BPS Fathers Day Sale - BPS Pro Qualifier

[CFFF 1.5]

If you are thinking about driving to BPS to buy one of these, save your gas. This was the heaviest rod I have ever picked up and it wasn't the real Pro Qualifier rod and reel. While the reel was very nice it was the tournament edition what ever that means, but the rod was horrible. It felt ok action wise but weighed a ton. I never really thought I cared how much a rod and reel combo weighed until I picked this combo up. BPS also had the real Pro Qualifier combos set up in the store and were a lot lighter than the cheap tournament series pro qualifier combo. The price was very interesting. $100 for a pro qualifier combo. I really wanted to buy one of these but the weight ended up being a big issue. Save your time if you planned to go buy one of these.

[Muddy]

This is my one B&$#H about BPS, they do it all the time. They will either suggest or actually show the wrong pic of a rod and reel combo to get suckers to buy them. Every Fathers day and Christmas, they have a reputation to sell to customers THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT

If you search you will find one of these threads, every spring/summer and every Christmas , since I have been a member here.- >

[JellyMan]

I do majority of my shopping at BPS.

I live down the street from one tho so its easy for me. I would suggest in the future, to NEVER BUY GEAR WITHOUT TOUCHING IT FIRST.

That will save you all your frustrations.

Good luck man.

[CFFF 1.5]

I didn't go specifically to buy the combo but figured I would check it out.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

That's just like the Pro Qualifier Viper rods/reels last year.  They looked good but were rather heavy and clunky.  I would say that the combo that was on sale was the new version of their LTD series, top shelf name, bargain bin construction.  I really hate those bait and switch gimmicks they pull from time to time.  Gotta watch the Extreme XPS combos as well.  You think you are getting an Extreme rod and reel for the price of the reel but you get an Extreme reel on a black blank XPS rod that, even for a BPS rod, is extremely heavy.

[CFFF 1.5]

the reel seemed to be exactly like the real pro qualifier but the rod was crap. The reel was sweet.

[adclem]

I really like the sale they have going on the Revo SX in the fathers day sale ad.  Regular $195 now $170,lol

Its on sale at regular price, go figure!

Later,

[MarauderYak]

The ad looked pretty clear to me.  It is a special edition of the Pro Qualifier reel that has Duraluminum gears.  The upgraded/lighter reel is the same price as the regular reel and it comes with a free rod.

I guess I don't understand what's so upsetting about that.?.  :-?

[Muddy]

What happens a lot, is they try to rope in the less informed fishermen. The last 2 fathers day they had on one year the Extreme Combo, same reel, horrible rod and a Rick Clunn , that was not the same as the every day combo. The issue is the combo pics, on a lot of the circulars are of the every day combo, this happens frequently here. Do a search there have been many threads about this issue.,

[MarauderYak]

Muddy, I think your confussion must be coming from the fact they use similar names on some of their special make-ups they do.  But if you look at the ad...

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&appID=163&option=3&template=circular.cfm&catalog=jun1_09_tab&rfx_versioningid=001&storeID=15

It says "Special Purchase!" in big red letters, the reel is a different color, and the description says it's an upgraded version of the reel.  I don't know how it could be any more clear unless they used a completely different name.  But in the fishing industry in can be tough to come up with a name that hasn't been used by someone else.  That's why you see companies stick with names they already own the rights for.

[CFFF 1.5]

Muddy, I think your confussion must be coming from the fact they use similar names on some of their special make-ups they do. But if you look at the ad...

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&appID=163&option=3&template=circular.cfm&catalog=jun1_09_tab&rfx_versioningid=001&storeID=15

It says "Special Purchase!" in big red letters, the reel is a different color, and the description says it's an upgraded version of the reel. I don't know how it could be any more clear unless they used a completely different name. But in the fishing industry in can be tough to come up with a name that hasn't been used by someone else. That's why you see companies stick with names they already own the rights for.

It is misleading any way you look at it. The reel was very nice and on par with the "Real" Pro Qualifier the problem is with the rod. The ad specifically states $200 value which it is not. The price tag on the Rod/Reel Combo clearly stated $119.95 marked down to $99.94. That is not a $100 rod. Like the original price tag stated it is maybe a $30 rod.

[MarauderYak]

I'm not trying to convince anyone to buy that combo.  If you don't like something, you don't like it.  But I personally still don't see how it's misleading.

What's the retail price of other similar reels?  You can't find a reel with Duraluminum gears in that price range.  The closest is the Pflueger Summit which is $170.  Comparing the rod is a little more difficult, but I can tell you I've seen much worse rods for $80.  In other words, I don't think you could find a similar rod & reel for less than $200 (normal retail).

If you can't tell, I have one of these combos.  I pulled the reel to put with a different rod, and I'm putting an old citica on this combo rod for a backup/loaner.  I haven't been able to take it out yet, but the reel feels awesome and weighs just 7 oz.

[CFFF 1.5]

The new 09 pro qualifiers that cost $100 have duralumin gears. The misleading part is it is advertised as a $200 combo for $100 but the price tag on the rod/reel combo is 119.95

[MarauderYak]

The new 09 pro qualifiers that cost $100 have duralumin gears. The misleading part is it is advertised as a $200 combo for $100 but the price tag on the rod/reel combo is 119.95

The '09 Pro Qualifiers have brass gears.  That's why this version is 1.8 oz lighter.

The reason they put a "regular" price of $120 is so they can sell what ever they have left after the ad for that price.  But they're saying if they were to produce that reel & that rod for every day sale they would be $200 seperately.  Some times I think they get a little carried away with the "value" they assign, but I personally don't feel mislead.  Would I pay $200?  No.  Do I love the rod? No.  But it's not bad, and I bought this thing for the reel.  The reel is awesome for $100.

[CFFF 1.5]

in the 2009 catalog they had the pro qualifiers listed as having duralumin gears.

[Muddy]

Muddy, I think your confussion must be coming from the fact they use similar names on some of their special make-ups they do. But if you look at the ad...

I am not CONFUSED, but they are certainly trying to confuse rookies. I used to have an account with them, but because of this and a lot of shipping issues I do not do business with them anymore.I have years , many years of experience both in dealing with them and purchasing fishing equipment. I do know what I am talking about and like I said, use the search function this has been an ongoing source of complaints on these forums

[MarauderYak]

Well Muddy, I guess we'll just disagree on this one.  It wouldn't make any sense for ANY retailer to try and confuse their customers.  BPS tends to promote a lot of one-time buys.  It's just like how all the electronics companies bring in special purchase TV's around Christmas time.  They're all trying to give customers a reason to come to them.

And using complaints on this forum as a source of proof just doesn't hold water.  There have been a ton of complaints about every fishing brand out there.  Do they all suck?

[Muddy]

NO JUST BPS does on this issue. I am speaking from personal first hand experience, which goes back for a number of years dealing with this retailer. Posted complaints by members I fish with and have become friends with over the last 3 years here, well their posts definitely matter.

I really don't enjoy being talked down to. I only rate what I use and I

have used everything I talk about,

[MarauderYak]

Well Muddy your wrong when you say BPS is trying to deceive anyone.  I personally know the people that pick the items they promote.  They would certainly not try to trick anyone into thinking they were getting something they weren't.

You are obviously entitled to have & express your opinion, but to say BPS is trying to "pull one over" on people is nonsense.  I'm not trying to talk down to you; I was trying to explain to you how/why BPS promotes items.  I'm not guessing what their intentions are because I talk to the guys all the time.  And I didn't call your (or any of your friend's) complaints worthless.  I simply said that having a complaint on this board does not make an item/company bad.  There have been several complaints on Carrot Stix, yet many people here still love theirs.

Why don't you look at the item in question here, and tell me what they could've done differently to make it any more clear that this was a special make-up item.

[CFFF 1.5]

Well Muddy your wrong when you say BPS is trying to deceive anyone. I personally know the people that pick the items they promote. They would certainly not try to trick anyone into thinking they were getting something they weren't.

You are obviously entitled to have & express your opinion, but to say BPS is trying to "pull one over" on people is nonsense. I'm not trying to talk down to you; I was trying to explain to you how/why BPS promotes items. I'm not guessing what their intentions are because I talk to the guys all the time. And I didn't call your (or any of your friend's) complaints worthless. I simply said that having a complaint on this board does not make an item/company bad. There have been several complaints on Carrot Stix, yet many people here still love theirs.

Why don't you look at the item in question here, and tell me what they could've done differently to make it any more clear that this was a special make-up item.

Yes they advertised it as a special make up but also stated it was a $200 combo but the original price tag on the rod/reel combo was $119.99 marked down to $99.94.

[Muddy]

He just beat me too it. Last Christmas ( 07 to 08) They had the extreme combos , marked way down, except the rod was not the extreme in the paper. A member who I know and trust, who worked for BPS, said the rods were specially made for the sale. They were listed at the full retail OF THE EVERYDAY COMBO and the rod was in fact different

They Had the Rick Clunn ( I happen to love that reel) combo listed as on sale last Fathers Day, at the Harrisburg PA store, it was a LTD ( DIFFERENT REEL) and rod, I know I went to buy it and it was not a Rick Clunn. If you think adding LTD makes it alright and it is not misleading , more power to you.

 I buy for a giveaway program and have not had these issues at other retailers, especially Cabelas, who are probably their biggest competitor.

They do have a habit of putting up a piece of merchandise on the web site at an inflated price then a few weeks later putting it on sale for a month at the price they wanted to sell it out to begin with

 I do not work for or own stock in Cabelas, just a mook who really watches for good prices and fair practices

[MarauderYak]

I talked to a friend at BPS to ask him about your specific complaints.

First, he was pretty sure what you were talking about with the Extreme.  In 2007 they ran the Extreme spinning reel with a free rod & listed the rod as a $60 value, but the rod is not one they sell.  The problem was...  in the ad it showed a picture of one of the regular Extreme rods.  He said it was the biggest mistake he remembers happening for rods or reels in an ad.  He said they ended up giving away a bunch of Extreme rods to make customers happy, and they ended up losing money & running out of rods.  So you are correct that this was misleading, but it was all because of a mistake with a picture.

He said he's 99% sure that they've never done any LTD, or special make-up Rick Clunn reel or combo.  He said he looked through coppies of the Father's day ad from the last 3 years, and the only Rick Clunn in there was the regular reel on sale.

He said they have done a Johnny Morris LTD reel, and that must be what your thinking of.  The reels are listed as a special purchase, and they're made at the exact same factory as the regular reels, and in that case just changed the finish & model #.  He said neither the factory nor BPS makes as much money on those special runs, but it creates more sales & generates customer excitement.

I don't understand how you (Muddy) consider that a rip-off.  They're offering the same reel in a different color for a cheaper price.  If these special make-ups were some cheaper knock-off I could see your point, but they aren't.  In fact in this case (PQ) it's an upgraded version.

To address both you AND CFFF on a point...   The combo in question here was brought in for this Father's Day ad.  They wanted to sell it at $99.94 in the ad, but want it to jump up to $119.99 after the ad if there are any left.  The $200 value is based on what it would cost to go buy a rod & reel with very similar features (at full retail).  He said if that exact reel was being sold every day by another company it would easily be $150+, and even at BPS would likely be $130 every day.

They do some times run sales a month after getting an item, but then they go back to the regular price.  The only company out there that plays the high/low game is D!cks sporting goods.  They always try to list an original, a regular, and a sale price.

[Muddy]

I am done with this, I know what I know, and it is from years of experience dealing with them and they lost my account. I held , in my own 2 hands what they were calling a Clunn combo at that store, it was not the combo I already had home, purchased from the Internet. I am 100% sure of this and telling the truth. Tell your friend he is a loyal employee, I am sure they appreciate that

If you go to BPS, as I have done on 2 instances and you know something is on sale online, they will not meet the price, as they say and it's true BPS on line and retail stores are 2 different entities

If you go to Cabelas to do the same, they meet their Internet price, and will even look it up for you

Their shipping policies and practices also over priced: how about I can get many of the non BPS branded items for the same or less prices: Shipped free from 2 other retailers as long as the order is more than 50 bucks. saving some 11 to 14 bucks an order.

I don't know why good companies lie, or as you said they don't

CitiBank

Enron

Madoff Hedge Funds

Yea I cant wait to trust another major company on blind faith

My Mother and Father did not raise any fools that live in my house

See Ya

PS I must apologize, I usually save stuff as proof, I never thought I would have to prove everything I said. There were links and proof , if you would bother to do an old search of those threads

[Big Bait Fishing]

in the 2009 catalog they had the pro qualifiers listed as having duralumin gears.

nope , the ''johnny morris signature series'' bait cast real has the

duralumin gears , i'm looking at the 2009 master catalog .

[MarauderYak]

This is a big forum with a lot of BPS customers.  Can anyone here produce any proof that BPS sold a Rick Clunn LTD special make-up combo?  I'm betting no, since they never did.

I never said anything about trusting all companies.  I said I can't imagine a retailer (refering to sporting goods) would try to deceive their customers into buying something & thinking they were getting something else.  If they did, that retailer wouldn't be around long.

I still haven't heard an explanation how buying an upgraded reel with a free rod for the same price as the original is somehow a bad thing.