spinhead

I have a point. I clearly defined my point. It is not a quality issue. It's not who is wrong or who is right. It's not what I said to spark a response. It's not about whether they tend to be weak tipped (although a test supports this which may make the Falcon people sensitive to the issue). It's about this one word....PERCEPTION. Can I, can you, can anyone voice their displeasure without making a demand, a threat, or even asking for anything in return, and receive a Professional or even Mature response in regards to their issue? Does jumping the gun, shooting from the hip, assuming, taking a defensive position, refocusing blame, pointing a finger, making excuses, provide good customer service? The question is "Is this the kind of service and response you want from a company, any company?" Does it matter to you how a company would handle correspondence? No one likes to be insulted....Do they xxxx? You wanted a rise out of someone and you got it. Now go pick on Mattel or Parker Bros. If your email had not been so demeaning we could have discussed it like adults, but you chose not to do so. Instead, I get insulted and threatened by what you say you are going to do. When you post these emails, be sure to post them all so everyone can see the type of customer you are. Billy Fields Promotions/Customer Service Director Falcon Rods 1823 West Reno Broken Arrow, OK 74012 (918) 251-0020

First of all, what does it matter if you are a new member or an old, how does that matter if you have an opinion? I'm 52 years old and avid fisherman so just because I'm a "newbie" on this forum, I'm no "newbie" to Bass Fishing. My intent is to offer up how a particular company handles customer service issues I'm not launching a tirade about anything other then poor customer service quality. My post isn't about right or wrong, who is at fault over a quality issue, or a defective product. It's all about how a company chose to handle an issue. Your perception is that I'm some kind of rebel on a holy crusade to drive a stake through the heart of a company.... Your perception was actually intended to see what kind of company Falcon is when it comes to handling customer service. You are welcome to have an opinion, any opinion on me...that's your choice. Hopefully what you perceive from my post is not what you interpret to be the cause or the root of the issue as a problem... but how you could expect or what you could expect from Falcon if you purchased a product from them. You can only imagine what I may have stated to spark this response from Falcon, I left that out because it's really not material. What's material is how they act or react, through this action or reaction you can judge by yourself if Falcon is a company you would like to deal with based on how they handle themselves. If you want to speculate on what I said to trigger this response, be my guest...guessing is the only thing being applied in that case. How a company handles an issue should be a concern to everyone who invest money into products. I know Wal-Mart wouldn't dream of providing such a response, in fact they offered me full store credit. What I did was voice my opinion to Falcon about a product I purchased. They simply handled that poorly enough that I decided to share it. I did not threaten them, I did not ask for an apology, I did not ask for a repair, I did not ask for anything at all... As you can see they assumed and took a quick position, they fired the guns from the hip, they couldn't take my opinion and lashed out...the question is? Is this the kind of customer service you would expect or want from anyone?

I actually liked my Falcon even though the rumors were that the tips were rather weak. I found out that this is no rumor the hard way. Could I make this a warranty claim? I seriously doubt that. It broke off and that pretty much leaves you in the damage mercy category. I could place a review, after-all I'm being objective and I will freely admit that this rod became my mainstay. Why not write the company a letter and express my opinion then? Sounds reasonable, I bought their product and used it so why wouldn't I deserve the opportunity to express my opinion? Wrong. Whether you want to accept my opinion that they tend to have weak tips is all up to you. You can say you have experienced the same trouble or even heard the same thing. You could also say I'm full of it, I broke it and I'm just sour. Put the weak tip or other quality issues aside and then just take this following reply in stride: To begin with we stopped selling to Wal Mart because they would discount the rods in the winter. Second, the rod that you own was flex tested a minimum of 4 time before it left here. You used the rod, you caught fish on the rod and the rod did not break. Now in all fairness, a defect does not just appear in the blank months down the road. I have been building rods for a long time and I can tell you that YOU have damaged the rod before this incident and did not know it. Then you want to accuse us of making bad product. Take responsibility for your own actions and follow the warranty guidelines (if you even took the time to read them) so we might replace the rod or sit and complain and get nothing. Billy Fields Promotions/Customer Service Director Falcon Rods 1823 West Reno Broken Arrow, OK 74012 (918) 251-0020 Months down the road? Try about just a litte over 1 month, I reported that I purchased the rod in the Spring of 2007. To my recolation Summer started just a few days ago, less then a week ago. There was no warranty card, I bought it at a Wal-Mart! Besides that I didn't ask for a refund or a replacement, I didn't even demand for it to be fixed! I merely expressed my opinion. He can tell me that "I" damaged the rod. Satelite viewing has come along a lot further then I ever imagined! All joking aside, my whole point is something else now. Forget the issue of breaking the tip or quality. Ask yourself this and this only, is this the kind of customer service you would expect from a company that you purchased something from, directly or indirectly? Is this the kind or type of attitude you want to hear? Wow! They really care don't they! That is the point, my only point... don't do business with people like this...who needs them? -Hey, I broke my rod...I just want you to know that I'm not pleased with the quality and that the rumors that surround an issue with your quality are now founded with me as well as a result, I'm not asking you for a darn thing other then to say, "We are working hard to correct any and all issues with our products"- Just so you know who you are dealing with and how they will respond and treat you...this makes a difference to me. I'm not a child for them to scold, I'm not inferior, I'm not anything less or more...however I am a person who trusted you to buy something from. Obviously they have more important customers that matter... would that be you?

I fish the Bush Wildlife area frequently. In fact I have been fishing the area for over 35 years. It wasn't always free, there was a time you had to pay a dollar to register and that required having a license. The lakes are pressured, mostly by Catfishermen. People who visit there are very messy and you can witness this by visiting the special or popular catfish lakes. I have seen a little improvement over the last few years, not much, just a little. Overall it's a disgrace that human beings would treat the outdoors like this. Trash, driving out on the dams, around the lakes, out of state fishermen, length limit violations, catch limit violations....if the place were patrolled adequately it would be a gold mine for revenue! I urge you as sportsmen, fishermen, conservationist, or as human beings...take a digital camera and record what you see. Report it to a higher authority, it's out of control and the Agents are having a severe case of apathy. Report it to a State Rep, Private Conservation groups or whatever... when apathy controls the enforcement it's time to take control of the controllers. BTW, it's not a race issue, a class issue, it is across the board rape of the land and water, dog groups, hunters, upper middle class Lexus driving, all types are abusing this place. Report the rapers. Now about the fishing. Lake 33 is excellent for bass and I guarantee there are hogs. I have caught two 8+ pounders this year and they are alive and well back in the lake. There is a misconception about the lakes species designations. There are these so-called catfish only lakes... Lake 7 is one. It was filled with large bass last year and the last 2 years before that. This year I have struggled although I saw one large at least 7lb + on the nest near the rocks off the dam ( I dread what is typical for BW). Catfishing people sort of make me mad to be polite about it. I watched a guy bungle into catching about a 5 lb female full of eggs last year, he bragged about how nice his dinner would be that night. (I said is it wrong to hope he chokes on it?) My point is that too many catfishing people/freaks of nature bungle into hooking bass and keeping them. I'm 100% "0 Limit" but if someone actually thinks bass are good to eat for some reason I can't understand (then so Mikey D's is probably good food too) , then why not keep the 12" where it's legal to keep them? Just one or two maybe? Lake 31 (catch and release only no live bait allowed) is also excellent for all sizes, large and small. You will find bass in virtually any lake there, mostly you will find 10-15" lengths. Trust me the over 18" lengths are there and I'll argue anyone over this. I have a lake that I prefer not to mention that is filled with an abudance of bass, clean, healthy, well marked and colored... no one will be fishing it much this summer and with good reason (because it's sides are filled with cover no one will want to cast over and through). If anyone thinks Bass are good to eat raise your hand, I'd like to know you and then avoid any restaraunt, recipe, or dish you'd recommend in the future. I hear about this all the time (bass are good) and for a time I did laugh, I don't laugh anymore because I hear it way too much. I don't know what people here think, but I thought bass were a sports fish, you hunt sports fish for the thrill and not as food. My whole point on top of the tips for BW fishing is that too little enforcement, not enough sportsmanship, not even close enough catch and release principles in regards to fishing styles are being applied or emphasized at the Bush Wildlife Area. Sometimes we have to take actions, apathy in this day and age is out of control across the board and this area is a prime example, you must report things, document them, record them, and do something with the information and MOST IMPORTANTLY BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING WILL RESULT ... thinking that it doesn't matter or nothing will result is apathy...when you do it and others do it, it will add up ... that accumulation will eventually get attention. This guy or that guy won't get busted, that's not what it is about, it's about stepping up the pressure and the big picture...forcing the enforcement. Our apathy only helps fuel continued apathy, break the cycle, kick the pattern, believe what you are doing is going to matter...and it will, believe that you don't matter and sure enough...you won't.

By now a great deal of time has passed and I hope you are good with your decision. The Pflueger Gold Medalist Pro claims to have anywhere from 7 to 8 stainless steel ballbearings, depending where you pull up info. It seems to be a "store" model. I don't believe it is like the actual Medalist Spinning Reels that go for 80-100 retail, which falls between the President and the Supreme models. It looks way more like a Trion, the spool skirt is like a Trion and not a Medalist at all. In my opinion it is a custom Trion with a fancy name and if Dick's used it as an exclusive model that figures with me. Just another example of how Dick's is desperate for market share and profit by making a stab with deception to lure sales with a tricky model name. You tell me why would they sell a reel for the same price as a Trion and use the name of another model costing twice as much?????? That's a questionable practice in my book and I'll bet not one employee in any store could ever explain anything accurately about them. I like Dick's...can you tell? I'd bet my favorite hat that the President is a far better reel then the Gold Medalist Pro, one thing that should be a tipoff is - one comes in a box the other in a cheap blister pack.... Blister Packs are exactly what they are...99 out of 100 times... the cheap stuff manufactures make. Daiwa has two types of Regals, one is 15 bucks in a blister pack the other is 35 in a box, if Regal is what catches your eye...beware the differences 4i and Xi... blister pack or box? I rate the President, Medalist, and Mitchell Xe (new) as equal with an edge to the Mitchell for price... 35-40 range, best spinning reel under 50 bucks there is going hands down.... It's apple and oranges after that with XGe Mitchell because all are pretty much close in price except the Medalist. The Shimano's and Daiwa's in that class? Won't hold up as long, they are nice but talk to me after they all have been through the paces of wear and tear and see how they perform.... All new reels out of the box work fairly great, what about after landing 20, 30, 50 fish? What about after weeks of use? After hundreds of cast? Getting tossed around, dropped, left in the Suburban and exposed to 150 degrees all day? You know the regular abuse regular people perform day in and day out that the pro reviewers don't have the time or money to duplicate accurately? A review for a reel is usually about a one day or weekend experience with a new out of the box reel. When I rate one it's after months of wear and tear and with something I chose to use regularly... the new Xe is something for it's price, rather shocking it's not catching on...that's because the recent 300X's never impressed anyone.... When Quantum decides to own up for it's consistant design errors and other flaws I may try one, but's it not likely...the Kinetic was the latest disaster and just another goof in a long line of goofs. They owe people money in my book, so no Quantum will ever be evaluated here.... not for quite some time...