Warranty - favorable or fiendish experiences

[BayouSlide]

Both Dobyns and Lew's have very reasonable warranty terms, making replacement of rods that I have accidently broke very easy and economical. Service from both companies has been impeccable. The last one, a Dobyns baitcaster, even arrived on a Sunday—received it in two days since I'm just one state over from their offices in Texas!

[CrankFate]

No. And I’ve never had a problem with a rod that was less than 10-15 years old. That’s why I do not consider warranties when I buy rods. I look for stuff that I expect to last 10-15 years.

[PressuredFishing]

On 12/4/2021 at 5:07 AM, MacJig said:

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?

 

Yes anything less than 200$ in my experience is a terrible experience for warranty, you either buy high end gear  the  the warranty, or you buy super cheap and take good care of it. On most rod warranty you the buyer usually have to pay 60$ or something unless it's a manufacturer defect which will show on first 2-3 casts. 100$ will get you fantastic tapers and blanks that are even technique specific, the higher end blanks in that 200-400$ range are just more refined tapers, sensitive, and have a better fit and finish. $60 now days will get you a solid im6 or im7 blank with a standard fast taper and aluminum oxide guides, which is really good in my opinion.