FREE Rod Offer Piranah Sports

[billfisher]

I can not believe you?????????????????

If you have some $$ interest in this declare it now because you have done nothing but defend these a**eholes in every post in this thread. #
If anyone wanted a crap $30 rod(why I don't know) they'd go buy one, not put faith in what appeared to be a legitimate campaign to get a brand established in our counrty.
I sincerely hope this all has it's lawful end. Pirhana do not deserve our custom >[/quote]
4 x 4 Frog,

If I have done nothing but defend Piranha why did I point out the rods shortcomings and state that I would not take up any more of their offers?
I think our differences lie in the fact that I wasn't expecting that much. What fiberglass beach rod costs $189 these days? Only the really upmarket graphite rods cost that much (eg G-Loomis rods). I suspected I would get a budget rod so I was't dissapointed. Anyway I don't think the fish will notice the difference. It will make quite a good light to medium beach rod once I lengthen the butt and will be easy to transport when my one piece rods aren't feasable.

[billfisher]

I can not believe you?????????????????

If you have some $$ interest in this declare it now because you have done nothing but defend these a**eholes in every post in this thread. #
If anyone wanted a crap $30 rod(why I don't know) they'd go buy one, not put faith in what appeared to be a legitimate campaign to get a brand established in our counrty.
I sincerely hope this all has it's lawful end. Pirhana do not deserve our custom >[/quote]
4 x 4 Frog,

If I have done nothing but defend Piranha why did I point out the rods shortcomings and state that I would not take up any more of their offers?
I think our differences lie in the fact that I wasn't expecting that much. What fiberglass beach rod costs $189 these days? Only the really upmarket graphite rods cost that much (eg G-Loomis rods). I suspected I would get a budget rod so I was't dissapointed. Anyway I don't think the fish will notice the difference. It will make quite a good light to medium beach rod once I lengthen the butt and will be easy to transport when my one piece rods aren't feasable.

[4x4frog]

Billfisher.
I apologise for missing and forgetting the bit where you pointed out the short-comings of the rod.
Still, IMHO, piranha can't be defende even by saying that only G-Loomis are the top price rods. Why couldn't Piranna have had a product comparable to Loomis in quality? They chose to sell crap at a high price just to make a quick buck.
I agree that there aren't any other high price beach rds and if people have really been burnt by this fiasco it will make it even harder for any other rod-builder who wishes to enetr the upper end of the market
Wouldn't shed a tear if they get busted big time

[wiseguy67]

Here is the link to make it easier for those that wish to report their experience regarding the conduct of Piranha Sport.

I encourage you to use the link provided and file an official complaint:

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/CA256...laint?OpenForm

Lets put an end to this ASAP befor more fishos get taken for $29.95 or more.

[wiseguy67]

These are more emails from the piranha debacle:
The first one is the response from the second....

Master website notice:
Your e-mail address and your name and information has been blocked
permanently. You will not be able to proceed with any other promotional
activity with Piranha Sports.

For any further enquires must be in writing to:

Administration Department

PO BOX 808

Braeside 3195

VICTORIA

Your name has been listed with operators and no calls will pass through, and
any further communication must be in writing.

Administration Department




----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerard Wiseman" <wiseman67@westnet.com.au>
To: <alex@piranhasport.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 11:42 AM
Subject: Re: Email from Editor of Modern Fishing Magazine


Alex;
Australia Post will not let me use "return to sender" as I have
opened the package. Even if they did I would not trust you to send me
my $29.95 plus money order fee $3.00 and $.50 stamp. Total: $33.45 oh
I forgot the cost of the bloody envelope. Let alone the cost of going
to the post office three times petrol/km's allowance, repeated and
lengthy phone calls to you, time spent sending you emails.

Really Alex do you think you can get away with this?

What I want is the PIRANHA INDIO GP SURF TWO-PIECE 10ft 8kg rod as
described in the original advert/promo.

Don't even try to pull the Mystery Rod excuse on me as the January
advert was for the choice of two rods which were specifically
described.

I do not intend to incur return postage costs so I will accept
sending you the three-piece rod COD.

I have spent so much time dealing with this that you have become a
stone in my shoe that will not go away.
I have also spent a few dollars on calling you and your associates.
I will return the THREE-PIECE rod when I have the rod I was promised.
Until then you have not heard the last of me.

Sincerely,

Gerard


Alex,
The rod arrived thursday. I checked with Australia Post on return
postage: $4.75 interesting that you charge $29.95 plus $7.95 for
country delivery. I live in Iluka NSW and it is country region, had i
sent you $37.90 for postage you may of made $30.00 profit on the
postage alone. Not taking into consideration the savings Australia
Post would give you for a bulk postage contract.

As far as feedback your company is recieving on web chat forums here
are a few for you to read:
~I too have spoken to Piranha Sport at lengths about the free rods.
The rod I got in the January Promo was supposed to be the Eustary 70
three piece. What I got was not a three piece rod but a two piece
labelled Eustary 70. When I spoke to them about it they told me that
they were only a distributor of the rods and they weren't liable for
their own stuff up. When I asked them which rod did I get then they
had know idea. They said if I liked I could send the rod back to
them at MY expense with another $30 to get the rod I was supposed to
get. I don't think so, I'll put up with the over priced rod they
sent me. If they think this rod is worth $189 as they stated on the
form in the Modern Fishing magazine then I'm a monkey's uncle.

It may be a Brazillian company but the girl I spoke to let slip they
were made in China......I'm still waiting for the second rod which
was supposed to have been from the Pantera range but once again it
appears a stuff up by this organisation.

~a mate got his rod yesterday (a 10foot 3 piece) and if someone would
pay over $150 for it ???
he was disapointed that it costed him $30

~Received my 10' Indio beach rod. 3 pieces, poor design and balance.
Looks cheap and nasty. Probably cost $5 to manufacture.
Modern Fishing have disassociated themselves from the Piranha company
now, so that must be saying something.


Alex: Not only is the rod not as described but it also has some
slight damage, i suspect this is due to the poor packing.
Alex you have lied to me: you told me that I would recieve the rod i
ordered; a two-piece 10' 8kg rod as described in the promotion. When
the rod arrived I called the Sydney Office 3 times and asked to speak
with Errol Baker each time i called i was told he was in a meeting
and that he would return my call.

I have escalated my concerns to the ACCC and the Victoria Fair
Trading Office.
Please find the letter to the ACCC

Attention Regional Director ACCC:

I am writing to you regarding the conduct of Piranha Sport.
This company ran an advertisement in the December Issue of Modern
Fishing Magazine promoting their product.

The promotion was to run each month for the year 2006. Giving away a
fishing rod of the stated value of $189.00 for the cost of postage
$29.95 metropolitan areas plus $7.95 if in country or rural.
With a choice of two rods for the December issue: The first choice
was described as the Piranha Indio Estuary- a 7' 0" 10kg spin rod.
The second choice was a Piranha Indio GP Surf- a two-piece 8kg, 10'
0" surf rod.

After a month from sending in my Australia Post money order for the
Piranha Indio GP Surf I contacted the promoter and was explain in a
letter that it was on the way and that the rod would arrive by
February 10th. When it did not arrive I contacted them again and was
told that the rod would arrive by March 9th When it still had not
arrived I called once more and was assured the rod was on its way.
A rod arrived yesterday March 23rd it was not the rod I ordered. It
can be described as a three-piece 9' 2" rod of very poor quality. By
no means would this rod sell for $189.00 let alone $29.95.

I have tried to contact Piranha Sport and they will not return my
calls.

Please find enclosed the copies of the original advertisement from
Modern Fishing Magazine as well as the letter sent with the rod that
arrived.

I have also been in contact with the editor of Modern Fishing
magazine and he stated in an email to me:

"Hi Gerard,

The rod that Piranha have been sending out is not the same as the one
they showed us before we agreed to help publicise their promotion.
The sample I was shown had a metallic green, graphite blank with
yellow binding and cork grips. It certainly wasn't the bargain bin
glass composite that they have been sending out.."

~Alex: i have deleated the rest of Daniels letter as i do not intend
to share it with you at this time.~


My concern is there are over 15000 people that have sent in for these
rods as the CEO of Piranha Sport Alexander Bermudez de Romano
informed me.
This is in my opinion false advertising.

Please advise me that you have received this letter and what will
come of the matter.

Sincerely,




Gerard Wiseman

[billfisher]

I used my Indio beach rod this morning (after I had added a six inch sandspike). It actually performed quite well. The stiff tip could handle a decent sized sinker and the medium action helped prevent the pilchard bait from flying of the hook (as can tend to happen with fast taper rods). Its certainly worth $30 compared to what I have seen in the tackle shops, but obviously not worth $189.

As to the number of peices it looks like a typo error in the promotion since the estuary rod turned out to be 2 pieces (not the 3 claimed) and vice versa for the beach rod.

[wiseguy67]

As to the number of peices it looks like a typo error in the promotion since the estuary rod turned out to be 2 pieces (not the 3 claimed) and vice versa for the beach rod. #

Billfisher do you think that the quality sample rod shown to the editor of the Modern fishing magazine by Piranha Sport was also a mistake?
I find it disturbing that you express satisfaction after such a misleading promotion.

[billfisher]

Wise 67,

I don't know what rod Modern Fishing was shown but I wasn't expecting a graphite one with cork grips as a 10 ft beach rod! That just doesn't add up, I don't know of such a combination on the market. All I'm doing is describing what I got for my $30 dollars, ie quite a useful rod. Yes, they have been misleading with their $189 value claim and slow in delivering, but I'd rather keep and use the rod than try to recover my money (probably not much chance).
I won't be taking up any more of their promotions and I suspect a lot of other people wont be either.

[Gbanger]

hate to say this, buy i think if when you saw the promotion and you didnt think 'too good to be true' then there is a degree of silliness on your part

[4x4frog]

hate to say this, buy i think if when you saw the promotion and you didnt think 'too good to be true' then there is a degree of silliness on your part

Yes that thought enters the mind.
I never took up this offer from Piranha but was tempted.
The other side of the coin is the fact that we have to be wary these days and that it's a shame that there is a scam lurking around every corner and we have to always be aware instead of just taking life as it is presented to us and being able to trust for trust's sake.
It's a sad enditement on how the world is though.

[John_mcfarlane]

How can you make a complaint when no one has brought his or her rod? No deception has occurred. And in spite of what you think, Piranha is free to charge what it likes and to set its own prices, at what the market will bear. And their price for 'freight', while high, was obtained from the carrier. We have all paid the 'freight'. Has anyone enquired about returns?

If the rod is not worth the blank it is made from, send it back. Get a refund of the price paid.

But you never paid for the rod..

Perhaps better for some to recognise a lesson learned.

You still have a rod...........

Still waiting on Piranha to tell us how many are still taking advantage of their offers. Some may think that they may not be brilliant rods, and may not be worth their advertised prices. A lot of things aren't. Still we pay the prices.

All should read the promotion closely.

It states that the $29.95 is for RC Shipping and Handling. Obviously, a considerable amount has been included for handling. And complaining after the situation has occurred will not get you anywhere. And let’s not forget Piranha has to pay to get the rod in the first place, and into Australia, from wherever it has been made.

I can only imagine everyone who utilises fishing forums would also use auction sites such as Ebay, where postage costs are inflated (or include ambiguous 'handling' charges). And some of the Ebay sellers move enormous amounts of equipment, so we can assume there would be significant bulk freight or postage costs savings there as well.

I think most of us went into the Piranha arrangement with eyes wide open. I know I did.

A 'free rod' for $30. RRP $160, $180, $500. Yeah right.

I gave it a go.

And I'm moving on. I don't need to waste any more time on it.

I'm surprised some are. But I'd rather be catching fish than wishing ill on Piranha.

[wiseguy67]

Crickey John_Macfarlane
Nice first post mate.

[John_mcfarlane]

No affiliation wise67, nor a cynic either.
I regularly fish Eucumbene and Jindabyne during the autums (easter is the next outing for 4 days) and late year (Fring Pan Challenge) and of course at other times during the year when time allows and my son feels like wetting the line instead of flying his remote controlled plane (usually late Jan before he heads back to school).

Then it's fly at Taupo (Rangitaiki R) and Taurangi (Tongariro R) and surrounding areas when the season opens mid year in the North island of NZ.

Or the Thredbo R (or any R in the SM) with a fly anytime I can.

Or in my Savage Envoy fibreglass runabout out from Tomakin, feeding the Snapper, Flathead and Kingies every other weekend.

As you can see, I don't do much fishing for an inlander.
NOT

[wiseguy67]

Has your free rod arrived and are you content with what you got?
If you are not happy; for example the rod is not what you expected it to be, please contact me: PM or
wiseguy67@ausfish.com.au
for further details.
Please provide your name and phone number.
Regards,
Gerard

[chanquetas]

I have been away for a while and have missed a lot of the drama that this topic has provided, not receiving my Piranha rod before I went away.
But when I got home last night there was a Piranha rod sitting at my front door.
I opened the parcel this morning and put together my 3-piece surf rod, and I am pretty happy with it.

It cost me $30. I reckon its worth more than that, but not $180 or whatever the claim is.By the same token when I go to the tackle shop and play with a $500 G-Loomis I think..."Thats nice, worth way more than $30, but certainly not worth $500."

Now bear in mind that you dont NEED G-Loomis and TLDs to catch good fish. I have caught good fish on $3 hand lines. A mate of mine caught a 100cm Barra on a $3 handline from a wharf in WA. Not a G-Loomis in sight!

I say get over it guys. I'll buy another Piranha for $30, good value I reckon, which is why I went for the promotion deal in the first place.

Also, I wonder what the Modern Fishing magazine people think of the actual rod? I would be keen to see a review of one or two rods. If they are that bad, and the magazine is that upset, then surely they can do an impartial review and set the record straight?

Cheers,
Jake