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Hello,

In October I moved into _____ and was delighted to find a Games Workshop nearby. I have since dome to realize that the staff at a Games Workshop store is the most important thing. When Nathan and Kate were in training at the store it was a blast; the attitude was always positive, the employees were always helpful and the game took a back seat to sales and fun.

With the store now a one man operation it has turned into a very negative place. _____ is extremely childish and petulant and his behavior is completely unacceptable. I have personally seen _____ throw dice when he is unlucky, become upset and unapproachable when he loses a game or the store is very busy. He constantly makes personal phone calls while on the clock, some of which put him into an even worse mood. He is extremely lazy; I've not once seen him volunteer to help a new player model/paint/build a new army on his own initiative. His Academy classes are terrible. He reads out of the book word for word, walks away from the student and I've even seen him have another older customer teach the class while he was talking to new customers.

The last straw came tonight when I saw him trying to cheat to beat a 12 year old. The specifics are unimportant but the poor kid obviously didn't understand one of the more complex functions of his unit. When it was explained to him _____ threw a fit, literally, and said that he couldn't do it. The action wasn't important; _____ has already steamrolled the kid in an unfair fight. When I persisted _____ relented and "allowed" an already perfectly legal action. The kid was obviously uncomfortable and I will take some of that blame for not backing down where the kid would have just taken _____' word.

The whole episode was disgusting in many ways. To me the most obvious was that he was trying to cheat. He knew the rules and was trying to wiggle out of them. The fact that the person whose job it is to introduce and guide new players through the game was trying to cheat is very upsetting. Second the battle was a joke. It was set in such a manner that the kid could not win. _____ had absolutely no problems with this and did not give any pointers to the kid as to how to do some things. Apparently the fight was for a "campaign" that _____ had set up and wanted to win. It is very unprofessional for the employee to have a score in a campaign like that much less play new players simply so he can pad his score. I understand that it is not his place to throw games to make the kid look better but it was upsetting to see the kid obviously unhappy with how bad his army was getting beat. At that age morale is very shaky. One bad experience with a game can turn a child off to the entire hobby. Third _____ behavior was appalling; he raised his voice and after relenting refused to talk to anyone. This is the behavior I would expect out of a child.

I can understand a lot of things about your business. It is an expensive process to create the models and rules used for the game, rent your buildings and support the players. You cannot control the costs of running a business or the need to turn a profit. I can understand the difficulty in balancing a game with so many unique situations. What you can control however is the quality of person representing your company. _____ is not the type of person that draws players into the hobby. If I wasn't so invested in the game and able to deal with his poor attitude I would not return. As it stands my proximity to the shop along with the attitudes of other customers that frequent the shop keep bringing me back.

Sincerely,
A loyal customer

Dear Valued Customer,

We appreciate your interest in the Hobby. Please buy more stuff.

kthx,

GW form letter producer

I highly doubt you'll get much more than something like that. They get thousands of emails a day, and I doubt if they read many of them at all.

Yea I'm pretty sure its an exercise in futility. I might not send it I just needed to write it to cool down a little.

He realised he had to pay the mortgage. The "stay loyal to customers who dedicate lives to hobby" thing doesnt work for gw only businesse because its such a small demographic.

Try greasing the wheel. Put like 5 bucks in the envelope.

Well, you never know. Personally, I would have just taken it directly to the area manager or whatever they call them now. His bonus is affected by that store's sales................

I think in the end it's his own downfall and he will lose money from all this.

I have two gw stores in my area. Mind you, they aren't actually GW stores but hobby shops that sell LOTS of 40k stuff and have a game going at all times, so basically the same thing. Anyways, One is 10 minutes away the other 35. I originally went to the 10 one, however the employees were completely unwilling to help me out and all the players there had their little exclusive click which didn't allow for much learning for the new players. I went in twice and hated it both times, after which I resigned to just learning the ropes at home and buying online.

Then about two months ago I wanted to pick up a set that I didn't have to wait for. I went by the 40 minute store cause it was on my way and ended up spending a few hours there. I have been going there once or twice a week now each week and end up buying something most of the time, whether it be paints or models or whatever.

The people there are great. The owner sits down with my brother and I and paints with us when there aren't many customers around and if he played 40k (he plays fantasy) would play, too. My brother and I both thoroughly enjoy going again and I have actually started buying from him.

Sure, I can get my models cheaper online. Hell, I can probably get everything for 30% off. But I like the guy and the store and so I buy from him instead. I will even place an order and wait for it to arrive to him and then pick it up instead of ordering straight from GW.

When you are inviting you make more money. It's his loss in the end. As for whether to mail or call them; do it. Why not? It's irresponsible in my opinion to not at least give it a half hearted attempt. It's not right that this guy is destroying kids fun and turning them off from the hobby. I've been there and it's no fun to be the guy who they are nice to when your buying something but not when you try to use what you bought.

Last email I sent GW took a good three or four weeks to get a reply, so even if you get a response it'll be awhile before you do.

Send it and see for yourself

If they dont reply, okay. Another notch in the "GW-dont-give-a-frak"-club.

If they do reply, good.

Print it on paper, put it in an envelope, stick a stamp on it and address it to Tom Kirby c/o GW US HQ. That way it WILL get attention guaranteed. GW don't like emails, but they do respect snail mail. I don't know why they have this bias - maybe because paying for a stamp indicates the writer cares sufficently about the topic to pay a few cents to express it as opposed to an email which can be spammed out in seconds, who knows? However, this is how they choose to take their feedback, so you may as well use it if you feel strongly enough.

Oh, and addressing it to Kirby means that while he is unlikely to read it, it will get dealt with by Customer Services (or at least Kirby's PA) and won't get buried by some middle-manager who might want to cover his back for some reason.

5 Bucks? That's chump change You need at least a gold card in there with it.

Wow, I thought I replied here (even double-posted by mistake) but it didn't show up...

I think you'd have the best chance talking in person to one of the local managers. They definitely don't train their employees to cheat 12-year olds to win... That's not getting anyone into the hobby!

I'd like to echo the suggestion of normal post and copying it also to the more local headquarters. - For example, I think my local one is Dudley.

I do remember having a very similar experience to something like this myself 6+ years ago when I was dumb enough to play a staff member in a store (yes that was also dumb) tournament. At 24 now, I'm still bitter about it.

(If you're really interested, it was ROTK and the staff member didn't believe in the existance of the 'no multiple on multiple combat rule in LOTR when I used it to split off a wounded hero in an assassination mission from combat with a nastything to avoid certain death.)

But, long story short, I think it must be seen as something like a staffmember can never be wrong and staff can never be seen to disagree.

Thank you sir. We're happy to inform you that all of our customer's e-mails are forwarded directly to Recycle Bin.

THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY.

Write your letter.

The worst that happens is that it is ignored.

The best that can happen is that GW is now aware of the situation and will investigate that manager.

I debated sending a letter to (Auto Maker) due to a bad visit to a car lot. I decided to send it in, and got an apology letter back along with assurance that it would be investigated. Later, I got a letter stating that the person in question was reprimanded. Hopefully, the person doesn't behave that way again, which was my intent.

Best of luck. Let us know. I like hearing good stories, too.

Osbad wrote:Print it on paper, put it in an envelope, stick a stamp on it and address it to Tom Kirby c/o GW US HQ. That way it WILL get attention guaranteed. GW don't like emails, but they do respect snail mail. I don't know why they have this bias - maybe because paying for a stamp indicates the writer cares sufficently about the topic to pay a few cents to express it as opposed to an email which can be spammed out in seconds, who knows? However, this is how they choose to take their feedback, so you may as well use it if you feel strongly enough.

Oh, and addressing it to Kirby means that while he is unlikely to read it, it will get dealt with by Customer Services (or at least Kirby's PA) and won't get buried by some middle-manager who might want to cover his back for some reason.

This.

don_mondo wrote:Well, you never know. Personally, I would have just taken it directly to the area manager or whatever they call them now. His bonus is affected by that store's sales................

And this.

Send the letter to Kirby, and either directly hand a copy to the area/regional manager if you know when next you’ll see him, or keep a copy in your gaming stuff, and if he happens to pop into the store while you’re there, .tell him that you’ve got some concerns about the store, and give it to him then.

Osbad wrote:Print it on paper, put it in an envelope, stick a stamp on it and address it to Tom Kirby c/o GW US HQ. That way it WILL get attention guaranteed. GW don't like emails, but they do respect snail mail. I don't know why they have this bias - maybe because paying for a stamp indicates the writer cares sufficently about the topic to pay a few cents to express it as opposed to an email which can be spammed out in seconds, who knows? However, this is how they choose to take their feedback, so you may as well use it if you feel strongly enough.

Oh, and addressing it to Kirby means that while he is unlikely to read it, it will get dealt with by Customer Services (or at least Kirby's PA) and won't get buried by some middle-manager who might want to cover his back for some reason.

I agree, a written or typed letter gets a better response all of the time. It shows you have taken the time to express yourself, and gives then something tangible to hold. I used to work in customer service and this is the way to get things done. I got 6 months free cable in a similar situation by writing a letter instead of e-mails and phone calls.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
one more important thing about writing a letter. Spell check grammar and no cursing!! You did not do bad in your written post, I just want to add that for everyone else. Anything that can take away from your message may make them just toss it aside.

As long as it's not the store manager who is behaving in the immature manner you describe, then bringing it up with him would be the best way to deal with it.

Edit: missed the "now that the store has become a one man operation" line.

Go to the regional manager first, and I agree that a hand-written letter is the best way to get attention.

Dare I ask what location or state this is in? I'm more curious as i've never seen that type of behavior from a manager in my area.

The best course of action is to set fire to your LGS.

Oops I didn't realize this was a week old... oh well, necro FTW.

Even though its a week old I didn't see any sign of a reply from GW. So I will agree with the burninating. Faster responce time than snail mail.

pom134 wrote:Hello,

In October I moved into _____ and was delighted to find a Games Workshop nearby. I have since dome to realize that the staff at a Games Workshop store is the most important thing. When Nathan and Kate were in training at the store it was a blast; the attitude was always positive, the employees were always helpful and the game took a back seat to sales and fun.

With the store now a one man operation it has turned into a very negative place. _____ is extremely childish and petulant and his behavior is completely unacceptable. I have personally seen _____ throw dice when he is unlucky, become upset and unapproachable when he loses a game or the store is very busy. He constantly makes personal phone calls while on the clock, some of which put him into an even worse mood. He is extremely lazy; I've not once seen him volunteer to help a new player model/paint/build a new army on his own initiative. His Academy classes are terrible. He reads out of the book word for word, walks away from the student and I've even seen him have another older customer teach the class while he was talking to new customers.

The last straw came tonight when I saw him trying to cheat to beat a 12 year old. The specifics are unimportant but the poor kid obviously didn't understand one of the more complex functions of his unit. When it was explained to him _____ threw a fit, literally, and said that he couldn't do it. The action wasn't important; _____ has already steamrolled the kid in an unfair fight. When I persisted _____ relented and "allowed" an already perfectly legal action. The kid was obviously uncomfortable and I will take some of that blame for not backing down where the kid would have just taken _____' word.

The whole episode was disgusting in many ways. To me the most obvious was that he was trying to cheat. He knew the rules and was trying to wiggle out of them. The fact that the person whose job it is to introduce and guide new players through the game was trying to cheat is very upsetting. Second the battle was a joke. It was set in such a manner that the kid could not win. _____ had absolutely no problems with this and did not give any pointers to the kid as to how to do some things. Apparently the fight was for a "campaign" that _____ had set up and wanted to win. It is very unprofessional for the employee to have a score in a campaign like that much less play new players simply so he can pad his score. I understand that it is not his place to throw games to make the kid look better but it was upsetting to see the kid obviously unhappy with how bad his army was getting beat. At that age morale is very shaky. One bad experience with a game can turn a child off to the entire hobby. Third _____ behavior was appalling; he raised his voice and after relenting refused to talk to anyone. This is the behavior I would expect out of a child.

I can understand a lot of things about your business. It is an expensive process to create the models and rules used for the game, rent your buildings and support the players. You cannot control the costs of running a business or the need to turn a profit. I can understand the difficulty in balancing a game with so many unique situations. What you can control however is the quality of person representing your company. _____ is not the type of person that draws players into the hobby. If I wasn't so invested in the game and able to deal with his poor attitude I would not return. As it stands my proximity to the shop along with the attitudes of other customers that frequent the shop keep bringing me back.

Sincerely,
A loyal customer

One form letter to another? Your wasting your time.

Get about five to ten of your pals who saw the exchange, and you'll have something to go to the head office about. ( especially when you all decide take this story to GW personally, head over to the next store and drop this story in and ask to see the district office, because of a manager running the store contrary to how they were trained.

Your letter is too long, the points are lost in the extesive sentences, and the facts are muddles in the unnessesarily lenghty discussions of what you "Think" they want to hear.

Seriously, drop out all of the excess and stick to the 5 W's, and How and Why this particluar manager has deep sixed this particular store in this particular area, and how much of a loss personally from you that they won't see, and the negative impression that thier store has given your community of GW because of a smacktard.

I sent an email to GW once.

Short of threatening to take my Dog, they were incredibly hostile and rude.

So yeah, don't expect a response or if you do, it will just be a "Buy Moar Stuff plx" Boilerplate response.

Gwar! wrote:I sent an email to GW once.

Short of threatening to take my Dog, they were incredibly hostile and rude.

So yeah, don't expect a response or if you do, it will just be a "Buy Moar Stuff plx" Boilerplate response.

Out of curiosity what was this email about?

But all in all the message, while worded well and junk was long and stuff. Man my head hurts. Like others are saying, take it up with the regional manganer first.

You don't remember the infamous GW 'borrowing" Gwar!'s Space Wolf FAQ answers for their FAQ?

It was completely unintentional.

Allegedly.

Apparently so much so that it never happened.

Kinda.

After all, the regional manager is a person. You can't talk with the Imperium. You can follow them on twitter. The Emperor is on FaceBook. View Khorne's myspace...
Bah.
GW survives on nicotine inhaled from the fumes of the plastic glue.

Alpharius wrote:You don't remember the infamous GW 'borrowing" Gwar!'s Space Wolf FAQ answers for their FAQ?

It was completely unintentional.

Allegedly.

Apparently so much so that it never happened.

Kinda.

Ah yes. How did I forget? I recall posting in that thread. I was like: "I haz no opinion let me present both sides equally" and no one seemed to care

I did not read it. Link to said thread?

It was closed a few weeks ago. Many people were like: "Gwar! your ego = big and needz to be stroked!!" Others were like: "GW is BADZOR they stoleded Gwars faq!!"

Can't you still link to it though?