean, what's the point of having a so-called pro do the work if you have to sign a gazillion forms that indemnify the shop anyway.

Yikes, I hope not! And not to put too fine a point on it, but I'm not complaining about a $20 binding adjustment. I'm not "anti-ski shop," which is kind of a ridiculous idea, about as bizarre as being "pro ski-shop." It's the $15 surcharge and ease of the job that bothered me. I just think it's silly to be overly in awe of every single thing that a ski shop service department does. An oil change on a car is a good comparison. Few people want to change their own car oil and filter these days, and some disastrous things can happen if you screw it up (engine blow up, etc.). But it's something that anyone who wants to ought to be able to learn. And if you need an oil change on the spot, you shouldn't be asked to pay nearly double for it.

You're right, I know ... but it sure feels good to unload!

It's the ethics of the whole "rush charge" thing that seems dubious to me. First of all, the rush charge was not advertised anywhere, neither on the shop's website nor on the price board in the store. That's just sneaky. But I paid it and could have avoided getting myself into that position, so as Phil said, I have nothing to complain about. Of course, a certain amount of grousing about service standards is utterly healthy for the industry, one would think.

I'll definitely check those out!