Club Champion: Terrible Customer Support

[Coogi 5]

     There are many options to get clubs fitted, most using the same technology (e.g., TrackMan) and there are big companies (e.g., True Spec, Tour Experience, Cool Clubs), small shops as well as many golf courses. 

     Unfortunately, I chose Club Champion in SC, an 1 1/2 hr drive from my home.  As has been noted in several online reviews of "how to select a club fitter" CUSTOMER SUPPORT should be an important consideration.  The customer support during my experience was a DISASTER. The fitting itself seemed to go well although it's a pretty straight forward process.  Most fitters go through a short TrackMan training program to interpret the results produced by TrackMan but to be clear: the "expertise" is with TrackMan and the data it generates.

     I ordered new irons & woods for a total of $4,600.  After the purchase, I was left with $37 in unused gift cards and a couple weeks after my purchase I decided to order an additional fairway wood.  I called Club Champion, but my numerous calls went unanswered.  I sent several emails to the fitter (Matt Ferrie at the SC location) but again, no response.  Eventually, I gave up and asked to refund my $37.  I was informed it was totally against company policy to refund gift cards.  I informed them that the $37 represented less than 1% of my $4,600 order.  After numerous calls, the issue was elevated to CC corporate office which informed me that after much consideration, they decided to make this one exception for $37.  No apology or thank you for my purchase, just a rude response about the problem I had created. 

     A separate problem occurred after using the clubs for about 2 months.  I'm an 8 handicap and on occasion might sky a drive...not an uncommon experience for most golfers.  However, almost immediately the Titleist driver's club head began to chip at the edge where the face meets the top of the club head.  I showed the club to my club pro who said it was likely an imperfection in the finish application.  Normally, he would take care of it, but since I bought it through Club Champion, the club would have to be sent to Titleist via CC. I sent pictures to CC, but there was no response.  It took several calls to get a response.  When CC did respond, they seemed totally unconcerned. It was not their problem.  The "chips" were probably my fault and they doubted Titleist would do anything.  Despite their total lack of concern, I finally convinced them to send the pictures of the chipped club head to Titleist. But even after sending the pics to Titleist, it took many calls to CC to learn about Titleist's response.  According to CC, there was nothing that could be done.  However, the total lack of concern my CC was pathetic.  It seemed obvious that they hadn't pressed Titleist to do anything.  Finally, as if you get rid of me, they offered a 10% discount for the purchase of a new club head.  This ws offered to a customer who had just spent $4,600!

     Would I recommend Club Champion to others?  Not on your life!  My recommendation is to use your club pro whose total existence rests on his/her ability to provide good customer service to members.  They're far more likely to pressure Titleist (or other manufacturer) to make things right, especially if their club does much business.   CC undoubtedly does a great deal of business with Titleist and  should have considerable clout with Titleist.  Unfortunately, one never knows until the problems arise.  Obviously, my story does not reflect well on Club Champion, but it also does not present Titleist in the best light when it comes to standing behind its product.

[RickyBobby_PR 10,290]

sorry you had a terrible customer service experience with CC but I don’t see where titleist reputation comes in to play. Titleist is one of the best companies from a customer service aspect and one that stands behind their product. How CC chose to handle your issue is in no way a reflection of titleist and their customer service or warranty handling. I have seen numerous times them take care of customers for various reasons across all of their equipment.

Pretty much every company has a return policy about things caused by the customer may not result in a replacement part. Skying a driver and causing paint to chip would fall under that situation. I played with a guy last week who had a m2 driver that had sky marks all over from a buddy he let borrow it. Is that TMs fault the white paint looked like trash from somebody with a repeatedly bad swing 

 

[03trdblack 1,086]

Man, that sucks!  Sorry you had that experience

 

[StrokerAce 11,773]

.... friend of mine I play with had a set of R9's his dad won in a tournament and gave to him 10 years ago. 
Wife asked what to get him for XMas and I told her to buy him a fitting at CC.
He ended up with the i210's in graphite. This might have been his first fitting so he was a little overwhelmed.
Ping has been crazy crazy busy and it took him about 3 months to finally get the clubs.
They shipped them to CC and he went to pick them up; asked him if they let him hit them on the sim to make sure everything was correct and he said that they wouldn't.
Maybe that's a policy, but seems like bad CS to me. 
Why not let him hit a few to make the specs are right (were the lie angles correct?) for what CC sent in?
CC said they were too busy and couldn't give him 15 minutes.

FWIW: I did a putter fitting there and was as unimpressed as can be. They had maybe 15 models and it was all of about 20 minutes on sam lab.

I know they're a national chain, and like most you may end up with a great experience like Tony or a crappy one...

[GolfSpy_APH 8,775]

Sorry to hear about the bad experience, definitely a rough one. 
On another note how are the clubs working for you minus the chip on the driver? What irons did you get fit into and their specs? Of course it is always good to vent and I believe a lot of us here at MGS have before, but we also enjoy seeing the new products people have! So feel free to share some of those awesome new clubs you have. Fingers crossed you won't have to deal with that location anymore and are able to get fit in a closer location that gives you some better results. 

[Lacassem 17,677]

Sorry for the pour experience. I have had nothing but good experiences/conversations with working directly with OEM's (PING, Titleist, Taylormade and Cobra I have all worked with ordering online and through other sites golfballs.com and a few others)

I think working with CC/PGASS and other smaller local fitters depends on who you are dealing with. All corporate offices to me are the same but the smaller fitters IMO should be a little more respectful and willing to fix issues but that's just my own thought.

[John S 11]

With respect to the issue with the "chips".  Titleist will/should stand behind their product regardless of who you purchased this from.  I would ask your Pro to contact his Titleist Representative ( regional factory rep that sells to the private club) and let him take a look at it.  OR go to any local demo day and ask the Titleist Rep directly.  The last thing they want is a dissatisfied person around the many potential customers they are trying to sell clubs to. If your private Club is having a demo day you may get a very positive response from the regional Rep if you approach him with your issue.  

If this is indeed a manufacturing defect they will resolve your issue.  I once had a head go bad and Titleist actually sent me 2 replacement heads.  I let then know and they told me to just keep the extra for my troubles.   I have a good view of Titleist as a company as a result however I know the response can be subjective depending on the individual that handles the claim.

With respect to the negative comments about your swing, I would say that club heads have to stand up to mishits by design since most EVERYONE, even the guys who view themselves as superior players, mishit drivers.  The thought that chips on the crown from mishits are acceptable and the fault of the player as opposed to a design flaw is laughable. 

 

 

[Fjd 60]

Thx for taking the time to post your experience on CC.  When I have to choose who I get fitted with it appears CC will not be at the top of my list since I live in SC.  Thx again.

[SubBogey 2]

Where are you in SC? Which CC did you go to?

[Hook DeLoft 762]

I have never been to a Club Champion, but I have read a number of posts complaining about the experience, in particular their customer service.  You are not alone.

[Bob Jerabek 19]

I went to a CC a few years back, located in Orlando, l was on a business trip, and did a full bag fitting.  A few things of note is their cost.  I received a Titliest Driver with a shaft that was no longer in production. I paid an extra $300 for it.  A year later I changed shafts and played so much better with it.  I had the Callaway Apex irons and I new something was wrong.  Went to a local shop and they told me the clubs were all over the place as far as loft and lie.  I live in NC so going back to the fitter was not an option.  The other thing you pay full price but don’t get the standard shafts from the clubs, nor the grips.  I bet they end up on eBay. Cc is definitely off my fitting list.

[CarlosCS 2]

I got fitted for new irons and bought them using Club Champions, and I have to say that the service was exceptional. Price was a little high, but expected having ordered custom graphite shafts

In regards to your driver, come on, we all know that depends on how bad you sky a ball, and if you sky it on the same place, the top of the driver might have a BAD mark, it could even chip. From my point of view no warranty on sky marks.   

[CarlosCS 2]

24 minutes ago, Hook DeLoft said:

I have never been to a Club Champion, but I have read a number of posts complaining about the experience, in particular their customer service.  You are not alone.

It will depend on the location, I’m a happy customer of Club Champions, located near Chicago, IL

Edited April 22, 2021 by CarlosCS

[fixyurdivot 18,313]

Sorry to hear about the bad experience.  From the numerous threads/posts on this site and elsewhere, there are a few things I noted when it comes to club fittings at these large scale companies.  First is that the customers experience seems to be very store dependent.  Second is that they tend to have better than average fitters. By this I mean longer tenure, documented educational experience and, in the case of the Truespec location and fitter I had, routinely work with pro players.  Last is that their custom build prices are not very competitive and one is best off (money wise) simply getting all the build specs and ordering through a number of other sources.

[Medfloat 3]

I have used CC for my fittings in Cleveland and had good experiences with the branch.  The fitter was attentive, suggested I hit the clubs when I picked them up...BEFORE I left the store, suggested and followed through with a loft and lie inspection/correction of all my irons when I returned for a new club after the season.  Having said that, the customer service through CC outside of the branch location is subpar.  Calls go unanswered & unreturned, emails get the same treatment.  If not for the fitter and the Cleveland branch itself, I would go elsewhere.

[LOUC 2]

I made an appointment with a local Club Championship in the N.C. Charlotte area testing a NEW PXG driver. My experience was anything less than good. First, the fitting company didn't even have the PXG driver I wanted to test! Instead, they allowed me to test other makers clubs. Now perhaps I am not sophisticated enough to know that they have some method of duplicating the PXG driver results based on the other manufacturer's drivers' dimensions.  It never occurred to me to ask. After spending an hour with the filler, we based the driver I need to works best if I purchased a custom shaft too. I get it, this is a sales pitch and I didn't have an issue with this but when the shat cost more than the driver well, the light bulb went off and I decided not to make the purchase. What kills me, the cost was $175 for the fitting. An hour wasted with no purchase. I will never be able to re-coupe the $175 and my time. I went back to PXG rep on line and advised them of this and they recommended I go to a golf course an hour from where I live where they have a PXG fitter to work with. The cost $50.00. I brought along all the information Club Champion gave me on my fitting.  After sending an hour with the PXG fitter he simply could not understand how the Club Champion filler came up with the information and fitting I would need. Results? No upgrade of shaft needed, I got to test the driver I wanted to purchase and I am very happy with the results of what i purchased. I know this is a small sample and I am sure many people have had good experience with Club Championship, but I will never recommend anyone in the NC area to use Club Champion. The cost, the sales pitch yielded a bad experience.  Club fitting works and I believe it but BUYER beware. Use a fitter that you're comfortable with. ASK QUESTIONS and don't buy in the promise of improvement by upgrading to shafts that are not needed. save the heart ache and non-sense for the golf course!

[Northcyder 2]

I've gone to CC twice (Santa Monica, CA). Once in 2018 as a 9 handicap. My experience was phenomenal and the club fitter was spot on. I went back in 2020 after getting down to a 2 handicap looking for something 'next level' as my game improved and my older clubs were ready for replacement...definitely not the same experience the 2nd time around. The 1st time the fitter seemed to know what he was doing and what tweaks were needed for the clubs to match my swing. The 2nd time around it seems like they are throwing sh!+ against the wall to see what sticks while using Trackman for confirmation. Both times I walked out with a recommended set around $5-6k. Both times I decided to take my paid for information and buy the equipment on my own. It totaled half the cost the 1st time and the 2nd time I was told to buy the newer version of my set as there was nothing he can find that would improve my performance (yeah right!). Their business model is in need of some serious adjustment as fittings are not cheap and Trackman alone is data, not a club fitter. Just because swing speed may increase with a shaft it's ultimately about disbursement and CC is falling off. My only recommendation to those who have not tried it is to purchase the equipment elsewhere. Club fitters are all over and can bend the specific lie angles, install shafts and grips, etc. for almost half the cost out the door. I can't speak for other CC employees because good ones are out there but there was a drastic drop in customer service the 2nd time around and I'd imagine the business model is about Trackman numbers and not club fitter knowledge. 

[Rojohn6262 5]

How do you know?  I’m looking for a fitting and new clubs and don’t want to make the mistake of going to a questionable place 

[Blue Steel 8]

I've read other reviews about the indifference Club Champion shows towards their customers and potential customers.  I experienced this first hand.  I tried to book an appointment for a putter fitting but couldn't because they would never answer the phone. After leaving at least five messages requesting a call back over a period of two weeks, I finally gave up.  I guess my mistake was telling them in the message that all I wanted was a putter fitting. That must not have been a big enough ticket item to make it worth their while to call me back. I bet if I would have said I wanted a full bag of clubs they would have called me back.  Maybe not, who knows. I'll never try to use them again for anything.  I booked an appointment with PXG and because of some health issues I've had to reschedule a couple of times.  They've always called me back right away and worked with me to find one of their fitters in my area and an appointment that works for me.  If you want customer service find a local pro who reps the clubs you're interested in, not a storefront.  That way you'll get service after the sale. Getting fit for new clubs shouldn't be like buying a new car.  Would you like the sound dampening coating Mr. Smith.  Do you mean undercoating?  Hello...I live in Florida so NO.  That's my 2 cents worth...and my attempt at humor.  Keep it light...hit'em tight.

[rgk5 11]

I was a Cerified Custom Fitter at Golf Town for 17 years, handled perhaps 100 warranty claims,  and in my experience, no OEM considered paint chips caused by a sky mark to be a product defect and warranty issue. They are classified as operator error and/or wear and tear such as closing your trunk  and nicking or breaking a shaft.

This does not excuse CC for poor communications and trying to keep the $37 on the gift card.  Shamefull.