Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

swordsen · 11-07-2003, 08:53 AM

Ok, is anyone else out there having problems (or has in the past had problems) with allstarusa? A friend here in afghanistan decide he wanted to learn to fence since we were sitting her for a long time. He ordered more than $800 worth of stuff from these guys. In the order he noted that he wanted them to communicate with him by email becasue of where he is. Since he had to put a phone number to complete the order he put his parnet number.
A few days latter he got an email from his parents saying that someone had called them about a fencing mask. He sent allstarusa an email. No response. He tried to call them and left a message on their machine asking what was going on and giving them a contact number here and his email. No response. After a few days he gets his parents to call them. they finally get through and find out that the mask is back ordered so they Allstarusa is holding his whole order until it arrives. My friend sends them an email asking that they send the rest of the order and then send the mask when it comes in. No response. He calls and leaves another message and sends a few more emails. After getting no response to any of this he finally sends them an email telling them to cancel the oder if it hasn't already shipped. Still no response.
It has been over a month now since he placed the order.

Are these people total idiots or what?

broncofencer · 11-07-2003, 09:36 AM

I had a guy order stuff from them and get no response for over a month. No call nothing he called his credit card company and they never charged his card or anything he eventually told his credit card company to not authorize the charge cancelled his order and bought somewhere else. He ended up paying extra to have his stuff shipped overnight so he could have everything 2 days before a tournament. He never heard from them at all. I have heard other people say they get no response from them as well but I have never ordered anything myself for this reason.

veeco · 11-07-2003, 10:51 AM

This is for an order to Afghanistan? Allstar USA doesn't have a good track record, but anyway, if I were you, I'd try to order from some of the closer fencing vendors to avoid paying to much on shipping?

Perhaps with Chinese vendors, or from Hong Kong, like esun?

In the US, I'm partial to The Fencing Post.

mifencer · 11-07-2003, 11:39 AM

Blade and Allstar USA are run by the same people. Stan is known for... not getting back to people. My club sent him an Allstar machine (luckily by registered mail) for repairs. 2 years later and a number a calls and letters, we got the machine back -- unrepaired.

I love Allstar equipment. If you want it though, I would HIGHLY recommend that you get it from the fatherland - Germany. Or, have some who goes to a lot of world cups bring you back the equipment if that's an option.

http://212.58.67.69/index.php?newlang=eng
Come to think about it, I'm not sure if Allstar will ship it over the pond or not. They might have an agreement with Stan, someone else on this board might know the answer to this.

edew · 11-07-2003, 11:43 AM

If that's the case, AllStar can do well by dumping Stan and getting someone else who's responsible to represent them in the US. There are plenty of other more conscientious vendors in the US who would love to have the AllStar account. And they can do a better job of replying to customers and help them along.

swordsen · 11-07-2003, 12:22 PM

We are in afghanistan with the US Army. Shipping is much easier from the states than from anywhere else. Another person here ordered some stuff from Blade about two weeks after my friend made his order. Her stuff came in today.
AllstarUSA is off my list unless the come up with a d*mn good apology.

rukovsoft · 11-07-2003, 12:48 PM

had a lot of troubes with Allstar USA....they re crooks !!!!!!!!!!!
never seen that in my life. i even emailed the swordmaster (us fencing coach newletter) to tell my stories.

But like somebody sais, allstar is generally speaking the best equipment. Been fencing 2 weapons for 20 years, and i had most of the time good equipment from them...with some exceptions (non FIe blue epee blade that all shortly break at the same time, adidas back handle that breaks after a week...sic..)

so u love allstar, like me, but live in the US and don t wnat to deal with the NY people:
- contact allstar international and complain (you won t be the only one)
- try to find somebody who can bring u stuff from europe
- try allstar mexico....very nice people. they re actually in boston. (try contacting them thtough esgrimamex forum)
- try to buy a company that buys from allstar and buy from them.

good luck

mifencer · 11-07-2003, 01:06 PM

Oh! This reminds me of the Allstar Canada people. Prices are OK, but VERY nice people. Plus the exchange rate is better than the Euro (but then you have to think about Euro v. C$D.). I'm trying to find them on the web, but for the life of me, I don't understand why the Canadien Federation doesn't have a Canadian Vendor link.

try: sales@allstarcanada.com or sales@allstarcanda.com.no_spam

scarlet_woman156k · 11-07-2003, 01:47 PM

god Allstar pisses me off, so I try to buy stuff when I go to NACs. Why doesn't someone ELSE sell this stuff, like edew mentioned? I love the quality, but hate the HORRIFIC service. However, I'm Allstar's "poster child." I rarely buy from anyone else.

****, I'd be the Allstar vendor here if it meant promptness and customer service for all.

Hmmm...

mfp · 11-07-2003, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by scarlet_woman156k
god Allstar pisses me off, so I try to buy stuff when I go to NACs. Why doesn't someone ELSE sell this stuff, like edew mentioned? I love the quality, but hate the HORRIFIC service. However, I'm Allstar's "poster child." I rarely buy from anyone else.

Someone ELSE does sell allstar besides allstar USA. My one exerience with allstar USA convinced me to stick to ordering allstar equipment from Fechtsport Langenkamp in Germany or instead buy Uhlmann from Langenkamp or the Fencing Post.

Perhaps the designated vendor for allstar in the US, Allstar USA, would be replaced or improve if people copied their complaints to allstar HQ in Deutschland.

labouche · 11-07-2003, 03:30 PM

I buy from blue-guantlet....just don't buy there brand name stuff. They are extremely reliable! Whenever I order stuff it usually takes less than three days to arrive. And they are great about returns!

scarlet_woman156k · 11-07-2003, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mfp
Someone ELSE does sell allstar besides allstar USA. My one exerience with allstar USA convinced me to stick to ordering allstar equipment from Fechtsport Langenkamp in Germany or instead buy Uhlmann from Langenkamp or the Fencing Post.

Perhaps the designated vendor for allstar in the US, Allstar USA, would be replaced or improve if people copied their complaints to allstar HQ in Deutschland.

What is their website/e-mail address. I'd be MORE than happy to complain.

rukovsoft · 11-07-2003, 04:39 PM

allstar website...

leave complaints message about allstar usa on their guestbook

the contact info are in german....

JEC · 11-07-2003, 06:07 PM

If you like Allstar, but you're getting shorted, then, order from Saul / Fencing Post / Uhlmann. He is pretty responsive via email and has excellent customer service.

Remember that in the FENCING.NET poll, the top two vendors who captured HALF!!!! (out 10 vendors) of the votes were Fencing Post and Blue Gauntlet.

pkt · 11-07-2003, 08:53 PM

Yeah, order from the Vaterland.

http://www.fechtsport-langenkamp.de/

They're prompt and they'll email u too.

PK

SnowGlassApples · 11-07-2003, 11:40 PM

Try AllStar in Germany as that's where the hub of AllStar is. However, whenever my coach has ordered from AllStar he has gotten the equipment within days. Yet, this could be because New Jersey is close to a lot of venders. I'm not sure if he goes somewhere and picks it up.

Uhlmann is also a good choice. Someone once said to me that the only difference between Uhlmann and AllStar is if you prefer blue or red.

rukovsoft · 11-08-2003, 01:26 AM

unfortunately if u want to try allstar germany...you have to go there, or order from a company in the Us or canada that already orders from allstar germany...

allstar won t ship to the Us since Blade is the EXCLUSIVE distributor (unfortunately)

if u have a chance to go to france, go to allstar france in bourg la reine. the salesmen a really nice and competent, and know how to assemble weapons PERFECLY !

Feanor · 11-08-2003, 01:41 AM

I know that Allstar and Uhlmann are both the same product if not the exact same company... If that's the case as I think it is on both counts I would order Uhlmann from Fechtsport-Langenkamp. I've placed several orders from them already and they are simply Excellent in the followup, and the way they handle orders promptly and effeciently.

And in every instance when I have emailed them, I have gotten a response very quickly often on the very same day!

German effeciency...

The orders I have gotten from them have gotten to me FASTER from Germany then when I order from places in my same state! That's pretty sad when you think about it...

rukovsoft · 11-09-2003, 04:01 PM

Feanor,

i don t understand,
allstar germany doesn t sell directly to us since they have an exclusive dealer in the us (in NY , blade)...

how did u order your equipments? i have man friends and students who would be interested...

mfp · 11-09-2003, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rukovsoft
Feanor,

i don t understand,
allstar germany doesn t sell directly to us since they have an exclusive dealer in the us (in NY , blade)...

how did u order your equipments? i have man friends and students who would be interested...

Allstar Germany (i.e. the manufacturer/corporate HQ) might not sell directly to US customers, however several allstar dealers in Germany will sell to US customers. Fechtsport-Langenkamp is an example.