Internet v. tackle shop

I tend to use both. The internet (Veals etc.) is much cheaper and is fine for stuff where yo know exactly what you're going to get. e.g. rigs, spinners, hooks, general accessories etc. However for bigger stuff I'm coming around to thinking it's probably worth paying a little more to buy them in a tackle shop for various reasons. For rods & reels etc. obviously it's nice to be able to touch and hold what you're buying which will give you a good idea if you going to like it.

Apart from that i came accross another intangable reason. I bought an Abu Garcia 12 ft beach caster with an Okuma reel. Almost straight away the casting arm of the reel came loose. I could put it back in but it got very annoying. I brought it back to the chap I bought it from in Baumann's in Stillorgan (great lads, no connection) and without a question he replaced it. Of course he should have, it was brand new and the arm was broken, but he didn't ask any questions, he didn't say he'd try to get it fixed, he just gave me a new one.

That was probably last December. The new recently broke also. The gears gave way. I don't have the terminology, but it was as if the reel was constantly open, it wouldn't lock in place.

I brought it back to Baumann's and the chap said that the rep would be in later in the week and he'd ask him to have a look at it, which seemed fair enough. I went back yesterday and I actually think he forgot to show it to him. After a brief pause he jsut reached for a new one and gave it to me.

The intangable aspect to which I referred is 'relationship'. The reel only costs €40 and I'll spend a good deal more that that there in the next few weeks alone. Had I bought it online I'd have to have posted it back and kept my receipt and had no gaurantee that they'd do anything. Customer loyalty is important to the online companies but nothing like that of the tackle shops.

So big shout out to Baumann's in Stillorgan. I shall continue to shop there (and online the odd time too!)

had a problem with a reel i bought on internet ,( supposed to be a good company) bail arm would not return after casting, only got about 7 casts out of it !!!!! company were not interested saying they didn't take returns, after I had mentioned FIT FOR PURPOSE they said to send it back ( at my cost ) and rep would look at it , I thought fcuk them, didn't bother sending it back but they had just lost a good customer , this has been the only BAD experience i've had using the net to shop

Have to agree with beebub about buying local. the net is fine if you know what you are getting and can make a big saving. But otherwise if your local shop is only a few quid more expensive for bigger items, its better to buy from them. That sending back stuff is just too much hassle.

It's very hard to post a beachcaster through a letter box.

bit off topic, but that reminds me of something that happened 30 yrs ago when i was engineer at newtownards airport , we ordered a section of fusalage tubing for a (i think) a piper cub from cse in oxford , the storeman cut it in half because of the postage problem

It's very hard to post a beachcaster through a letter box.

have done that bought a few rods off the internet going down to the post office to collect them is great fun!

It's very hard to post a beachcaster through a letter box.

have done that bought a few rods off the internet going down to the post office to collect them is great fun!

i was lucky,the local postman dropped rods out to the house to me,he was not very happy because he had to do most of his run with the window open

It's very hard to post a beachcaster through a letter box.

This is 2009 most delivery company's are very good with desktop to door service within three days.

Paul, you are right. I unreservedly withdraw my comment. Sorry.

never had a problem with rod postage as my postman is a keen sea angler!