no power noodle

[uptracker]

I put my order for a Deadstick in on the 8th or 9th and they said today that it's still a few weeks out and I'm toward the front of the line since my order was placed before the busy Christmas order rush.

[BuckyBadger]

I was also dissappointed to find out about the Noodle rod that I had ordered and paid for. I know the folks at TB are good people and do feel bad about not being able to get these built but there are two customer service items that they could have improved on.

1. Don't take my money and tell me that you have the blanks in stock, that it is just a delay in the build time of 2-3 weeks. When I called to find about the rod, as it was a Xmas gift, they told me they never actually had more than 20-25 blanks in with a 100+ backorder and were waiting on the shippment from the supplier that is having issues. I wish they would have told me straight up that they were still waiting on the large blanks order to actually be in their possession. As we are finding out supplier issues happen.

2. Why did no one call me to tell me there was an issue? Did anyone else get a call? I had to call them twice to get the story straight. They should have been proactive and notified people so that we could come up with alternate plans if we wanted with time to spare. I love my current TB rods which is why I wanted to get one for my brother for Xmas, but now it is too late and I could have done something else with the $80 that was tied up.

[pureinsanity]

I was also dissappointed to find out about the Noodle rod that I had ordered and paid for. I know the folks at TB are good people and do feel bad about not being able to get these built but there are two customer service items that they could have improved on.

1. Don't take my money and tell me that you have the blanks in stock, that it is just a delay in the build time of 2-3 weeks. When I called to find about the rod, as it was a Xmas gift, they told me they never actually had more than 20-25 blanks in with a 100+ backorder and were waiting on the shippment from the supplier that is having issues. I wish they would have told me straight up that they were still waiting on the large blanks order to actually be in their possession. As we are finding out supplier issues happen.

2. Why did no one call me to tell me there was an issue? Did anyone else get a call? I had to call them twice to get the story straight. They should have been proactive and notified people so that we could come up with alternate plans if we wanted with time to spare. I love my current TB rods which is why I wanted to get one for my brother for Xmas, but now it is too late and I could have done something else with the $80 that was tied up.

[simple1]

All I know is I ordered my 36" Professional Plus late sunday night and it came today. Cant wait to try it out tomorrow. Awesome looking rod! New toys are great.

Simple1

[Scott M]

I won't pass judgement on Thorne Brother customer servie and internet marketing since I don't have a dog in the fight, but I still say its not their fault they don't have the blanks. I called HyCreek, current patent holder for the Revolution Rod bags that are so popular. Their Asian supplier was smoked by a tsunami this year. They are taking names for orders when their supplier gets back up. Can you hold HyCreek accountable for a natural disaster? It's completely akin to the situation with these blanks at Thorne Bros. As polarusd said, you can't just go and change the blank you use - it completely makes the rod. Thorne Brothers rods are at a bunch of the major ice belt ice shows, mentioned routinely in InFisherman, promoted in numerous fishing forums, and have a superior word of mouth reputation. Probably one of the most heralded of their rods is the Power Noodle. To switch blanks on a rod that is notorious for its sensitivity would be silly. It sucks that you guys that ordered have to wait, but I will say and I think others would agree, it's worth the wait.

But if you think you can do it better, there are lots of companies that will sell you blanks and you can try and build one. Good luck.

[morepower02]

How about a straight up response from TB?

[Mike Stark]

"Sorry about the delay, the blanks have been on order since June. There have been a couple of set-backs with the material and only a handful of blanks have actually shown up. We are filling orders in the order they came in by date. When our shipment of blanks arrives we will put them on top priority. We literally have hundreds of orders waiting on Power Noodles blanks so we're waiting anxiously just like everyone. We really appreciate the patience and support on this situation. Thanks. TB Rod Shop."

This is from Thorne Bros.

[Matt Johnson]

I wasn't going to post anything on this topic but it appears as if someone needs to set the facts straight on a few issues since some responses are way off...

First off, I work for Thorne Brothers and have a foot in just about every door at what happens in the store. Let's lay down some facts...

1) Thorne Brothers ice rod blanks ARE NOT made in China, so that topic can be dropped right now and the assumptions can be thrown out the window. We indeed buy from a company in California and only buy blanks to our exact specs. We've put a lot of hours into refining these blanks so the customer gets only the best, period.

2) We've been dealing with this same supplier for over 20 years, so the issue of reliability and Thorne Bros not doing their homework can be thrown out the window as well, because not until recent years has there ever been a problem with our supplier providing what we need, with this year obviously being the worst... and to say this has been a headache for us is an understatement. We call them every day to check on status.

3) We've had the Power Noodle blanks ordered since June, so the lack of planning on Thorne Brothers part was not missed. Again, out of our control and we’ve done everything on our end to get the blanks here in time.

4) The same company we have make our blanks also gets contract work from NASA... we have our speculations that they are in the middle of a big project that takes precedence over our blanks. And like mentioned before, MADE IN THE USA and not out-sourced.

5) As far as current orders, every customer receives, at minimum, an email explaining the situation. If a valid email address is not associated with the order (which is required when placing an order) then we can't do much more than that. Calling hundreds of customers every day is not practical and we don't have the staff to do so. We're not a giant box-store corporation; we're a single entity with about as many employees in the store during one day that you can count on two hands, even during the busy season. Those same employees not only need to handle orders, but take care of customers in the store. Stop into the store some day and see how things work, not only will you see how hard the small staff works, but you will also see that no one is cutting any corners.

6) When placing an order with us, no money is formally taken until the order is shipped. The money is only authorized but not captured. If you're waiting for a Power Noodle and have any issues with the wait time we can easily cancel the order and the money will no longer be tied up. There won't even be a need for a refund.

The bottom-line here is that this situation is indeed out of our control at the store, as we're doing everything in our power to get more blanks, and like mentioned in a previous post, we will not jeopardize the quality of our product without putting up a fight, so trying to push through with our current supplier is the route we're going to strain through the rest of this winter season as we feel the product is the best.

We understand everyone's frustration and we're not trying to just throw a million excuses at everyone, the facts are what they are. The response you've seen from a few HSO staff throughout this topic is indeed a response coming right from our rod shop manager, so that is a direct/straight response from Thorne Brothers.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone and we’re willing to work with everyone the best we can. If you have an order outstanding with us for a Power Noodle or Dead Stick rod please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions you might have… 763-572-3782. We want to keep our customers happy as that is why we even do what we do.

Thank you.

[Deitz Dittrich]

There you have it folks.. from the horses mouth.. Thanks Matt!!!

I can honestly say... I own a lot of ice rods, and the best I own are Thornes Bros, hands down.. I know Josh the owner like a brother... And I know he is doing EVERYTHING... EVERYTHING, in his power to fill these orders. You will not find someone who cares more about his customers than He and his Staff.. I can believe that once the rods come in, he will pay MUCHO overtime to his staff to make the rods and fill the orders as thats the kind of guy and staff they are..

Hopefully those who have had to wait for their rods will enjoy them for years to come and I have ..

[goose89]

How about a straight up response from TB?

PROPS Matt.

[Deitz Dittrich]

thats supposed to say .. . AS I HAVE...

they also build the best summer rods.. I had a freak of a rod I wanted.. Not on the market anywhere.. Lonny(rod builder dude)built it and it blew me away what he was able to do..

[Scott K]

Thanks Matt!

[morepower02]

Thanks Matt for the insight.

[DTro]

That response is why Thorne Bros is one of the best in the business.

[Hardyboy]

Matt kudos to you!! It is that type of passion that sets a store like Thorne Brothers apart and above others.

[Fishbiz]

Matt,

Thanks for taking the time to clear up some of these misconceptions. While the internet contains a wealth of information and is an invaluable resource,it can also be a source of mis-information and inaccurate speculation as well.

I have 10-12 rods in my Otter Boxes and ALL of them are Thorne Bros rods. I plan on getting a few more in the near future and I appreciate your holding your ground and not changing suppliers in a time when that would be the "easy way out" with this situation. The high quality components and workmanship are the main reasons for TB success and to change that would be a crime. Better to have them beating down your door for more product than deliver a lesser quality product that doesn't live up to the Thorne Bros stellar reputation.

Keep up the Good Work.

Tight Lines,

Bob Gillispie

Custom Jigs & Spins

www.customjigs.com

[Chode2235]

Was it the quiversticks that were white for a little while due to the supplier building them for NASA (and NASA wanting white)?

Thanks for the clarifications Matt.

[fishhound]

I've been in the store a couple times this fall and have bought rods off the rack. If they are so far behind on orders, what's the big attraction? I know some people like to custom order lenghts and different eyes. But if there's a blank shortage why / how have there been so many rods in the store? I'm up to 5 Thorne Bros. rods. Really like the feel of them.

[Dark Cloud]

Was it the quiversticks that were white for a little while due to the supplier building them for NASA (and NASA wanting white)?

Thanks for the clarifications Matt.

Last year they got a small batch of PowerNoodle blanks in that were white. I was unsure but am glad I got one. They look sharp with the orange tip and blue wraps....

[Dark Cloud]

I've been in the store a couple times this fall and have bought rods off the rack. If they are so far behind on orders, what's the big attraction? I know some people like to custom order lenghts and different eyes. But if there's a blank shortage why / how have there been so many rods in the store? I'm up to 5 Thorne Bros. rods. Really like the feel of them.

They have a good supply of most blanks/rods. Just waiting on Powernoodle and Deadstick blanks...

[polarsusd81]

The Powernoodle and Deadstick rods are made out of fiberglass, where as most of the other rods are made from graphite blanks. Trying to make a Powernoodle out of a graphite blank results in broken tips because the graphite is just too brittle to do what the Powernoodle does.

The graphite rods are not an issue right now, that is why you see so many on the shelves in the store.

Also, the Quiverstick is made on a graphite blank to answer a previous question. As DC stated, the Powernoodle as well as some Deadstick rods from last season used the white fiberglass blanks.

[BuckyBadger]

5) As far as current orders, every customer receives, at minimum, an email explaining the situation. If a valid email address is not associated with the order (which is required when placing an order) then we can't do much more than that. Calling hundreds of customers every day is not practical and we don't have the staff to do so. We're not a giant box-store corporation; we're a single entity with about as many employees in the store during one day that you can count on two hands, even during the busy season. Those same employees not only need to handle orders, but take care of customers in the store. Stop into the store some day and see how things work, not only will you see how hard the small staff works, but you will also see that no one is cutting any corners.

6) When placing an order with us, no money is formally taken until the order is shipped. The money is only authorized but not captured. If you're waiting for a Power Noodle and have any issues with the wait time we can easily cancel the order and the money will no longer be tied up. There won't even be a need for a refund.

Matt thanks for taking the time to respond, as I said love your rods and respect the work that you guys do up there. Always had good experiences when up in the store. I think that some of us didn't get the above because we ordered at the Ice Show. I ordered from you guys at the ice show, I supplied my Info with phone number but was never asked for an email address. It was crazy in the booth and I am sure the tags were written quickly so if you communicate via email I now know to supply that even if not asked.

As far as not being billed I was charged for the custom rod at the Ice Show and it was also captured vs just authorized against my credit card as the full amount settled and showed up on my statement. I know what you are referencing above as this is what happend in the past for a custom rod, amount never settled until I picked up rod, but in this case the full charge was authrized and captured/settled, so I thought that was strange. If my case is a one off and it shouldnt' have been done this way then I appreciate you taking the time to write the above and state that the way the billing takes place hasn't changed.

[pureinsanity]

What are the specs on the power noodle anyway?

[LakeDocktor]

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone and we’re willing to work with everyone the best we can. If you have an order outstanding with us for a Power Noodle or Dead Stick rod please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions you might have… 763-572-3782. We want to keep our customers happy as that is why we even do what we do.

Thank you.

Unfortunately, I did call yesterday to see if there were any Quiversticks in stock and was told no and hung up on. I called back and the same lady answered and seemed upset that I was inquiring about a product. She mentioned the blanks just came in and orders will be filled. I asked if she knew how far behind the orders were and if I placed an order, when could I expect it to be shipped. Her response was she didn't know and again hung up on me.

IMO, this is no where near the customer service I was expecting and came accustomed to receiving from Thorne Bros. I was merely looking for an estimated time frame and wasn't given one or the opportunity to even place an order. I'm not sure if I will be making another custom rod purchase from TB.

[Get'n Jiggy]

Not hard to figure this one out,,, If the company that makes the blanks

has a time priority, NASA is going to trump Thorne Bros. every time. If

people think a company is going to add on to a facility or hire another

shift of people for a few hundred fishing rods they aren't living in the

real world of today's business environment. To think TB isn't upset over

the situation is just not right either, they have spent a lot of time and

effort promoting a great product and I for one am going to wait for my

order.