Disappointed at MFS

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I am rather disappointed by some of the posts/insults I have read. The OP paid an hourly fee to shoot on a range that was too cold. He complained to the management and got no satisfaction where the appropriate response would have been a refund. This is how businesses survive; customer service/satisfaction.

I am glad to see that MFS has offered to make good on this customer's complaint. Most likely they have just recruited a new member.
 
Some of these responses are just.......OP, don't let them put you off. I was at MFS with some of uncle Sam's children couple of weeks ago and first thing that came to mind was the many cold nights and days we spent outside.
 
Kudos to Steve from MFS chiming in to explain and try to make it right. 42!, I agree that if you're about to pay for a lane, you should at least get a verbal warning like "hey, it's balls cold in there" before paying. I also understand that due to the amount of air exchange they have going on that it's just not possible to keep it warm on very cold days. I would take MFS up on their offer for credit and go back another [warmer] day.

mjbitt said:
Pussy
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Uncalled for. [rolleyes]
 
Gammon said:
I am rather disappointed by some of the posts/insults I have read. The OP paid an hourly fee to shoot on a range that was too cold. He complained to the management and got no satisfaction where the appropriate response would have been a refund. This is how businesses survive; customer service/satisfaction.

I am glad to see that MFS has offered to make good on this customer's complaint. Most likely they have just recruited a new member.
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This. There's no real reason to shit on someone wanting an indoor range that's 50+, that's kind of the whole point, otherwise, I suspect most folks would just shoot outside, given the gobs of decent clubs in MA that offer mostly-usable outdoor facilities but almost nothing on indoors. On the same token, I think MFS's response is pretty reasonable. My guess is given the usual "not real" winters we've had in the past decade, they designed their system around that kind of data- and in relative terms, weather like we've had over the past couple days is a minority of days every year. Not saying it's the OP specifically, but I think some folks don't have a good grasp on the level of BS (and energy) it really takes to keep an indoor range cool in the summer and warm in the winter... the heating and cooling bills for these facilities would probably make most people have a stroke. [laugh]


-Mike
 
I've gone to MFS two times and it honestly served my needs well. Overall it seemed like a fairly nice and clean facility. The amount of brass on the floor was a bit annoying but there was a high volume of people in and out during the times I was there. Sweeping up after them is probably the right thing to do but something most people avoid when paying by the hour.

Also, personally, I prefer when there is an RO present. If I recall correctly, MFS has someone monitoring the range on video from the front desk but many times those guys are busy with customers so not sure how efficient the monitoring really is. It seems to have a mix of experienced and novice shooters so an RO would just add some peace of mind but I guess nothing beats awareness/common sense.

I won't lie, on days like we had this weekend, I would probably pass on any range and save myself the frozen marbles. They definitely don't thaw easy in this weather.
 
I agree that MFS is a class act.

On the other note, I feel people sometimes have unrealistic expectations. With severe cold temp warnings all over the state, is it really reasonable to expect a nice, warm & cozy range when it has to ventilate lead/smoke by pumping thousands CFM of air through? Even with a heat exchanger and heating on full blast, that's still kinda abnormally high standards. Wait a day or two when it's warmer to use the range would make more sense here.
 
The indoor range at my club is 8 lanes, 25 yards.

On a normal winter day it costs over $100/hr to run. With the system removing the full volume of air every 90 seconds, it takes A LOT of heat to keep the place even close to a normal indoor temperature.

With the extreme cold we've had lately, it's probably a lot more expensive than that just to maintain 55-60 degrees, assuming the heating can even output enough BTU to increase the entire vulume of air in the building from 0-55 every 90 seconds.
 
The OP definitely has a right to his opinion and also a right to safe adequate accommodations when he goes somewhere and pays to shoot. As for the cold, that was extreme. As to the other issues the OP mentioned why did he not take it up with MFS when he was there? I know the OP said he wasn't trashing MFS but you kind of are when you claim you were going to join and then because of these things you are not.

If you had spoken to them and gave them a chance to explain to you or rectify the situation or offer an apology or a free day or time at their range then you would be good. And if after you had spoken to them and they didn't rectify the situation or offer an apology or a free day or time at their range then you might be justified by airing your grievances in a public internet discussion form.

But you never gave them a chance. So it's kind of not fair to MFS and then to see their response which I believe would have been the exact same response had you reported this to them in private.

Should have given them the chance in private but I stand by you and support your right to take it public first. An unfortunate consequence of that is you have to take the jabs...lol
 
Personally I'd be more frustrated by wrecked bathrooms. In a for-profit facility that should be something easy to stay on top of. Just takes a checklist and regular visits, the way retail and commercial operations have been doing it for decades.
 
Forget the cold and the bathrooms, I'm always more concerned with the newbs posing for pictures while muzzle sweeping the whole line. But then again, I get to practice my tacticool roll on the brass covered floor when that happens, so +1 for training in adverse conditions! [laugh]
 
I find it pointless to pay for an idoor range and be freezing your ass off. I agree i would also not get membership there. Dony really care how cold it is outside. The building shohld be at least 50 degrees. With that said i like to shoot outdoors anyway.
 
I agree with the OP. I was there Sat afternoon and after 45 mins I couldn't even load up another magazine. Extremely cold air being pumped in. It may be expensive to keep the temps reasonable, but it is a for-profit business that I am a member of and expect to be able to use the facility in reasonable comfort, not just for the months where the temps are nice outside. If they need to charge more to make the facility usable, that's the cost of business and should be factored into their business model.

Also being right next to a joker shooting 12ga OO buck into a paper target 10' away kinda sucked!
 
I too have been at MFS when it was too cold to shoot for long without gloves and it doesn't take record cold to get there either. Remember that it's not just the temperature of the incoming (outside) air but it's also the high velocity of the air as well, resulting in a "wind chill" effect that can actually make it worse than shooting outdoors. Why such a high-end range didn't install a regenerative air heating system is beyond me. Perhaps the cost was prohibitively high.

I've also been there on cold days when the heat was on and everything was perfectly fine... even a bit warm. Go figure. [thinking]

But since then I've learned to save my money for warmer days. It just makes more sense.
 
This should keep all you poor cold young folks warm at the range so you don't get your little trigger fingers frostbitten.

warm-picture.jpg
 
t may be expensive to keep the temps reasonable, but it is a for-profit business that I am a member of and expect to be able to use the facility in reasonable comfort, not just for the months where the temps are nice outside. If they need to charge more to make the facility usable, that's the cost of business and should be factored into their business model.
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This is a tricky call. MFS is in a price-sensitive business, and manages to keep their prices rather low for a commercial range (only slightly above membership in a non-profit club).

You may be willing to pay a higher membership fee for more heat, however, the increase could very well drive away more members than it preserves/attracts.

If you are pay-by-hour non-member and come back out a few minutes after entering and tell the staff "too cold to shoot", I doubt they will charge you for that time on the range. Steve is rather sharp and will probably be more concerned with customer happiness than a single range fee.

It's a tough call. If you would rather pay more for better heat, let MFS know. If you are at the limit of what you are willing to pay for dues, let them know that as well.

As to restrooms - I suspect this will be easy for Steve to fix now that he has your feedback. Counter staff aren't naturally going to think "I guess I'll take a break from selling stuff and talking guns with customers and go clean toilets" but, if the owner (Steve) makes it a job requirement and posts a "restroom status check" chart on the inside of the door (like you see at some rest areas) and require an employee to inspect, clean if necessary and initial on a regular schedule, it will improve (hint, hint). Once again, customer feedback is the key to improvement.
 
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robjax said:
The OP definitely has a right to his opinion and also a right to safe adequate accommodations when he goes somewhere and pays to shoot. As for the cold, that was extreme. As to the other issues the OP mentioned why did he not take it up with MFS when he was there? I know the OP said he wasn't trashing MFS but you kind of are when you claim you were going to join and then because of these things you are not.

If you had spoken to them and gave them a chance to explain to you or rectify the situation or offer an apology or a free day or time at their range then you would be good. And if after you had spoken to them and they didn't rectify the situation or offer an apology or a free day or time at their range then you might be justified by airing your grievances in a public internet discussion form.

But you never gave them a chance. So it's kind of not fair to MFS and then to see their response which I believe would have been the exact same response had you reported this to them in private.

Should have given them the chance in private but I stand by you and support your right to take it public first. An unfortunate consequence of that is you have to take the jabs...lol
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42! said:
The range was freezing. We're talking " can see my breath" cold. Had to leave after only 20-30 min. Of course it's pay by the hour. I mentioned it to them and it was politely dismissed as just the way it is because it's cold outside. But isn't part of the reason for an indoor range so you can shoot when the weather sucks. I'll add that the restrooms were a disaster and the brass on the range floor so bad it was a hazard.
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You are possibly having a reading comprehension problem.
 
My only surprise is that the OP went 20-30 minutes before going to complain. If you're paying by the hour, don't you head in after 5-10 minutes and ask for your money back or a credit for the future? That's a long time to be out there to then complain. For all they know, you ran out of ammo.

I'm also confused by the "well, every previous time, it's been great. I had one poor experience though so f*** them, I'm out" mindset, but that seems to be something more and more prevalent these days.
 
I +repped MFS for their response.

I +Repped the OP, 'cause there might have been some (IMO) uncalled-for hate dropped on him.

MFS is a for-profit business, advertising and, in theory, serving a need. They blew it, not in the low temp (Shit happens), or maybe even in the conditions of cleanliness (shit happens), but in failing to address the problem when the paying customer complained.

At a local Club, mine or an away game, I pick up my hulls after a round of trap. At an ATA shoot, I do not, as I'm paying lot more for the experience.

There's the difference.

OP's gripe was genuine. MFS's response was stand-up. Sometimes, the front-of-the-house people don't feel (hate to use the word, but...) empowered to take care of the customer when it comes to an accommodation in the $ dept.

At least, we don't have to shovel cold.
 
SeanT said:
My only surprise is that the OP went 20-30 minutes before going to complain. If you're paying by the hour, don't you head in after 5-10 minutes and ask for your money back or a credit for the future? That's a long time to be out there to then complain. For all they know, you ran out of ammo.

I'm also confused by the "well, every previous time, it's been great. I had one poor experience though so f*** them, I'm out" mindset, but that seems to be something more and more prevalent these days.
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This thread has turned into a whiny bitch session. If it's too cold inside when the temp outside is -10 then don't join the place. Sheesh!
 
n1bsbri said:
You are possibly having a reading comprehension problem.
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robjax said:
The OP definitely has a right to his opinion and also a right to safe adequate accommodations when he goes somewhere and pays to shoot. As for the cold, that was extreme. As to the other issues the OP mentioned why did he not take it up with MFS when he was there? I know the OP said he wasn't trashing MFS but you kind of are when you claim you were going to join and then because of these things you are not.

If you had spoken to them and gave them a chance to explain to you or rectify the situation or offer an apology or a free day or time at their range then you would be good. And if after you had spoken to them and they didn't rectify the situation or offer an apology or a free day or time at their range then you might be justified by airing your grievances in a public internet discussion form.

But you never gave them a chance. So it's kind of not fair to MFS and then to see their response which I believe would have been the exact same response had you reported this to them in private.

Should have given them the chance in private but I stand by you and support your right to take it public first. An unfortunate consequence of that is you have to take the jabs...lol
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42! said:
First I want to say that the past few times I was there everything was great. Even this time, last night, the people were great, the shop prices fair, everyone was friendly. I was planning on joining, their location is very close. But last night convinced me otherwise.

The range was freezing. We're talking " can see my breath" cold. Had to leave after only 20-30 min. Of course it's pay by the hour. I mentioned it to them and it was politely dismissed as just the way it is because it's cold outside. But isn't part of the reason for an indoor range so you can shoot when the weather sucks. I'll add that the restrooms were a disaster and the brass on the range floor so bad it was a hazard.

So despite being minutes from my house, and I would have been using their ammo exclusively, I'm not joining.

Hopefully someone from MFS will see this and take it as constructive and fix things. Like I said, my other experiences there were great.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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I know. I got that part. He did mention the cold but admittedly he never mentioned the other issue to them which he claims are contributory to him not joining.
 
EJFudd said:
Not to get off topic but this is a far bigger problem with MFS than cold range temperatures or nasty toilets. [thinking]
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Problem is, if it's safe, for the range, saying, "this is OK, this is not!" becomes arbitrary. If someone is shooting a Pardini, trying to get a 100 / 10X target, should everyone with a noisy gun have to wait, so that they can focus on the trigger pull?
 
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