Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 The bait monkey is on my back and I want to purchase a new rod. I currently only own BPS rods which I think are fantastic rods. However, they only carry a 1 year warranty. I was thinking of going with a rod with a lifetiem warranty. However, after reading several websites about their warranty details I noticed that you must send in the rod and pay $40 or so. Then if they determine that your breakage was a their fault they will ship you a new rod or repair yours. After sending them $40 and shipping in your rod for $20 or $30 more you are half way to a NICE new rod. Odds are I am going to be tired of the old rod two years later and not want it fixed. Therefore I am leaning towards still buying BPS rods with their limited one year warranty. Atleast if it tears up I can take it straight back to them for an instant replacement within the year and after that they will fix them for a resonable charge or I can just buy their newer model. Add to the fact that you get a rod darn near as good for half the price to start with. What are your thoughts on these lifetime warranties that are now offered yet cost money to make a claim on. Quote
WanderLust Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Find a local dealer... Buy from them and no shipping necessary. Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 Geez.... Step up to St. Croix Avids or G.Loomis IMX Choosing a rod based on a 1 year warranty is ridiculous. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 What does it cost to get an Avid or a G-loomis fixed? I guess it would be more "worth it" since these are $200 plus rods. Buying a $99 Carrot Stix and then spending $40 to get it repaired on top of $20 to $30 shipping just doesn't make much sense to me. Roadwarrior, Have you fished the 2007-2010 BPS Johnny Morris Extreme rods with recoil guides? They are a very nice rod. Quote
Carrington Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 just go buy a shimano, they will replace the rod for free, all you have to pay is shipping. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 NICE just go buy a shimano, they will replace the rod for free, all you have to pay is shipping. Quote
Super User bilgerat Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 I broke my Avid last year. I think I may have been at fault and told St. Croix so. They replaced the rod without a hitch. Score one for St. Croix I just got a brand new Fenwick Elite River Runner, it has a limited lifetime warranty to the original owner. I could not find anything on their site's warranty page about a fee. BTW, that was a $130 rod. Quote
Super User burleytog Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 Far too many here confuse the word 'warranty' with 'free replacement service'. The two concepts aren't the same. Quote
Super User BASSclary Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 Doesn't shimano have an over-the-counter replacement warranty? Quote
hitchhiker Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Far too many here confuse the word 'warranty' with 'free replacement service'. The two concepts aren't the same. I agree, if the rod breaks due to a manufacturers defect, then it's bound to happen within the first year. Granted that it has seen a fair amount of usage. Quote
Red Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 http://www.lamiglas.com/warranty.php With one piece rods you only have to send in the label section (fast track warranty) of the rod...I am guessing that would be a whole lot cheaper than sending a 7' rod complete. Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Far too many here confuse the word 'warranty' with 'free replacement service'. The two concepts aren't the same. x2 Any good company will stand behind their product or not be around long. Get the highest quality rod you can afford and treat it right. Quote
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 My St Croix Avid has snapped twice. Once my fault once I feel not my fault. Both times St Croix charged me $20 and it cost me like $10 to ship each time so $60 in total for 2 fixes. On a $180 rod its better than being SOL. Quote
Ol� Dirty Basstard Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Fenwick has always been good to me. $12 to cover shipping. That is it. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 http://www.lamiglas.com/warranty.phpWith one piece rods you only have to send in the label section (fast track warranty) of the rod...I am guessing that would be a whole lot cheaper than sending a 7' rod complete. Here is the rest of the warranty info off of that site: $50-Excel, Competitor, G-200, Classic Glass, G-1000 freshwater, Sardina, BFC $70-XMG Bass, XMG Salmon/Steelhead, G-1000 Salmon/Steelhead, Certified Pro Bass, Certified Pro Salmon/Steelhead, G-1000, LGM, Tropic Pro, Tri-Flex Saltwater, Tri-Flex Surf, Kayak, Indian River, Inshore Classics, G-1000 Fly, Spring Creek, and Surf & Jetty $90- XMG Fly, Titanium, Super Surf, Ron Arra and Travel rods Doesn't it make you wonder if this is the REAL cost of the rod and the actual price you pay is two or three times the amount so that they can offer these kinds of warranties. I would rather them offer a one year free replacement warranty and sell the rod for less. Like people have said above: If there is something wrong with it, it will break in the first year. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 Far too many here confuse the word 'warranty' with 'free replacement service'. The two concepts aren't the same. Good point. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 Doesn't it make you wonder if this is the REAL cost of the rod and the actual price you pay is two or three times the amount so that they can offer these kinds of warranties. Boggles the mind that someone would have the gall to make a profit, LOL. When I ran retail, items up to about $100 retail were triple the cost. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 With all of this being said, I have only had issues on two rods. One I broke being a moron and I had another where I broke a recoil guide off the rod trying to free a lure from a stump. I didn't make a warranty claim on either one because they were both my fault. I re-tipped one rod and still use it and sent the other of to BPS to be fixed. I think it cost about $8 to fix but it did cost me about $30 in shipping. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 Doesn't it make you wonder if this is the REAL cost of the rod and the actual price you pay is two or three times the amount so that they can offer these kinds of warranties. Boggles the mind that someone would have the gall to make a profit, LOL. When I ran retail, items up to about $100 retail were triple the cost. I don't care if they make a profit. I just wonder if they could sell their rods for a lot less if they didn't offer a warranty they have to honor knowing 1/2 the stuff they get in isn't their fault. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 That's been debated before. It's probably got more to do with actual number of claims made. Besides, isn't that a factor when buying rods? I mean, I used begrudge the extra premium that I felt was being charged, but now I've done a 180 on that. I will ONLY fish rods with a replacement service plan. And its not a warranty - its a service. Quote
baluga Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Doesn't shimano have an over-the-counter replacement warranty? yes, they do that.. best warranty ever. Most of the time they would not charge you for anything. Quote
Super User islandbass Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 http://www.lamiglas.com/warranty.phpWith one piece rods you only have to send in the label section (fast track warranty) of the rod...I am guessing that would be a whole lot cheaper than sending a 7' rod complete. Here is the rest of the warranty info off of that site: $50-Excel, Competitor, G-200, Classic Glass, G-1000 freshwater, Sardina, BFC $70-XMG Bass, XMG Salmon/Steelhead, G-1000 Salmon/Steelhead, Certified Pro Bass, Certified Pro Salmon/Steelhead, G-1000, LGM, Tropic Pro, Tri-Flex Saltwater, Tri-Flex Surf, Kayak, Indian River, Inshore Classics, G-1000 Fly, Spring Creek, and Surf & Jetty $90- XMG Fly, Titanium, Super Surf, Ron Arra and Travel rods Doesn't it make you wonder if this is the REAL cost of the rod and the actual price you pay is two or three times the amount so that they can offer these kinds of warranties. I would rather them offer a one year free replacement warranty and sell the rod for less. Like people have said above: If there is something wrong with it, it will break in the first year. I think that is partially why such are are pricey upfront, to cover that. I could be wrong and I don't have a problem with that. They have a right charge what they need to stay in business and if the market is willing to pay for it, so be it. What perplexes me is how so many anglers demand a free replacement rod especially if they might have been responsible. When we wreck our cars, we don't go to the dealer and demand a new car because "it" broke. I wonder why people do with fishing rods, or maybe we should demand a new car! ;D I can see the sensibility in the one year warranty, in that if something were faulty, it would likely show up in that first year. You know, cracking epoxy, a guide ring falling out, etc. If it breaks after that is could be more the result of angler error then, than faulty components. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 Doesn't shimano have an over-the-counter replacement warranty? yes, they do that.. best warranty ever. Most of the time they would not charge you for anything. When you say "over the counter" do you mean if I buy the rod from BPS and then it breaks 3 years later I just return it to BPS and get a new one that day, w/o having to ship it back to shimano. If so, maybe I need to add a Shimano rod the my arsenal of Shimano reels! If there rods are as good as their reels then they will be hard to beat. Quote
Georgia Jeff Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 I checked Shimano's site and this is what I found... To request warranty repairs on a United States warranty claim, send your rod, postage prepaid, to Shimano or return it to the retailer that it was purchased from. Retailer and wholesaler outlets are not required to perform warranty repairs or exchanges on behalf of Shimano or Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE, nor are they authorized to modify this warranty in any way. http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/customer_service0/Warrenty_Services.html Judging from this it looks like you can return it to the store but that the store doesn't have to give you a new rod. I guess they could send it to Shimano for them to check out and then Shimano could send you a new one. However, it does leave the door open for the store to just replace your rod for you. Is that what you guys get from these statements? Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 27, 2011 Super User Posted January 27, 2011 Funny you bring that up....I actually had a Shimano Steelhead rod break on the 1st fish, a dinky 8 lb. brown trout, and when I went to Gander to exchange it, they said they no longer did this for rods, since all broken rods were the customer's fault. This one wasn't my fault, and I explained that I didn't come back with the five Kistlers that snapped that probably weren't all my fault, but this one broke on the 1st fish! I just stood and complained until I got my justified exchange. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.