All Blanks are eligible - more details are available by clicking on the following link:

[manage.kmail-lists.com]

Best Regards,
Alex

I was just wondering when I would receive my three blanks ordered on Nov 21st. I sent you a personal email and called NFC but they never answered or returned my call. Thanks Steve

Steven Paris Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was just wondering when I would receive my three
> blanks ordered on Nov 21st. I sent you a personal
> email and called NFC but they never answered or
> returned my call. Thanks Steve

I ordered 3 blanks and some grips on the 24th and it was shipped out yesterday. Hopefully yours is not that far behind

I ordered bunch of blanks and grips along the course from first week of November till Thanksgiving. I need to ask them to ship the in stock grip first. Now there are still some grips out of stock and the blanks are still not shipped yet.

Steven Paris Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was just wondering when I would receive my three
> blanks ordered on Nov 21st. I sent you a personal
> email and called NFC but they never answered or
> returned my call. Thanks Steve


Also awaiting shipment notification for 5 blanks and 2 grips ordered November 19. It’s not a huge deal, I just hope they’re here in time for Christmas.

Steven Paris Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was just wondering when I would receive my three
> blanks ordered on Nov 21st. I sent you a personal
> email and called NFC but they never answered or
> returned my call. Thanks Steve


Steve,

We ask for 2-3 weeks for processing on all orders, especially when ordered during our high volume sales events and promotions.

Best Regards,
Aleks

Aleks Maslov Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Steven Paris Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was just wondering when I would receive my
> three
> > blanks ordered on Nov 21st. I sent you a
> personal
> > email and called NFC but they never answered or
> > returned my call. Thanks Steve
>
>
> Steve,
>
> We ask for 2-3 weeks for processing on all orders,
> especially when ordered during our high volume
> sales events and promotions.
>
> Best Regards,
> Aleks


Thats understandable. But why can't you communicate with your customers?????? I have asked this before of you. You never answered. Just told me how many happy customers you have. Looks like your working on making that number smaller. Maybe instead of Gary Signing Certificates you can have him answer the phone and emails.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2021 04:12AM by Michael Sutheimer.

When I checked out and even before the final "submit order", there were multiple messages saying please allow two to three weeks for processing. The messages were also there when I was mulling over the website 2 weeks beforehand

Thanks Alex for reaching out to me personally and sending me another conformation and order number. I was fully aware of the 2 to 3 week wait but an error on my part by deleting my conformation email and not being able to log back into the NFC site had me concerned. I believe today is exactly 3 weeks so I guess they will probably ship out tomorrow..lol......really looking forward to trying out these blanks thanks again.
Steve

Mr. Maslov,

In the relatively small world of custom rod building, as in life, reputation is everything. We all know who Mr. Loomis is, and his good name carries weight. I was privileged to have had met him once in the Santiago, Chile airport. He is a genuine individual, and seemed every bit the man of behind the reputation. Since I understand that your blanks are made here in the US, I would assume that the current delays are a result of the time that hands-on, quality built blanks require, the current labor shortage, or perhaps materials delays due to the Covid situation. All or any of those issues are completely understandable.

However, the communication issue, as well as long product shipping delays have been a chronic and recurring topic on this board for the various iterations of your company. As such, I have been very hesitant to place orders, despite very attractive pricing and domestic construction.

Communication and responsiveness to customers are such a rare commodity these days, and they are sorely missed by most who remember when attentive service was a given. A friend who spent a career in quality control made the point to me years ago that there is a difference between patching problems as you go, and addressing the source of a recurring issue. I for one would like to know what the fix to these issues is, so that I can order confidently to ensure my covenants and reputation with my own my customers are not jeopardized by purchasing your excellent blanks.

Constructively,

Don Eurillo
DFE Custom Rods

Dear Mr. Eurillo,

Thank you for your note.

Companies, just like people go through phases of growth. I assume that you would expect something different from your children when they are 30 years or age, as opposed to when they are 15.
Most companies do not manufacture in the USA anymore, it is much easier to purchase from a factory located in Asia (and it may be a good factory) and re-sell blanks. At that point, you are dealing with Purchasing and Re-sale of inventory (in very simple terms). When you are dealing with NFC - you are dealing with a factory - one that is impacted by all that you describe an more.

I have looked into any correspondence associated with your first name/last name with NFC - we have not had any orders, but we have also not had any emails or phone calls. I do find it disingenuous when I see comments about "communication" and how difficult we are to communicate with, when you have not even tried.

Here is a case in point - I, the CEO of NFC/Edge am responding to your message on a public forum - is that not communication?

We are very upfront that on average it takes 2-3 weeks for us to process order, many leave sooner. You can always call or email us about a stock check on an item, and we will get back to you on an ETA. The issue that I have with posts like yours (and I do understand that this reply may result in you never placing an order) is the following:

You want to take advantage of a promotion that we are running, one that increases our run rate of sales of 20x and complain that we don't reply right away - there is a reason for that - we are swamped with orders. We run promotions to help rod builders try our blanks for the first time, or try new families of blanks and incorporate them into their builds. If you can't email us, or message us for a stock check, and then "blow us up" on a forum/facebook/etc about lack of communication - we are not the right company for you.

We are very thankful for the customers that we do have, and we make hundreds of thousands of blanks annually for OEM's, custom rod builders - but there is a reason why MOST US manufacturers are not making blanks/components in the USA - costs are one aspect - the expectation of what you get when dealing with a factory versus a wholesaler is another.

For those rod builders "waiting in the shadows" to support a USA manufacturer based on your perception that communication is "not good" or that the service is "not attentive" we could not disagree more - and may I even dare to suggest is the reason why there are only 2 or 3 factories left in the US. Frankly, its easier to have something manufactured overseas, put it into some shiny packaging, mark it up 200-300%, invent some mystery technology on the price gap, and put in a call center of folks to handle the call inflows.

Of course there are issues for any company to resolve, and I am certain that the issue we will face in 2022, 2023 etc. will be different than the ones we are working on today. However, our of the tens of thousands (yes, tens of thousands) of customers that we deal with globally, you may hear from a number that are unhappy because the ball was dropped on our end, or we simply cannot achieve the level of desired care that they expect from dealing direct with a factory. Ours is a new business model, it allows us to make products here with no limits and compromises, pay our staff a decent living wage, their healthcare, and other benefits - I will take constructive criticism all day long - and I know that many customers on this forum and around the world have seen a massive improvement in lead-time and communication over the last few years - it takes time for companies to grow, it also takes patience from customers who are willing to bet on their long term success.

Constructively,
Aleks

CEO/Co-Founder |Composite Ventures LLC| dba: North Fork Composites / Edge Rods



Don Eurillo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mr. Maslov,
>
> In the relatively small world of custom rod
> building, as in life, reputation is everything. We
> all know who Mr. Loomis is, and his good name
> carries weight. I was privileged to have had met
> him once in the Santiago, Chile airport. He is a
> genuine individual, and seemed every bit the man
> of behind the reputation. Since I understand that
> your blanks are made here in the US, I would
> assume that the current delays are a result of the
> time that hands-on, quality built blanks require,
> the current labor shortage, or perhaps materials
> delays due to the Covid situation. All or any of
> those issues are completely understandable.
>
> However, the communication issue, as well as long
> product shipping delays have been a chronic and
> recurring topic on this board for the various
> iterations of your company. As such, I have been
> very hesitant to place orders, despite very
> attractive pricing and domestic construction.
>
> Communication and responsiveness to customers are
> such a rare commodity these days, and they are
> sorely missed by most who remember when attentive
> service was a given. A friend who spent a career
> in quality control made the point to me years ago
> that there is a difference between patching
> problems as you go, and addressing the source of a
> recurring issue. I for one would like to know what
> the fix to these issues is, so that I can order
> confidently to ensure my covenants and reputation
> with my own my customers are not jeopardized by
> purchasing your excellent blanks.
>
> Constructively,
>
> Don Eurillo
> DFE Custom Rods

Michael,

There are a number of customers that we refuse to do business with - you are one of them. Gary agreed with that decision and sent you an email with that regard.

Best,
Aleks

Michael Sutheimer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Aleks Maslov Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Steven Paris Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I was just wondering when I would receive my
> > three
> > > blanks ordered on Nov 21st. I sent you a
> > personal
> > > email and called NFC but they never answered
> or
> > > returned my call. Thanks Steve
> >
> >
> > Steve,
> >
> > We ask for 2-3 weeks for processing on all
> orders,
> > especially when ordered during our high volume
> > sales events and promotions.
> >
> > Best Regards,
> > Aleks
>
>
> Thats understandable. But why can't you
> communicate with your customers?????? I have
> asked this before of you. You never answered. Just
> told me how many happy customers you have. Looks
> like your working on making that number smaller.
> Maybe instead of Gary Signing Certificates you can
> have him answer the phone and emails.

Our chain of emails related to that was about the only time I got a prompt response from you or any response. Should put that same amount of effort into treating customers right as you do being a condescending jerk to customers. I guess it was my fault though I did ask you to fix problems after I gave you money. Forgot that's how it works when you buy something.......not.

As for Gary agreeing with you well I think he did not have much choice. We wants to stay in the game as long as he can. He either can't or doesn't want to run the company. He wants to design blanks. He can't do that unless he has someone bringing in business. Don't matter if some business is being driven away, as long as there is still enough to pay the bills and he can continue designing blanks. So you got him over the barrel.

Back in the G Loomis days I had numerous correspondences with Gary. They were never like this recent one. Even if I was being a bit of ass, out of called for frustration, the customer was always taken care of.

"the expectation of what you get when dealing with a factory versus a wholesaler is another"

I was going to suggest that but decided to stay out of the fray. I think it explains a lot. Stores are built to cater to customers. Factories are built to make products There is a fundamental difference and why most factories will not sell direct to the public. I have made it clear here that I think NFC is offering a great product. Everything that I ordered has shipped within stated time frame and has been flawless. When they offer their promotions, prices are so good that anyone sitting on the fence would be crazy not to give them a try. Truth is, 99% of the guys bashing the company would freely admit the blanks are top notch.

"and I know that many customers on this forum and around the world have seen a massive improvement in lead-time and communication over the last few years"

Well said. It is also very true. It is sad that some want to hold the past against someone so much they fail to acknowledge what is happening in the present.

"Ours is a new business model, it allows us to make products here with no limits and compromises, pay our staff a decent living wage, their healthcare, and other benefits"

That should be the icing on the cake. We are quickly moving to a model where top execs are making obscene wages and hourly workers are at the poverty line. The execs are caring more about stock prices then developing a successful long term business. There is no middle class. Kudos to NFC to trying to do things the way American companies used to be built. Lamiglas and St. Croix aren't the same. Only you can decide what business model you want to support.


PS
I am a "small potatoes" buyer. But for a guy to buy 14-18 blanks from one company in one year for personal use only.......well draw your own conclusion.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I want to support a company that cares about a customer regardless of their "business model". I don't want to guess how I am going to be treated. I don't want to guess when I will receive product. If there is a problem I want to be able to ask the company to fix it with out being banned from future purchases. I want decent communication. Anyone who buys anything be it from a retailer, wholesaler, or factory direct should be able to expect these things.

As for holding the past against someone. Well that's easy to do when the present is the same as the past. If you are happy with NFC great. I am not. I want people to know what they might encounter if they choose to do business with them. It is obvious there are two very different paths you can encounter with NFC. Customers need to know both.

Thank you Russ!

Russell Brunt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "the expectation of what you get when dealing with
> a factory versus a wholesaler is another"
>
> I was going to suggest that but decided to stay
> out of the fray. I think it explains a lot.
> Stores are built to cater to customers. Factories
> are built to make products There is a fundamental
> difference and why most factories will not sell
> direct to the public. I have made it clear here
> that I think NFC is offering a great product.
> Everything that I ordered has shipped within
> stated time frame and has been flawless. When
> they offer their promotions, prices are so good
> that anyone sitting on the fence would be crazy
> not to give them a try. Truth is, 99% of the guys
> bashing the company would freely admit the blanks
> are top notch.
>
> "and I know that many customers on this forum and
> around the world have seen a massive improvement
> in lead-time and communication over the last few
> years"
>
> Well said. It is also very true. It is sad that
> some want to hold the past against someone so much
> they fail to acknowledge what is happening in the
> present.
>
> "Ours is a new business model, it allows us to
> make products here with no limits and compromises,
> pay our staff a decent living wage, their
> healthcare, and other benefits"
>
> That should be the icing on the cake. We are
> quickly moving to a model where top execs are
> making obscene wages and hourly workers are at the
> poverty line. The execs are caring more about
> stock prices then developing a successful long
> term business. There is no middle class. Kudos
> to NFC to trying to do things the way American
> companies used to be built. Lamiglas and St.
> Croix aren't the same. Only you can decide what
> business model you want to support.
>
>
> PS
> I am a "small potatoes" buyer. But for a guy to
> buy 14-18 blanks from one company in one year for
> personal use only.......well draw your own
> conclusion.

Michael,

I'll post the email thread, and Gary's email to you tomorrow, in its entirety after taking out personal information like your email etc. I think it is fair for the rod building community to judge for themselves.

Aleks

Michael Sutheimer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Our chain of emails related to that was about the
> only time I got a prompt response from you or any
> response. Should put that same amount of effort
> into treating customers right as you do being a
> condescending jerk to customers. I guess it was my
> fault though I did ask you to fix problems after
> I gave you money. Forgot that's how it works when
> you buy something.......not.
>
> As for Gary agreeing with you well I think he did
> not have much choice. We wants to stay in the game
> as long as he can. He either can't or doesn't want
> to run the company. He wants to design blanks. He
> can't do that unless he has someone bringing in
> business. Don't matter if some business is being
> driven away, as long as there is still enough to
> pay the bills and he can continue designing
> blanks. So you got him over the barrel.
>
> Back in the G Loomis days I had numerous
> correspondences with Gary. They were never like
> this recent one. Even if I was being a bit of
> ass, out of called for frustration, the customer
> was always taken care of.

Here is that email exchange link:

emails have been edited out (except mine).

[northforkcomposites.com]

WOW, one individual ranting on this semi-public forum, smacks of a temper tantrum!

I have dealt with NFC since their inception, and am one of their very satisfied customers. Yes sometimes deliveries have been longer than I liked, but I was aware that could be the case.

As for "riding on the Loomis name", that is somewhat disingenuous, as what you are purchasing is a Loomis designed product, not something with his name just use as does Shimano.

What I expect from NFC, is an excellently designed, quality made U.S. made product, and that is what I get!!!

No temper tantrum. Just someone willing to call someone out on their @#$%&. I am glad that you are one of there satisfied customers. I am not for good reasons. Would you be happy if had a problem with every order you had placed with NFC? Not just issues with the order fulfillment but also monetary issues? I was upset with this last order because I asked to cancel it and place it again. In the past NFC dragged their feet over refunds. One was an order I cancelled other was an order that a couple hundred dollars worth of product was added to which I did not order. Both times it was multiple weeks and finally threat to turn it over to my bank before a refund was issued. I was not going to go through with that a third time.

All that had to have been done was a simple email. "Sorry coupon applied incorrectly we need to charge you x amount to make up the difference". Or a truly first class company would said oh well our mistake we will own it no up charge. Why should I be out of pocket for the new order. Plus wait who knows how long for the original order to be refunded? That was if the coupon would of worked.

As for "riding the loomis name" perhaps that was a bit harsh. Yes your getting a loomis designed product. But seems as if that provenance is used as a pass for some of NFC poor business practices.

"What I expect from NFC, is an excellently designed, quality made U.S. made product, and that is what I get!!!" Yes you do and if you get it problem free I understand why you will continue to do business with them and defend them.

>>> If you have an issue with a blank in the future, and need
>>> support/help/warranty - we are a small company - and after our
>>> interaction - do not really have the desire to go out of my way to
>>> help

This line of the email from Aleks really struck a nerve. Fine I crossed some line in his mind and does not want any future business but to say this in regards to product I have already spent my hard earned money on. So basically if I have issue with a product he might help or not. Need to update their warranty page to say if you hurt Aleks feelings you get warranty A if you put up with any and all @#$%& from Aleks you get warranty B.