Domain names and Server Hosts - What a Nightmare

As I have mentioned before, I am so tired of lousy service and little or no customer service and once again, I am bitten by the unfortunate truth of "farming out the tech department to a foreign land!" I have had no less than a dozen emails to tech departments in the last week to individuals with foreign names and accents that can't speak or write the English language who constantly double-talk and make excuses why things can't be done or have to be done a certain way. I lost my email server, now I am forced to transfer my domain name because the tech department at my host cannot handle the situation. They were glad to sit back and take my money for years and when I ask them to do something, now they are panicked and switch gears. What does it all add up to you say? Loss of service, loss of revenue, loss of communications, customers, and my patience. I will shortly be leaving my E-Commerce representative and my web hosting service as they both $%&*! Remember, this is a G-rated site! You really get what you pay for these days. Can anyone recommend a good web host and E-Commerce company? Hopefully the disruption at Fly Fishing Benefactors will be short lived but who knows anymore. Just trying to communicate my needs for the last three days was more painful than a root-canal without Novocaine.

If you need something from our website and we are not up for the reasons stated above, call us on our toll-free number 877-DO-TROUT (368-7688) or write us at the back-up email address ls1ss169@hotmail.com .

Virginia Fly Fishing Festival

Well, despite not bringing scuba gear for the first day of the event, we had a great time down in Waynesboro again this year! The weather was horrid on Saturday but we saw more people "wading" through the tent then on Sunday when it was beautiful! Funny, I think fly fishers don't mind bad weather (as long as there is no lightning or tornadoes) and will venture out in bad weather more often than others.

Met some new friends and saw a lot of our regular customers. Lefty was on hand to please the crowd and the regulars that support the event like Rick Pope from TFO and King Montgomery made an appearance and mingled with the crowd. All in all, it was a great weekend, weather or not!

Looking forward to the Project Healing Waters 2-Fly event in a couple of weeks and then we'll pack it up for the show season. Best show season on record for Fly Fishing Benefactors!

Fredericksburg Outdoor Show

One in a while, we have to take a gamble and try a new venue to see what the customer interest is in a specific geographic area. The Fredericksburg Outdoor Show was exactly such a venue. Despite being visited by numerous existing customers and meeting new friends and making new customers, the foot traffic was dismal at the event. The gun show going on next door was absolutely packing them in there like sardines but hardly any overflow traffic rolled over into the Outdoor Show venue. Even though your entry ticket allowed you to visit both sides of the hall, we seldom saw a gun show visitor on our side of the convention center. So, looks like we won't be returning to the Fredericksburg Outdoor Show next year unless there are some drastic changes in the way the venue is operated or advertised. Thanks to all our old and new friends for visiting us in the booth and we hope to see you at the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival next month in Waynesboro.

The Trials and Tribulations of Customer Service

We have been operating for seven years at Fly Fishing Benefactors and over the course of those seven years, we have had to switch web hosts and merchant service accounts many times. The sad part about those web hosting sites and merchant services accounts is that they absolutely don't care what kind of service they provide you once they have your money and sign-up for a contract. Now, since I try real hard to do the expenses as cheaply as I can (to maximize my donations), I obviously felt I would have to expect some lackluster service for the price I pay but lately, it is amazing what these people have done. I am soon to be leaving my merchant services account, as soon as the show season is over. I hate to have to do this because it causes me much grief to have to "start over" again somewhere else but these guys take the cake. Before anyone signs up for One Stop Merchant Services in Rhode Island, please call me. I'll tell you how they have lied to me, cheated me, plain didn't care about my website or services, yet insist on me paying them for absolutely the worst service I have ever received since I started this company. As a retired federal law enforcement officer (married to an attorney), I have never seen an organization so pathetic in all my years and so absolutely worth a letter campaign to the Better Business Bureau and Interstate Commerce Commission. Since this is a "G" Rated blog site, I cannot use the language I would like to use to describe the customer service I have yet to receive from this company. So, stay tuned to where I land and I will let you know when I turn the switch. At Fly Fishing Benefactors, we will try and do everything these guys don't do. That is a promise from me. I may not be able to transact business as well and efficiently as I would like but I will ALWAYS give my customers the customer service they deserve!

Middleburg Fly Fishing Show

Wow! Once again the Rapidan Chapter put on a great show! Thanks Fred for a great job! Lots of turn out and the new venue at the Faquier High School allows for a lot more breathing room for both the vendors and the attendees. We got a chance to show off the new Jim Hicks Fly Rod and Steve Moore did well with his new Rappahannock Wading Book! The next show is the NCC-TU show at Georgetown Prep on March 12, 2011. Hope to see you there!