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We Solve Problems

vapour racquetball gloveEarlier today, a gentleman came into our southwest Calgary store looking for a racquet glove. Specifically, he wanted a right hand, size large. Of course, we had one for him because that is what we do. We carry odd things that only racquet sports players would want.

Further conversation with the customer in this case, however, made it pretty clear to our staff that a glove was not going to solve his problem. In fact, the glove might actually have made things worse.

When a customer walks into our store, we usually start off by asking questions. “Hello. How are you today?” “How can I help you?” “Are you looking for anything in particular?” This is not just small talk. It is the beginning of the best kind of service customers can ask for — service that aims to identify their problems and help them find solutions.

In this case, the customer thought the solution for his problem was a $30.00 glove. In the end, it was a $3.66 overgrip. So he left with his problem solved and saved $26.34 in the process.

Why do you want a glove, we asked him? What problem are you trying to solve? His answer: my pickleball paddle is turning in my hand. This is causing me to miss shots. OK. No problem, we said. Do you have the paddle here? Maybe we can take a look at it.

Examining the paddle yielded all of the information we needed to help solve this customer’s problem. Issue Number One was the grip; his grip was completely worn out. It was hard and totally smooth. So of course it was slippery. Issue Number Two was the grip size; this customer was nearly six feet tall and he had a tiny little handle made for a player closer to five feet. Issue Number 3 was perspiration; it turns out this customer was a heavy sweater.

Could we have sold him a $30.00 glove? Sure. Would it have solved his problem? Not fully. Even with a glove on, the paddle would continue to turn in his hand. Even with the glove, the paddle would still be too small. And wearing a glove, especially on a hot day, is likely to provoke and even stronger sweat response from his body.

In this case it was more sensible to build his grip size up with overgrip designed for heavy sweaters. The new grip added traction to this paddle handle and it made it a little bigger which was more proportional to the size of his hand. And because we picked out an absorption grip that is heat and moisture activated, his grip will become tackier as he plays.

Problems solved. Money saved. That’s the essence of what we do for customers every day.

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Warranties, Returns and Other Pickleball Gripes

stamp-out-fraudMost people don’t think much about return fraud or warranty fraud. And why should they? Most people are honest, so they aren’t affected by such nefarious things. Right?

Wrong. Warranty fraud and return fraud impact honest people more than dishonest people. While dishonest people benefit from these common types of retail fraud, honest people pay the price.

Let me give you an example.

Approximately one per cent of customers are “serial returners”. This means that they return more than half of their purchases. In the pickleball world, this is the kind of person who buys a paddle, plays with it, returns it to the store to exchange it for another one, plays with that one for a while and then returns it again.

They may eventually purchase one paddle, but in the process they have used and returned two or three or four. Of course, the returned paddles are not new and cannot be sold as new, so the cost of these paddles is passed along to honest customers in the form of higher margins.

Serial returners and their cousins, “frequent returners”, make up only six per cent of the population, but they account for about 90% of the costs associated with returns and exchanges while the remaining 94% of retail customers — the honest people — collectively account for only 10% of the costs of returns. The numbers for warranty fraud, meanwhile, are equally disturbing.

What is warranty fraud? Here’s an example. Earlier this year we got an email from a loyal customer and friend who has shopped with us for years. He warned us to expect a visit from an angry customer (we’ll call him Ben) in the next few days. Apparently, Ben had purchased a paddle from us two weeks earlier that he no longer liked and wanted to return.

Unfortunately for Ben, there was nothing wrong with the paddle. So after discussing it with some of the players in his group, Ben decided to heed some bad advice and take matters into his own hands. Before he went home that day he smashed his paddle into the top of a gate post several dozen times until the surface was dented and damaged beyond repair. A few days later he came into our store asking for warranty coverage, claiming the damage was done by nothing more than playing pickleball.

This is a classic case of warranty fraud. The customer decided he wanted a new paddle. He also decided that he wanted somebody else to pay for it. So he faked a warranty claim. Sadly, he is not alone.

The Canadian Retail Council estimates that shrinkage due to return fraud, warranty fraud and other forms of fraud costs retail stores more than $4 billion annually. They estimate that just under 19% of all retail purchases are returned. In fact, return/warranty fraud alone accounts for about nine cents of every retail dollar spent.

In other words, honest people pay about 10% more than they should because big box retailers make it easy for dishonest customers like Ben with easy return/warranty policies. For pickleball players, this works out to about $8-10 per paddle and about 40 cents per ball.

Here at Racquet Network, we have taken a stand against return/warranty fraud. In order to ensure that we can charge the lowest possible prices, we have very restrictive return/warranty policies. As a result, we have reduced incidents of fraud to lower levels than most retail sporting goods stores.

At the same time, we have also developed fair demo programs that allow honest customers to try before they buy. We have also added online product reviews to our website so that customers can share their opinions of products with other customers and do some research before they spend any money.

On top of this, most of the products that we carry are covered by a manufacturer’s warranty of some kind. So if something does go wrong for a legitimate customer, there are ways for them to get replacements for genuinely defective products.

None of this matters to serial returners or warranty fraudsters, however. In their minds, they are doing nothing wrong. And they are not shy about saying so. In fact, a recent US study found that serial returners are 40 times more likely to post a bad review about a store or a manufacturer after a failed return attempt than a happy customer.

So the next time you are gathered with your pickleball friends listening to somebody complain about how a retailer did them wrong, ask yourself this: who is the real problem here? Before you judge the retailer, maybe you should gather some facts about the customer.

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Smart Racquet Demo Program

Smart racquets are the hottest thing in tennis right now. Nearly everybody has one, is getting one or is thinking about getting one.

And why not? They’re fun. They connect to your phone. The give you valuable feedback and help you improve. So what’s not to like?

Granted, the price is a little steep. At $400-500 CDN, it may not be an easy purchase for a guy to explain to his wife. Before going way out on a limb like this, he probably wants to have a good idea of how he’s going to benefit from such a high end racquet purchase.

No worries, bro. That’s what Racquet Network is for. We are the experts who help you figure all of this stuff out. We’ve got your back.

Most importantly, though, we’ve also got a demo program that allows our customers to test drive smart racquets before buying them. That’s right, we let you try them before you buy them.

All you have to do is call us to set up a Smart Demo appointment with one of our technicians. They will hook you up with a demo, set you up with the app, help you pair it with your phone and give you a week to gather some data for your Babolat Play account.

Once you have some data, you will be able to decide whether or not a smart racquet make sense for you.

If you are like most people, though, you will immediately recognize the value of having “a pro in your pocket” who tracks every shot and immediately shows you what you are doing right and what, if anything, needs to improve.



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Pickleball Paddle Warranties

WILSON TOUR PRO PICKLEBALL PADDLE
Wilson offers a one-year warranty against manufacturer’s defects.
Not all pickleball paddles are created equal — and not all come with warranties.

Staff at Racquet Network generally advise our customers to purchase pickleball paddles that come with warranties. Unfortunately, not everybody listens to us. Frequently, in fact, customers complain that we are only advising them to do so because paddles with warranties cost more.

Like everything else in life, quality costs money. So the more you spend on a pickleball paddle, the better the paddle you get. In fact, higher quality paddles are so well made that they don’t even need a warranty. The people who make them know this. So offering a warranty is a no-brainer for them. They know the paddle is so well made that they most likely will never have to replace it.

Low priced paddles (there is a lot of junk in the racquet sports industry) do not come with warranties. They cost less because they are poorly made with low quality materials. The manufacturers know this, too, of course because they are the people who make them. They know that cheap paddles are not durable and so they also know it would be foolish to offer a warranty on such a low quality product.

So why do these paddles exists if they are not worth buying? The answer is simple: demand. There is huge demand for low-priced paddles in the pickleball market. For every one player who understands that quality paddles cost money, there are ten who fool themselves into thinking that pickleball paddles should be cheap and that a cheap pickleball paddle is just as good as an expensive one.

A second explanation for the success of “junk” paddles is that most new pickleball players try the sport before committing to it. In other words, they buy a cheap paddle and see if they like pickleball first. Then a few months later, if they are still playing, they buy a better paddle.

Here at Racquet Network, we stock paddles at all price points. We carry low-priced paddles for players who are just trying the sport out and we carry high end paddles for players who are fully committed to the game. We also carry a variety of paddles for every price point in-between.

Whether you are a new player or an old veteran, though, our advice will always be the same; you are more likely to be satisfied with a quality paddle than a cheap one. So unless price is an overwhelming issue for you, choose a paddle with a warranty. You may never need the warranty, but having one virtually guarantees that the craftsmanship is worth the investment.

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Squash Ball Test

Choose the squash ball that is best suited for your skill and fitness level. Your overall enjoyment of the game will go up while the potential for injury goes down.

This brief test is designed to help you figure out which of the four most popular balls is best suited for your equipment and fitness level. Infrequent squash players with older equipment will want to use one of the first two balls. Frequent players with the latest equipment will want to use one of the last two squash balls.

Score one point for each true answer. The ball with the most points is probably best for you and will ensure that you get the highest level of enjoyment from your squash matches. It is possible to score identical results in two categores. In that case, you can either choose one or play
with the ball that best suits your opponent.

Dunlop Max Squash Ball
Dunlop Max Squash Ball
Dunlop ™ MAX Progress Squash Ball:

  • I have played squash fewer than 10 times in my life
  • I frequently suffer from back, neck, leg or elbow pain after playing squash
  • I have reduced mobility due to age, fitness level or previous injury
  • I am more than 30 lbs. over ideal weight for my age, height and gender
  • I have played squash fewer than 10 times per year over the past 5 years
  • I have persistent difficulties with defensive boasts when playing with yellow dot balls (or, I don’t know what a defensive boast is so I am unable to answer this question)
  • I usually wear cross-trainers, running shoes, tennis shoes or basketball shoes when I play squash
  • My squash racquet is more than 10 years old
  • My squash racquet cost less than $100
  • I am under 10 or over 50 years old

Dunlop Yellow Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Yellow Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Competition Squash Ball:

  • I have played squash fewer than 50 times in my life
  • I have played squash less than once per month on average over the past 3 years
  • I am more than 10 lbs. over ideal weight for my age, height and gender
  • I have not played squash in the past 12 months
  • I am under 10 or over 40 years old
  • I typically experience discomfort and stiffness the day after doing 20 full lunges on each leg in rapid succession
  • My squash racquet cost less than $100
  • I play squash in order to get some exercise
  • I frequently experience elbow, back, leg or shoulder pain 48 hours after playing squash against an opponent of approximately equal skill

Dunlop Double Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Double Dot Squash Ball
Dunlop Pro Double Dot Squash Ball:

  • I have played squash more than 20 times in the past year
  • I typically play squash at least once per week during squash season
  • I am less than 10 lbs. over ideal weight for my age, height and gender
  • I workout or train outside of squash (at least occasionally) in order to improve my squash
  • I play on a ladder, in a league or with a team more than twice per month during squash season
  • My squash racquet cost more than $100
  • My racquet is less than 5 years old
  • I typically experience no discomfort or stiffness the day after doing 20 full lunges on each leg in rapid succession
  • I only wear indoor court shoes when I play squash
  • When I play with single yellow dot balls, the ball often hits the back wall before bouncing twice on my forehand drives

Dunlop High Altitude Squash Ball
Dunlop High Altitude Squash Ball
Dunlop Pro High Altitude Squash Ball:

  • I regularly workout or train outside of squash in order to improve my squash
  • Double yellow dot balls regularly hit the back wall before bouncing twice on my backhand straight drive
  • I have played more than 200 squash games in the past year
  • I am over 10 and under 35 years old
  • I typically experience no discomfort or stiffness the day after doing 40 full lunges on each leg in rapid succession
  • I am training for a tournament or working toward becoming a squash professional
  • My squash racquet cost more than $200
  • I have not suffered a rotator cuff injury in the past 12 months
  • I do not usually experience leg, back, or elbow pain 48 hours after playing squash against an opponent of approximately equal skill
  • I am at or below ideal weight for my age, height and gender