Preytorien Posted March 13, 2015 Posted March 13, 2015 Fishing tonight for the first time this year. First time with my new Curado. The first (and only) fish bit my senko, I swung, not very hard, and saw the tip of my rod, the last 3 inches, pop. Called Shimano support. Hopefully they don't deem it in-warrantied. Wish me luck on my replacement endeavors.
Super User Darren. Posted March 13, 2015 Super User Posted March 13, 2015 Good luck. What Shimano rod was it?
Mumbly Posted March 13, 2015 Posted March 13, 2015 Wishing you the best of luck. I am interested in knowing how this works out after the changes they made to their warranty program.
Super User Sam Posted March 13, 2015 Super User Posted March 13, 2015 Please keep us posted on what happens.
Preytorien Posted March 13, 2015 Author Posted March 13, 2015 It's a 6'8" MH/F Crucial.....CRC68MHA  Just got it last April, so it's not even got a year under it's belt considering it sat in the rod rack here since November. It's one of the older models with the "Limited Lifetime Warranty", so I suppose I'll see how stringent the word "Limited" is applied. I've always had great luck with their support before, so I'm hoping this is no different. I've just read a few stories of guys sending the rod in with popped tips and the warranty not being valid since they said it looks like a car-door incident, then they can't do anything else with it because the rod was cut in half for shipping, which is what the customer service rep on the phone advised me to do. So that's a bit scary. I don't gamble, but I really feel like I'm playing the odds here. Postage calculators estimate about $50 if I send it in the 8ft tube it came in from TW, so I'd be gambling that I just paid $50 for them to tell me they won't warranty it.  Maybe I'm being paranoid, I just loved that rod and don't have the bank to drop on another one! Â
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted March 13, 2015 Posted March 13, 2015 They may very well cover it, but in all honesty, any manufacturing defect will show the first couple times the rod gets a good bend in it. You have to be conscious of the rod tip's attitude all the time with these newer rods. It won't take a lot of force if the tip is bent beyond 90* to the butt.Â
Preytorien Posted March 13, 2015 Author Posted March 13, 2015 They may very well cover it, but in all honesty, any manufacturing defect will show the first couple times the rod gets a good bend in it. You have to be conscious of the rod tip's attitude all the time with these newer rods. It won't take a lot of force if the tip is bent beyond 90* to the butt.  That's what was so strange. I used this rod all last year and never had an issue, many fish over 4lbs. This one was less than a pound, and it just popped. I could see it if I had really swung hard on the hookset, but I never catch big fish in this pond, and was using a wacky rig, so I knew I didn't need to swing for the fences or anything. Hopefully they'll understand.Â
Preytorien Posted March 17, 2015 Author Posted March 17, 2015 So I am getting this rod retipped I think. The risk of cutting the blank in half to ship to Shimano, and them use their discretion is too much risk for my conservative blood. A guy I know was looking for a short jig rod anyways, and since it's only 3 or so inches he thinks it'll work great. Of course he's not buying from me for anywhere near full price, but he and I agree that for a short jig rod it'll do the trick nicely. Â Thanks guys for the help and sending some luck my way!
MidTNKayakAngler Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 I broke a Cumara about a year and a half ago and just put it in the corner, and then about 6 months ago I broke a Crucial. I just sent both back to them complete without cutting down, and I never contacted them, just filled out the paperwork from offline and put it in the tube attached to each respective rod, and sent them in together. About 3 weeks later I receive a new model Cumara, and a new Crucial. They never contacted me, just sent me two new rods. I've always had great service from Shimano. 1
Super User J Francho Posted March 17, 2015 Super User Posted March 17, 2015 You probably dinged it somewhere along the way. That's usually what I think when a rod that has performed for months suddenly snapped. If there's a replacement program for that rid I'll persue it, but I don't see this as a warranty issue. Rods are fragile. It's like trying to warranty a dozen eggs after they leave the store, lol.
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 You probably dinged it somewhere along the way. That's usually what I think when a rod that has performed for months suddenly snapped. If there's a replacement program for that rid I'll persue it, but I don't see this as a warranty issue. Rods are fragile. It's like trying to warranty a dozen eggs after they leave the store, lol. Right, eggs at $10 a dozen and then doing a happy dance when you get a "free" one
Preytorien Posted March 17, 2015 Author Posted March 17, 2015 Well, I pulled the trigger on one of the new Zodias rods, I'm going to be sure to take care to not ding it somewhere. I could see where that'd cause a structural failure somewhere, so I'll take a closer look at how I treat my equipment, even though I'd say I'm quite a bit more on the careful side than not. Â Thanks guys.Â
Super User J Francho Posted March 17, 2015 Super User Posted March 17, 2015 It's hard to lay blame on a defect months after the purchase. It's also hard to take care of this stuff 100% by the book. When I'm running to a new spot, there some rods out strapped to the deck, and I'm sure they even get stepped on, or bumped while fishing. Losing one once in a great while is just a cost of admission I'm willing to pay. Many of my rods carry a replacement policy as well, nsmely the Avids and Champs. 1
Super User F14A-B Posted March 17, 2015 Super User Posted March 17, 2015 True enough, rods should be able to be jostled about without the integrity of the blank being impuned. Every company wants a disclaimer for a rod, I like what Kistler is doing, by flex testing every rod they intend to sell. I believe it has to cut down on genuine blank defects.. Equipment fails for a few reasons, it's like JF said.. " it's the cost of admission"
Preytorien Posted March 17, 2015 Author Posted March 17, 2015 I've always wondered about the warranties given by companies. While I understand that a lifetime unlimited warranty will have guys purposely breaking rods, you also have to factor in that the people you're selling these rods to are not typically your bobber and worm fishermen. They're seasoned veterans who, while they're very good at what they do, WILL break equipment. So that said, you'd think they'd try to be as helpful than not to accommodate these things. Maybe a price point of rods that carry a lifetime warranty then a lower price point that has a 5 year, then on down the line. Shimano went backwards in terms of the warranty terms by going with 1 year for everything, even a $500 Adrena, and I hope it doesn't bite some guys in the butt. I'm not talking about a defect or craftsmanship defect, that should be a standard warranty, but I'm talking about covering "normal wear and tear". Example.....I use a brand of cycling equipment that carries a lifetime wear and tear warranty on their top tier products because they know that guys will push the products to their limits, and therefore assume there will be non-material-defect problems. I guess to sum it up, like John said, its the cost of admission, but we're also paying big money for this stuff, you'd think they would stand behind it a little more and offer better warranties. I understand some guys will break rods just to get a new one, but if the price point was $300, who cares? They just paid good money for a good product, far more than most of your customers would pay. The warranties by some brands like Croix, and such who don't give you a rod free but have a fee, then you can get a new rod....that's a step in the right direction. Shimano seems to have went backwards. It just made me worried. It could be looked at as a material defect and replaced by them, or it could've been asserted as price of admission, since it was on a hookset, and them not warranty it.  It's a debatable topic with valid points on both sides. I'm just glad in the end it sorted out alright. I'm done ranting
Super User A-Jay Posted March 17, 2015 Super User Posted March 17, 2015 This topic has been covered in detail here before.  I would be in favor of any of the Brands I use to go to a 30 day warranty against flaws & defects as long as the initial price reflects that. Meaning, let's do away with the inflated prices we're paying now to cover the extended warranties now offered.  The typical first trip or so early blank failure would be realized & covered. After that, if I am not careful with my equipment and it causes a failure, I do not expect the company to replace it. That's on me. However I don't want to pay double for the item to account for it either.  A-Jay
Super User J Francho Posted March 17, 2015 Super User Posted March 17, 2015 I used to think that you payed more for a rod with a replacement program. In fact, you must. But is it noticeably more? I mean is my Avid twice as much as it should be? It certainly is a little bit more, but is it way off other rods in the same price category? Not really. It's not like you're getting only a $100 rod for $175. Is it?
Hyrule Bass Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 shoulda went with an ugly stik lol (im dead serious though) Â i wont buy anything shimano, not because of bad experience with them, but because i feel people here go out of there way to shove shimano down others throat. Â example: Thread "just got a daiwa lexa, what do yall think of it" Replies "I would recommend returning it and getting a shimano ci4"...the poster didnt ask about shimano, they wanted to know what people thought about the lexa... Â example: Thread "recommend a reel in the $50 price range" Replies "you should save an extra $75 and buy this over-priced shimano such and such"...recommending a shimano or any brand reel is fine so long as its in the $50 price range. but dont think its easy for everyone just to come up with extra spending cash to buy a shimano reel thats no better than a $50 pflueger president. recommend a reel in the price range listed... Â i know that all seems off-topic, but my point is i dont buy the hype around shimano and their products that i feel are no better than many other brands that come in with cheaper price points and are equal or better products than shimano. you can do better than that rod. also, the more expensive rods, yeah theyre going to break. never seen anyone break a cheaper rod though...
JGBassinAL Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 shoulda went with an ugly stik lol (im dead serious though) Â i wont buy anything shimano, not because of bad experience with them, but because i feel people here go out of there way to shove shimano down others throat. Â example: Thread "just got a daiwa lexa, what do yall think of it" Replies "I would recommend returning it and getting a shimano ci4"...the poster didnt ask about shimano, they wanted to know what people thought about the lexa... Â example: Thread "recommend a reel in the $50 price range" Replies "you should save an extra $75 and buy this over-priced shimano such and such"...recommending a shimano or any brand reel is fine so long as its in the $50 price range. but dont think its easy for everyone just to come up with extra spending cash to buy a shimano reel thats no better than a $50 pflueger president. recommend a reel in the price range listed... Â i know that all seems off-topic, but my point is i dont buy the hype around shimano and their products that i feel are no better than many other brands that come in with cheaper price points and are equal or better products than shimano. you can do better than that rod. also, the more expensive rods, yeah theyre going to break. never seen anyone break a cheaper rod though... Â Can't wait to see the responses to this.... 1
Super User F14A-B Posted March 18, 2015 Super User Posted March 18, 2015 shoulda went with an ugly stik lol (im dead serious though) i wont buy anything shimano, not because of bad experience with them, but because i feel people here go out of there way to shove shimano down others throat. example: Thread "just got a daiwa lexa, what do yall think of it" Replies "I would recommend returning it and getting a shimano ci4"...the poster didnt ask about shimano, they wanted to know what people thought about the lexa... example: Thread "recommend a reel in the $50 price range" Replies "you should save an extra $75 and buy this over-priced shimano such and such"...recommending a shimano or any brand reel is fine so long as its in the $50 price range. but dont think its easy for everyone just to come up with extra spending cash to buy a shimano reel thats no better than a $50 pflueger president. recommend a reel in the price range listed... i know that all seems off-topic, but my point is i dont buy the hype around shimano and their products that i feel are no better than many other brands that come in with cheaper price points and are equal or better products than shimano. you can do better than that rod. also, the more expensive rods, yeah theyre going to break. never seen anyone break a cheaper rod though... Lots of threads on Lews,Lots of threads on Daiwa, Lots of threads ( a whole bunch) on Pfluger President spinning reels, lots of threads about many, many topics.. ( rods, reels, line types, crankbaits, and I dare say "Ugly Stix" People have opinions, people have experiences, if Shimano or Daiwa are top dogs, well there must be a reason so many prefer those. The OP broke a shimano rod, the OP bought a new Shimano rod, he doesn't sound deterred by one broken rod to the point of jumping ship! Must be a reason. Sometimes there is friendly banter, but mostly it's just competive fun really... 1
Bigchunk Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 Ive sent back a few crucials that broke, a few as in more then i would like to say, never had one issue with shimano. Now that they rid the LTW im bummed, idk what rods to go with....
Cgrinder Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 Can't wait to see the responses to this.... Â Don't feed the troll! 1
Hyrule Bass Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 Lots of threads on Lews,Lots of threads on Daiwa, Lots of threads ( a whole bunch) on Pfluger President spinning reels, lots of threads about many, many topics.. ( rods, reels, line types, crankbaits, and I dare say "Ugly Stix" People have opinions, people have experiences, if Shimano or Daiwa are top dogs, well there must be a reason so many prefer those. The OP broke a shimano rod, the OP bought a new Shimano rod, he doesn't sound deterred by one broken rod to the point of jumping ship! Must be a reason. Sometimes there is friendly banter, but mostly it's just competive fun really... obviously you missed the part of the point, the part about where you enter those lews, daiwa and pflueger threads and read a bunch of posts of people shoving shimano down the OPs throat...
Preytorien Posted March 18, 2015 Author Posted March 18, 2015 Ive sent back a few crucials that broke, a few as in more then i would like to say, never had one issue with shimano. Now that they rid the LTW im bummed, idk what rods to go with....  Yea, I would've sent it back, and was about to, but a buddy of mine offered to buy it, and is getting it re-tipped, using it as a flipping rod since it's pretty stiff now. I took that money added some to it, and bought another Shimano. I know that might sound counter-intuitive to my complaint, but my complaint wasn't so much a complaint towards Shimano, rather an observation on how I felt about warranties in the industry as a whole, the lack thereof, or the degradation thereof.  But hey, it seems to be industry-wide, so there's no sense in just complaining about it, it's just part of the deal. I have a few different brands of rods, but I like the price, aesthetics, and technology behind Shimano, so that's what I use. It's all about preference. I tend to stick with Shimano though....still
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