Lockwoods Ski Shop, Leamington Spa

I visited the shop this afternoon to buy an expensive Rab walking jacket. I was able to look at all the jackets available and try various options on . There were no staff on the shop floor to assist. I decided on one which cost over £200 pounds, I took it to the cash desk along with a snood, hat , socks and gloves.

I was treated with compete distain by the two women on the desk. I was given one word grumpy answers to my simple questions regarding the jacket.

Both women were downright rude and after my payment had gone through my purchases were pushed across the counter towards me with not bag or thank you.

I couldn’t believe the awful service and next time will simply buy online from a different retailer.

May I add that the service at the shop is not all bad as on a previous occasion I received excellent service from the gentleman who fits walking boots.

In the last few months my left foot, perhaps through arthritis, has expanded requiring me to wear wide fit shoes. As I'm going skiing soon I tried my ski boots and, although I was able to get them on, my left foot was painful after wearing it for a couple of hours. So today I went to Lockwoods, explained the boot had been "blown out" a few years ago but was now causing me problems.

I feared that I might need a new pair but the boot fitter said he would try to get more volume into the boot to make it comfortable. I'm absolutely delighted that he was able to solve the issue.

Excellent service!

The toe part of my ski binding broke!!, not the newest skis in the world about 7 years old Rossignols, my immediate thought was 'nightmare' new skis or new bindings = expense I don't really need however 'nice' new skis would be.

So I contacted Lockwoods at Leamington who I have used for a number of years for my ski gear, Lockwoods are not cheap but you get what you pay for, at Lockwoods you pay for really expert knowledge and skilled personnel, something I value.

I asked if it was possible to obtain the required part to make a repair to the damaged binding, (not really expecting to get a result). My enquiry was owned by a man at Lockwoods who contacted his Rossignol rep and a week later the part is on its way to me to make the repair.

Absolutely excellent customer service and diligence for a £12.50 part which saved me loads of money for new kit.

This is service you would find hard to mirror in a 'chain outlet'

Well done Lockwoods and thanks for the service and support.

It should be a really great shop but their customer service is 100 years out of date. The gentleman owner was what can only be described as rude to one of my children and seemed to get cross with both me and my 1 old when he wriggled about whilst trying on snow boots!! It surprises me when so much can be bought online these days that the shop can be in a position to be so unhelpful, miserable and sour to a family willing to part with money for expensive ski gear. And yes it is expensive and with little selection across budgets for children. It is hard to find good ski shops but I would sooner drive than revisit this shop. During the prep for this family ski holiday (for 5 people) I have visited 4 other ski shops and my only truly negative experience was at Lockwoods and I didn'the even have all 3 children with me at the time. Lockwoods does have a lot of gear in store other than that I would have rated it with 1 star. I will not be going back.

I had been looking for a particular brand of boots (Altberg) for my employment, but was unable to find anywhere locally that stocked the particular models of the brand I was looking for. I noticed that lockwoods sold some other models of that brand and so I contacted them to enquire as to whether they could offer any assistance with my search.

The service I received from my original telephone enquiry, to visiting the shop was second to none. I was told over the phone that while they didn't have the particular model I was looking for, they would be more than happy to take time to measure my feet in order that they could then advise me on the boot size and width that I would need to order - given that Altberg make their boots in 5 different width options, this was exactly what I needed.

On visiting the shop, the chap who dealt with me was the same who had fielded my telephone enquiry, and he spent probably around 45 minutes to an hour talking to me about boot options and measuring my feet, while all along knowing that I wasn't even going to be buying my boots from their store. I left the store with the exact boot size and width that I needed, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this store for anyone.

Excellent customer service is my opinion of this store!

Having suffered chronic pain problems with my feet for nine months the local hospital recommended a special a comfortable orthotic for all my footwear. The inserts are quite thick so I doubted whether they could be fitted into my ski boots as they would add extra volume (and therefore limit foot space) to boots that had already been blown out to accommodate the shape of my feet.

I was prepared to buy new bigger boots if necessary but the technicican, having measured my feet, felt he could make adjustments to meet my needs. After shaving space from the base insert of the boot, and creating more volume by heating the top of the boot, he fitted the new orthotics and solved the problem.

I was in the shop for about 45 minutes (10 minutes discussion, 20 minutes for remedy work, and 15 minutes walking around in adjusted boots). The knowledge and skill of the technician was excellent - and there was no charge.

I'm sure many shops would have persuaded me to buy new boots - but Lockwoods put the customer's interests first. I shall need new boots in the next couple of years and I shall buy them from Lockwoods.

Fed up with never being able to get good advice or walking boots that are comfortable I decided that a 40 mile drive to Lockwood’s was worth it to get good service, and a wide selection of boots. I wasn't disappointed. I went on a Wednesday morning when it was quiet, and the assistant (sounds like paper being moved vigorously) spent two hours helping me to make the right choice of boot. Well worth the time and trouble going there.

After searching online for four variants of a small item, I found them on Lockwood's website. It was a Saturday when I placed my order. Both shop and mail order only operate from Tuesdays to Fridays, which is a bit limited in this day and age.

Under 'Delivery Information' the website states "If your order is under 2kg in weight, you will be given the option of delivery by Royal Mail post at checkout." Although the net weight of my order was 500gm I did not get that option and was billed for £5.00 delivery by courier.

Unhappy with that, I sent an email pointing it out and requesting that my order be sent by Royal Mail First Class for £3.00.

On Tuesday morning I received a reply informing me they only had one of the four items I had ordered.

All I can say in Lockwoods favour is they don't take the payment from your card till the time of dispatch.

This review is best described in percentages as will become clear .A Big thanks to the 50% of the staff I encountered at Lockwoods who were friendly and helpful (a middle aged lady with blonde hair and a similar aged gentleman).

Not so to the remaining 50% sour faces who happened to be on the checkout as ski gear for my wife and kids totalling £704 when through the till. “Any chance of some discount for being such a good customer” and I would also return for my gear. There was some grunting and gesticulating from the happy girls which resulted in the £4 being knocked from my bill … 4 whole pounds… 0.5% I could do little but laugh and with my children present I decided to use the power of the pen instead of an embarrassing confrontation.

So a BIG thanks to Lockwoods, I would have sent this email to them but you seem not to be able to contact them through email. A thanks to 50% of their staff giving 100% but not to the 50% who didn’t and a thanks for the 0.5% discount that I wished I had refused, “better than nothing my Dad would have said” no, not on this occasion I just felt insulted.

Great service from knowledgeable folk. Situated in an area with little quality competition, but boy oh boy why are they open for such a short period? Sureley someone must realise how much more business could be done if only the place was open for trade when customers were available!