I would be on that guy like white on rice. Mike Thomas described perfectly how a lifetime fly rod warranty SHOULD work. In these tough economic times, the cream rises to the top and manufacturers like you are dealing with will sink to new lows in denying their promises to their customers. As Mato Kuwapi said, you should name the manufacturer so someone else here does not get the "shaft," and if he ultimately delivers as promised, you can post that here to clear his name. Right now it doesn't look good for this company.