Ripoff Essex??

[Bruce Caldwell]

http://www.essxpv.com/poles/essx/
This has been posted on our websites for several years!
It has been posted here since May of 2010!
I do not consider an Altius or any other brand an inferior pole!

Just that some poles include more thought about the athletes needs and desire than others!
During the time Altius made private labelled the ESSX pole was a very well produced and safe made pole!
Most recent changes made by the manufacturer without my consent or acceptance is the primary reason for my termination of the manufactuering contract!
If you received a pole that you feel is not an ESSX please contact me as I was not able to see what went out the door!
Bruce@essxpv.com

[HighFlight]

Essx poles have some very important characteristics and distinctive features that seperates them from other pole manufactures. From the top of the pole it has a unique lable that gives the pole weight and information the pole charactersitics compared to other brands of poles. On the bottom of the pole it has a carbon strip embeded at the end of the pole that has the serial # and other information so that the manufacture can help the owner of the pole with information about the pole. A red flame tip fits on the end to provide a unique design to complement the poles engineering quality. With this said, "Why would an Altius pole end up with a Essx lable on it and sold to a consumer as Essx???" In this forum, I have seen Essx stand up and try to make things right. But the real question is where is Altius in all of this? This is just my opinion, but here is what I think happened. I think Essx got Altius to manufacture poles for them. Take Essx design and manufacture them to Essx specs and work a deal. Due to hard times it makes since. Win, Win for both groups. But something went wrong... who knows.. ego's, money, pride, jealousy... what ever the reason Altius poles got shipped out with Essx lables and sold as Essx poles, but were really Altius poles. This was not just an isolated incident. Think of it this way... Coke works a deal to get Pepsi to bottle its product for them using Coke. Pepsi makes a percentage on how much Coke is bottled and sold. Coke runs out of Coke, but Pesi has a surplus and puts Pepsi in the Coke cans. Who will know??? Except the Pepsi product put in the Coke can was Mt. Dew. In business it happens everyday and some people think they can get away with it. I think the thing that really floors me, is if you are going to replace one product with another, treat it just like the product you are going to replace(see Essx pole characteristics above)! Do you really think the consumer is that stupid! Where is the integrity? Sure some will sue, but what are you going to get? The money you spend sueing someone will cost more than the pole you bought. What are your damages? Only the cost of your pole. On the other hand, consumer fraud protected by state and federal laws is something completely different. Local agencies like State Dept. of Consumer Credit love this stuff. It seems to me Essx has nothing to hide. I am sure Essx Corp is dissapointed about what happened and seems to be reaching out to the consumer. Once again... Where is Altius in all of this?? Altius pole Essx lable, not Essx Pole. If a company is willing to change one lable for another, then how can you trust any lable they put on that pole. Think of the safety issue. I do.

[Tim McMichael]

Okay, I have to jump in on this. I have known Bruce Caldwell for many years and consider him a friend. He helped me with poles at one of the most crucial times of my career, and I made it to the finals of the World Championships as a result. I know this about Bruce: he loves pole vaulting and has spent decades producing outstanding poles, as well as refining his understanding of how they work and how they should be made. His business has not always prospered, but he has produced great poles that were loved by some of the best athletes in the world. Earl Bell and Władysław Kozakiewicz, among others, come to mind. If someone put his labels on their own poles and sold them as though they had been built by Bruce, they have probably committed an actual crime. More importantly, they have harmed the athletes who bought these poles.

I do not know of a single world class athlete who will tell you that all that matters about a pole is the flex number. Not one. I can testify from personal experience at the highest levels of this sport that the difference between designs is absolutely critical. You can take two poles of identical flex and make one useless and unsafe and the other great. Among other things, the quality of the glass, the shape and dimensions of the sail piece and the precision of the manufacturing process all make a critical difference.

I don’t know if Altius poles are any good, and I don’t care. If you bought an Essex pole and were sent an Altus with the wrong label, you have been ripped off. I would be shocked to the core if Bruce had anything to do with this. If he did, he is not the man I have grown to trust with the one of the most important aspects of my career for a very long time. I think it is telling that he is the only one doing what he can to make this right.

[Bruce Caldwell]

What makes you think you didn't get an Essx? Just because you can't see a little piece of carbon in the butt? It could still be the same patterns. You could destroy the pole and take it apart and tell if you knew what the patterns looked like.

One can see how poles are contructed by dropping a small light bulb down inside the pole and plot the patterns. There is no need to burn one up to see how it is made!
I am very sorry that some of you are having problems with ESSX poles you have purchased.
We have stopped our manufacturign agreement to insure there are no more FAKE ESSX poles going out. And we are currently trying to work out something so as to resolve the problems.
Our objective is not to defame anyone or any company but to just resolve this and move forward.
During the 2 years we had a private labelled product the company did a great job in consistancy and provided a very safe vaulting pole.
We are confident that even though the product you received may not look or feel like an ESSX pole it is a safe product.
We understand you did not get what you ordered and we are trying to resolve that in the best interest of all!

Bruce Caldwell

[2-15-46]

Altius poles are a waste of money.....the flex numbers and weight lable are not accurate, I purchased one that was 15 lbs lighter than it's rating.... bought a used one and it was 10 lbs off........ only good thing is you can take a beginner that weighs 140 and put him on one that says 150, once he becomes more proficient he could very well have an accident.... like i said waste of money..... better off spending a few bucks more and buying a gill pole, essx (the real one) or Spirit.... I see alot of used Altius' for sale used cheap...must be a reason!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[VaultPurple]

Altius poles are a waste of money.....the flex numbers and weight lable are not accurate, I purchased one that was 15 lbs lighter than it's rating.... bought a used one and it was 10 lbs off........ only good thing is you can take a beginner that weighs 140 and put him on one that says 150, once he becomes more proficient he could very well have an accident.... like i said waste of money..... better off spending a few bucks more and buying a gill pole, essx (the real one) or Spirit.... I see alot of used Altius' for sale used cheap...must be a reason!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You do realize the same person that started Pacer makes Altius, right?

How do you know the weight is off? Compared to what? A UCS or Pacer or ESSX? You can not always compare weight rating across brands. I am not saying it is as good as ESSX, but price does not always mean anything. I have never jumped on a ESSX but if I ordered one I know thats what I would wan't to get in the mail.

But it seems like this has been resolved since Bruce is willing to work things out with people, so I don't think anymore brand bashing is necessarily

[rainbowgirl28]

You do realize the same person that started Pacer makes Altius, right?

Altius changed management a few years ago.

[rainbowgirl28]

And yes, it sounds like the issues are being resolved. Anyone with problems should contact Bruce per his instructions above.

Altius makes very good poles that are generally consistent with other brands. They target the high school market and a lot of high schoolers have jumped very high on them.

Thread closed!!!