Oregon Rod Reel and Tackle in Eugene!!!

[xltom]

Oregon Rod Reel and Tackle in Eugene (coburg road)........

I've been to this new store a couple times before. It's a little overpriced and out of the way but they had a little shimano rod I wanted so I broke down and decided to pay the tax...I called the guy at 4:45 to ask what his hours are and he told me he was open till 6...I'm pretty sure I talked to the owner because he's been the only one in there when I went before. I was also the only customer on those occasions....I jumped in the car and headed all the way across town and made it there at ten after 5. Can you believe it! the freakin' guy closed up early!! I was furious to say the least. He's got a 40 thousand dollar truck and some expensive boats parked outside and I just can't figure how he's made any money being so unprofessional. Chances are his daddy probably pays his bills.(edit:sorry I mean he seems to have so much money that he doesn't appreciate my business)

If you need gear in Eugene, you should definitely go to 2Bros Tackle. Those guys take excellent care of their customers and have even offered to stay open late for me so I could make it over there on several occasions. They back up everything they sell, and will help you get everything set up just right. You can be sure your hard earned $$$$ will go to good people who appreciate your business.

If any of you know this guy (ORR owner) please feel free to tell him about this thread. I would be more than willing to apologize if he had an emergency or something....

EDIT: THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED TO MY SATISFACTION BY ORRT

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Yeah 2Bros has stayed open for me before as well. they are a bit overpriced but not much and they have a huge selection. Real friendly guys. Never been to ORR but bet the prices are about the same. Guy did say he would check with his suppliers for some stick baits that you have to order online and said he would be able to get them from a supplier cheaper than the websites if he could get them. Still haven't heard back from hime but its only been a few days. I'd would be pissed if the dude closed up shop early on me after calling to verify hours.

 

[xltom]

Who knows, maybe the guy will do the right thing and offer me a discount on the rod I wanted to make up for the 40 minutes and $5 in gas I wasted. Guess I'd have to pull my foot out of my mouth then, and ask a moderator to delete this thread...

Sorry to everyone here for bringing my gripes to the forum. I felt like this was a good way to deal with my anger. I just quit smoking 3 days ago and I really lost my cool. My ears are still hot and red....but I feel better now. Thanks OFF

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED BY THE OWNER

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

Sorry to hear about that. I know of guys he has opened up very early for to get them bait for fall Chinook as well as stayed open late for the same reason. I am not sure what the excuse was for closing early but I do know that he would be very upset to know that he missed you and made a mistake. He works very hard and is the only guy there six and seven days a week. I would give him a call and let him know what happened, he will help you out.

 

[xltom]

Thanks for chiming in steelhead stalkers,
He's a customer of yours correct? I'm positive he knows he missed me already because I left him a message while I was sitting in his driveway. I do feel a bit like a jerk for getting so emotional about it, and the comment about his daddy paying his bills was probably going too far. As I said, I just quit smoking and I have a very short fuse right now. I'm not so mad today BUT I'm not about to go down there. I'll be doing my shopping at 2Bros. It's a shame though. I've been looking for a little 5 foot light action rod. (dicks bimart walmart). I still have to check 2bros and that little pro shop at the mall(they were closed after I left ORRT). I won't just order something because the feel of a rod is everything and I need to have it in my hands to know if I like it. Wish I would have written down the specs of the one I liked.

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[xltom]

By the way, he's only open 6 days a week and I'm not sure that sitting around your tackle shop talking about fishing all day counts as hard work.....I wish I had a cool job like that...(not for minimum wage)

It's 2010! If the guy can't afford to hire someone to watch the shop while he's gone he can just tie his cell phone to his work phone so that it rings on his hip after ringing in the shop....think it's called call forwarding.....


THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[fishkiller]

2Bros has always been good to me. I have always that new store never been in there and probably never will after hearing your story. Customer service is big in my book and that's why I choose to spend my hard earned money and support the businesses that deserve it. You should also try Mazamas pro shop at VRC. They are under new ownership, have a great selection and the prices are competitive.

 

[xltom]

Even though I'm not happy with this guy, I'd like to offer some advice on how to easily get his upstart business a little further off the ground..

If I was in his shoes I would definitely be a member of this forum and probably the "other" one too. You can't beat the networking you'd get and you could sneak in a plug or two for your business! He could also pay to advertise here too. I've never fished a jig and bobber or even caught a steelhead but I know who steelhead stalkers is and would definitely check him out if I had a chance to learn how! All the time he's sitting in the shop with no customers, he could be on here defending himself from crazy guys who talk stuff about his livelyhood...

If I closed my shop during business hours I would at the very least post a note on the door. Other new customers could have come to check it out and considered his place a slapped together business opened in some guys garage and never would return(without ever seeing inside).

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[xltom]

Thuggin',
The guy telling you he could get you those stick baits is just like telling me he'd be open till 6. He's just keeping the door open to make a buck. If he gets them he'll sell them to you....meanwhile if he can't and your sitting around waiting it's no skin off his back..or so he thinks. In the end, this kind of business practice will cost him.....How long do you think it would really take him to find out whether he can get them or not? 1 phone call and and he'd know...you don't think he's in heated negotiation with the stick bait company do you? He probably checked already, couldn't get them as cheap as he wanted and never called you back so you don't look elsewhere. I'd bet you a six pack he doesn't call but he might see this.....

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[Outdrsmn]

Even though I'm not happy with this guy, I'd like to offer some advice on how to easily get his upstart business a little further off the ground..

If I was in his shoes I would definitely be a member of this forum and probably the "other" one too. You can't beat the networking you'd get and you could sneak in a plug or two for your business! He could also pay to advertise here too. I've never fished a jig and bobber or even caught a steelhead but I know who steelhead stalkers is and would definitely check him out if I had a chance to learn how! All the time he's sitting in the shop with no customers, he could be on here defending himself from crazy guys who talk stuff about his livelyhood...

If I closed my shop during business hours I would at the very least post a note on the door. Other new customers could have come to check it out and considered his place a slapped together business opened in some guys garage and never would return.

Seems to me you have all these ideas of what he should be doing with his shop. Yet, he is the one with the business?

What is it that you do?

 

[xltom]

Right now I'm back at school full time, but I had a small art glass business before I went back that was pretty successful. You can ask around town if anybody has ever heard of Big Tom(xltom)...if you know anyone here in Eugene's glass art community. The reasons I decided to go back to school were legal ones not financial. To my great dismay...half of my job has always been to sell my own art. I suppose that's about what Steelhead Stalkers does as well unless he's got workers making his gear...You work on production with the phone close by in case any customers call. When product piles up it's road trip time...time to hit the retail stores and pick up some new customers.. When I had distributers, my art could be found in the catalogs of Treetop Glass, Phat Catz Glass, and SG Designs....I never liked the sales part of my job but I NEVER missed a sale because I couldn't be reached. Cell phones have been around a while..

Even though I HAVE owned and operated a successful small business, I don't claim to be any kind of expert and my advice was common sense entirely. What part of my suggestions caused you to doubt my knowledge about self-promotion? Seems to me that it's a no brainer to use such a valuable FREE resource to create a name for yourself..I'm sure he paid a pretty penny for the TV commercial I seem to remember seeing. I have no problem with your asking me for my credentials but I'd like to hear your thoughts on my questionable ideas as well... Wouldn't I still be entitled to my own opinion even if I never had a business? Is he a friend of yours? If I had a tackle business I certainly wouldn't be giving advice to the competition. I thought the reply you quoted was the more positive of my entries on this thread...

By the way, anyone with money can start a business, especially in their garage. When he becomes profitable and gets out of the red...then he gets respect, not on the day he plunks down his or someone elses money.....

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

Thuggin',
The guy telling you he could get you those stick baits is just like telling me he'd be open till 6. He's just keeping the door open to make a buck. If he gets them he'll sell them to you....meanwhile if he can't and your sitting around waiting it's no skin off his back..or so he thinks. In the end, this kind of business practice will cost him.....How long do you think it would really take him to find out whether he can get them or not? 1 phone call and and he'd know...you don't think he's in heated negotiation with the stick bait company do you? He probably checked already, couldn't get them as cheap as he wanted and never called you back so you don't look elsewhere. I'd bet you a six pack he doesn't call but he might see this.....

To be fair I have ordered five different things from 2bros and nothing was ever ordered officially or delivered to them for me to pick up. After repeated phone calls and months I finally told them I will just order the stuff online where its cheaper and will be here in two days. They wait to get enough orders to make it worth their while and if that time never comes the order is never made. That might not always be the case but it was with me. On the other hand I have seem people order one or two very small things from ORRT where the cost of shipping would not make the order worth while and he does it anyway. Also with regard to stick baits and other bass type tackle he is going to be bringing in a lot of that in the coming months so I know that he was and is in contact with almost all major bass dealers and probably has contacted them.

I know what its like to have a job where you talk fishing all day and or look at lures but rarely get to fish. You might go crazy as I know I would and do. I tie jigs all day everyday and get to fish once a week, so I am lucky, but just because you get to talk about fishing or see fishing lures all day does not make it fun. Better than a lot of jobs but a job none the less.

I wont make excuses for Mike over at ORRT because its never good to leave a customer hanging. I bet he would give you a discount on the rod you wanted and try to make it right, he is a good guy.

 

[xltom]

I don't want to go ask for a favor from the the guy after I just trashed him on a public forum...I'm sure I'll find a rod somewhere..He's already paid the cost for his mistake. I guess if you say he's doing well(moves a lot of jigs), that explains why he wasn't too worried about missing a few customers....still think it wasn't cool....

Hey, tell outdrsmn how advertizing on this forum has made you famous!!(kidding) Even if I was selling fish repellant I'd be doing it here!!!(or not)
I bet tieing jigs is just like blowing glass....you have fun when you get to try something new but once you have orders you have to make the same piece over and over and over....like working in a factory rather than being creative....I bet you were stoked on the first one...and the first fish you caught on it!!! I learned how to tie nets a couple months ago: here's where I learned:

YouTube - Making A Crab Net Pt 1 of 4

I was very proud of myself!!!

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

Thats pretty cool with the nets. Yeah, it does get repetitive but its always cool to see people get fish with something you tied. I am always messing around with new colors and designs just to keep it interesting. Some work great and others don't.

I think ORRT is doing ok, but everyone is struggling during these times especially if you are starting a new business. Sorry about your bad experience. And I was already famous before this forum, I think thats why my wife married me. :lol: :lol: JK!

 

[xltom]

Hey Steelhead Stalkers,
I just checked out your site and I was pretty impressed. I can't fathom how you find time to moderate here as well.

I do think it's only fair to let people here know that ORRT is not only a customer of yours but also a sponsor for your website, actually they were the only advertisement I saw.... I hope that won't cause me to get kicked off this forum....

As I said in the beginning of this thread...feel free to let him know about it...

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[qwapaw]

I have purchased from both Oregon Rod and Reel and 2 Bros. 2 Bros heve orderd things for me in a timely manner and at a pretty good price. I have not had the occasion to order anything through ORRT. When ORRT was getting the parts in to make spinners the supplier kept putting him off. Before Christmas my wife drove out there 3 times and gave up. He just couldn't get the items in the had ordered. I think the supplier may have been busy sending out stuff to companies that had a track record of selling this type of item. I think if he can stay in business for a while it will get better. He is kind of a quite guy when you do in there, meybe he needs to get tough on his suppliers and let them know he has made promises on what they told him. I will still buy from both of them, mainly because they are local, and can tell me a fishing story or two when I'm there. So keep up the faith, and let these guys know if they could be of more help. Just do it in a calm manner. Good luck, Tight Lines, Qwa, Dan

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I have purchased from both Oregon Rod and Reel and 2 Bros. 2 Bros heve orderd things for me in a timely manner and at a pretty good price. I have not had the occasion to order anything through ORRT. When ORRT was getting the parts in to make spinners the supplier kept putting him off. Before Christmas my wife drove out there 3 times and gave up. He just couldn't get the items in the had ordered. I think the supplier may have been busy sending out stuff to companies that had a track record of selling this type of item. I think if he can stay in business for a while it will get better. He is kind of a quite guy when you do in there, meybe he needs to get tough on his suppliers and let them know he has made promises on what they told him. I will still buy from both of them, mainly because they are local, and can tell me a fishing story or two when I'm there. So keep up the faith, and let these guys know if they could be of more help. Just do it in a calm manner. Good luck, Tight Lines, Qwa, Dan

I heard about you!! That was a horrible situation and its true the supplier dropped the ball more than three times. It was dealt with but unfortunately not before your wife made so many trips. When you get into the fishing industry you find out that many of the smaller manufacturers promise what they cannot deliver and it happens all of the time. Its the store owners that have to go on that word and tell people what they know. As everyone knows a lot goes on behind the scenes that we don't get to see. I have had the same problems with fly material manufacturers. I made promises that orders would be done and they were delayed because of it!

Its always good to support your local shops, weather it be 2 bros or ORRT. I have been into the place in the mall a few times and was totally ignored both times so never went back. Just my experience though.

 

[xltom]

Dude if you want to get ignored, go to Dick's...you could light a fire and start roasting marshmallows on the floor and they would stilll walk right by!!!! Yeah, I've definitely experienced suppliers and customers that don't do what they said they would do. In the beginning of my enterprise, I'm sure I was guilty of this too...but after a while you start to learn how to say things like "I'll try" and "hopefully it will be here by...." and explain the situation a bit more...if you don't make promises and let everyyone know how it works...eventually you become reliable, which just means you don't give your word unless your sure you can keep it....let me tell you, there are some flaky people in the glass biz!!!!!

Having to face a confrontational customer who you broke a promise to is embarrasing.....it will teach you to word things differently pretty quick...I think mike will get the hang of it eventually...but only if you call him out..

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!

 

[bigsteel]

Right now I'm back at school full time, but I had a small art glass business before I went back that was pretty successful. You can ask around town if anybody has ever heard of Big Tom(xltom)...if you know anyone here in Eugene's glass art community. The reasons I decided to go back to school were legal ones not financial. To my great dismay...half of my job has always been to sell my own art. I suppose that's about what Steelhead Stalkers does as well unless he's got workers making his gear...You work on production with the phone close by in case any customers call. When product piles up it's road trip time...time to hit the retail stores and pick up some new customers.. When I had distributers, my art could be found in the catalogs of Treetop Glass, Phat Catz Glass, and SG Designs....I never liked the sales part of my job but I NEVER missed a sale because I couldn't be reached. Cell phones have been around a while..

Even though I HAVE owned and operated a successful small business, I don't claim to be any kind of expert and my advice was common sense entirely. What part of my suggestions caused you to doubt my knowledge about self-promotion? Seems to me that it's a no brainer to use such a valuable FREE resource to create a name for yourself..I'm sure he paid a pretty penny for the TV commercial I seem to remember seeing. I have no problem with your asking me for my credentials but I'd like to hear your thoughts on my questionable ideas as well... Wouldn't I still be entitled to my own opinion even if I never had a business? Is he a friend of yours? If I had a tackle business I certainly wouldn't be giving advice to the competition. I thought the reply you quoted was the more positive of my entries on this thread...

By the way, anyone with money can start a business, especially in their garage. When he becomes profitable and gets out of the red...then he gets respect, not on the day he plunks down his or someone elses money.....

i have personally seen your glass work and i must say its the best ive ever seen,,,very professional and talented work bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap::clap:

 

[xltom]

i have personally seen your glass work and i must say its the best ive ever seen,,,very professional and talented work bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap::clap:

Hey Thanks a lot Brother!!! Glad to hear that the name still holds water all the way to salem....I haven't been very productive since I started back at school....I used to be famous like Steelhead Stalkers(kidding again) Now I'm just the old guy in class!!!! On the plus side, when I hit the studio now I get to make whatever the heck I want!!! My studio is full of boat parts at the moment(dolt!!!!!)


THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED!!