Has anyone ordered from Johnnys Pond lately. Larry Wayne has messed up my order twice. I ordered a Pacbay channel lock 2 reel seat in black. He sent it in silver and it was not a channel lock 2 as ordered. Also he shorted me 3 titanium k guides size 10. We talked over the phone I told him the problem and he said it would be taken care of. Well a week later no parts. I made out a paypal complaint to recover the money for the reel seat and 3 guides since he does not answer his email. He then sends me a new reel seat black this time but the wrong seat type again. Also he sends me all the guides again the right size but not titanium as I ordered. I now need to send back the wrong parts because I cant use them. He sent me a return ticket for the wrong parts. What should I do with this guy to get the correct parts. He is clearly not in his right mind. He does not answer PayPal or emails. I need proof I notified him about this so the emails and paypal are proof enough and he cant get it wrong its in writing. So what do I do next with this guy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2015 07:39PM by michael - mcghee.

Hate to sound like a broken record, but when the sponsors of this site make mistakes (they're human, they do) they make it right. Don't see Johnnys Pond on the list.

I didn't know they had to be on the list to ask what I shoud do about my problem. I guess I will sit and wait. This has cost them more than I paid. I will sit on the parts and wait for them. I will get them from someone else so I can finish the rod.

If you receive unsatisfactory service from a company, you may have recourse through PayPal or your credit card company. Beyond that, you simply go elsewhere the next time you need something.

.................

Looks to me like he is more of an internet broker. Use one of the forum sponsors and I don't think you would ever have that kind of issue

If you are looking for great pricing and service call Karen at Bingham. Problem solved.

Thanks - Marc

Keep it simple - that's all I can handle!

X-2 on Karen at Bingham

Ron Weber

Michael,

We hear stories like yours all the time, not just Johnny’s Pound but several others –some a still here, some have gone, we are sure others this pop up. It is unfortunate when a new rod builder decides to get into this craft, jumps on this board or searches Google and tries to purchase from a "supplier" and has a bad purchase experience. This bad experience does nothing to support the desire to build a rod, but leaves a sour taste in the potential new rod builder’s month. It is hard enough to wade through the amount of information about rod building, separating the art from the engineering, the fact from the fiction, what is really needed and functional.

This is an industry problem because most the manufactures have low initial order amounts, have no sense of market share, do nothing to support the suppliers they do have, do nothing to grow the industry and many of them have a business focus which is NOT rod building supply based. Therefore, the manufacturers set up any one who comes calling with $$ in hand regardless if they are really running a business or a part time hobby. Short sighted as it may seem, manufacturers set up new “suppliers” daily. Negative customer experience like yours is the result. Negative customer experiences lead to less customers, which lead to ultimately to less sales for the manufacturers. And the circle continues.

Since the manufacturers only fuel the problem, we encourage potential rod builders to look a little deeper than just price when purchasing from a supplier. Today the cost to set up a web site and go into business is nothing. Call up the suppler, do you get a person or an answering machine and have to leave a message. What are their hours of operation, are they posted online? Do they have an 800 number? Order their catalog, if they have one. Heck type their address into Google Maps, do you get a residual house, a storage unit or another business entirely?

As cold as it may sound, buyer beware. Do your homework. Unfortunately, until the manufacturers in the rod building industry do a better job of supporting their dealers, the burden will be on the consumer to investigate the supplier they are dealing with.

Good luck and we hope you persevere though this and learn to enjoy the hobby of rod building and tackle crafting as many of us do.

Regards.
Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
Web: [www.mudhole.com]
Email: sales@mudhole.com
Toll Free Phone #: 1-866-790-RODS (7637)

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All valid points. The rod building industry as a whole is suffering from a problem of too many manufacturers, too much product, too much product duplication, etc., etc., against too few custom rod builders. Everyone is scratching for a larger piece of an ever diminishing pie and therefore too many are simply not going to turn down a sale, any sale. Short term survival has taken the place of long term wisdom.

In the meantime, there is a long list of very good suppliers in the sponsor column to the left. Just try to remember that a deal isn't always a deal if things don't work out. The cheapest is not always the best nor the lest expensive, in the long run.

..............

Too many people learning how to buid also The last guy I talked to wanted a custom rod thought he should pay about $100.00 for it
The old to much supply and not enought demand for product
I seen this happening and it is here

Bill - willierods.com

I am glad I read this I was about to order a blank from them. I have not being doing this long and only had one issue with a order with Mud Hole. I called them on the phone and they had the guide in the mail that day with no questions ask. It's hard to beat that kind of service and they were very nice about it too. On another occasion I ordered from Mud Hole and when my order came they sent me a real nice hat and a cooler just to show there appreciation. There are good and bad in everything you do and mistakes are made by us all, it's all in how the mistakes are handled on both ends that make the difference. I am glad we have a place to meet and discuss the hobby we all love. Phil Ayers

Phil,

Thank you for your business, we are sorry about the order issue and are glad it was resolved to your satisfaction.

One thing we hoped you noticed with the order your placed with Mud Hole was the clear communications throughout the order process. We email customers no less than three times during the order process 1) a copy of the sales order for confirmation, 2) a copy of the order fulfillment showing what is being shipped, 3) a copy of the final sale, complete manifest and linked tracking number. Also, thanks to the largest inventory in the business we ship 99% of the orders complete and if ordered by 1PM the orders ship the same day. No other company can fulfill orders as complete or as fast or at the volume Mud Hole Custom Tackle does - in fact you can combine several large companies and not reach what we do at Mud Hole.

Mud Hole Custom Tackle boasts the largest in stock selection and inventory of rod building and tackle crafting components in the World - despite the false assertions of other suppliers. Our 15,000 square foot facility is packed with components that are ready to be shipped anywhere in the world with lightning fast speed. With more than 45,000 SKU’s representing $15 million of inventory fully stocked onsite in Mud Hole’s 15,000 square-foot office & distribution center, we’re sure to have the right product for you regardless of your expertise or budget. Combined with our leading e-retail web site www.mudhole.com we offers customers an exceptional shopping experience.

Thanks again for your business and tight wraps.

Regards.
Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
Web: [www.mudhole.com]
Email: sales@mudhole.com
Toll Free Phone #: 1-866-790-RODS (7637)

Stay Connected with us:
FaceBook: [www.facebook.com]
YouTube: [www.youtube.com]
Instagram: [www.instagram.com]
Tik Tok: Tik Tok: [www.tiktok.com]
Twitter: @mudholetackle

I forgot to mention it was not a fault of Mud Hole with my order, it was a packaged item (guides) and one was missing. The guides are sold as a set and Mud Hole set me a new set. I could not ask for better service. Phil

I ordered allot of stuff form Mud Hole and never had a problem. I was going to do it for the guides and reel seat but they didn't have the reel seat in stock. Well the other guy said he did but didn't and thats why i am stuck in limbo. Mud hole had the 1505 century blank and had it to me pronto. They even saved me a $140.00 on the blank. Century raised their prices and the blank cost around $400.00 now. Allot of companys use backordering as a way of doing business and hang the customer up for as long as they need to get the part.

Don't forget Schneider's Rod Shop and Utmost Enterprises, both excellent. Lynn

Michael,
While Mudhole is a good company to deal with, I agree with Lynn that there are a great many here equal to and even beyond what Mudhole is. Bingham, Schneiders, Utmost, Swampland, Get Bit are just a few that come to mind.

Every company makes mistakes but all of our sponsors I've dealt with have never failed to correct it quickly, proficiently and in a manner that will please even the most discriminating customer.

Tom

I feel lucky to have learned how to build rods when everything came from small suppliers. My knowledge was accelerated from these people. I built relationships with them and learned different ways to do things. In turn, they profited from that. Bob McKamey at Custom Tackle really comes to mind. He always had the time to talk and lots to share. I have no idea how big or small the shop was or if it was actually a "hair do parlor" with a lean to shed for a shop. It didn't matter.

Today, several years later, I feel very blessed to have a great “small” business related to the industry. Because of the model we've created, including things like not paying for an 800 number (not needed with no long distance fees anymore), reusing packaging materials (way better than recycling) - we’ve been able to offer things like orders being shipped with the very next mail pick up, $6/$25 flat rate shipping, etc and sustain profitable growth the past 5 years in an "oversaturated industry". Our customers don't seem to mind a call back when we can't answer the phone because we're on the line with someone else. We want to talk to our customers - maybe we can help them learn and at the same time we learn loads from them.

Excerpt from Tackle Trade World magazine… [images.mudhole.com]

“As a dedicated fisherman he used his new dial-up modem to place his first online order with Mud Hole. Shortly after that purchase, Tom (McNamara) bought the whole company from Forked River, in New Jersey, where he had been providing local fishing knowledge and custom rods to the local community for 24 years. He relocated the company to Orlando Florida where Mud Hole has grown into the largest supplier of rod-building components and tacklecrafting goods, with worldwide distribution.
“When we first relocated to Orlando, the business was actually operated from my home, with sales coming from the internet and catalogues,” says Tom. “In the beginning it was just me and my wife with help from the occasional baby-sitter who I would enlist to type in orders and enter new inventory.”

That excerpt is pretty inspiring when you consider less than 20 years ago today's biggest supplier operated out of a garage! Kudos to that team for a solid plan and excellent execution. But what would have happened had people judged them by things like building size, phone number, automated ordering systems, etc? Instead, their service and offerings did the talking and gave them the chance to become the American success story they are today. Put Batson in that same category as Bob Batson started out a garage as well.

Personally, I see plenty of room in a massive industry for a small businesses to carve a niche and be very successful. You just have to have a solid, strategic plan - as with any industry. I remain thankful for all the opportunities Hydra's customers and future customers provide to grow our business. Thank you.

Alex
Hydra Fishing, LLC/ALX Rods

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2015 10:06PM by Alex Dziengielewski.

Pay Pal sided with me and gave me a partial refund as I requsted. I will send back the wrong parts and I will order from Mudhole from now on.

Alex,
didn't mean to leave you off the list!! Hydra has always been a first class operation to deal with and offers supers products as well.

Tom