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Alex89

Problems with some staff at a DZ?

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Hopefully this is the right thread to post in...

Have any of you guys had any problems with any staff from a DZ you went to? I went to Skydive Big Sky in Innisfail, AB just a few weeks ago, for my first jump ever (Now I am HOOKED!). My instructor was super awesome, kept me calm and just made the experience absolutely amazing! But the lady receptionist there was super mean :( We didn't really care at that time, but we were eager to come back and do more jumps!

We gathered alot more people this time, there is a group for about 10 of us who are 100% in! Also me and my friend (who jumped with me the first time) wanted to do the course for a solo jump because we want to get our AFF so we can jump for cheap. We had a lot of questions to make sure we can do that while our friends do tandem that same day. My friend called, and that same receptionist told her she didn't have time to answer our questions and that we should just look online, which we did prior to calling, but didn't find any answers we were looking for. She sounded like she was annoyed, but maybe they make too much money so groups of 10 are nothing to them...Also me and my friend are Russian, lived in Canada most of our lives, but we still have the accent, and the lady said that "we need to know and speak English to be able to do the solo course" which I find extremely ignorant and offensive, just plain rude.

Anyways we are losing our interest in going to jump at Skydive Big Sky again, either book our jumps with a different person other than the receptionist, or if you guys have any suggestions about other good DZ around Calgary, that would be great :-)
I LOVE! SKYDIVING!!!!

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I can't help you with DZ's around Calgary, if there are any, go there.

But you can ask to speak to the DZ boss and tell him that he has missed out on 10 new jumpers because his receptionist is an unhelpful bitch.

As far as the language barrier goes, if the Instructors have their act together, it shouldn't be a problem. I've trained first jump students from many countries, with little English language skills, and it hasn't been a problem....

Good luck.
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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Sorry to hear that. Keep at it! its not worth losing out on just because one person is a pain in the ass.

Also you typing this post means your english is totally fine for whatever training you need. unless your accent is so heavy its like one of those super fake russian accents u hear only in movies :P

and yea let the DZO know about it (politely) so that others dont get the same poor treatment you have.

Good Luck!

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That is one of the smaller problems in the industry, someone too bitchy picking up the phone and or dealing with customers. Seen it way too many times.

Don't worry about it, find another dz or ask to speak to the owner first and tell them about your issue.
you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

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H but we still have the accent, and the lady said that "we need to know and speak English to be able to do the solo course" which I find extremely ignorant and offensive, just plain rude.



I'm not defending her unhelpfulness. However, on the phone a DZ will often lay out a bunch of rules in a straightforward manner, without having a long lead up conversation -- especially if they are busy.

That might include something like:

"Students must be below 240 lbs. Students over 40 must have a note from their doctor. Students must sign a liability waiver. Students in the solo course must be able to speak & understand English."

So there you are, thinking she's calling you fat, old, and mentally incompetent to communicate in English.

But I bet a lot of DZ office staff will say something about the language issue, especially if there's any hint at all that some people in the caller's group (not just you yourself) might not be able to communicate well. Better to mention a bunch of restrictions ahead of time, instead of disappointing students when they show up. (People with poorer communication skills may get shunted to tandems. It isn't that they can't be taught, but everything is based on teaching people certain things within a certain range of expected time.)

So it may still be abrupt and possibly rude, but there is a reason for it.

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So it may still be abrupt and possibly rude, but there is a reason for it.



There is NO reason for being abrupt and rude.

The customer is always right....is generally true for any business. Especially when a customer is going to bring you lots of dinero.

Courtesy and patience is essential for any person fronting the business, costs nothing, and potentially pays off in a big way.

This front person has probablyv cost her boss a couple of thousand bucks, possibly more, not to mention his staff who miss out on the money they bring.. If I was the boss I'd be pretty pissed off, and she would certainly get a rocket up the bum, if not the DCM..

Nothing worse than someone treating potential clients like she's doing them a favour. She needs to realise that they pay her wages.
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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Sure, she's not supposed to be rude. But the point is that some things may SEEM rude & offensive to a listener, when the person saying them thinks it is a straightforward fact. Whether it is rude or not can be debated. Remember, I'm not defending her behaviour in general, but explaining statements about language ability.

Courtesy and patience do cost something ... staff time -- on the phone, in training, and supervision of other staff. You can't give potential customers everything they want -- but you sure can try to manage their expectations and try to give them sufficient attention not to drive them away.

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Thanks guys for all your answers,me and my friend have a small accent, definitely not a crazy thick one, we have more of an accent speaking Russian already haha. I think she was just trying to be a b****! But we called her on Monday, those championships were already done by then....And what's the point of having a receptionist if she doesn't have time to talk to her clients :S

Hahah I seen they keep talking about the pink eye, whats the truth behind the joke? Did someone get pink eye on their site once or what?

Thank you for the DZ recommendations, we will definitely check into it!
I LOVE! SKYDIVING!!!!

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Hey, I agree with everyone that no one who picks up the phone, at a DZ or any other business, should be bitchy. In fairness, she appeared bitchy to you, when you were super enthusiastic and eager to get all the info you wanted, and she may just have been a bit curt... It's all perspective sometimes. Now, please keep that in mind:

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And what's the point of having a receptionist



The DZs in Alberta are not large businesses. The person you call a receptionist is probably running manifest, scheduling tandems, organizing AFF jumps and instructors, and is might also be doing a few other things.
Remster

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Hey, I agree with everyone that no one who picks up the phone, at a DZ or any other business, should be bitchy. In fairness, she appeared bitchy to you, when you were super enthusiastic and eager to get all the info you wanted, and she may just have been a bit curt... It's all perspective sometimes. Now, please keep that in mind:

Quote

And what's the point of having a receptionist



The DZs in Alberta are not large businesses. The person you call a receptionist is probably running manifest, scheduling tandems, organizing AFF jumps and instructors, and is might also be doing a few other things.



Maybe that is the case but they still shouldn't advertise her number on their website then saying "for any questions call us" they should just get a person who deals with all the questions then. :(
I LOVE! SKYDIVING!!!!

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Hey, I agree with everyone that no one who picks up the phone, at a DZ or any other business, should be bitchy. In fairness, she appeared bitchy to you, when you were super enthusiastic and eager to get all the info you wanted, and she may just have been a bit curt... It's all perspective sometimes. Now, please keep that in mind:

Quote

And what's the point of having a receptionist



The DZs in Alberta are not large businesses. The person you call a receptionist is probably running manifest, scheduling tandems, organizing AFF jumps and instructors, and is might also be doing a few other things.



Maybe that is the case but they still shouldn't advertise her number on their website then saying "for any questions call us" they should just get a person who deals with all the questions then. :(



Some people keep dz office staff on the phone for 20-30 minutes then decide not to book. Some people call and want to go through the website page by page for an hour. Some people are quick and to the point.

It sucks, but they have to prioritize. At my home DZ, a busy day can see 80 calls. That 1-2 people have to take while also checking customers in and all the other stuff. Too expensive to have much more than 1-2 people, they do what they can.

Point I am making is that it's not indicative most of the time of the quality of the dropzone as a whole or it's instruction.
~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

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I feel like I have to join in since I was the one talking to her

OK, I do have an accent (not a heavy one). But I definitely dont have language barrier. And its not only about the snappy comment, that woman spent less than 3 minutes talking to me with no hint of interest even though i DID mention that I was trying to book for at least 10 of us and I did mention that we had been there before.

Its just weird that I was treated like that, thats all

P.S. thanks Alex for going through all this trouble :P

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hi. i work at skydive big sky. on behalf of the dz, and the owner, i am sorry for your experience. yes the "lady " at the front counter/ phone is a bitch. all of the people making excuses about the dz being busy, and her being stressed is bullshit, because she is always like that. a lot of us wish that we didn`t hear stories like this, but its the truth. we do have a very nice dz, with great facilities, and a great student/tandem safety record. a lot of fun jumpers and a great group of instructors. i would welcome you and your group to come skydive with us at skydive big sky. you will have fun.

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hi. i work at skydive big sky. on behalf of the dz, and the owner, i am sorry for your experience. yes the "lady " at the front counter/ phone is a bitch. all of the people making excuses about the dz being busy, and her being stressed is bullshit, because she is always like that. a lot of us wish that we didn`t hear stories like this, but its the truth. we do have a very nice dz, with great facilities, and a great student/tandem safety record. a lot of fun jumpers and a great group of instructors. i would welcome you and your group to come skydive with us at skydive big sky. you will have fun.



Why is she still working there?

She is the first person people deal with, and obviously, she is not doing your DZ any good as your "public face".
lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

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Thanks for taking time and replying with apologies, we did enjoy the first jump and the instructors were fun. Its a great place indeed

I can't promise we'll come back to big sky as we've been looking into other options since then.

We ll chat and maybe give you a call

much love,
Mia

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By the look of it she has dissuaded these 10 from coming to this DZ. I wonder how much money this “lady” has cost the DZ, and on a more personal note, the TI’s?



Yep, it always amazes me when someone forgets who is profit and who is overhead. [:/]
lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

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If you started the conversation with "I would like to put the deposit down for 10 first time jumpers" you would will probably get a much better response. Starting with "I have a group of 10 and what kind of discount can I get?" means the DZ will usually be wasting their time on the phone and if or when the group of 2-4 show up they are pissed that they didn't get the group of 10 discount like their friend told them they would get. I got a phone call today. Group of up to 20. After 10 min on the phone with the guy I suggested the DZ on the other side of town. In the spring my patience is better.

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Wow thank you...No the DZ is definitely amazing! The instructors are so good, your camera guys are hilarious, they answer every single question we had about safety concern without being annoyed (like what happens if the chute doesn't open...blah blah..bet you get asked that question 1000000 times a day) It's just we can't book with someone who makes us feel like we are a burden to her...It's hard trying to book without getting the info...Like we gotta make sure all of us can jump same day, we want to know how many people would be able to have a camera guy instead of a wrist cam, before we book...We want to know if me and my friend can do solo classes while our first time friends do tandem jumps...We were going to book Monday and all of us were waiting for her message so we can give her the $50.00 for the deposit...So yes all 10 people have been 100% confirmed to go.

But yes I will talk to them all and see what they want to do...It was very nice to receive some very nice messages from the DZ so they are good people...Just sucks about the receptionist.
I LOVE! SKYDIVING!!!!

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