Hey Van Staal Read This!!!!

[striperlouie]

Hey Van Staal,

You've had my reel for 8 weeks just to service it!!
And you don't return voice mail messages. You promise to call people the very next day and never do!!!

Your customer service stinks!!! All you people do is PASS THE BUCK AND BS PEOPLE!!!!!

When am I getting my reel back?????

It's ashame I have to embarrass a company into a response because they DON'T TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS!!!:mad:

[Wave Walker]

Van Staal reels was sold to the owners of a small machining job shop in Hopedale, MA. I worked for these people for a while before they bought Van Staal. I had 20 years of machining experience at that time. The quality of their machined products was only fair. I was very sad to learn that they were the new owners of Van Staal reels. I had my reel serviced by Van Staal in Connecticut while I was fishing in the area three years ago. They did it while I waited. I took only 30 minutes. Knowing who the new owners are and having seen their production machining operation first hand, I now have doubts about the quality of the reels the new owners are making. I'm going to service my own reel from now on. There isn't any service they can do on it that I can't do myself including machining replacement parts. It's a good product and I hope they don't ruin it. It was Stevie Van Staal's baby after all and he is an avid fisherman which these people are not.

[brushfly]

Was entertaining the idea of buying a V.S. Thanks for the warning. I'll look into the others. What a joke, hope you get the reel back soon. I've twice sent a rod out to St.Croix for repairs and got it back in less than 10 buisness days.

[DbleHaul]

I can tell how mad you are just from the number of websites that you've posted this tirade on. Hope it works out for you, but don't let one bad experience taint your view of an entire company.

[Mark Cahill]

You register, then complain about them, but you haven't offered any contact information, should they wish to address the issue. This is also crossposted to the NY forum.

If you have a problem with Van Staal, contact them. Or at least post some info so they can address your issue. But to post here, anonymously, is obviously only intended to make trouble for them which they will be unable to redress.

RT isn't about personal axes to grind or being the Better Business Bureau (who would also require you to give them the information needed to fix your problem).

Complaining about rotten service is fine, just back it up so I don't have to deal the the damned attorneys...

Either back up the claim and give them a chance to fix it, or the post gets cancelled.

[martinatpw]

I know the guy who bought the old building that Van Stahl was in... That doesn't tell you much, but he moved on..
In any event, if you have the cash to shell out for that reel, God Bless. I can't see how any reel is worth that amount of money. When you can buy three nice reels, for the same as one, it just seems pretty ridiculous.. And you cannot count on a company like that staying in business... Then again, you can't count on a Reddington either... But I bought three of those, so I think I am covered.. And haven't broken one yet. I think they are great, but thats for another day. And thats a fly reel. But I bet you never told your wife you paid $750 or so for a damn spinning reel... Like you have that many chances at schoolie bluefin to make that purchase worth it... man.

[striperlouie]

Anyone can e-mail me. My e-mail address was given when I signed on this board. also messages. I realize it was my first post but this is a legit matter. After 5 calls to VS management no calls were answered. It's ashame I had to go this far and publicly post this matter. But Van Staal clearly didn't "Take care of business". Thank you for the use of this forum and I hope that I'll be able to contribute in the future!! :D

[striperlouie]

After 5 phone messages and an e-mail I called VS today and pleaded my case to the receptionist. It turns out she was very nice and told me my reel was being shipped out today. We'll see.....As to why my messages were never answered she said it was crazy there and many changes were being made...I'll keep you guys posted

[Mark Cahill]

Sorry, I didn't check to make sure you had a valid email address. I have kind of a hot point there, as I had a discussion with a lawyer for an direct online tackle catalog last month.

[StriperHound]

Sorry to hear you had so much trouble my experience has been the exact opposite. I sent an email to one of the owners Rick Hersom last fall when I had a problem with my two reels. He was very responsive and very customer service oriented. I live in Providence RI so I am close to their facility. I dropped my reels off on a Monday morning and they were fixed as well as yearly serviced so I could pick them up Tuesday morning. To my surprise I received a call later that day saying they were ready not having to wait until Tuesday. The best scenario I have found is shoot Rick an email to find out how backed up the shop is, he will give you a realistic time table that they always keep. In a recent email he told me to wait because the shop was back logged by several weeks. Communication is the key, stop dealing with gatekeepers and deal with ownership. I cant say enough positive things about Rick and his communication level with me. I will be a loyal Vanstaal owner as long as Rick is around. You can contact Rick directly at rickhersom@vanstaal.com :) :)

[Sedotti]

I have a new Van Staal fly reel and I think it is an EXCELLENT product. I really don't see how you can critisize this reel or it's drag at all. As far as price goes, it's noticably less expensive than it's competitors at it's quality level too.
As far as service goes, I can't say, but the reel,a 9/10, is a gem.
Mark

[wjk]

mark to say the val staal is an excellent reel is premature. the c-vex hasn't been out long enough to prove it's self over the long haul. i have seen a few now and these are two problems i have found. one the finish is to thin. the reels i've seen have corrosion on the inside of the spool frame which would not have been there if the finish
was done right. the second thing i don't like but found is more important. the reel has no berrier coating between the sst screws and the aluminum frame. so the sst screws holding the reel foot on had corrosion were they met the aluminum. this is not good. if left like it was it would eat through the aluminum. here were i work. we test in salt tanks all the time. and you can not let sst lay against aluminum with out a berrier coating.
it may look good to you but will it hold up. sence this is my line of work. i say no. not unless they fix their problems.

[Lucky]

I have the first generation VS fly reel and I have to say it has performed flawlessly through a 32" bonefish, 25 lb yellowfin tuna, 20 roosterfish, 12 lb bluefish, 22 lb striper, false albacore, bonito and small tarpon. I understand what you are saying about the reactions between aluminum and steel, but haven't had any problems with my FR35. Haven't looked to be honest with you.

To me, the single most important feature of a saltwater fly reel is the drag system and wet, dry, hot or cold, this drag has performed flawlessley. Can't say any of the other reels I own can brag the same as a wet cork is a slippery/skipping cork. No, I don't intentially get it wet but it happens.

I haven't tried the C-Vex but when the time comes, that will be the next reel I purchase.

[wjk]

i was talking about the c-vex and so was mark. i'm also not saying it won't turn out to be a good reel. only that i wouldn't put an excellent tag on something till it proves its self. i have many many different reels and have worked on many more for friends. so i see allot of the problems other reels have. what this has shown me. is there are a number of good reels for sale that are no were near the price of the van staal. if you like the one you have and think the c-vex will meet your needs. then by all means get one and let us know in a few years how it is holding up. i personally like how they look.

[Recoil Rob]

Hey wjk,

since yu said this is your area of expertise, what can one coat the SS screws with to keep the corrosion at bay?

Rob

[Lucky]

On this note...just got a piece of official mail telling me that Zebco has purchased VS. Let's hope they finally do this brand some justice.

[Recoil Rob]

I've been trying to get through to Rick Hersom all day, but he's " in a meeting".

The Van Staal home page has an open letter (http://www.vanstaal.com/News_and_Events/An%20Open%20Letter%20from%20Zebco%20President.html ) to current owners stating all will be OK but I can't understand why either company would want to **** off current and future customers by shutting down parts and service in the middle of the season. Just dumb. I can't get an extra spool for mine and I've been trying for a month. Not as bad as having a reel in for repairs though.

Recoil Rob

[Recoil Rob]

Well it's a day later, never got a return call from Hersom at Van Staal, email sent to the address given here got kicked back.

I even spoke to Zebco customer service about the bad press they're getting from this issue and they siad they'd call VS to see what was going on. Apparently the women I spoke to, Norma, didn't even get her calls returned.

Bad business practice, I doubt they have much future getting my customer loyalty.

Rob

[Recoil Rob]

StriperLouie, ever get that reel back?

They're clueless over there. I called over two weeks ago looking for an extra spool. Never got an answer back, tried emails, etc., nothing. I called Zebco, the new owners and they said they couldn't help.

This a.m I get a call from VS that my spool is ready, $200 please.
What a joke.

Rob

[Afishinado]

So now it's Oct 3rd... You guys still pizzed at VS.... curious?

[Recoil Rob]

I'm a newbie, got the VS 7/8 as a gift. it looks to be a great reel, but it's the only one I've ever used. When I tried to get the extra spool they were very uncooperative. Disregarded emails, didn't return phone calls. I had to complian to ZEBCO, before they even bought the company to get a spool. Has left a bad taste in my mouth. As I get more experienced in flyrodding I'll see if the product is worth the money. If anyone ever wants to meet me at the Penfield reef in CT to try it ot i'd be happy to get the opinion of someone more experienced.

Rob

[supergrouper]

I am having a problem getting the Van Staal rep to respond to sending a reel part that is crucial to using this $800 VSB-150G reel. The set screw fell out and I cant seem to get any customer service support at all. I have called several times and sent emails, still no response from this guy!!!!

Has anyone had any luck with Van Staal standing up to the proposed quality of their gear? If so, who can I call to get some customer satisfaction?

Signed, unhappy Van Staal customer in florida