Warranty - favorable or fiendish experiences

[MacJig]

Have you ever had to exercise a warranty on a fishing rod or reel? Was the experience favorable or fiendish? I have "tried" to exercise warranties a few times and either the hidden fees/shipping fees were ridiculous or the company was unresponsive. My best experience? Abu Garcia! I broke a rod at the tip trying to clear a snag. I wasn't yanking or cranking the rod to clear it but the rod surprisingly snapped. I originally contacted them to get the upper portion of the rod as a replacement (it was a two piece rod). I was more than happy to pay for it. Unfortunately they didn't have the piece in stock but said that I could use the warranty.  The process was painless. Sent them a pic of the broken tip, a copy of the invoice and an explanation as to what happened. I even told them it may have been my fault. Still, I got a better replacement rod with no fees, didn't have to send back the broken rod and I got free shipping. Nice ! How about you?

 

[Koz]

I had a Lew's rod break at the butt end of the rod about a year ago. Despite the warranty being expired they sent me a replacement rod anyway because it was such a weird break. I was thankful they did that, so among my last few rod and reel purchases a did pick up one of their rods and one of their reels.

 

That being said, since then I'm now a huge fan of Shimano Curado reels and St. Croix rods.

[Jig Man]

I’ve used the lifetime warranty on Fenwick HMG rods 3 times.  Hastle free quick replacement service is what I found.

[A-Jay]

While each rod warranty situation is different, the few times I've had dealings with St Croix, the interactions have always been friendly, professional and super easy.    They have met or exceeded my 'customer satisfaction' level every time. 

 

A-Jay

[king fisher]

I have had great service with Loomis, Orvis, and Sage.  Walk in to any shop that sells them, hand them what is left of the rod, and pick another one off the rack.  No questions asked.  Other brands have been anywhere, from you bought it, you broke, good by, to send us you old rod, we will send you a new on, but you pay shipping.  Most rods I have broke have been so blatantly my fault, that I would feel guilty trying to recover my loss with a warranty, so I don't bother even though I know I could get a replacement.  It would not be honest to slam a rod in a car door, then tell the manufacturer they should replace it for warranty.  Not the way I was raised.  Orvis has a lifetime warranty that Is included in the price of the rod, so even if I run it over with a truck I will get a new rod. 

[rtwvumtneer6]

For product that arrives damaged, broken or defective, that's usually pretty easy.  Several companies will provide return shipping free of charge.  If not, it's worth asking for it.  I typically use the retailer I purchased from in this situation. 

 

I have used a couple manufacturer warranties for product that I've received and used for an amount of time and then had a claim.  Falcon and Fish Monkey are my most recent, and both were pleasant.  Falcon allowed me to cut the blank and send a small piece of the rod to avoid shipping a full tube.  It was a few bucks to do that but afterward the only thing I paid was the difference in the original and the replacement rod (I upgraded).  The reason for the rod breaking was not a "normal fishing condition".

 

More recently I had a pair of Fish Monkey gloves that the pull tab and seam on the ring finger all came apart.  I sent a photo, the type of glove, my size and my address (all in an email) and they sent me a brand new pair at no cost.  I know the gloves are a fraction of the price of a rod but I appreciate a company that stands behind their product.

 

Most return/warranty policies are posted online.  They are worth reading if you're making an investment and deciding between multiple companies/products.

 

Honorable mention... I've not used their warranty but I've contacted Dobyns with questions.  Top notch service there.  Same with Falcon (see above).

[A-Jay]

25 minutes ago, MacJig said:

A warranty should be a warranty! How in the world do fees come into that equation? You have to pay a huge shipping fee to have them "evaluate"  their product to see if the fault was yours?! Like they are going to be impartial. Sure !! And you're already out $40. Crazy.

@king fisher beat me to the punch but . . . .

Truth be told I for one, would be totally for No Warranty or perhaps 30 days at the most.

You must know that we are certainly PAYING for a warranty replacement in the initial purchase price.

Whether we use or not.

So if the sellers could find there way to set a purchase price that didn't include this extra cost,

I'd be very good with that.

Finally, every rod I've ever blow up and I mean every one,

was my fault, not the manufacturer.

If I close a rod in a door, or stick it in a ceiling fan, or even snap it on a snag,

none of that is a warranty issue. 

How or why I would expect them to pay for my mistake, makes no sense to me.

I'm sure 'a good warranty' in a positive selling point,

but I don't need it. 

I am perfectly fine paying for my own mistakes,

if & when they happen.

Rant over.

YMMV

A-Jay

 

 

[PaulVE64]

I bought a 2pc St Croix Avid about 5 yrs ago. This summer i snapped the tip taking it out of my car. Called up the factory to ask about buying a new tip and they asked me to send them photos of the rod. For $25 they sent me a new tip.

They also offered me an upgrade.

 

[MacJig]

17 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I have had great service with Loomis, Orvis, and Sage.  Walk in to any shop that sells them, hand them what is left of the rod, and pick another one off the rack.  No questions asked.  Other brands have been anywhere, from you bought it, you broke, good by, to send us you old rod, we will send you a new on, but you pay shipping.  Most rods I have broke have been so blatantly my fault, that I would feel guilty trying to recover my loss with a warranty, so I don't bother even though I know I could get a replacement.  It would not be honest to slam a rod in a car door, then tell the manufacturer they should replace it for warranty.  Not the way I was raised.  Orvis has a lifetime warranty that Is included in the price of the rod, so even if I run it over with a truck I will get a new rod. 

I'm sure many companies incorporate these fees to counteract the customers who just try to take advantage of warranty privileges. You're right. If you step on a rod or slam a rod in a door or get it caught up in the ceiling fan, hey that's your fault. You eat the cost. But many will concoct a story to make it sound like it was the rod's fault in order to get that "freebie" . So, many companies have to incorporate this kind of scrutiny and fee structure in order to counterbalance these opportunists. The rest of us pay for that!

[MacJig]

28 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

@king fisher beat me to the punch but . . . .

Truth be told I for one, would be totally for No Warranty or perhaps 30 days at the most.

You must know that we are certainly PAYING for a warranty replacement in the initial purchase price.

Whether we use or not.

So if the sellers could find there way to set a purchase price that didn't include this extra cost,

I'd be very good with that.

Finally, every rod I've ever blow up and I mean every one,

was my fault, not the manufacturer.

If I close a rod in a door, or stick it in a ceiling fan, or even snap it on a snag,

none of that is a warranty issue. 

How or why I would expect them to pay for my mistake, makes no sense to me.

I'm sure 'a good warranty' in a positive selling point,

but I don't need it. 

I am perfectly fine paying for my own mistakes,

if & when they happen.

Rant over.

YMMV

A-Jay

 

 

I agree in part with that statement Freeing a snag is part of the fishing equation. Everyone gets snagged. The only way out is to try and work (not horse) the snag free with the rod. That often works. But when a gentle, normal tug of the rod results in the tip (or worse) breaking, that is a fault of the rod. Whether the manufacturer will replace it fee free is another story!

[DitchPanda]

I have a few times. Most recent one was a Garcia Veritas shipped to me with a broken guide. I sent them a picture and within 3-4 days there was a new one on my porch no cost and an email saying keep the other one and fix the guide I'd you want to..its on us. That's pretty good service.

[MacJig]

2 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

I have a few times. Most recent one was a Garcia Veritas shipped to me with a broken guide. I sent them a picture and within 3-4 days there was a new one on my porch no cost and an email saying keep the other one and fix the guide I'd you want to..its on us. That's pretty good service.

Yeah. Abu rates an A+. 

[MassYak85]

Broke my first red this year, high sticked a Dobyns Fury spinning rod. Used Dobyns replacement policy and sent them the labeled section of the blank and asked them to upgrade me to a Sierra. Pretty painless. I forget the exact pricing but it's on their site. Was definitely cheaper than buying the rod new. 

[BrianMDTX]

3 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I’ve used the lifetime warranty on Fenwick HMG rods 3 times.  Hastle free quick replacement service is what I found.

I had a HMX MF baitcasting rod break about 4” from the tip on maybe my 3rd or 4th outing. Fenwick had no MF in stock, so I was offered others (most stock was out in 2020) and I chose a HF. No additional $$, no sending the rod back and got the new rod quickly. 
 

No complaints with their warranty service!

[MacJig]

18 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

I had a HMX MF baitcasting rod break about 4” from the tip on maybe my 3rd or 4th outing. Fenwick had no MF in stock, so I was offered others (most stock was out in 2020) and I chose a HF. No additional $$, no sending the rod back and got the new rod quickly. 
 

No complaints with their warranty service!

Yeah, that's excellent. Isn't Abu and Fenwick owned by the same company, pure fishing?

[volzfan59]

One of my St Croix rods broke at the top, where the end guide joined the rod blank. This was on the first outing. They couldn't have been nicer! Sent me a prepaid shipping label and within around two weeks I had a brand new rod. 

I've also had good experience with Bass Pro Shops warranty at the store.

[Midwest Fisherman]

I’m in the middle of a warranty claim with St. Croix on a rod I broke several years ago, pulled a hog onto the bank tangled in weeds and snap. My fault of course, I contacted them and they said send it back on my dime for evaluation but I never got around to sending it back. They have since then changed how the warranty process works, I had to cut the rod and send back the portion that shows the model & serial number but still had to pay shipping no questions asked. I am more than happy paying for shipping both ways, in my case however my rod is now longer available so I don’t know what they will offer or if I will pay for an upgraded rod. 

[DitchPanda]

34 minutes ago, MacJig said:

Yeah, that's excellent. Isn't Abu and Fenwick owned by the same company, pure fishing?

That's correct

 

[BrianMDTX]

2 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

That's correct

 

What he said!

[T-Billy]

Very good experiences with both Abu and Dobyns.

[slonezp]

9 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I’ve used the lifetime warranty on Fenwick HMG rods 3 times.  Hastle free quick replacement service is what I found.

Most of my rods are Fenwick. I had to warranty one because of the reel seat. I shipped it back at my expense and they shipped me a replacement. I don't recall the turnaround time but it wasn't too long.

[swhit140]

I have always had great warranties from all fishing companies that I've used so far.

I had great warranty service on one of my Daiwa reels.

Falcon, Dobyns, Kistler have always provided great warranty service on their rods.

 

[Trox]

Only warranty-ish service I've ever used is G.Loomis's Xpedite service... There's a small fee based on the original price of the rod, but $100 for an NRX replacement is not that bad. My favorite thing about it is that it could be 4 years after original purchase and they will still replace, no questions asked. 

Actually JUST had one replaced that I had originally bought second hand (it was the older green NRXs), and for $100 I got a new NRX+, so not only do you not have to be original owner, but if the model you are replacing is discontinued, you will get the latest one. Also, it's a no questions asked process. 5 stars from me.

[MacJig]

7 hours ago, TroxBox said:

Only warranty-ish service I've ever used is G.Loomis's Xpedite service... There's a small fee based on the original price of the rod, but $100 for an NRX replacement is not that bad. My favorite thing about it is that it could be 4 years after original purchase and they will still replace, no questions asked. 

Actually JUST had one replaced that I had originally bought second hand (it was the older green NRXs), and for $100 I got a new NRX+, so not only do you not have to be original owner, but if the model you are replacing is discontinued, you will get the latest one. Also, it's a no questions asked process. 5 stars from me.

Nice to know. I have one Loomis in my arsenal. 

[Jaderose]

Several years ago, I had to cut a Live Target frog hook to free a deep-hooked bass.  I contacted Live Target to BUY a replacement.  They sent me 3 replacements for free.  I was impressed.