Great Gatherings

Reviews 3

SA

Sabrina Barnhart

As a business owner and director of marketing and communications for many years, I know how important quality customer service is. I also recognize it when I see it and/or receive it. We ordered and received our bar set the other day and I couldnt let another pass without letting the management of Great Gatherings know what a good thing you have going on with some of your staffing. We purchased our kitchen stools a couple of months ago from salesman, Wes. He was so polite and accommodating when it came time to purchase the bar set, we knew wed only deal with Wes when we came back for it. As with the first purchase, he went above and beyond when I made a request to see two separate pieces situated together (to give me an idea of how it would look in my home). With your strong "no return" policy, I wanted to be 100% sure before I paid thousands of dollars for something that just didnt look right once it was in my home. We came back to the store to see our requested set up, made some adjustments to our bar set line up and purchased it right on the spot. Wes assured us of your white glove installation service and delivery was set within a few days. Now, when it comes to your delivery and installation team, we were more than pleasantly surprised to find the entire team so organized, polite, and professional. It started with a simple courtesy call from Eric, your delivery team lead, letting us know when they would be arriving. They showed up within thirty minutes and were ready to go. Each one came out (with smiles and great eye contact) and personally introduced themselves, not only making me feel comfortable but also that they were capable of taking care of the job intended. We were their last stop of their day but it certainly didnt show. I was impressed already. The pieces were big and heavy and the care they took bringing everything off the truck and into my house was appreciated. Pieces had to be put together and were done extremely carefully. Again, it was the end of the day and I got the feeling that no one was rushing to get out. Only to get the job done right. When it came time to get the final bar top on, Eric struggled with it and then enlisted the help of Mike and Chas. I really didnt think it was going to get on the bar flush but somehow they made it work as a team. The icing on the cake was when Eric made a decision to make the bar top super strong by replacing the short screws that came with the bar with longer, stronger screws. We feel confident that the bar top will stay strong regardless of how many people lean on it over the years to come! Mike and Chas worked diligently and simultaneously on building and cleaning, careful not to leave one bit of trash behind. Honestly, it was the whole team that really made us feel like we made a good investment/purchase. Their demeanor with us as customers and with each other was extremely refreshing. You could tell they liked each other and how they made such a good team. Erics years of installation experience shone through that day and we are very, very happy customers because of it. Good staff, like you all have, are hard to come by. They each, Wes, Eric, Mike and Chas are winners in our book and are wonderful representatives of your company philosophy. I would highly encourage you to do whatever it takes to retain them for the long term. Its service like that, that customers like us, will continue to come back and pay more money for over and over again.

CH

Chris Kyser

My wife Chris and I wanted to pass on to you our admiration and very sincere thanks for another superb experience at your Gainesville store. We recently returned to the store there and purchased a pool table as part of one of your sale packages and as has been our experience, the entire experience from the minute we entered the store to when the table was delivered was exceptional in every way. Our experience started with Shannon Danforth, who has been our primary point of contact for all of our purchases with you. As is his custom he was the consummate professional in every respect and helped us come to exactly the right decision base on the size room we had and what our vision for the space was. I cannot begin to tell you how great it is to know that whenever we enter the store, that Shannon and all of the folks there (Susan was also a great help) treat us as honored guests and friends. They are never "high pressure" and always provide us with fantastic advice on the various options available. These consistent actions reflect a standard of excellence that is set by design and reinforced through leadership and example. As a retired Marine with nearly 30 years in uniform,I recognize a good unit when I see one and this is certainly a great organization. Well done! I also wanted to make specific mention of the fine young men (Bobby and Brian) who delivered, constructed, and set up our table. They were also exceptionally professional, engaging, and knowledgeable about their craft. It was quite an education for me to watch how they set up the table and the painstaking attention to detail they took to ensure it was perfect for us in every way. They were quite tolerant of my "hovering" and constant questions and really made me feel part of the experience and for that I am grateful and you and your team at Gainesville should be very proud. They did a superb job and I was once again convinced that our decision to work with "Great Gatherings" remains, and will remain the right one! Once again Sir, thank you for a tremendous experience from start to finish and please accept our praise for a great team, a great standard of excellence, and a superb degree of customer service. We will be back. Shannon, Bobby, Brian, and Susan have made sure of that. Our very best regards and wishes for continued success.

A

A Private User

A few months ago I went into Great Gatherings looking for a gathering table and stools for our basement which was in the process of being finished. I found one I really liked and when I asked about ordering time I was told they could have it in a couple of weeks. I did not buy it because the basement was not finished yet and I had no place to store it. I went back a month later to order it and was then told that the stools that were shown with the table were no longer available because the manufacturer had been unable to provide them. New stools were on order and were expected in any time. I called weekly for 3 weeks and was finally told that the new stools were on display. I went in and looked at the new stools. I liked them so I ordered and paid for the table and 8 stools. I was told that they were expecting a shipment of the table and stools in 10 days and as soon as the shipment arrived and it was confirmed that they had the stools and table ready to go they would call to set up delivery. Two weeks went by and no call so I called them. The stools never arrived! They had a table but no stools and it seems no one knew when or if they would ever be able to get these stools which were ordered to replace stools that they were having a delivery problem with. Seems to me whoever does their buying should have done a better job of confirming that the manufacturer could even deliver the product that was ordered. The salesperson I spoke to said he would try to find out what was happening with these stools and in fact he did call me. They have no idea if they are ever going to get these stools to fill my order but they do have two of them in boxes so he asked if I wanted those 2 plus 6 that were the floor samples. I agreed to this so he said he would have the delivery dept call me "right away" to schedule delivery. This was this past Saturday. No call yesterday (Monday) so I call. The delivery folks have left for the day but the salesperson I had spoken to on Sat says he will definitely have them call me today. Still no call! Now these people have my money (in full) and I still dont have my merchandise or even a delivery date. It seems like they run a rather slip-shod operation there and its a wonder they can even stay in business this way.