luvs2fish Posted September 7, 2019 Posted September 7, 2019 I am a relatively new fisherperson. I posted here before when I was looking to buy a new rod and reel. That being said I purchased a Abu Garcia Vendetta rod and a Dawia Tatula 100 reel. Had a great experience. That was November of 2018. I also had a cheaper rod (from wal-mart, Trait Zaldain brand) and my son's quantum reel, I used this one more because if anything happened it wouldn't be so bad. my "good" rod and reel I took but as my son said it's barely broke in. Well just a couple of weeks ago I was up in the bay and had a whopper plopper attached to my "good" rod and reel I no more began to cast the tip of the rod down to the second eyelet just snapped. I couldn't believe it, it just snapped off. I have always used right weight size lures and everything. It says I have warranty for 3 years on rods but this isn't even a year old and barely used. Will this qualify for warranty work and not cost me? I emailed a place that Abu Garcia says is their repair people for my area, they said they only do reels and to contact this other place. So I'm in process of doing that. I just wanted (needed) a little feedback Quote
Hewhospeaksmuchbull Posted September 7, 2019 Posted September 7, 2019 I have read that Abu is very good on warranty, but have zero real experience. Sorry I cant help more. I do have a vengeance rod that replaced a two month old KK rod that snapped on it third outing, so I'd like to hear about the outcome of your claim if you wouldn't mind. I really hope you have a better experience with Abu than I did with KK. Quote
schplurg Posted September 7, 2019 Posted September 7, 2019 My Vengeance MH rod snapped a few days ago. I got it used though. Had a 2 pound bass on it and lifted it out - snap. I may have been too vertical but geez, pretty small fish. Quote
OperationEagle Posted September 8, 2019 Posted September 8, 2019 I have had 2 vendetta rods snap the same way...just like yours. My situation was a few years ago though. Abu has excellent customer service. They helped me w a reel as well. as long as you have proof of purchase, I believe they will charge you something like $10-$15 and they will send you a new rod. If you would like a different size they probably will accommodate you with this request as well. good luck. Quote
hwright38 Posted September 8, 2019 Posted September 8, 2019 6 minutes ago, OperationEagle said: as long as you have proof of purchase, I believe they will charge you something like $10-$15 and they will send you a new rod. If you would like a different size they probably will accommodate you with this request as well. This is pretty much exactly what will happen. Even if you don't have proof of purchase, they'll usually give you one mulligan and accept a warranty claim and give you credit towards whatever you want (you still pay shipping though). I had this happen with one of my Villains, the eyelets all got flattened somewhere in transportation, and when I asked them about it they basically said they'll give me one freebie. I decided I would try to straighten them myself since I was currently on a fishing trip and never cashed in though (I still have the rod and it works fine now). YMMV on all of this though. The only people I've heard have trouble are the ones that refuse to contact Abu Garcia themselves and go back to complain to the store they bought it from, and even then most of the time it's about having to pay shipping and a small warranty fee. Quote
Crow Horse Posted September 8, 2019 Posted September 8, 2019 The handling fee is $9.95 and is applied on a case by case basis. In my case they wanted pictures and wanted the rod cut in half but I was luckily able to side step that. You shouldn't have any problem warrantying your rod.... Quote
Super User MassYak85 Posted September 9, 2019 Super User Posted September 9, 2019 I used to use a Vendetta for frogging. It was a pool cue but held up well for me. Also hated the butt of the rod, very hard plastic cap that dug into my ribs on many occasions when setting the hook into some fish (and stumps lol). Quote
Super User smalljaw67 Posted September 9, 2019 Super User Posted September 9, 2019 On 9/7/2019 at 5:11 PM, schplurg said: My Vengeance MH rod snapped a few days ago. I got it used though. Had a 2 pound bass on it and lifted it out - snap. I may have been too vertical but geez, pretty small fish. Would you tie a 2lb lure to your MH rod? A 2 pound bass isn't small when dead lifting out of the water and boat flipping fish even with proper technique isn't what the rod is designed for. Seriously though, take any MH rod and tie a 2lb weight to it and lift it up, a 2lb fish in the water isn't big, dead lifting it 2' or 3' out of the water is a different story. Quote
schplurg Posted September 10, 2019 Posted September 10, 2019 12 hours ago, smalljaw67 said: Would you tie a 2lb lure to your MH rod? A 2 pound bass isn't small when dead lifting out of the water and boat flipping fish even with proper technique isn't what the rod is designed for. Seriously though, take any MH rod and tie a 2lb weight to it and lift it up, a 2lb fish in the water isn't big, dead lifting it 2' or 3' out of the water is a different story. Like I said I may have held the rod too vertical. Even then it wasn't much of a lift. Second fish I caught on that rod (used). Then again I pull larger fish out of that exact same spot with a medium with no problems. I'm still pretty new so definitely could have been all me but I don't think it should have snapped in that situation. Quote
hawgchaser Posted September 11, 2019 Posted September 11, 2019 On 9/9/2019 at 7:21 PM, schplurg said: Like I said I may have held the rod too vertical. Even then it wasn't much of a lift. Second fish I caught on that rod (used). Then again I pull larger fish out of that exact same spot with a medium with no problems. I'm still pretty new so definitely could have been all me but I don't think it should have snapped in that situation. No rod should break from flipping in a 2lb fish. If you read online, Abu Vendettas and Vengence snap all the time! I was going to buy a Vendetta to pair with my Revo X. After researching I passed. Lots and lots of reports of this Quote
schplurg Posted September 11, 2019 Posted September 11, 2019 18 hours ago, hawgchaser said: No rod should break from flipping in a 2lb fish. That was my thinking too, thank you. It was probably less than 2 pounds. I have it all on video too. Quote
luvs2fish Posted September 13, 2019 Author Posted September 13, 2019 Now how do you get in touch with Abu Garcia? The number I have is just a recording. I don’t know what to do. And thank you thank you for all the info. I really like the vendetta. It fit my hands and was easy for me to control. I hate that it snapping is a common issue with it. Quote
luvs2fish Posted September 24, 2019 Author Posted September 24, 2019 Just wanted to update. I called the number and followed all instructions. Called with my id number and paid the $9.95 shipping and just yesterday received my brand new Vendetta casting rod. I am so stoked. Thank you to everyone who gave advice and helped me. This site is by far the best ever forum. I know I’m a new angler and truthfully this bass fishing is not that easy. There is a lot of stuff to learn but at least I know there is one place I can turn to for good advice and good help. Again thank you so much to all bassresourcers 1 Quote
Hewhospeaksmuchbull Posted September 24, 2019 Posted September 24, 2019 Great news! Nice to know that there is at least rod manufacturer that stands by their product, without a bunch of B.S. fees and hassles. Quote
OperationEagle Posted September 25, 2019 Posted September 25, 2019 Bingo. Every product issue can be an opportunity or a problem for companies. It’s all in how you view it. Even though I have had issues w their products I will continue to consider them and recommend them to others because of how they have treated me time and again. I am am glad you had a good experience. Now go catch some fish! Glad we could help. Quote
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