I am not getting all this return stuff; MILD RANT

[Muddy]

Hey Fellas: I see a lot of posts where either a guy broke a piece of tackle, because of something he did, and then gets upset when the manufacturer or a store HE DID NOT BY THE ITEM FROM IN THE FIRST PLACE? is hesitant in refunding or replacing an item they did not sell or sold in perfect condition. only to have the buyer misuse the product and break it

I do not understand posts like this and there are many of them. Is there not a little dishonesty here somewhere? It's no wonder all the stores do not clamp down on thier return policies

I would love to see a guy buy a part frpm a Chevy dealership let's say and then go to Advanced and say this dosen't work I want to exchange it and see what happens with no recipt

Early in the year I had a Fenwick stored at work in a shed, that I recieved an email from ground keeping about, that the shed was being knocked down, I did not pay attention to the email, and I was left with a 4 piece travel rod, when I sifted through the ruins of the shed IT WAS MY FAULT!!

I recieved a number of suggestions to call Fenwick and tell them what happened to get either a discounted replacement or a free one WHY IS THIS ATTITUDE SO COMMON?

It was my fault, next time I will read my emails and pay attention.Fenwick, nothing to do with the problem , and it is dishonesty and lack of taking repsonsibilty that drives prices up to begin with

Why should Cabelas or BPS take something back you bought at Academy or Dicks or on Ebay for that matter and visa versa? :-/

[islandbass]

I agree with you 100% but I have never been too vocal about it. It is a weird mentality that some folks have when it comes to fishing rods and other things like bicycle and I don't understand it either.

If someone breaks their rod and it is their fault, they take it back to wherever and demand a new one? That is ridiculous. The strange thing is that some shops do replace them as we have all read stories about, "I broke my BPS rod, took it back and they gave me a new one..." That is incredibly nice of BPS or Store X to do that, but somewhere down the road either they're eating up some cost and pass it onto the consumer some other way, or they charge enough on the rods initially to cover the replacement.

Now if the rod breaks from a defect that is a different story.

I sure wish if I ever crash my vehicle that I can take it to the dealer and demand that they replace it for a new one.  ;D

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Step a-w-a-y from the math books.....

[Muddy]

HEy mook: I withdrew from the class. Taking a 3 week adult brush up course and then will re-enter the class in 3 weeks and be better prepared for it

This isn't no biggie, mild means mild 8-)

[flechero]

Muddy,

This is also one of my pet peeves... warranties are for defects in workmanship and material, not use and abuse.  The rod replacement programs, like the Loomis Xpeditor are different... they advertise anything goes.

I pretty much gave up posting about it and now just shake my head and rarely respond to those posts. I have "eaten" a few things that were my fault, and I sleep just fine.

[Fisher of Men]

I'm with you Mudman.  These are the reasons that you can't take something back to Target more than twice a month (even with a receipt) and other crackdowns at many other retail stores.  Unfortunately people have been this way for years.  I remember around 20 years when I worked at K-mart; people would bring in rods and reels covered with dust and pondscum and demand a refund claiming "I just bought it, but lost the receipt."  Yeah, right.

We even had one yahoo bring in the wire tip of a cheapy rod wanting an exchange for a new Berkley Series One rod (at $89, the most expensive one we had) because he lost a fish on it as it snapped (and was only able to save the tip?).  He also claimed that it had a Shimano Black Magnum (another $89) reel on it.  

Why can't folks just be honest about breaking it themselves and foot the bill for a repair or just eat the loss? It's way better than passing the costs of replacing their stuff to us through the product manufacturer.  Man up folks.  You break it, you deal with it.  :-X

[fish-fighting-illini]

 You've got a good point Muddy. Some manufacturers have a no questions asked policy. I think it gets contagious and we take it for granted.

 Lets ask this question. You are in XYZ gocery store and drop a jar of pickles when taking it from the shelf and it breaks. Shouldn't you pay for it?

 Kind of the same thing but people ( myself included ) can get carried away.

FFI - AKA Matt Crum

[tyrius.]

Lets ask this question. You are in XYZ gocery store and drop a jar of pickles when taking it from the shelf and it breaks. Shouldn't you pay for it?

Yes you should.  If you're kids break it you should pay for it too.  Wal-Mart cashiers are so shocked when you try to pay for this stuff that they don't even know what to do.

The lying on the return policy bothers me too.  The stores have calculated all of this return activity into their markups.  Therefore, the average honest consumer is paying more for products to support the liars who take advantage of store return policy.

Oh well, I'll continue to hope that karma exists.  

[Bass Fear Me]

It's kinda funny this came up. Three days ago I broke my Ugly Stick trying to pull in approximately 50 pounds of moss. Snapped it right in half and it was nobodies fault but my own. Bought it at Wal-Mart too. (Home of the most liberal guarantee in the world) Came home and stuck the reel on a different rod. Never even thought about Wal-Mart guarantee. Why should I????? It was my fault!!!! Be responsible and learn to accept things.......Even if it hurts.

[daviscw]

It's kinda funny this came up. Three days ago I broke my Ugly Stick trying to pull in approximately 50 pounds of moss. Snapped it right in half and it was nobodies fault but my own. Bought it at Wal-Mart too. (Home of the most liberal guarantee in the world) Came home and stuck the reel on a different rod. Never even thought about Wal-Mart guarantee. Why should I????? It was my fault!!!! Be responsible and learn to accept things.......Even if it hurts.

Its not Wal-Mart, its those Ugly Stick commercials that claim their rods can do anything. They have guarantees on them, if they don't perform like they should, you should get a new one.

[Fishing Rhino]

Back in July, I happened to be in the BPS in Foxborough when a fellow brought in two Johnny Morris signature spinning rod combos.  He claimed his rod broke while he was fighting a fish.  To top it off, it broke near the handle.

I happened to be in line behind him, and he proceeded to tell me that he was not about to lose a five plus pound bass, so he handlined it in.  The line he was using was braid.

Pardon me if I'm skeptical, but, imo, there is no way you could handline a bass that size with braid.  Your hands would be sliced raw.  Let's just say I took his yarn with a very large grain of salt.  

What puzzled me was turning in both combos for new, even though he only broke one.  Go figure.

[EastTexasBassin]

The average consumer these days has given up all responsibility for their own actions and buying decisions. I'm a general manager for a retail store and people continuously amaze me at what they expect to be replaced.

"I bought this thing I shouldn't have bought, I broke it, I don't know where I bought it and I don't have a receipt...but if you don't replace it right now for free I'm going to make a scene, ruin your day, and hurt your business in any way I can"

I hear this crap a lot, and it really ticks me off. I'm with ya muddy- people need to take responsibility for their own actions.

[fishfordollars]

I have a shop full of abused items that will never see daylight. I broke them and they hang around for spare parts or go out to the street on pickup day. That is the way it should be.

Thanks Muddy for bringing this up. Maybe it will save a store the grief and monetary loss. Good thread.

[bassn00b]

i agree that this phenomenon is becoming rampant in our society; i went to wal*mart to buy a skil saw for a project i was doing for my sister (figured i needed one now anyway, i'm 26). i got home, and opened the box to find a HEAVILY USED saw! it was all roughed up on the bottom, the blade was bent with all the paint/lettering gone, and the plug was melted! i took it back and exchanged it, RIGHTFULLY, but whomever did before is totally abusing the system! when I parked the impala on my wife's zebco, i didn't take it back to scheels!

[Dan:]

When I worked in retail, I had a lady buy a $15 POS combo. She brought back just the rod, claiming it was broken (it wasn't) and demanded a refund. I told her we couldn't help her and if the product broke outside the store during normal use, she should try to contact the manufacturer ( I think it was Daiwa). She was furious! And so was I! She was trying to return HALF of a product (she had left the reel at home since it was "not broken") and expected me to give her a refund!? People are ridiculous. Most of the time people just get angry because they know that retail employees including managers just don't want to deal with them and will give them what they want just to make them shut up. I agree and think that is dishonest. When I broke my St Croix in the trunk of my car, I did not expect them to help me out, it was completely my fault it broke and it was my fault I hadn't sent in the warranty registration. I took the hit which because of St Croix's warranty and upgrade package wasn't all that bad...It's called taking responsibility for your actions, and I try to do it.

When my rod broke I was angry, not at St Croix but at myself--because it was my fault and I was going to have to fix it.

[cart7t]

I find it amazing that fishermen are pulling this deceptive fraud and then come here to post about it, almost bragging.   >

Then they don't understand why other forum members chatise them.  :

[Grey Wolf]

I find it amazing that fishermen are pulling this deceptive fraud and then come here to post about it, almost bragging. >

Then they don't understand why other forum members chatise them. :

Simple , that's the way most of them were raised , they don't care,  all they want to do is beat the system.

I'm curious to read some of their responces I  know we're going to get here.

[grimlin]

Muddy i love the way you think.

And i couldn't agree more!

Getting a bad item straight from the store i can understand,but breaking something(on user's own) then returning it and getting another one free i can't.

I wish they would crack down on this stuff.It's basically stealing if you think about it.

[Paul Roberts]

I worked in a big tackle shop for a while and people lied about broken rods often. We could usually tell just how the rods were broken by the rod type, and looking at them. We never bothered, we just replaced 'em.

The thinking in retail, at least in larger outfits, was, "You'll gain more by sucking it up and just replacing the item, than if you don't bend over backwards to make the customer thrilled to be your customer."

Most mass produced rods are pretty cheap to make, in the volume they make them. I remember the going story was that Berkley Lightning Rods cost almost nothing each to manufacture, and that most of the money for a rod went into marketing, and likely, warranty.

Anyway, our store manager HATED this "bend over with a smile" policy, and his disdain could silence the entire 6000sq-ft store >. He could be one ornery guy. Always thought he lost at both ends with his policy: Suck it up and throw a tantrum. Great guy he was, and right. But, man, the customer (and everyone else in the store) knew he knew what really happened with that rod.

Feeling stuck in the middle, when I sold a rod I always gave a little friendly lecture on rod breakage -how they are apt to break (different with different rod and method type), where they break, and general care. I was kinda pointed about this info, letting 'em know it's possible to break a rod, and mis-use is easier than one might expect.

Ugly Stiks sure do have a place in the market. Shakespeare was brilliant in this strategy. BTW: We were instructed NOT to demonstrate the "bend the US into a circle" thing -'cause the rod will likely break. In making that photo for the advertisement he said they broke a bunch of Ugly Sticks.

[fourbizz]

Back in July, I happened to be in the BPS in Foxborough when a fellow brought in two Johnny Morris signature spinning rod combos.  He claimed his rod broke while he was fighting a fish.  To top it off, it broke near the handle.

I happened to be in line behind him, and he proceeded to tell me that he was not about to lose a five plus pound bass, so he handlined it in.  The line he was using was braid.

Pardon me if I'm skeptical, but, imo, there is no way you could handline a bass that size with braid.  Your hands would be sliced raw.  Let's just say I took his yarn with a very large grain of salt.  

What puzzled me was turning in both combos for new, even though he only broke one.  Go figure.

I handlined a 11lb4oz bass using 65lb Sufix braid. No cuts. Rod also broke at the handle when I set the hook. Straight braid, a buttoned drag and a fish that big, if you really lean into her, somethings gotta give.

[Muddy]

Back in July, I happened to be in the BPS in Foxborough when a fellow brought in two Johnny Morris signature spinning rod combos. He claimed his rod broke while he was fighting a fish. To top it off, it broke near the handle.

I happened to be in line behind him, and he proceeded to tell me that he was not about to lose a five plus pound bass, so he handlined it in. The line he was using was braid.

Pardon me if I'm skeptical, but, imo, there is no way you could handline a bass that size with braid. Your hands would be sliced raw. Let's just say I took his yarn with a very large grain of salt.

What puzzled me was turning in both combos for new, even though he only broke one. Go figure.

I handlined a 11lb4oz bass using 65lb Sufix braid. No cuts. Rod also broke at the handle when I set the hook. Straight braid, a buttoned drag and a fish that big, if you really lean into her, somethings gotta give.

HE's tyalking normal people not you 4 Bizz, You have that red S on your chest, makes you exempt

[fourbizz]

Just saying, dont always be so sure about something. I would have thought the same thing about the line slicing up your hands, but it didnt. I did get a bloody nose from when the top of the rod smacked it when it broke, so much for the red S, lol.

I didnt get that rod replaced, BTW, ;D lol

[Paul Roberts]

I didnt get that rod replaced, BTW, Grin lol

That was going to be my next question...

[farmpond1]

Once, while fishing at a farm pond, I left a spare rod on the levee while I fished the other end.  A calf (I think it was a holstein) stepped on it and broke it.  The farmer refused to pay for it.  Geesh!  Some people!  

Reality check for those who take things literally:  Only the first half of this story is true.  I never demanded payment (although I did have a few choice words for the calf).

[DADto4]

Lets ask this question. You are in XYZ gocery store and drop a jar of pickles when taking it from the shelf and it breaks. Shouldn't you pay for it?

Yes you should. If you're kids break it you should pay for it too. Wal-Mart cashiers are so shocked when you try to pay for this stuff that they don't even know what to do.

The lying on the return policy bothers me too. The stores have calculated all of this return activity into their markups. Therefore, the average honest consumer is paying more for products to support the liars who take advantage of store return policy.

Oh well, I'll continue to hope that karma exists.

That sounds like my wife,God love her,she has to be the most honest person I know.

On several occasions I have had the pickle jar or salsa jar episode in Walmart and she always attempts to pay for it.And you'r right they don't know what to say.She always is keeping our family "in check".

One day these types of people will realize that honesty is the best policy, and hopefully change their ways......HOPEFULLY

Great thread Muddy.