I don't know how it works in the States, but down here for Sage or Reddington repair I take my gear to the local retailer, pay a NZ$50 handling fee and they sort it out from there, usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks and is worth every cent of that handling fee. I even had a RPL that was so old it had no serial number and I broke the tip section, it came back with a tip a slightly different colour brown, but it fits perfectly and the rod is good as new!
I used to buy NZ made rods, but having had nothing but trouble with one of the well known local brands I now stick to Sage.
All the best.
Mike