byram bassturd Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 1 hour ago, Nick S said: Ok my experience with st croix customer service is different than everyone else. I was in the exact same situation...mojo bass broken blank with no receipt or warranty registered. I contacted St croix and the wanted 55 dollars to replace the rod plus it would cost 15 bucks to ship, so you are looking at 70 bucks to replace your mojo bass rod. I'm not saying that's a bad deal because I should have had the receipt and it was my fault, but I've never experienced the St. Croix customer service everyone boasts about where they will "take care of it". I've sent in many rods st.croix for warranty and always had to pay a fairly large amount of money to get them replaced. Gotta agree with Nick here. Had 11 total Avids and LTBs but went in a different direction after I called requesting a couple of replacement tip guides that had fallen off and was told to check with a local shop to fix as the guides would cost over $20. Not sure what 'being taken care of' means.
Super User A-Jay Posted April 8, 2016 Super User Posted April 8, 2016 "Being Taken Care Of" usually means something different to each of us. Some want free stuff others are looking for a fair shake. Here's what it looks like to me. A-Jay 1
Nick S Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 1 hour ago, A-Jay said: "Being Taken Care Of" usually means something different to each of us. Some want free stuff others are looking for a fair shake. Here's what it looks like to me. A-Jay Well sure if I got a deal like that I'd be praising st croix also. I've always had to pay ALL of the fees they charge for every st.croix rod I've sent to them. I'm not expecting anything for free, I just don't really see how st croix customer service is so much better compared to other rod manufacturers. I've gotten many replacement rods free of charge no questions asked from other manufacturers, that's never happened with st.croix. I have a avid spinning rod on the way there as we speak with a broken reel seat, I'll post back on what happens.
Super User A-Jay Posted April 8, 2016 Super User Posted April 8, 2016 2 hours ago, Nick S said: Ok my experience with st croix customer service is different than everyone else. I was in the exact same situation...mojo bass broken blank with no receipt or warranty registered. I contacted St croix and the wanted 55 dollars to replace the rod plus it would cost 15 bucks to ship, so you are looking at 70 bucks to replace your mojo bass rod. I'm not saying that's a bad deal because I should have had the receipt and it was my fault, but I've never experienced the St. Croix customer service everyone boasts about where they will "take care of it". I've sent in many rods st.croix for warranty and always had to pay a fairly large amount of money to get them replaced. 11 minutes ago, Nick S said: Well sure if I got a deal like that I'd be praising st croix also. I've always had to pay ALL of the fees they charge for every st.croix rod I've sent to them. I'm not expecting anything for free, I just don't really see how st croix customer service is so much better compared to other rod manufacturers. I've gotten many replacement rods free of charge no questions asked from other manufacturers, that's never happened with st.croix. I have a avid spinning rod on the way there as we speak with a broken reel seat, I'll post back on what happens. Fore filling customer registration responsibilities and retaining purchase records is often helpful in these situations. A-Jay
Nick S Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 2 hours ago, A-Jay said: Fore filling customer registration responsibilities and retaining purchase records is often helpful in these situations. A-Jay Yeah the avid is registered as with every other st.croix rods I've owned except the mojo which is why I said it wasn't registered and said it wasn't a bad deal to pay 70 dollars to replace it since IT WAS MY FAULT for not registering it. The thing is just because you registered your rod doesn't mean they are going to replace it for the minimal fee.
Super User A-Jay Posted April 8, 2016 Super User Posted April 8, 2016 Just now, Nick S said: Yeah the avid is registered as with every other st.croix rod I've owned except the mojo which is why I said it wasn't registered and said it wasn't a bad deal to pay 70 dollars to replace it since IT WAS MY FAULT for not registering it. Fair enough ~ Rod warranty has routinely been somewhat of an emotionally charged subject here. I said my piece and hope your situation works out. Long Break. A-Jay
Nick S Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 10 minutes ago, A-Jay said: Fair enough ~ Rod warranty has routinely been somewhat of an emotionally charged subject here. I said my piece and hope your situation works out. Long Break. A-Jay I'm not bashing st.croix, I love my avids and legend tournament and elite rods. I consider st.croix to have good customer service and the replacement fees are fair imo. I just don't understand why everyone considers them to have the best customer service. Like I said I've had many rods replaced free of charge no questions asked from other manufacturers. I've also gotten tips for free, which I'm not saying I expect but st.croix charged me 10 dollars for 2 tips one for a legend elite and one for an avid. I'll post back on what happens with the avid rod I sent in. It's registered and less than a year old. The front part of the real seat came loose and spins, which is common with avids.
Kevin22 Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 3 hours ago, Nick S said: How much did that end up costing? What rod did you upgrade to? I wanted to upgrade my broken mojo bass to an avid. It would have cost $55 plus the price difference of $100 plus $15 shipping. I was offered an upgrade when using their warranty. It was the difference in msrp pricrs, plus the $20 service fee, and of course the shipping to them of the broken rod. From premier to avid would have been $75 total expenses.
EllisJuan Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 I have had both St. Croix and Loomis rods. St. Croix has always been fair, Loomis has always been exceptional. I think it depends on the mood of the CS rep you are talking to. Make your calls Friday afternoon, people are in better moods than Monday morning. 3
Nick S Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 44 minutes ago, Kevin22 said: I was offered an upgrade when using their warranty. It was the difference in msrp pricrs, plus the $20 service fee, and of course the shipping to them of the broken rod. From premier to avid would have been $75 total expenses. So why do they pick and choose to give deals like that? And I still don't see how you came up with a 75 dollar total cost. To upgrade from a premier to an avid will cost the 55 dollar fee for the premier plus the price difference of 60-80 dollars depending on the models. So total cost would be around $115-135 plus $15 shipping. 5 minutes ago, EllisJuan said: I have had both St. Croix and Loomis rods. St. Croix has always been fair, Loomis has always been exceptional. I think it depends on the mood of the CS rep you are talking to. Make your calls Friday afternoon, people are in better moods than Monday morning. Exactly! ! They shouldn't give deals to certain customers and not to others just because they're in a good mood.
Kevin22 Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 He told me the MSRP of my premier was 120 and that the avid was $160. That is 40, plus 20 service fee, plus fed ex $15 shipping program. This was a few years ago, I think the avids are up to 180-200 now aren't they?
Nick S Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 1 minute ago, Kevin22 said: He told me the MSRP of my premier was 120 and that the avid was $160. That is 40, plus 20 service fee, plus fed ex $15 shipping program. This was a few years ago, I think the avids are up to 180-200 now aren't they? Well you should have taken that deal! Don't remember the avid being 160 in long time. The avids are 200-220 now and the premier is 130-160.
Kevin22 Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 2 hours ago, Nick S said: I'm not bashing st.croix, I love my avids and legend tournament and elite rods. I consider st.croix to have good customer service and the replacement fees are fair imo. I just don't understand why everyone considers them to have the best customer service. Like I said I've had many rods replaced free of charge no questions asked from other manufacturers. I've also gotten tips for free, which I'm not saying I expect but st.croix charged me 10 dollars for 2 tips one for a legend elite and one for an avid. I'll post back on what happens with the avid rod I sent in. It's registered and less than a year old. The front part of the real seat came loose and spins, which is common with avids. I agree on them not being THE BEST, in fact due to the fees I put them as the WORST that I have experienced. $35 to replace an issue on a $100 rod? geeze... I have had rods break from Daiwa and Abu as well. Daiwa had me send the rod and my receipt and told me to cut it into pieces to save on shipping. Cost me about $10 to send it in. Abu had me email a picture of the break and my receipt, then charged $10 since it was past 30 days from purchase (did not have to send the rod in). All warranty programs I have used have shipped my rods back in a very reasonable time and were pleasant to deal with. The only differences are the costs. 4 minutes ago, Nick S said: Well you should have taken that deal! Don't remember the avid being 160 in long time. The avids are 200-220 now and the premier is 130-160. I think he was trying to unload and old avid on me. He was very persistent in asking me how I fished, if I ever used an avid, what the differences between the two rods were, how the avid is recommended by the top guides in Wisconsin... etc
Nick S Posted April 8, 2016 Posted April 8, 2016 22 hours ago, Kevin22 said: I agree on them not being THE BEST, in fact due to the fees I put them as the WORST that I have experienced. $35 to replace an issue on a $100 rod? geeze... See I don't think that is unreasonable. The thing is if they say the rod broke due to something you did and not a manufacturer defect you have to pay the higher replacement fee which is 55 dollars for the mojo bass and 85 for the avids and up plus the 15 dollar shipping. Or if you don't have the rod registered (which I don't really see what differenceit makes) then you have to pay the higher fee also.
ranger7717 Posted April 9, 2016 Posted April 9, 2016 On 4/7/2016 at 11:28 PM, BassThumb said: Damaged rods snap like dry wishbones. They'll even snap on the cast. It's actually pretty darn easy to damage a graphite fishing rod. It can be as easy as having a bait snap back from a minor snag and bounce off the blank. The nicer the rod, the thinner the graphite, and the more fragile they'll be. One should always consider warranty replacement plans when spending upwards of $100+ on a rod. The high-high-end rods are even more fragile! i've read an article or two on this and the industry knows it , and the more reputable companies are experimenting with different kinds of patterns in the way they form the rods for this reason....i believe there is a g-loomis article about it if you search for "hi- modulus" or i-m ratings
Super User MickD Posted April 9, 2016 Super User Posted April 9, 2016 One question you need to ask is how you are going to prevent the next rod from breaking? If the tiptop was deformed then some kind of abuse occurred. Tiptops don't bend themselves, and they don't bend from simple fishing. The abuse that bent the tiptop also damaged the blank. Anyone who has broken multiple St Croix rods is not treating them correctly. http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf 4
Super User K_Mac Posted April 9, 2016 Super User Posted April 9, 2016 1 hour ago, MickD said: One question you need to ask is how you are going to prevent the next rod from breaking? If the tiptop was deformed then some kind of abuse occurred. Tiptops don't bend themselves, and they don't bend from simple fishing. The abuse that bent the tiptop also damaged the blank. Anyone who has broken multiple St Croix rods is not treating them correctly. http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf I completely agree. If a rod has been used more than a couple of times and then breaks, it is a very good bet it has been damaged or used incorrectly. This is not a popular sentiment, and many think the manufacturers are at fault. They are not. Rods get dinged unless much care is taken. For those of us who have several rods on deck at any given time, it will happen. I am always amazed at how generous manufacturers are with warranty repairs and replacement. It just shows me how much of the cost of a rod goes to cover the cost of warranty. I would rather pay less for a quality rod with a limited warranty. Why should I expect the manufacturer to replace a rod I broke? I certainly don't want to pay for a rod you broke. 1
MDBowHunter Posted April 9, 2016 Posted April 9, 2016 17 hours ago, EllisJuan said: I think it depends on the mood of the CS rep you are talking to. Make your calls Friday afternoon, people are in better moods than Monday morning. This ^^, combined with the fact of how you treat the rep on the line. Last year I had the insert come out of the tip top of my avid. I don't know how it happened and it very well could've been my fault. I called St Croix and the rep told me to send in the rod and they'd fix it, and I asked if they could just send a tip top to me so I wouldn't be without my rod for a few weeks. Within five days I had not one but two tip tops with adhesive in my mailbox free of charge. Also this rod was purchased used from a member of this site and was never registered in my name. So for some of the guys here that had a hard time maybe try being nice. The rep on the phone didn't break your rod nor was it their fault. Treat people as you'd want to be treated and good things happen. 3
Super User F14A-B Posted April 9, 2016 Super User Posted April 9, 2016 22 hours ago, Darren. said: Well, I went from an Avid to a Legend Tournament so the difference was $135, I believe. I had the Avid for about 4 years, 3 of those it sat broken for the most part while I decided what to do... I looked at the price of admission to a much better rod as a nicely discounted purchase, so-to-speak. 3 years to decide eh? Play the stock market much? Just playing Darren.. Peace. 1
Super User Darren. Posted April 9, 2016 Super User Posted April 9, 2016 12 minutes ago, Alonerankin2 said: 3 years to decide eh? Play the stock market much? Just playing Darren.. Peace. Yeah, took me a while. I wasn't as impressed with the Avid as I had hoped, didn't want to drop the coin to send it back and replace it. Couldn't justify the fees to myself when I was perfectly happy with the Carbonlite rods for the same $$ to replace the Avid (when the CL are on sale, that is)....
Nick S Posted April 9, 2016 Posted April 9, 2016 3 hours ago, K_Mac said: I completely agree. If a rod has been used more than a couple of times and then breaks, it is a very good bet it has been damaged or used incorrectly. This is not a popular sentiment, and many think the manufacturers are at fault. They are not. Rods get dinged unless much care is taken. For those of us who have several rods on deck at any given time, it will happen. I am always amazed at how generous manufacturers are with warranty repairs and replacement. It just shows me how much of the cost of a rod goes to cover the cost of warranty. I would rather pay less for a quality rod with a limited warranty. Why should I expect the manufacturer to replace a rod I broke? I certainly don't want to pay for a rod you broke. You don't seem to realize that not all rods sent in for warranty have broken blanks. I've sent in 6 rods to st croix for warranty (with a 7th on the way now) and only one had a broken blank, the rest were for broken or loose reel seats.
Nick S Posted April 9, 2016 Posted April 9, 2016 2 hours ago, MDBowHunter said: This ^^, combined with the fact of how you treat the rep on the line. Last year I had the insert come out of the tip top of my avid. I don't know how it happened and it very well could've been my fault. I called St Croix and the rep told me to send in the rod and they'd fix it, and I asked if they could just send a tip top to me so I wouldn't be without my rod for a few weeks. Within five days I had not one but two tip tops with adhesive in my mailbox free of charge. Also this rod was purchased used from a member of this site and was never registered in my name. So for some of the guys here that had a hard time maybe try being nice. The rep on the phone didn't break your rod nor was it their fault. Treat people as you'd want to be treated and good things happen. Try being nice? Who said I was ever rude to any customer service rep on the phone? A business should treat all the customers who paid for thier products equally and a good customer service rep will understand that people are going to be pissed when they call. I've never been rude to anybody at st.croix and never had a single problem with any of them. Maybe next time I call I'll act like a whiny baby who can't go without my rod for a few days and see if I get the free stuff and good deals.
MDBowHunter Posted April 9, 2016 Posted April 9, 2016 5 minutes ago, Nick S said: Try being nice? Who said I was ever rude to any customer service rep on the phone? A business should treat all the customers who paid for thier products equally and a good customer service rep will understand that people are going to be pissed when they call. I've never been rude to anybody at st.croix and never had a single problem with sny of them. Maybe next time I call I'll act like a whiny baby who can't go without my rod for a few days and see if I get the free stuff and good deals. Is your purpose here just to bash and insult everyone? Grow up what are you 12? 2
Nick S Posted April 9, 2016 Posted April 9, 2016 9 minutes ago, MDBowHunter said: Is your purpose here just to bash and insult everyone? Grow up what are you 12? "So for some of the guys here that had a hard time maybe try being nice. The rep on the phone didn't break your rod nor was it their fault. Treat people as you'd want to be treated and good things happen." See to me this is an insult and bashing. You just assume that everyone who didn't get free stuff from st.croix was rude to the customer service rep and blamed them for breaking thier rods. Why should the guy who calls and complains get free tips, but yet the people who fill out the online form for tips have to pay for them? They both paid for a rod from st.croix. This is the point I'm trying to make but you don't seem to understand.
Super User K_Mac Posted April 9, 2016 Super User Posted April 9, 2016 1 hour ago, Nick S said: You don't seem to realize that not all rods sent in for warranty have broken blanks. I've sent in 6 rods to st croix for warranty (with a 7th on the way now) and only one had a broken blank, the rest were for broken or loose reel seats. Maybe their rods have a problem with seats. I have not heard of anyone having such poor luck with their rods though. At some point you have to wonder if there is an issue not related to manufacturing. Most of the time that is the case.
Recommended Posts