I'm a busy guy. I don't usually have time to follow through with complaints about poor service. This time I've been inspired. I briefly mentioned that I had an issue with Europe Bound in my Vibram review. Let me bring you up to speed.

I was shopping for winter cycling clothes back in September and stopped by Europe Bound. They're in my neighbourhood, St. Lawrence Market, and look like a cool store. The employee that served me was helpful and we had a good chat about cycling in the winter. I had didn't buy anything that day, but had a good experience. So naturally, when I started shopping for Vibram FiverFingers I stopped by EB. It was December 26th. The store wasn't busy at all, but they had signs up for 30% off so I asked to try on some VFFs. After asking a couple of questions the sales guy suggested I go to the King St. location, as they carry more stock and may have better options for me. The sales guy also said that they were on sale for 30% off today only, so I shouldn't miss my chance to save some money. VFFs never go on sale, so I jumped at that chance.

I hopped on my bike and cycled across town. Once again the store wasn't very busy, I wandered around a bit and finally found the VFFs in the basement. The sales guy, John, was helpful. Let me try on a few pairs and suggested based on my comments to try the KomodoSport LS, which he had in stock. I tried them on and they fit perfectly! I said I'd take them! Then, just to be cautious, I asked the price and he quoted me $119. I told him that the other store quoted me 30% off for Boxing Day but it turns out that was a mistake. After calling the other store to check prices and stock levels, John said he was sorry but he can't match that price and the other store doesn't have this model in stock. I asked if we could check with a manager but John said he wouldn't ask the manager, because he'd get in trouble.

Strike one. You won't ask a manager to help correct a customer service issue? What is this? Some kind of joke? 

I thanked John for his time and left. Disappointed but I'd survive. Now that I'd tried the shoes and found my size, I could order them online and probably get a better price anyway. I arrived at home and thought I should give it one last shot, by emailing the manager, to see if I could get some kind of help or at least make sure he knew what was going on in his stores. I submitted my story via their Contact Us page. I also posted a review on Yelp with my story, thus far. Again, this was on December 26th. 

As time goes on, I'd mostly forgotten about my experience with EB. I even ended up buying the shoes from their store, at full price. I was frustrated, however, that I had not heard back from them. January 11th, 2012. I still haven't heard a peep from EB, so I went back to Contact Us and sent them a reminder "I submitted a complaint 2 weeks ago and haven't had ANY response for you yet..." at 7:54pm. At 11:03pm that same night, I get an email from sales@europebound.com and it says:

Hello, 

The item in question was not on sale on Boxing Day or any other day. Vibram 5 Fingers are already sold at a reduced rate. We sell them at the USD price BUT we pay 18% duty on top of that. I spoke to the Manager of the Front St. store and he apologizes for any confusion he may have caused. Perhaps you will think more kindly towards our store and accept our apology. 

A pretty generic apology, not much heart behind it and no mention of "sorry for the 16 day delay". I responded:

I was happy to give you another chance, but waiting two weeks for this weak response doesn't cut it. I'll take my business elsewhere. I've shared my experience on Yelp, Facebook and my website as well. 

Perhaps you will act more kindly towards your customers.

Yes, it was kind of harsh. Yes, I definitely could have bit my tongue. But I didn't. I told them how I was feeling and my filter was asleep already I guess. I slept well that night. The next morning a second email arrives:

Wow! I read your comments on Yelp, pretty harsh don't you think?!?! People make mistakes. It was Boxing Day.  Unbelievable. I was away visiting my family during the Christmas holidays and I come back to read comments like this. Thats why you weren't emailed. Those are disgusting comments. 

I guess my comments worked. I called their store messy and overpriced and recommended shoppers visit MEC instead. Do you think I was being too hard on them? Let's see what other Yelp reviews think:

"If you're claustrophobic I don't recommend coming into here." - Coy W.

"This places gives me an anxiety attack. Stuff piled up to the ceiling ... Half of it hadn't been touched since 1986, so watch out for floating dust bunnies.

The last time I was in there, the staff was busy, hiding behind the counter ... texting." - Lindsay S.

"Like others have said, this place has lots of stuff and hence good potential, but it's just such a mess that you have little hope to find what you're looking for." - Aaron B.

"Europe Bound has terrible customer service.  I only subject myself to going here if I am leaving for a trip the next day and the product I need at MEC is sold out." - Aleiza A.

"Very expensive and overall much worse than MEC, which happens to be right across the street. 

The store is a horrible mess of piled up stuff. They have a separated floor just for clothing, but it's so disorganized that I couldn't find out where the men's section was (hint: everything was all over the place, mixed with women's and kids')." - Fabio N.

"You feel defeated the moment you walk into Europe Bound because the store is just a bunch of completely disorganized stuff and the staff is completely unwilling to help." - Jordan T.

"it is a cramped, disorganized, mess of a store and whilst most of the staff are friendly, the owner does seems to be a bit grumpy." - Alexander L.

"It is a cramped, disorganized, mess of a store. Most of the staff are friendly however the owner is rude and pushy and ruins any friendliness the other staff show. And, despite what the owner will claim, the prices are not cheaper than MEC." - Matthew S.

Well folks, thanks for your input! I guess my comments aren't so disgusting, but rather quite on par with a typical EB shopping experience. And saying that you didn't respond to my email because of my poor review of your store?! How ass-backwards is that?! You ignore the customers that are really upset and only help the happy ones?! Is this an episode of Twilight Zone?!

So here we are, I've left poor reviews all across the internet, I've shared my story with 1500+ Twitter followers and hundreds of Facebookers. And now on my website as well.

Retail is a Darwinian industry. Only the strong survive. While companies like Europe Bound may have been around for a long time, the times are changing. In this day and age, you've got to act fast because EVERY customer is the media now. We all have audiences listening to us and we all have iPhones in our pockets. I can share my distaste in your service before I walk out the door. I'm sure Russ Raftis, the owner of EB, is terrified. He probably blames the economy, the competition and the shrinking margins for his business woes. But I promise you Russ, from one retailer to another, your survival is in your own hands and the hands of every customer that walks through your door.

Here's a YouTube video I posted tonight:

And an Instgram photo as well:

There are many places to pick these up in Toronto. I ended up getting them at Europe Bound even though I had some customer service issues there, which I'm still hoping to resolve, if they ever respond to my email. Mountain Equipment Co-Op and Energia are also places I checked out. They had limited choices in stock, but good service. You can also save a few bucks if you order them online, but it's very important to get the correct size, so I opted for buying in-store for my first pair.

If you'd like more information on minimalist running or to meet some other runners, I'm part of two Facebook groups that are full of great folks. One is for people in the Toronto area; Bare Minimum. The second is for people anywhere; Barefoot and Minimalist Runners. See you there!