[H and E]

Have any of you done business with Fisheries Supply in Seattle, WA?

I ordered a mast eye from them on Nov 3d. I did not get any shipping information so I called them on Nov 4th and learned that thy did not have one available so I cancelled the order. On Nov 4th they charged my CC for the shipping. On Nov 5th I ask them why they charged me and their response was that they did not have a record of any charge. On Nov 8th I sent them a copy of the charge listed on my CC statement. On Nov 14th they still say that they did not charge me. I am still trying to get a credit for that charge.

 

[JimsCAL]

I ordered a Schaefer traveler part from them this summer. No issues.

Dispute the charge with your CC.

 

[djodenda]

Fisheries is a huge, "real" store in Seattle. I've done business with them many times, and via mail order occasionally... Never had a problem with them.

I expect that your experience is an outlier. I agree that you should just dispute the charge with your credit card company and let them work it out.

 

[single2coil]

I will never give Fisheries my money. I live near and often need many parts, lines, rain gear, etc.

The customer service is extremely poor. Even when the store is empty one has to go find someone. Then the attitude comes. This has occurred over the years. They have screwed up orders, mischarged my account, the list goes on.
There are much better places online and with better prices.
Enough said:

 

[IStream]

I live relatively close to Fisheries and do a lot of business with them. On they whole, they're a very good chandlery with a huge variety of goods but they do have a few weak spots.

It's good to set up an account, which will get you an automatic 5-10% discount on most things. Most of their staff are very knowledgeable and have good attitudes, which I define as willing to help when asked, but few have a warm and fuzzy manner and they'll wait for you to ask them rather than offer help unsolicited.

Returns have never been a problem for me, even after their 30 day deadline. For most things, their prices are good but it's not uncommon to find that they've priced something way out of line so I always check against Redden, Sure Marine (local brick and mortars) as well as online.

Their biggest problem is stock keeping. They will often be out of stock for extended periods on items that you would expect to be in constant demand and that don't have a high inventory cost (e.g. crimp terminals, heat shrink tubing, etc).

If you special order anything, beware. Their default is to add it to their next stocking order rather than to order it for separate delivery. This saves shipping fees but can really extend wait times if it comes from a vendor they don't order from a lot or there's not a lot of demand for items from that vendor. Unfortunately, you can't tell this in advance. If you want it sooner, you'll have to explicitly tell them that you want them to order it separately for you and charge you the associated shipping costs.

Bottom line, they're a good local shop but if I weren't local, I wouldn't order anything that they don't have in stock at the time.

 

[djodenda]

Another thing about Fisheries is that they have a huge warehouse downstairs. If stuff isn't on the main floor, ask, and it can usually be brought up in a few minutes.

I agree that Istream that they seem to be slipping in keeping items in stock..

 

[vega1860]

Reading down this thread, the posts reflect my experience with Fisheries Supply. The inventory management is mediocre at best, service is hit or miss (Mostly miss) and the employees have an attitude that I find offputting. For all its warts and hairs, I think West Marine is better if they carry what you need.

(Between us, Laura and I have worked at 6 different WM stores. Laura has managed three of their stores and we are good friends with a couple of WMs district managers but we have had no business connection with WM since 2011).

 

[IStream]

Another thing about Fisheries is that they have a huge warehouse downstairs. If stuff isn't on the main floor, ask, and it can usually be brought up in a few minutes.

I agree that Istream that they seem to be slipping in keeping items in stock..

Good point. My MO is to check their stock online before I head in. Fortunately, their inventory counts are usually pretty accurate so if I don't see it on the floor, it's invariably down below.

 

[jrd22]

I've done business for years (decades?) with Fisheries, never had anything but good experiences. I mostly just order over the phone on my account (commercial) and have stuff shipped so really can't comment on in store (upstairs) shopping. They reworked their website a couple of years ago and it's much, much better now.

 

[H and E]

Received a credit today after lots of correspondence with them and bank.

 

[djodenda]

Good... thanks for letting us know.