The Racket Doctor

I like to post more positive reviews than negative but the attitude and arrogance of this place sucks beyond belief.
I bought a new racket and as I removed the plastic the grip ripped apart. They said «oh that happens, do you want to buy a new grip?»
I naturally said «No, the racket is brand new why do I have to buy a new grip?» The clerk argued and then agreed to change the grip. When I asked him how long the new grip would last he said «two weeks» laughingly. I then asked him for my money back and the manager came by and said «well, what do you expect grips don’t last forever!» Wondering if I’m in a hidden camera show I said «if you don’t change it for a proper grip I want my money back».
She then said «I will change it for another one as a courtesy but is the last time, next time you have to buy it». I take that she change it for a decent one although she never explained the difference.
Then I left saying it would be certainly the LAST time I’d come to the store anyway, shocked by the fact that they expect me to buy an additional grip for a brand new racket that is supposed to not fall apart in the first place.
And nope, trust me I never heard anything remotely close to an apology.
The customers around me were as shocked by her comments as I was. One of them approached me to say I should go to file a complain at the Bureau of Consumer Protection because that attitude was unacceptable.
My tennis teacher warned me to NOT come to this crooky little business and I now I know I should have listened to him.

After leaving my racket to accumulate dust in the garage after my nearly decade long sabbatical from tennis, I decided getting back into tennis would be a fun way to get some exercise in LA, besides the gym. I stopped by the Racket Doctor to get my strings restrung and a couple new grips. 30 minutes, $ 20 for stringing (including labor) and +$ 1 for them to put on my grip (it’s always hard to get that grip on perfectly). Just what I was looking for.

I’ve been a customer of the Racket Doctor for about twenty years. I can honestly say that I have always had a great experience every time that I shop there. Their prices are the best and the customer service is top notch. Where else can you have your racket restrung in about 30 minutes?

This place excels in a few areas (though not all). They have the absolute best selection and prices on shoes. For women in particular, you simply can’t find this many models in one place to try. I’ve consistently found Nike shoes on sale for years, in great colors and the latest models. Same with rackets — prices are lower than anywhere else. You may have to special order your model to get the right grip size, but that’s fine for a 20% lower sticker price. You can find some deals on bags as well. Stringing is solid — service can vary depending on who does the work, and turnaround may be longer on busy days, but overall it’s pretty good and reasonably priced. Don’t bother buying clothes or balls here — you can find them cheaper elsewhere. And of course, check that they’re open before you trek to Glendale!

Excellent variety and collection. Well staffed and very helpful. Demo’ing rackets for cheap is an added advantage for players. Happy with my babolat pure drive which I tested for a week before picking one up!

Getting back to the game after x amount of years, purchased court shoes, in a small cramped room and tried a Demo Racquet, since I need an updated tennis racquet. When I called to confirm what day my racquet is due back, to possibly secure an extension, the girl on the phone said «Oh just bring it in Saturday», which was not my question at all, I wanted to know what day it was due ‘by’. She said «I’m sure it will be fine» and was short and tried to hurry me off of the phone, she said «besides, I manage the Demos»…“Great, then you would be the one to have that information” to this she was not pleased and found my information and read it to me with the least amount of effort she could muster and the most attitude she could swing… they could work a tiny bit on customer service, I’m sure the legions of loyal customers don’t mind, or maybe they are so exclusive, they don’t need to ‘Earn your business’.

Everything about this store is on point
The service is amazing, they had all my tennis needs on deck, and the hospitality made me want to stay in the store longer even after my racket was strung. The manager Jeff provided excellent service through rackets and strings, all the way to shoes and grips. Talk to jeff if you have any tennis related questions. Thank you racket doctor for taking care of my tennis needs.

I love hanging out at the racket doctor even when I don’t need tennis accessories or my racket re-​strung.

This is the best tennis shop I’ve been to in LA. Staff is very helpful and knowledgeable and prices are reasonable! They have a very extensive inventory and deliver fast service on racquet stringing. Also they have a great deal for trying out racquets! You can try a racquet for 10 days and exchange it as many times as you want. I found the best racquet for me here and am very happy with my choice. I really had time to try every possible option and was sure I was making the right decision when it came to purchasing it.
The only downside of the place is they’re closed for two days during the week, and I tried to go there on Easter Sunday and they had no warning that they would be closed — nothing on the website or Facebook page. Not even a sign on the door when I got there! So my recommendation is don’t come on any kind of holiday and definitely not on Monday or Tuesday when they’re always closed.

First time customer and I couldn’t be happier about my experience. I came to get my racket restrung and possibly buy a new one.
The racket was restrung in about 20 minutes and James (the sales associate) suggested the loaner program before I committed to a new racket.
Great prices on new rackets and shoes as well as apparel and accessories.

The Racket Doctor kinda seems like a prick, to be perfectly honest. The people that work for him seem pleasant and knowledgeable however and they will get your racket professionally restrung in a hurry.

Very unhappy with this store. I went 8 months ago, bought 4 full sets of kevlar
strings that they had to measure out. 2 sets of the strings were too short to
even finish the last cross string. 1 of the sets was too short to tie off the last knot.
I went back there a month later told them about it, they apologized and thats its. So
I purchased 4 more sets of full kevlar, ask them very nicely to make sure it was measure to full length, they charge me a dollar more per set second time around. Strung them up a couple of weeks later and sure enough
2 of the sets were short again. Anyone that knows how to string racquets knows
how simple it is to measure strings. I have been stringing for 15 years, as part of my job for a long time so I have thousands under my belt.
This place is turning very unprofessional.

Excellent sneaker selection. Fewer choices than champs or footlocker, but a different and much better selection. Staff was friendly and helpful. Sneakers are priced well with a good range of new and sale items.

I have been to these guys twice and both times have left me wanting a much better customer experience.
My first visit was a few years ago, to have a racquet restrung. They did a fine job, but 3 months later my racquet snapped because they strung it too tight. I had this racquet for years and this was the first time that has ever happened. Anyway, the racquet wasn’t under warranty by that point and they did not claim responsibility for the split, despite it happening at the exact place on the racquet where the string was knotted.
I gave them a second chance today to buy a new racquet and faced different yet equally frustrating issues. First and foremost, I bought a new racquet and they charged me to string it. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but you can’t get much use out of a racquet without strings on it. Seems deceptive to add an additional $ 22 charge on top of their «sticker price» on the racquet. Then, when it was time to check out, none of their 6 employees standing behind the counter seemed to care. They were too busy chatting away with each other and other customers they seem to be friends with. I waited in line silently, patiently, and then a woman and her son cut me off and were serviced before me. Generally, I did not feel respected as a customer at this business and because of that I will take my business elsewhere in the future.

A great place for tennis players of all levels. Racket prices are the lowest I’ve seen anywhere — $ 169 ($ 219 elsewhere) for the new Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph… $ 99 ($ 159 elsewhere; sale price) for the Head Graphene Speed Pro… $ 99 ($ 119 elsewhere; clearance price, I believe) for the Wilson Pro Staff 90… $ 139 ($ 189 elsewhere) for the Wilson Juice 108. I’ve purchased multiple rackets from this place (4) and have been very happy with the service and on-​site, while-​you-​wait stringing. I think the only ding I may have the place is their relatively high stringing /​restringing price. Been paying $ 30 per racket for Wilson NXT, whether you’re stringing a racket you purchased there or not. Same price for an NXT /​Luxilon Alu Power hybrid set up. Receipt says «free labor» for stringing when purchasing a new racket, but it’s the same price as a restringing job. A little confusing.

I asked for NXT CONTROL strings to be put on my racket and they put regular NXT strings
Be careful they might not know what they are doing

I like this place a lot. I know close to nothing about tennis and I’ve bought a few rackets here, and found both to be very good as well as a great deal. Service? Really great, too. They don’t muddy the water with a bunch of options, which is what I want from a place like this: I tell them what I’m looking for and they, the experts, make a suggestion. Boom. I’m out.
As to all the abundant bitching on this page, chalk it up to the sport of tennis being populated by A LOT of kooks. :)

I’m an idiot, and I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m an idiot. But nobody at the Racket Doctor made me feel like an idiot.
I had 30 minutes on the meter, and before it ran out, I’d managed to buy a racquet (and have it strung) and a ball hopper. Everybody there was helpful and friendly, and their pricing is REALLY quite good.
I’m still an idiot, but now I’ve got a nice tennis racquet that I didn’t pay all that much for.

I’m basing this review solely on their customer service, or the lack thereof. I should have heeded the negative reviews before venturing over to Atwater Village to outfit my daughter for the tennis season. They do have a great selection of tennis items, so that is why we were there in the first place, but you best know exactly what you want & don’t expect anyone to assist you.
We began in the shoe department… a small room with a wall of shoes, socks, boxes & many accessories stacked and hanging. There were two young men standing on one side of the display horsing around, hitting each other with shoes & dropping the «f-​bomb» in front of my kids, so I just thought they were a couple of goofy kids looking at shoes. No one ever asked us if we needed help, so when we were ready with our selection I started to pay closer attention & realized that they worked there! I asked if we could get a size 8 & to please stop using foul language. They both left to get one pair of shoes… must have been a heavy box!
At this point I was disgusted, so I asked one of the four people I saw standing behind the counter if there was a manager on duty. A young woman identified herself as the manager, but never actually introduced herself. I told her about the situation & she replied with «oh, it will be addressed». Never apologized or acted like it was an issue. She then asked what we needed & I told her we were looking at shoes, but then she disappeared.
I had enough with the bad attitudes, unprofessional behavior and lack of concern and left the store. They not only lost a significant sale from us, but I will be sure to let the entire tennis team at her school and the tennis center she plays for that The Racket Doctor is not a place I would recommend.
On the bright side, my kids learned an important lesson in how not to behave when they start working!

I’m not sure why some of the reviews say that they have bad service because I completely disagree!
As I entered the shop, a staff member immediately asked if I needed help finding anything. I asked him questions about my racket, which I haven’t touched for almost 5 years (as a result of college)! He suggested that I change the strings and grip because they’re obviously too old.
The process took about an hour. They were really busy! (I went on a Sunday at noon). They had at least 4 – 5 workers restringing rackets. If you don’t want to wait at the store, there’s a Costco, best buy, and other stores nearby. Or walk next door to the thrift shop.
The price was reasonable.