Sad News : (

Hiya Guys

I thought as noone uses this forum these days that I'd buck the trend a little bit and have a bit of a rant. I dont know whether this will ever get read! but here goes he hem!!.........I was quite saddened this afternoon. I bought a JRC bivvy a couple of months ago. I never used it until the other week but there was a tear in it which meant it was going to have to go back. As you'll probably already know the once Norfolk based JRC was bought out by Shakespeare a few years back. So this afternoon I set off to the famous Shakespeare HQ on Broad Ground Road, Lakeside, Redditch.....Or so I thought.
I walked into the reception of a dank, derelict building - a place where I once stood in awe when I bumped into the legendary Dave Lane - All 4' 6" of him! I was greeted by a couple of contractors working at the site who informed me that "Pure Fishing" the company who now own Shakespeare (and various other brands) had relocated to a new site on North Moons Moat. So I got back on the road and before long I located the newly built, modern looking premises with a huge "Pure Fishing" banner above the door. First impressions were "its nothing like the old place" but still, I was glad nonetheless that they were still actually based in Redditch. I pull up in the car park, get my bivvy out of the boot and walk into reception. Now, anybody who's ever dealt with Shakespeare in the past or should I say, "good old days" will know that their after sales care was absolutely first class. If you had a fault or needed a spare you would get it replaced there and then, no questions asked. They even carried spares of discontinued products for years! I once took one of my old SKP carp rods there as the ceramic lining from one of the guides had dropped out. I was promptly told to pop round the back and someone would be there to sort me out. I go round and within minutes was personally presented with a brand new top section by none other that local match fishing ace Kenny Giles, Awesome! A company not only ran for anglers but BY anglers! And in later years another top warehouseman Paul Smith used to listen to you if you had a problem and even presented me with a free carryall for my inconvenience on one occasion - First class service!
Suffice to say it has all changed now. Globalisation has forced a completely different story. I was met in the reception of the new premises today by someone who I can only describe as "some jumped up so and so who looked like he had never done a days fishing in his life". He preceded to tell me that the building I was stood in was merely an office and the warehouse where all the stock is kept is in Germany and if I wanted a replacement bivvy I'd basically have to piss off and go and disturb the person I bought it off as "we do not deal with the public!" Well thank you very much for that. Not only was this person adamant that he was going to talk over me every time I attempted to speak - Something that is guaranteed to set my blood boiling but he also tried to make me feel an idiot for even turning up at his super swish office suite that clearly contained no fishing tackle whatsoever!... Nope! Not so much as a spool of mono anywhere between there and Munchengladbach!!

Its a bloody sad state of affairs when a company with a reputation and heritage spanning over a century just becomes fair game for anybody with enough clout to do as they please without a thought for the the company's integrity or what it stands for.

Well I sound like some old fart but they'll be lucky to see any of my hard earned again.

RIP Shakespeare 1897 - 2011. The end of a much loved angling institution.

Mike get on to Russ he knows them there he maybe able to sort it mate

I can get the replacement bivvy. I'll just ring the shop but that's not really the point of the thread.

I know what your point was mate I'm just saying that as he let's them use the res for photo shots and stuff perhaps a word from him might give them a kick up the arse to look after there customers !!

Oh I see what you mean. Yeah I'll have a word with him. Unfortunately the word customer to them means 'retailer' not Mr Joe Bloggs anymore.

well said. well put. will the paying customer with a complaint please sod off.

les, (ie, small,old,bald with glasses)