Fenwick Warranty

[BadContrakt]

Anyone have any experience with Fenwick's customer service? I love their rods and my whole arsenal is Daiwa reels and Fenwick rods.

Was out fishing with my dad earlier this week and he stepped on and bent my 7'6" HMX punching rod's eyelet. I slowly and carefully bent the eyelet back straight and the resin cracked. The eyelet is now straight but the resin holding it to the rod has a fracture in it. The rod is fine but after all, it is my punching/frog rod that sees the most abuse and I would really like to get it fixed/replaced.

Does anyone have any experience with Fenwick's customer service? I bought the rod from Gander Mountain only a few months ago and have the receipt.

[A-Jay]

Bummer your Dad stepped on your rod.

Here's the link the Fenwick Warranty "Get Your Fenwick Fishing Program".

http://www.fenwickfishing.com/Fenwick-warranty.html

I've never had an occasion to use it myself (thankfully) and a quick review of it indicates that theirs covers manufacturer's defects.

They also offer deals on replacement rods when one is accidentally broken. 

Might be faster, easier and cheaper to simply have the damage guide repaired / replaced locally.

A-Jay

[BadContrakt]

14 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Bummer your Dad stepped on your rod.

Here's the link the Fenwick Warranty "Get Your Fenwick Fishing Program".

http://www.fenwickfishing.com/Fenwick-warranty.html

I've never had an occasion to use it myself (thankfully) and a quick review of it indicates that theirs covers manufacturer's defects.

They also offer deals on replacement rods when one is accidentally broken. 

Might be faster, easier and cheaper to simply have the damage guide repaired / replaced locally.

A-Jay

Yeah I've been to their "Get Your Fenwick Fishing" page and it doesn't seem very special to me. Just seems like a fancy way of saying "If the rod has a manufacturer's defect, we will replace it. If not, you're SOL".

I'm hoping Fenwick is the type of company that just plain and simple takes care of their customer regardless of the problem or story. Kinda like Smith & Wesson... Their warranty doesn't SAY they will cover you for anything, but if you send in a gun that you want replaced or fixed, they'll pretty much just not ask you what happened; they'll just do it.

If nobody has this (good) experience with Fenwick then I may just suck it up and live with the cracked resin until it either gets worse, or I damage the rod in a completely different way lol. Right now the rod is completely fine, it just irritates me that one of the eyelets is damaged. Mostly an OCD thing.

[DubyaDee]

They replaced an elite tech smallmouth that broke on a hookset for me. I don't know that it's worth it for a guide, especially if it's not their fault.

I just feel like that's not good fishing mojo, which I need as much as I can get.

[Jig-Man]

I use their HMGs with lifetime guarantee.  I broke one that was 10 years old and they sent a new one.

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, BadContrakt said:

Yeah I've been to their "Get Your Fenwick Fishing" page and it doesn't seem very special to me. Just seems like a fancy way of saying "If the rod has a manufacturer's defect, we will replace it. If not, you're SOL".

I'm hoping Fenwick is the type of company that just plain and simple takes care of their customer regardless of the problem or story. Kinda like Smith & Wesson... Their warranty doesn't SAY they will cover you for anything, but if you send in a gun that you want replaced or fixed, they'll pretty much just not ask you what happened; they'll just do it.

If nobody has this (good) experience with Fenwick then I may just suck it up and live with the cracked resin until it either gets worse, or I damage the rod in a completely different way lol. Right now the rod is completely fine, it just irritates me that one of the eyelets is damaged. Mostly an OCD thing.

You & I are on opposite sides of the warranty fence.  

To me, Manufacturers Defect means just that and nothing more. 

 I would never expect warranty service on a product that I damaged. 

I have no problem accepting responsibility for my actions; accidental or otherwise.

I have used a few other companies "Warranty Service" when appropriate and have had Very Good Experiences in every case.

Your mileage may vary.

A-Jay

 

[MIbassyaker]

As it happens, I recently asked them about their warranty policy. what they said was that If they determine its a manufacturer's defect, they replace it free. If they determine it was not a defect, then they offer a 45% discount on a comparable replacement rod. I would not call that SOL.

[Molay1292]

3 hours ago, BadContrakt said:

Anyone have any experience with Fenwick's customer service? I love their rods and my whole arsenal is Daiwa reels and Fenwick rods.

Was out fishing with my dad earlier this week and he stepped on and bent my 7'6" HMX punching rod's eyelet. I slowly and carefully bent the eyelet back straight and the resin cracked. The eyelet is now straight but the resin holding it to the rod has a fracture in it. The rod is fine but after all, it is my punching/frog rod that sees the most abuse and I would really like to get it fixed/replaced.

Does anyone have any experience with Fenwick's customer service? I bought the rod from Gander Mountain only a few months ago and have the receipt.

Did you purchase a warranty on the rod from G.M. ?     Some credit cards also contain a type of insurance that covers products lost, stolen or damaged within a certain period of time.  

[Big Bait Fishing]

have a rod builder replace the guide , probably cost under $20 ..

[BadContrakt]

54 minutes ago, Big Bait Fishing said:

have a rod builder replace the guide , probably cost under $20 ..

This would be my first choice. However I'm not sure if there's anyone that does that in my area. I'll have to make an effort to find someone.

2 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

As it happens, I recently asked them about their warranty policy. what they said was that If they determine its a manufacturer's defect, they replace it free. If they determine it was not a defect, then they offer a 45% discount on a comparable replacement rod. I would not call that SOL.

This is really good information. 45% discount is a nice offer for replacing a broken rod. +1!

 

Now the begging question is.... What does "comparable" mean to Fenwick? Lol. 

[KDW96]

If it still fishs fine,and the rings not damaged or loose, just reseal it. Ive had this issue at times before also. I just used - Hard as Nails clear nail polish my wife had. Any GOOD nail polish will work. Still using that rod to date. It was 6 yrs ago i sealed the crack, and looks no different.

[BadContrakt]

3 minutes ago, KDW96 said:

If it still fishs fine,and the rings not damaged or loose, just reseal it. Ive had this issue at times before also. I just used - Hard as Nails clear nail polish my wife had. Any GOOD nail polish will work. Still using that rod to date. It was 6 yrs ago i sealed the crack, and looks no different.

I'm honestly probably too picky and this would probably be the easiest option for me.

The resin is cracked all the way through but the guide is still a perfect circle and is still solid to the rod. I'm just concerned that when I'm hauling a fish out of the pads with a punch rig that the resin is gonna crack the rest of the way and then it will completely detach from the rod. I gotta look into this and the "local rod repair". I think those are my two best options.

[Big Bait Fishing]

i don't know how far away these places are from you but -

BlueWater Bait & Sports Custom Rods, Rod and Reel Repair, Rod Restoration seagull@paulbunyan.net 801 Washington Ave. SE Bemidji , MN , 56601 Phone: 218-444-2248 www.seagullrods.com www.bluewater-bait.com

LakeLady Rods Custom Rod Building, Rod & Reel Repair lakelady@uslink.net 29297 Piney Way Breezy Point , MN , 56472 Phone: 218-562-4512 www.lakeladyrods.com

http://www.dlfcustomfishingrods.com/

[MIbassyaker]

44 minutes ago, BadContrakt said:

This would be my first choice. However I'm not sure if there's anyone that does that in my area. I'll have to make an effort to find someone.

This is really good information. 45% discount is a nice offer for replacing a broken rod. +1!

 

Now the begging question is.... What does "comparable" mean to Fenwick? Lol. 

Comparable I would assume means same value. So, either the same model rod if its available, or something else in the same line, or something at approximately the same price point in a new line.

It would cost you over $20 just to send it in though, so a local repair is almost certainly the better deal.

[BadContrakt]

4 hours ago, Big Bait Fishing said:

i don't know how far away these places are from you but -

BlueWater Bait & Sports Custom Rods, Rod and Reel Repair, Rod Restoration seagull@paulbunyan.net 801 Washington Ave. SE Bemidji , MN , 56601 Phone: 218-444-2248 www.seagullrods.com www.bluewater-bait.com

LakeLady Rods Custom Rod Building, Rod & Reel Repair lakelady@uslink.net 29297 Piney Way Breezy Point , MN , 56472 Phone: 218-562-4512 www.lakeladyrods.com

http://www.dlfcustomfishingrods.com/

The closest one is an hour and a half away lol. I'll look into it now that I'm home and off work. Thanks for doing some dirty work for me though lol.

[NYWayfarer]

16 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

To me, Manufacturers Defect means just that and nothing more. 

 I would never expect warranty service on a product that I damaged. 

A-Jay

 

I agree. That's why I stick with my Fenwick Eagles. They are pretty tough and if I damage it myself it's not that much coin to replace. 

[fishnkamp]

This is simple go call any nearby tackle shop. Ask them who they use for rod repairs. They will know of someone, in fact I did this for a member here on the board about 6 months ago. Turned out there was a shop 20 minutes from him.  One of the store employees does repairs right in that shop.  It cost less than $20 and that included the new guide. Go get it repaired and fish on.

[fishnkamp]

If you call Lakeside Marine ask for Barb and tell her Bob Rampolla sent you. She runs the place and we have done business since around 1980 when she just worked there for her dad I believe. She will treat you well. Several of my friends including Kris 9 a member on here have done business there. he actually purchased 2 boats from them.

[Fishes in trees]

I think that the HMG & Aetos brands have a lifetime warranty from Fenwick.    I'm not sure that HMX comes into that category.  I;ve  been happy - Fenwick has replaced the HMG rods that I've broken over the years - maybe 3 over the past 7 or 8 years.   Just call them up and ask them and go from there.

[MIbassyaker]

On 9/17/2016 at 9:30 PM, BadContrakt said:

This would be my first choice. However I'm not sure if there's anyone that does that in my area. I'll have to make an effort to find someone.

This is really good information. 45% discount is a nice offer for replacing a broken rod. +1!

 

Now the begging question is.... What does "comparable" mean to Fenwick? Lol. 

And now I will reveal the reason I asked them about the warranty claim.

I bought an Aetos on the summer clearance sale for $95 in August. I had it for a month, was able to fish with it 5 times before breaking 2 inches off the tip when I accidentally bumped it against the edge of a table while changing line. Cursed a bit, and then contacted Fenwick about the warranty policy. I sent it in, telling them I hit it on a table, feeling a little better due to the 45% discount I was going to get.

Today, a tube shows up on my doorstep unannounced. Inside was a comparable model of the just-released new-generation Aetos:

Now maybe the tip really did break because of a manufacturer's defect. Or maybe they just felt sorry for me that I'd only had the previous one a month. I don't know. But I wasn't expecting this.

So there you have it: A thing that can happen when you make a warranty claim to Fenwick.

[dwh4784]

That's some incredible customer service there. I've broken a rod or two due to my negligence, just threw it away and moved on. Regardless of whether I would attempt a claim or not, this makes me want to take a look at Fenwick in the future.

[Chrisran99]

My first Fenwick was one of the newer HMG's, first fish I caught on it the weld on the tip broke and bent. One call to Fenwick and they replaced it, the person on the phone was the areas sells rep and had the replacement sent to the local tackle store in a few days.

[new2BC4bass]

On 9/17/2016 at 7:05 PM, MIbassyaker said:

As it happens, I recently asked them about their warranty policy. what they said was that If they determine its a manufacturer's defect, they replace it free. If they determine it was not a defect, then they offer a 45% discount on a comparable replacement rod. I would not call that SOL.

Exactly what happened to me.  Called Fenwick, let them know what happened (totally my fault) and was told they would sell me any rod in any line for 45% off.  I feel that is more than fair considering Fenwick wasn't responsible in any way for my problem.  Some people seem to think they are owed a new rod even when they drive over it with their truck.

[fquattro]

Excellent Fenwick Warranty Service 2017

Hi I just thought I would share the excellent warranty service experience I just received from Fenwick.  My 3 year old Elite Tech Smallmouth rod snapped in half while fishing recently.  I called fenwick they asked me what happened and asked me to ship the rod into them.  I shipped it to them and within 3 weeks a brand new rod showed up on my doorstep.

 

No hassle way to go fenwick!

[BadContrakt]

On 1/18/2017 at 1:19 PM, fquattro said:

Excellent Fenwick Warranty Service 2017

Hi I just thought I would share the excellent warranty service experience I just received from Fenwick.  My 3 year old Elite Tech Smallmouth rod snapped in half while fishing recently.  I called fenwick they asked me what happened and asked me to ship the rod into them.  I shipped it to them and within 3 weeks a brand new rod showed up on my doorstep.

 

No hassle way to go fenwick!

That's awesome to hear!