Anyone have any recent experiences with NFC?

[Pilu72]

Long story short: I bought their top Black Widow blank for 350USD. With shipping and customs duties the total cost was 530 USD. Ripped off Daiwas for their AGS guides for this project. The blank arrived broken, with cracks in the tip section. They accepted my warranty claim, but I should send back the blank on my expense. I consider it strange in case of a factory failure, but ok. I told them that it would be very expensive (around 250USD), and I asked about cutting the blank in pieces to spare cost, or let me BUY a new one with free shipping. Neither was accepted during a really humiliating correspondence. The builder cut off the faulty tip section (what was not broken off already), and I hope that the backbone with the same failures will hold. Now I have a 6'10" "Son of Frankenstein" rod for a lot of money, and I'm not happy with neither the product, nor the service.

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[Aquaftm45]

Long story short: I bought their top Black Widow blank for 350USD. With shipping and customs duties the total cost was 530 USD. Ripped off Daiwas for their AGS guides for this project. The blank arrived broken, with cracks in the tip section. They accepted my warranty claim, but I should send back the blank on my expense. I consider it strange in case of a factory failure, but ok. I told them that it would be very expensive (around 250USD), and I asked about cutting the blank in pieces to spare cost, or let me BUY a new one with free shipping. Neither was accepted during a really humiliating correspondence. The builder cut off the faulty tip section (what was not broken off already), and I hope that the backbone with the same failures will hold. Now I have a 6'10" "Son of Frankenstein" rod for a lot of money, and I'm not happy with neither the product, nor the service.
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That is a horrible experience. I guess it has been "buyer beware" with NFC for sometime and for those who purchase in hopes of a good experience, should expect to be dissapointed. This is a good example as to why "American Made" has gone down the drain. This coming from an American. It's embarrasing.
Those who reccomend these rods should just shut it.

[dennis_rf]

That‘s awful! Aren’t there… laws and consumer rights that apply for a US company? In Germany we‘d send them a message saying we know our rights quoting some paragraphs and that does the trick. If the item arrives faulty or broken they have to make things right, cover all the costs or offer a full refund.

[DrTrevorkian]

That is a horrible experience. I guess it has been "buyer beware" with NFC for sometime and for those who purchase in hopes of a good experience, should expect to be dissapointed. This is a good example as to why "American Made" has gone down the drain. This coming from an American. It's embarrasing.
Those who reccomend these rods should just shut it.

How does that compare to 59 blanks I’ve received from them with nary an issue? I pull each one out of the tube and fully load it on the carpet. Take it outside and set hooks. Zero issues yet. I’m sure I’ll get lucky enough, soon, but that’s far too much for me to just “shut it,” IMO. 59 blanks. Doesn’t count the 10 I just ordered… if they were that bad, would I continue to order from them?

Isn’t there some sort of saying about there is always two sides to every story, or something like that?

[Aquaftm45]

Isn’t there some sort of saying about there is always two sides to every story, or something like that?

The shut it comment was too strong, everyone can have an opinion, and it wasn't anything personal against anyone. I'm glad that you have had such a good experience with NFC, but, this is not a one off and we all know it. You don't have to look far to find similar stories. When anyone is not held accountable, they repeat the bad behavior. This becomes a stain on the fishing community and the "American Made" brand.
Every entity is going to have issues from time to time, how those issues are resolved as a whole shows the character of who you are dealing with. Not much honor going on at NFC from the widespread complaints.

If you want to defend the indefensible, you can always reach out to NFC and get their side of the story and fill us in. Don't think you will have much luck.

[DrTrevorkian]

I don’t plan to reach out to them in the least. I don’t need to. They are a company whose customer service ISN’T “the customer is always right.” I’ve pointed that out in this thread earlier, and elsewhere on the forum. I know they put out some flubs, everyone does.

Here’s what I’ve noticed when it comes to the rough customer service stories with NFC: There was always a strong and/or heated discussion. Then the result was an unhappy customer who’ll never be back, they’ll tell everyone on the internet and stick it to NFC, yet here NFC still is, too busy, and likely happy to have a little less drama on the other line. I’ve never seen somebody try to manhandle NFC and be happy with their end-result. NFC does what they want. It’s the US, they certainly can. It seems to continue to work for them. To expect any different in 2024, when there is YEARS of this same story, is kinda nuts.

I’ve talked to a lot of folks there, including Aleks quite a bit, and I’ve never had an unprofessional or unpleasant conversation to this day. I also know the piss in their wheaties option is a 0% success rate, option.

[Pilu72]

Please, let me know if you consider this a heated discussion. I was very polite, and I hoped to find a reasonable solution, but from my point of view in the moment when they realized that I’m cornered because of the terrkble shipping cost, they won. I simply can’t understand why was so important for them to have a faulty, broken rod back in one piece? Except get me cornered of course. To be clear: the package of the rod was not damaged. The tip part of the rod was fully loaded with the kind of failures you see on my picture from the middle section of the rod, and it broke off within an unopened, undamaged package. I was not taking unreasonable risk, I just couldn’t imagine that a blank, advertised as a 200 pieces limited wonder, can be this “quality”. It was my big mistake, everything else is just a consequence.

“Dear Kim,

I hope that just there was some technical problem with my mails and you didn't receive them. I sent you two questions, but no answer. I checked the shipping cost of the tube to you, and it's 220 USD. I asked if I can cut the damaged rod to reach a reasonable shipping cost, or could you please give me an offer for the damaged rod, and let me keep it. In this case I can still send you back the broken tip in a simple mail, if you want to find out what went wrong with it.
I won't send the rod back for 220 USD. I spent already 680 bucks on this project. I understand that you won't sell these blanks outside the US, and from this point of view you are not responsible. And I understood the risk of the shipping, but I never thought that your crown diamond could pass QC with this kind of failure (you saw the pictures).

Best regards,”

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[DrTrevorkian]

Hindsight is 20/20 on everything. I would have went about things differently. I know you are frustrated, but your mildly condescending opening lines automatically would put anyone on-guard.

Given that shipping cost, which has been that way for quite some time now, this may not have been an ideal risk to take for you. I also wanted to confirm the blemishes you pictured on here, happened after it broke, or prior to?

[Pilu72]

Hindsight is 20/20 on everything. I would have went about things differently. I know you are frustrated, but your mildly condescending opening lines automatically would put anyone on-guard.

Given that shipping cost, which has been that way for quite some time now, this may not have been an ideal risk to take for you. I also wanted to confirm the blemishes you pictured on here, happened after it broke, or prior to?

What you see on the pictures is the state of the blank just pulled out of the tube. Again: it was broken in an unopened, undamaged tube. There was a lot of filling in the tube, and it required some force to pull it out. It’s logical that it required the same force to push it in, and the tip with that “lacks of continuity” or blemishes was too weak to withstand that. THE WARRANTY ISSUE IS NOT THE BREAKAGE, THEY ARE THE BLEMISHES! The breakage is the consequence. On the photo I posted yesterday, you can see the same kind of blemishes, and it's not broken yet. The rod is still unused. If the blank wouldn't be broken, I still wouldn't build it with these cracks. NFC accepted my warranty claim. But this time I considered it too risky: 1, I was not sure that the blank will be any better, if this passed their QC, than anything can. 2, The shipping cost. 3, I was not sure that I would be able to avoid a second customs duty (another 170USD), 4, The rod builder didn't find the cracks in the middle section, only after he built it . I would be really glad if anyone would tell me from NFC that where is the point in my proposals what would mean any extra cost for them. Or any other reason why were they unacceptable. But no explanation. Just. They sold me a faulty product. I thought that asking them to help me to get it right in a way that would spare a lot of cost for me and no exra cost for them is not a big issue. And the mail I quoted was not the first of course, and you are right: after days of no response I wanted to be mildly condescending. And to be honest, at the end of the course I sent them a mail what was not mildly angry. And if your conclusion is that I should not have buy from them, and I was stupid, then you are right again. I feel exactly this way now. But… I had many Loomis poducts: IMX, GLX, NRX, and they were fantastic. And I felt always a deep respect for Mr. Loomis. And they advertised this blank as the pinnacle of his works, the epitome, limited to 200 pcs, with signed COA form Mr. Loomis. I simply felt that I must have one. I'm very disappointed.

[DrTrevorkian]

Ok, clearly you aren’t used to how NFC rolls. I understand you are frustrated, I would be, too. As an individual who wraps rods, there isn’t a chance in hell I find cracks of the magnitude you portrayed, after I finished wrapping the rod. Literally 0% chance. If you gave NFC that same exact story, they think you are trying to take them for a ride, and they treated you as such. Plain and simple.

I’ve heard them say with my own ears, I’ve watched them type it out on Spacebook, if there is a problem with a blank, it needs to be addressed immediately upon receipt of the blank. I can’t blame them on this. The longer it’s in somebody other than their hands, the better chance of it getting damaged. I’d bet you lunch, had you inspected the blank the day of receipt, and asked that it be replaced, I bet they would have ate the shipping back. Since it got built, they don’t know what all was done to it and you are now on the hook to ship it back the way they want it. You have to have your ducks in a row, with them…

[Pilu72]

I contacted them the same day, just as the blank arrived, I'm not stupid. And yes sh.t happens, the poor guy was so focused on the tip, that he didn't recognise the middle, and made photos only about the tip. Do you think that I'm happy about it? I would have sent it back at any cost, if I had known about it. The whole thinking about keeping it in 6'10" based on the thought that the failure is only in the first 5 inch. This kind of failure can't happen otherwise, only at the production. That's why they accepted my claim. Just took their chance to corner me with the return shipping. And they didn't said a simple sorry. This conversation is clearly going in the direction that I received a completely perfect item, played game of thrones with it, and I'm trying to rob the poor NFC. I'm not a liar and not a cheater, I kindly ask you to stop insulting me, even in your polite, indirect manner! If you think that the way they handled me was correct, well, it's your god given right.

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[DrTrevorkian]

Kindly ask all you want. I’m not changing my stance. Folks like yourself are 100% the reason I will never build rods as a business. I was trying to be as polite as possible, here. NFC is 100% not the right choice for you.

[Pilu72]

I’d bet you lunch, had you inspected the blank the day of receipt, and asked that it be replaced, I bet they would have ate the shipping back. Since it got built, they don’t know what all was done to it and you are now on the hook to ship it back the way they want it. You have to have your ducks in a row, with them…

I showed you the mail I sent them the same day I received the blank, and I've sent them the photos. I got no answer for days. The rod wasn't built until our correspondence finished and I decided to keep the blank. I made it the way you say is their way. What about our bet?

[DrTrevorkian]

You just don’t get it, bud. It’s time to move on.

[reason162]

Ok, clearly you aren’t used to how NFC rolls.

Lol what a joke - nobody cares about your 89 perfectly received blanks, that's how things should go - we want to know what happens when things go wrong, and obviously NFC has a long and rich history of screwing their customers on that front.