Topic: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop (Read 17773 times)

yvk3103 · « **Reply #45 on:** January 28, 2011, 04:31:50 PM »

Okay. Let's see if they have something that will tempt me to spend money with them.....

jonpinson · « **Reply #46 on:** January 28, 2011, 07:25:54 PM »

No coffee offered the other day. I can pick some up on my way up but it may be a bit cold by the time we meet.

yvk3103 · « **Reply #47 on:** January 29, 2011, 03:12:13 PM »

Okay so drove to DF today. It didn't take much time for my excitement to fizzle out. Why?

(1) No top end bats available in any of the ranges in senior sizes!!! Excuse given willow required to make the top of the range ultimate bat is not available easily. I find it very hard to believe considering most of the younger and smaller brands (especially on our forum) get the superbest or the best G1 willow fairly easily.

(2) struggled to find a bat with a decent profile in 2.9 or 2.10..... Was told pick-up is more important than dead weight. A nice cover-up IMO.

(3) I showed them my LW and BlackCat and told them I wanted a bat with the pick-up and big profile on my LW and grains and performance on the BlackCat. I was told they do not have (or buy) willow with 10 or more grains as it reduces the bats life! Cannot get a bat in 2.9/2.10 with a big profile even after getting the moisture content down to under 10%!! (they buy their willow from Anglian and say the willow they get is generally heavier!!)

(4) after some time the guy in the shop went back and got some narrow grains bats out with a very weird profile (not even near to the profile on the Retro) and claimed they were Retro bats. These were bats made in India by SS!!. These were possibly the most rubbish bats I have seen and would have not paid more then �50 for them. The 2.9/2.10 bats looked malnourished (hope you get the idea).

(5) absolutely no knowledge of willow and kept contradicting his statements

Finally after going through almost all the bats on display and their store found a 2.11 Retro with 9-10 grains with a good pick-up. This bat was not displayed and was stacked with a couple of Gold bats behind the billing counter. The guy didn't seem keen to sell any of them but I kept pushing him saying I had driven 2hrs to buy a bat and also if they did not have any bats they should have said so when I had called yesterday. Finally the guy went back in the store and spoke to someone (i could hear some voices) and then said i could have the Retro.

The bat taps up very well and pick-up light for a 2.11. Quite like it.

However, I will never return there to buy a bat ever again. Simply because the customer service is very poor and the guy kept saying no one being available to do any work on the bat. The height was they were even reluctant to even let me use their washroom!! (I understood why as when I did get allowed to use it I could see a couple of guys working in their workshop).

19reading87 · « **Reply #48 on:** January 29, 2011, 03:39:17 PM »

^^^ sounds a disgrace!! They do not deserve to be trading with customer service that way!!

jonpinson · « **Reply #49 on:** January 29, 2011, 03:53:42 PM »

Interesting, yet completely opposite to how I found things in the week. I guess im either a liar or they sold alot of bats in the 3 days between our visits. I will go back and see just how bad this salesman is.

yvk3103 · « **Reply #50 on:** January 29, 2011, 04:00:28 PM »

Quote from: jonpinson on January 29, 2011, 03:53:42 PM

Interesting, yet completely opposite to how I found things in the week. I guess im either a liar or they sold alot of bats in the 3 days between our visits. I will go back and see just how bad this salesman is.

Maybe your visit was more well timed than mine. There were only 5-6 test grade bats and no Ultimate bats.....

The guy kept telling me that their part-time bat maker (Steve Harmison) is away for a month.....

Maybe I went with too high expectations given the brands legacy and also having been spoilt for choice of willow available on this forum???

I would have loved to see more bats to choose from. Found one finally and that was one of the 2 Retro 5* available......

Had loads and loads of low grade bats.....

Jon, who was the sales man/woman when you went in? Did they have good stock of Ultimate and Test bats that time?

PM7 · « **Reply #51 on:** January 29, 2011, 04:02:08 PM »

Intresting conflicting thoughts on DF as I was getting positive vibes after Jons report and Petes photos.
Any chance of some pics of the Retro Yash?

yvk3103 · « **Reply #52 on:** January 29, 2011, 04:03:33 PM »

Quote from: PM7 on January 29, 2011, 04:02:08 PM

Intresting conflicting thoughts on DF as I was getting positive vibes after Jons report and Petes photos.
Any chance of some pics of the Retro Yash?

Will put some pics up late today.

Going to get some sleep as I had a very early start to my day and drove for 4 hours!!

yvk3103 · « **Reply #53 on:** January 29, 2011, 05:44:14 PM »

Here are some pics of my Retro.....

Pick-up well (light) for a 2.11. The ping is very good and still needs to be knocked-in. The rebound off the mallet is really impressive and hope it will get better.

Colesy · « **Reply #54 on:** January 29, 2011, 06:03:28 PM »

Looks weird. It's like a Pakistani profile with offset edges.

yvk3103 · « **Reply #55 on:** January 29, 2011, 06:06:57 PM »

Quote from: Colesy on January 29, 2011, 06:03:28 PM

Looks weird. It's like a Pakistani profile with offset edges.

Maybe the Pakistanis copied / copy this profile....Pakistan did not exist in the sub continent in 1955!!

Canners · « **Reply #56 on:** January 29, 2011, 06:48:43 PM »

Jonpinson have you got pics of the one you bought?

2 very contradicting reviews indeed

100 not out · « **Reply #57 on:** January 29, 2011, 08:45:16 PM »

Feel for you mate. All that way and the cupboard is bare.

Cover_Drive · « **Reply #58 on:** January 29, 2011, 10:40:43 PM »

Quote from: yvk3103 on January 29, 2011, 06:06:57 PM

Maybe the Pakistanis copied / copy this profile....Pakistan did not exist in the sub continent in 1955!!

They got freedom in 1947 from India.

Plus I don't think DF had this profile for a long time, it doesn't look like a 4-5 decades old profile.

Cover_Drive · « **Reply #59 on:** January 29, 2011, 10:43:05 PM »

Quote from: yvk3103 on January 29, 2011, 03:12:13 PM

Okay so drove to DF today. It didn't take much time for my excitement to fizzle out. Why?
However, I will never return there to buy a bat ever again. Simply because the customer service is very poor and the guy kept lying about no one being available to do any work on the bat. The height was they were even reluctant to even let me use their washroom!! (I understood why as when I did get allowed to use it I could see a couple of guys working in their workshop).

No wonder they went downhill...

Author Topic: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop (Read 17773 times)

yvk3103

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

jonpinson

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

yvk3103

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

19reading87

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

jonpinson

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

yvk3103

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

PM7

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

yvk3103

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

yvk3103

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

Colesy

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

yvk3103

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

Canners

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

100 not out

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

Cover_Drive

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop

Cover_Drive

Re: My impromptu trip to the Fearnley factory shop