I love NFC blanks. My wife just ordered a couple blanks for my birthday that arrived yesterday and upon inspection, saw a few concerning things.
First, I had ordered an 8 weight gamma beta blank and received a 10 wt? (At least according to the decal that came with it.) I can’t find any measurements online of tip and butt sections to confirm but compared to other rods I own, the rod sent to me is appears to be a 10 wt. Also, whoever sanded the female ferrule of the tip section of this rod knicked the blank into the fibers.

I ordered an X-ray blank as well that the tip was poking through their packaging and appears to have gotten at least scratched if not cracked, during shipping.

I had to warranty a tip section on a blank they sent me on my last order because it was severely curved!

I’m writing this not to add to the dog pile of complaints for NFC, because when they get it right, I wholeheartedly believe they make the best blanks. But I feel like I have to borderline harass the company to get responses when things go sideways and the quality control at times is shakey.

NFC, please step it up! I want you guys to always be around!!!

My skepticism is fully “tached-out” because NFC is more than a decade old. These kinds of problems have been reported at what seems to be an unusually high rate for most of this duration. It’s not just this board, the BBB complaints have been concerning over the years with every rating I’ve seen being an “F”. I want to support a local PNW manufacturer, and I own several rods built by the Woodland area firms. However, after hearing about and experiencing some of the struggles of Lamiglas since the mid ‘90s, I’m needing to see a couple of clean quality years before I invest a build and other time/energy with either NFC or Lamiglas. Even our new host has been at NFC far long enough to have made a difference if quality was one of his core values. I do want things to change, and I will be a customer when it becomes apparent that they have.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2022 11:47PM by Kendall Cikanek.

Alex,

Thanks for your note and for your kind words about NFC blanks. I do want to address the QC/support issue below.

It looks like you already contacted support, and there is already an email chain, so I will leave it there.

In terms of a tip section that was severely curved from a prior order, I looked into the notes.

You bought the fly rod blank in August of 2021, but reached out to us in Feb of 2022, as you started to build on it, that the tip section has a curve to it. Many rod builders build on the curve, we do so with Edge (our inhouse brand) However, since in addition to the curve, the section made a popping sound, our team sent you a new one at no charge. You decided to add a butt section to the shipment, and it looks like that was added as well. For the crooked tip section, you submitted the warranty claim on 2/1, emailed the team back as you had a mishap with the butt section on 2/7, a replacement was sent out on 2/18 for both the tip section and the butt section.

To recap - 7 months after you ordered and received a blank, you reached out, and our team got the replacement sections out to you. There is not a single mention of this in your post, but you instead mention that you "feel that you have to borderline harass the company to get responses."

To be direct - that is undeserved. I want the team members that are reading these posts (and they do) to know that I am proud of the way they handled your initial support request with the curved section, the replacement butt section.

Do items slip though quality control? Sure, we are a factory that makes thousands of pieces per day. Perhaps give us a chance to resolve your issue (I see that you emailed at 12:24 am on 3/23) and my team got back to you later the same day) prior to posting about QC issues to a message board.

Aleks

I will unfortunately be doing the same with NFC most likely as well.

Aleks Maslov Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Alex,
>
> Thanks for your note and for your kind words about
> NFC blanks. I do want to address the QC/support
> issue below.
>
> It looks like you already contacted support, and
> there is already an email chain, so I will leave
> it there.
>
> In terms of a tip section that was severely curved
> from a prior order, I looked into the notes.
>
> You bought the fly rod blank in August of 2021,
> but reached out to us in Feb of 2022, as you
> started to build on it, that the tip section has a
> curve to it. Many rod builders build on the curve,
> we do so with Edge (our inhouse brand) However,
> since in addition to the curve, the section made a
> popping sound, our team sent you a new one at no
> charge. You decided to add a butt section to the
> shipment, and it looks like that was added as
> well. For the crooked tip section, you submitted
> the warranty claim on 2/1, emailed the team back
> as you had a mishap with the butt section on 2/7,
> a replacement was sent out on 2/18 for both the
> tip section and the butt section.
>
> To recap - 7 months after you ordered and received
> a blank, you reached out, and our team got the
> replacement sections out to you. There is not a
> single mention of this in your post, but you
> instead mention that you "feel that you have to
> borderline harass the company to get responses."
>
> To be direct - that is undeserved. I want the team
> members that are reading these posts (and they do)
> to know that I am proud of the way they handled
> your initial support request with the curved
> section, the replacement butt section.
>
> Do items slip though quality control? Sure, we are
> a factory that makes thousands of pieces per day.
> Perhaps give us a chance to resolve your issue (I
> see that you emailed at 12:24 am on 3/23) and my
> team got back to you later the same day) prior to
> posting about QC issues to a message board.
>
> Aleks

Aleks,

You should look at the photo I sent of the curve on the tip section before assuming I don’t know about building in regard to the curve. If you look at the photo and still say you would knowingly let a customer pay for that then fair enough. I’ll even post a photo of it for you myself so you and others can see and you don’t have to do any digging.

Your company was fine with replacing the tip section after I called them (it took several phone calls throughout the week to get an answer. No call backs from the voicemail I had left) and explained that I had been living in a truck for work since before May and bought the rods because of the sale price and had them delivered to my wife. I couldn’t get around to looking at the rods until a day or so before I reached out to you guys.

I am thankful that you guys replaced the tip section, as you should have. You charged me for the butt section, as you should have (the damage on it was my fault). But communication with your company can be shakey at best sometimes. I came to the forum that you now moderate in hopes that it would speed up the process and it appears it worked.

But this is two orders in a row that there are issues and both issues stem from quality control. Mix that with all the posts online talking about other negative experiences from customers of you guys and it leaves me not feeling confident in things being made right. I don’t think I am wrong for that.

I want to support you guys but I’ll remember your patronizing response on a message board for future purchases.

Alex



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2022 05:23PM by Alex purvis.

Alex,

My reply was not intended to be patronizing, as I do appreciate you as a customer and your purchases.

I simply pointed out my team took care of your issue when they were presented with it.

I am also not putting into question your rodbuilding knowledge and abilities, there are plenty of rod builders that don’t want to build on a curved blank, regardless if it’s curved very slightly or a lot - and that’s OK, we respect that, and if it’s an issue we address it as it arises. (and I don’t know the extend of which it was curved, I cannot see that in the account notes)

Now, the following is an important note: We are a factory. We manufacture, we don’t buy and re-sell blanks/components - we sell what we manufacture. When you are calling NFC, you are calling a factory. We are working on the next stages of adding more retail space, more warehouse space, order tracking within production, etc.

There are very few factories left in the US, cheap imports of decent quality are readily available through re-sellers, which can be brought in at a fraction of the cost it takes to manufacture the same blanks here. Our business model offers another option - factory direct to customer, which allows you to get a US made performance blank, similar to what you would be charged for an import because we remove the distributor and reseller markup. The downside? We don’t have a call center or a large sales/support staff, not only does it take time to hire and train folks that are to become knowledgeable in rodbuilding, but we allocate resources based on where the volume of our business currently is - We are really set up to support larger OEMs, but we are also rod builders at our core and want to provide a quality, affordable, US made blank to the community.

We are currently running a pretty aggressive sale - which lengthens the response times as there are order changes/modifications, product questions, packages lost in shipping and many more.

You are a fairly recent customer of NFC, a few years ago our leadtime was 4-5 months, now it is down to 2-3 weeks, but in the current environment of delays in logistics, employment challenges, you will need to be patient. It will most likely take more than a few calls to talk to someone, and email responses are faster, it will take more than a few days to turn emails and orders around - and we understand that’s inconvenient - but we also stress that we are not the right company for everyone as a result, as those are our current limitations. We can’t get back right away - but we do get back. (Even in the format of your forum post). Even take the case in point with your last email / it was responded to the same day.

Take care,
Aleks

I think that is an excellent response from Aleks and one that all should read. I was a first time customer last fall and did get frustrated with the length of time to receive my order but I totally get it now. Aleks was helpful with the selection of my blanks and all my emails were eventually answered. The xray blanks I purchased were the lightest most sensitive I have built on to date. I loved them so much I placed another order recently and received my blanks in 2 weeks......and because I never ordered enough I placed another order. It may be weeks before I receive but I understand why now. I do feel good knowing where and by whom they were made.

Steve

I also like Aleks' response. Professional, courteous and to the point.
I recently had a quality issue with a blank from NFC. I build rods for myself and don't buy blanks in bulk. But, I've built a couple on the x-ray blanks and love the rods.
This one in particular had not only a bend. But, a double bend. I've never seen one quite like it and was a bit shocked and disappointed. So, I started contacting NFC through all the channels. Honestly, it took a minute for them to get back to me. However, when they responded, they apologized and set about making things right. I emailed pics and the next day got an email that a new replacement blank had been put on order. To me, that's good business. Quality control is a huge challenge in every industry. How a company responds to an issue is a big deal in my eyes. And though they are faced with some extraordinary hurdles in trying to stay afloat amidst the onslaught of cheaper foreign products. I don't see them hiding behind excuses. Just the truth of what industry in the US has become. Extremely challenging to say the least. I, for one, am willing to extend some grace and patience.
And I would argue that the NFC X-ray blank is the best blank available anywhere in the world for $85 (on sale). Even at $170, it ranks with the best.
So, keep up the good work. Stay focused and these issues will get ironed out.

Aleks is right. I got hasty and frustrated out of impatience honestly. Dealing with NFC is different than some of the other companies I’ve dealt with and his factory bit of his response cleared that up for me. I’m willing to be patient with NFC because the quality is there and as an American, I want to see a US company survive, especially one of such quality.
I didn’t mean any ill will towards NFC with my initial post, but I could have been patient and waited for customer service to handle the situation instead of trying to fast track to Aleks himself.

I will be posting a deserving update in the coming weeks on here and other websites regarding NFC and this situation, because they have taken care of me.

Al

I believe there is a lesson here, on one using this forum to vent personal frustrations ! Using a public forum to "harass" a supplier does no one any good, and some might it, a "cheap shot!"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2022 06:44PM by Phil Erickson.

Alex, glad to see you feel differently after looking at from a new perspective. The following is a cut & paste from a previous post of mine. It contains a bit of extra info that you might find useful in making your purchasing decisions.


"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.

Phil Erickson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe there is a lesson here, on one using
> this forum to vent personal frustrations ! Using
> a public forum to "harass" a supplier does no one
> any good, and some might it, a "cheap shot!"


And something the previous owner rarely allowed.

Phil Erickson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe there is a lesson here, on one using
> this forum to vent personal frustrations ! Using
> a public forum to "harass" a supplier does no one
> any good, and some might it, a "cheap shot!"


Phil,

You are right in the lesson although I wasn’t attempting any sort of harassment. I misjudged the situation and misread Aleks initial response. This caused me to react in an extreme manner. I was never attempting to harass, I believe I plainly stated my love for NFC products and my initial concern for quality control was out of love for what the company creates.

I am not trying to be confrontational or argumentative here. I just want to clear the air that I didn’t have any bad blood with the company and currently do not as well. My knee jerk response was unnecessary after Aleks first commented back.

All is good in the rod building community and everyone can sleep peacefully tonight knowing that ;)

I appreciate everyone’s insight here

I have ordered from nfc quite a number of times in the last few years, since I got back into rod building. I’ve built on x-ray, IM, HM, delta and the new glass in bass rods,,steelhead/salmon rods and fly rods. . Yes, I have had blanks with slight curvature but I just built on the curve and would never notice now. I have received product damaged through shipping but they were always prompt and courteous when contacted and issues were resolved immediately. I believe their blanks offer a tremendous value and a great selection. I will always be a customer.

Thank you Steven, Russell, Mike, Todd, Ross, and Phil for your kind words and input -

Alex is a good dude - we spoke on the phone yesterday - there are no hard feelings on both sides - I totally understand his point of frustration - you wait to get a shipment, you are excited to build on it, but it arrives and there is an issue...in Alex's case, its the second time. I would be frustrated too...but do urge anyone that has an issue to contact us directly - and we will make it right.

Best Regards,
Aleks



Alex purvis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Phil Erickson Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I believe there is a lesson here, on one using
> > this forum to vent personal frustrations !
> Using
> > a public forum to "harass" a supplier does no
> one
> > any good, and some might it, a "cheap shot!"
>
>
> Phil,
>
> You are right in the lesson although I wasn’t
> attempting any sort of harassment. I misjudged the
> situation and misread Aleks initial response. This
> caused me to react in an extreme manner. I was
> never attempting to harass, I believe I plainly
> stated my love for NFC products and my initial
> concern for quality control was out of love for
> what the company creates.
>
> I am not trying to be confrontational or
> argumentative here. I just want to clear the air
> that I didn’t have any bad blood with the
> company and currently do not as well. My knee jerk
> response was unnecessary after Aleks first
> commented back.
>
> All is good in the rod building community and
> everyone can sleep peacefully tonight knowing that
> ;)
>
> I appreciate everyone’s insight here



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2022 10:28AM by Aleks Maslov.

Mike,

I don't think that we should tolerate personal attacks (which is definitely NOT the case here) - but reflections and vents regarding genuine issues fall right into that "freedom of speech" category that I think we should hold dear...censoring posts because they don't shine a positive light on a specific topic/company is not something that we should want to do...especially if the feedback is genuine. There should be a response, and if post constructive, improvement and resolution.

Best Regards,
Aleks


Mike Ballard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Phil Erickson Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I believe there is a lesson here, on one using
> > this forum to vent personal frustrations !
> Using
> > a public forum to "harass" a supplier does no
> one
> > any good, and some might it, a "cheap shot!"
>
>
> And something the previous owner rarely allowed.

Kendall,

My father is a pastor - one of his favorite quotes is that if "you find a perfect church, don't join it - you will mess it up"

There is no perfect company, and I can assure you, it is not possible to have a couple of 'clean quality years' when you deal with any sort of manufacturing. We manufactured about 180,000 pieces last year. Let's assume a defect rate of 1%, that is 1800 pieces (usually it hovers around 2-3%, some models more due to fine tapers etc). A manufacturer can hope to weed those out through their processes, but there are still going to be stragglers. Humans do the work in our factory, we are imperfect, and is one reason why companies offer warranties. What we do promise is that if there is an issue, we will stand behind our products and take care of it. But to say that "quality is not one of our core values" is contradictory to your own statement of the company being around since 2009. A company does not survive without repeat business.

On the BBB issue, if you read the comments, they are related to lead-times, our refusals to ship outside of the USA (and outside of our official partners), and our refusals to deal with people that decide to belittle/bully our staff. Life is too short, we are not personal therapists nor do my folks need to listen to profanity laced conversations of frustration when a carrier breaks a blank, or if there was a mishap with an order. We are also trying to get through the day and though life - if you treat us like people, it will be paid back in spades, if after a few attempts one continues to rant, we will sever ties with you professionally.

I do hope that you find a local manufacturer to support, while there still are.

P.S. The Better Business Bureau will gladly give us an "A" rating if we pay their membership fees, (sorry, that's akin to corporate extortion) as their rating revolves around if the complaint has been responded to, they don't reflect positive feedback in the score if you are not a "member" etc. etc.

Aleks



Kendall Cikanek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My skepticism is fully “tached-out” because
> NFC is more than a decade old. These kinds of
> problems have been reported at what seems to be an
> unusually high rate for most of this duration.
> It’s not just this board, the BBB complaints
> have been concerning over the years with every
> rating I’ve seen being an “F”. I want to
> support a local PNW manufacturer, and I own
> several rods built by the Woodland area firms.
> However, after hearing about and experiencing some
> of the struggles of Lamiglas since the mid ‘90s,
> I’m needing to see a couple of clean quality
> years before I invest a build and other
> time/energy with either NFC or Lamiglas. Even our
> new host has been at NFC far long enough to have
> made a difference if quality was one of his core
> values. I do want things to change, and I will be
> a customer when it becomes apparent that they
> have.

I've dealt with the BBB many times in my career. They are a professional extortion company. If you join, you can treat your customers like dirt and still get an "a" rating. If you refuse to pay for "protection" ala Mafia style, then you can be the best customer service company in the state and they will rate you an "F". Total @#$%& organization IMHO.

Alex, you are the one who used the term "harass" in your original post.

Phil Erickson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Alex, you are the one who used the term "harass"
> in your original post.


Why not just leave it alone Phil?

Ron Weber