Winston Warranty

[prairiebrown]

I just thought I would warn people about buying Winston fly rods from anyone other than an authorized dealer. I bought a Winston rod on Ebay with a warranty card and Winston will not warranty the rod because I bought it from some one private. That is a load of crap if you ask me what does it matter where it came from it is a brand new rod, I phoned them and they could do nothing to help me. I used to think that Winston was a great company but after this experience I will not buy anything from them again. If you buy a rod like I did find out where that person bought it and fill out the warranty card from the shop where they bought it. I know that is dishonest but that is what they are gonna force people to do, that is why I paid more for the rod I got is because it had the warranty card. So to me unless you lie when you fill out the warranty card there is no use buying a rod with a warranty card, the only thing that the card is good for is fire starter.

[Fly Goddess]

You got to do what you got to do.

[JohnScott]

This is direct from the Winston Website -

"Question: What is the Winston Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee?

Answer: Every new Winston, Vapor and Ascent graphite fly rod is covered by our original owner Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee against breakage or manufacturer's defects. This warranty is available only to the original owner of graphite fly rods or blanks purchased from an authorized Winston Dealer. This warranty covers, at Winston's option, the repair of the original rod or replacement of the rod with an equivalent rod only. The warranty is subject to the original owner filling in either the online WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD, or completing and returning the warranty card within 10 days of purchase."


Seems pretty clear that the warranty is for the "original owner" and is subject to that person meeting certain conditions within 10 days of purchase from an authorized dealer.

Can't say that I blame Winston for avoiding a situation where a rod gets used and abused and shopped around by how many people for how long and then gets stuck with a warranty claim by someone who never did business with them.

If you expect to get the benefit of a warranty, it's up to you to be sure that that benefit is available to you under the terms of the original sales agreement, whether you are the first buyer or someone on down the line in ownership of the rod.

John

[kengore]

Perhaps Winston has changed it policy. I have had excellent warranty service from them in the past.

I bought a blemished blank from a third party dealer several years ago - no warranty card, but very low price.

When later broke the rod I contacted Winston looking for a replacement part. They told me they would replace the whole blank at no cost since ALL Winston rods are unconditionally guaranteed!

I was really impressed by this and it factored into my rod buying choices over the years (I now own 4 Winston rods) I hope your experience is a mistake and not a change in policy.

You might want to contact them again and speak to someone else...

[J Castwell]

There was in times past, such things as, a 90 day warranty, a one year warranty, etc. The 'game' back then was NOT to fill in the card. Wait until something happened, then fill it out and mail it in,,, that way you were covered by the 'extended' warranty. The habit seems to carry over.

[Bamboozle]

I own lots of Winston rods. Great product & company IMHO.

There are reasons companies do this sort of thing. First it's to protect their dealer network, second so folks don't buy rods, use them for a year or so without filling out the warranty card and then reselling them on eBay as: "new with unfilled warranty card".

I hate the whole warranty thing. It raised the price of rods & reels, and because of abuse, it creates situations like this. I respect the manufacturer's rules so I play by them.

Sorry you got burnt, but the seller should have told you Winston's rules.

[hutjensmpg]

Caveat Emptor - Let the buyer beware. Good words to operate by in business transactions, especially one where the seller isn't counting on future business.

I hate the whole warranty thing. It raised the price of rods & reels, and because of abuse, it creates situations like this. I respect the manufacturer's rules so I play by them.

I agree. I once did an informal little study on e-bay of used rods w/o cards vs. the new retail price. Seems that the warranty was usually valued at about 1/3 of the price of a new rod for high end rods (which were going for about $560 or so back then). With rods approaching $700 now, I'd be all in favor of some arrangement where you could get a short, conditional warranty (ie one year, flaw in workmanship, etc) for a lower price like $500 and the unconditional lifetime style for $700. I'd probably buy more rods new vs. used at those prices.

[Bakerloo]

John is right, Winston is straight forward with their warranty. I have bought 3 used Winston rods. I understand that I have no warranty. I decided the cost of the rod without a warranty was worth the risk. I can't afford $700 fly rods, but I'll take a chance on a $350 rod with no warranty. As long as I only break it once and have to pay for a repair, I'm still ahead.
Your mileage may vary.

[Big Bad Wulff]

Believe it or not I have never bought anything on E-Bay(unless it was a Buy it Now from a company). I buy from Discussion boards like this one. People on Discussion Boards seem to be more honest than your typical E-Bay nut.

Bought dirt bikes and other things this way.
Another thing is I just don't like the whole "PayPal" thing. Pay Pal is a pain to me for some reason.

[flyfisherjoe]

The warranty is subject to the original owner filling in either the online WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD, or completing and returning the warranty card within 10 days of purchase."

Not necessarily true ...

If you live in a State like California, you do not have to send in any registration card to validate your warranty! All you need is to have a proof of purchase to make a claim. Many states have laws like this. You usually see a disclaimer on the card saying that some states have laws that may give additional rights to warranty.

That being said, I think Winston is being fair in offering a warranty only to the original purchaser. As some have pointed out, the lifetime warranty has added to the cost of equipment.