Yesterday, I had that call that we all dread - Voice on phone says - "I fished with you before the storm and you sold me one of those rods with the fuzzy handle, do you remember me?"

Yep, I sure do how is the rod doing?

"I need to return it because the tip ring has come out and the grip is all torn up and I want it replaced with a regular cork gripped rod"

Painful feeling in my gut - "Bring the thing by my shop and let me take a look at it and see what we can do."

Last night he drives up in his truck and in the bed is laying the rod with a casting reel and Top Dog Topwater Bait in its chosen resting place. The flocked grip was torn to shreads and peeled back in several places. The hook keeper had been cut off with a pair of pliars, two single foot guides were bent to almost flat on the blank. I took a step back, made the sign of the cross and invited this guy into my shop to pick out a new Forecast replacement blank for the Rx8 high modulus Rainshadow that he had. I will present him with his free replacement in three days and wish him well.

Failure Mode - He did not like the hook keeper - cut it off because it got in his way.

And I quote:

" I always stick the hooks on my baits in the handle and I have never had any problem with them hanging up in cork. With this fuzzy stuff I have to pull them out with a pair of channel lock pliars. When I yank the hook out the stuff just tears loose."

My shop will be closed for two days - I am in deep mourning!

Gon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2005 10:25AM by Bill Stevens.

Bill,
Guys like that scare me! He should flocked! When I transfer ownership of one of my "babies" and the fool mistreats it, it is akin to child abuse
IMHO! I would love to see his head mounted on the bottom section of that rod and displayed in your shop as a reminder to all the other fools
who might mistreat one of "your" babies. But of course that would be against the law. Wouldn't it? I feel your pain!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Bill. . . Surely you jest??? Tell me it ain't so!!! You're not replacing his rod free of charge are you??? If the rod is in as bad of shape as you say, I'd be telling him to get flocked.

Hang the guy from a rafter in the shop with the warrantee in his mouth.

Bill. . .I just now changed the wording on the Warranty for my rods.

None of the damage was your fault. The blank did not break, he damaged the cork and cut the hook holder off and damaged the guides.
I would think at least get parts ? Maybe if he gets you a few more rods you can build and make money on ?

This ain't Walmart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Run awaaaaaaaay,!!!
You don't need this guy.
What would be truly ironic is if you were to post a before and after picture of the rod.

Some lessons are expensive, others are priceless.

Curtis Beers

Bill, When I get one in like that I replace the blank with a solid glass one. They are so happy they put one over on you they don't care and still sing your praises as a man that stands behind his product. Then again , I ain't got none of them "HAIR" grips to worry about. Jesse

Jesse, this is for you! The original rod sold for $ 175 with RX8 high modulus popping rod blank with flocked split grip and Amtak Holos. I made a deal with him to replace that rod built on a wonderful Forecast Special Green Custom Pro Model Signature Limited Edition. As per his request no Fuzz on this one and reused all but one of the guides. I let him have this special deal on replacing the old one for a exchange fee of $ 50. I would be ashamed to list what I paid for the blank. He is happy, still a charter customer and I am wrapping the new one tonight. Without your guidance I would probably challenged him to a duel with loaded pistols and run him completely off.

Believe it or not I have a trip booked for Thursday only the second since the storm- now all I need to do is find a place to put the boat in the water!

Gon

Bill

Almost sounds like you lost money on the first rod - let alone build him another ??

Bill, You can never come out ahead in an arguement with a customer so you just have to be smarter than they are. The expensive blanks break just as easy as the cheaper ones and then you have the hassel of sending it back and hoping the blank God smiles on you and replaces it for free. HA! Could'nt help my self cause I never send anything back, just replace it with a smile and gain another advertiser. This has been one fantastic year and the majarity of it is for stand-up rods, not much small stuff at all. A couple of weeks ago I had a guy redeem a gift certificate for a fly rod of all things, gotta take the good with bad when dealing with the public. Jesse

Understanding about people ??!!

But the work that Bill put into the first rod that the guy distroyed, even at retail ???
To me that's a k-mart special ? Does not even sound like he got for the materials - let alone for the labor ??

You don't have to have to sell a rod at a super high price to make a decent profit if you bought your components right in the beginnig. If Bill sold that rod for $175.00 , I'll bet he didn't have over 30 or 40 dollars in materials plus 3 hours work. He is making a decent profit or else he would not be doing it. You have to find your niche and make it work for you. You hear a lot of "I would have, could have, and should have, but how many are actually doing it? I took a chance back in 1992 and opened my rod shop, no tackle, just a rod shop and it has surpassed all my expectations and it is fun.. Jesse

Jesse: The "new" one 23.45 and two hours! I am learning - the only things u got I don is an attic full of uglies and and a case of bad boys! I am learnin!

Gon

Bill, I know you are not into stand up or trolling rods but maybe you can appreciate this deal anyway. Good friend [rod builder] in NC has really carved a niche in the bass fisherman crowd so wants to get rid of some salt water stuff he loaded up on a couple of years ago. For 1100.00 he sold me 5 dozen [60] unibutts,12 of them curved, 24 live bait blanks, and a box full of gimbals and reel seats. He was happy and I still haven't come down from cloud #9. He and I will see you at the show in Jan.Jesse

Bill, I know you are not into stand up or trolling rods but maybe you can appreciate this deal anyway. Good friend [rod builder] in NC has really carved a niche in the bass fisherman crowd so wants to get rid of some salt water stuff he loaded up on a couple of years ago. For 1100.00 he sold me 5 dozen [60] unibutts,12 of them curved, 24 live bait blanks, and a box full of gimbals and reel seats. He was happy and I still haven't come down from cloud #9. He and I will see you at the show in Jan.Jesse

Sounds to me like a large company that has the money to buy loads of components when there is any sales going on. Plus having the money to buy them in the first place.
Money to have a nice building room with several wrappers, lath's, drum dryers

Still, I would like to see some one make, shape guide feet, place guides, testspacing, glue handles and possisibly make handles, wrap guides, clear, sign, place decals , clear , hands on, in 3 hours.

Figure one hour for gluing up butt, seat, and fore grip, one hour for preping guides and wrapping, and one hour for finishing [2]coats. My home work shop is a 9.5' x 16' bedroom in a 2 bedroom townhouse and my retail shop is a 19'x14' room which I pay 932.00 rent per month at a local marinia.When I opened up in 92' I poured all profits back into the business untill I built my inventory up to where I wanted to be, then I started having money to spend when the deals come up. After a while the "BIG BOYS" start calling you when they want to get rid of excess components etc.I have a really good business now but it was earned from the ground up and I keep talking about it just so other rod builders can hear first hand that it is not impossible to build a business without charging an arm and leg for their product. Jesse

I keep hearing of builders - stopping there building of rods, no money, and going into selling supplies cause there is more profit in that ?