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Thread: Wjhen Is A 'Guarantee' applicable?

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  1. #1
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    Default Wjhen Is A 'Guarantee' applicable?

    I didn't want to hijack the other thread so I thought to start this separate one. Get the popcorn and chips, or tortilla, salsa and dip ready, lol:

    Okay, so you buy a rod with a guarantee and because of a 'manufacturing defect' something happens to said rod like the reel seat becomes loose or some wraps start unraveling, etc. You may even have a situation where the damage is questionable like the tip breaks while fighting a fish or the rod just shatters. Okay so the heavily weighted nymph slammed into the rod on the backcast, that's covered right! But to what extent should rods be covered? Guarantees against manufacturing defects are one thing. If you slam the car door and the rod happens to be in the way or you forget the rod was on the car top, drive off and the next car drives over it, or other negligent handling situations cause breakage, why shouldn't the guarantee be waved? I mean, the manufacturer upholds the guarantee to maintain customers but really. Isn't it a sign of the times when we(generalization) no longer accept responsibility for our own actions and just 'expect' someone (some company) to be responsible?

    Allan

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    Allan,

    I guess it all depends how the warranty or guarantee is worded. Unconditional or Manufacturers Defect. Liftetime Original owner. Nofault original owner. Two year or some such time limit. Lots of ways to clarify a warranty. I use Sage rods that I buy myself. As long as I own them, no matter why they break, Sage will replace them. They made the offer and I will accept it. TFO has a similar warranty. If that is how they want to do business then fine with me. I have a lifetime powertrain warranty on my Dodge pickup, for as long as I own it. They made the offer, I accepted it. If a manufacturer does not want to make that kind of a warranty claim, they don't have to. Maybe people will still buy their product, maybe they won't. The old Law of Supply and Demand of the Free Enterprise System is working just fine as far as I am concerned.

    Larry ---sagefisher---

  3. #3
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    What Larry said. If I am willing to pay extra for a rod with an unconditional warranty, then the rod has an unconditional warranty...even if I buy it on sale.
    ‎"Trust, but verify" - Russian Proverb, as used by Ronald Reagan

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    I think the phrase "let your conscience be your guide" applies here and I have no wish to judge anyone's conscience. I have returned waders that leaked way too early IMHO. I have not returned rods that broke as a result of my mistakes.

  5. #5
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    As a bamboo rod maker I have a simple warranty. If it is my fault I will fix it but you are responsible for shipping both ways. If it is your fault I will still fix it but I will charge you for the fix. You are still responsible for shipping both ways. This applies to the original owner.

    Jerry

  6. #6
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    Now THAT's common sense LOGIC.
    Fishbum assures and sells his integrity. There is NO need to charge extra for that.
    Jerry, I assure you that if I ever get nuts enough to spend bamboo rod money, YOU will be my first choice but don't hold your breath :>)

    Mark

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by fishbum View Post
    As a bamboo rod maker I have a simple warranty. If it is my fault I will fix it but you are responsible for shipping both ways. If it is your fault I will still fix it but I will charge you for the fix. You are still responsible for shipping both ways. This applies to the original owner.

    Jerry
    Don't quite agree with your warranty if it's your fault, but that's your business. I'd think you'd pick up the cost of shipping the repaired rod back to the customer. On the other hand, I completely agree with your position when it's the fault of the customer. That, responsibility, was the point of this post in the first place.

    Allan

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by maodiver View Post
    What Larry said. If I am willing to pay extra for a rod with an unconditional warranty, then the rod has an unconditional warranty...even if I buy it on sale.
    I agree. Here's my guarantee story. A few years ago I bought a top-line Cabela's rod; it was on clearance but to my understanding still came with the Cabela's lifetime warranty. The tip broke and I returned it. They looked up what I'd paid for it and they wanted to replace it with a much cheaper rod. I argued that the warranty stated it would be replaced with a comparable rod, and that nobody told me when I bought it that the warranty would no longer apply. I went round and round with several layers of customer service and never got anywhere.

    Finally I wrote a letter to Jim and Dick; they were retired but supposedly still on the board. I explained the situation and said that I was a long-time customer and that I knew if they were still running the company I wouldn't be having this issue. I also stated that I would find it hard to remain a customer due to the situation.

    Now, I have no idea whether or not either of them actually saw the letter, but someone did, because I got a call from the VP of customer service who told me that there had been a "misunderstanding" and that of course they would be replacing my rod with the current comparable model. I had already replaced it so I asked if I could get the new rod in a different weight, and they said sure. I still have the rod, and I'm still a customer, even though it took me a bit of work.
    There have never in history been so many opportunities to do so many things that aren't worth doing. - William Gaddis

  9. #9

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    It seems to me that it would be quite difficult in many instances to prove whether a rod was broken due to defective materials or workmanship versus being caused by the owner. If the reel seat came unglued and fell off that might be more than likely due to a manufacturing defect, but who can determine with certainty what caused a rod blank to break?

    I've broken a rod by pulling too hard on a snagged fly. Was that due to an error on my part or a defect in the materials? Well, that one might have been broken due to my mistake, but I'm not entirely sure.

    I've also broken a rod when fighting a fish. In that case, I don't think I did anything wrong, but who could determine with certainty? Would rod manufacturer's have to state in their warranties that the rod is only warranted when bent only up to a specific degree? We know that a rod can only be bent so far until it breaks, but who would be there to determine if the rod broke by bending it too much when fighting a fish?

    I have owned a lot of rods over the years, and have broken a lot of rods. I know for sure that I caused a number of the breakages, but I would defy anyone to know for sure what caused many of these rods to break.

    My opinion, therefore, is that either rod warranties should be limited by time - unconditional for 5 years, for example, with perhaps a stipulated repair cost afterwards, or they should be unconditional for the lifetime of the original owner.

    I just bought a new $800.00 fly rod. That's a hell of a lot of money. But it was sold with an unconditional warranty for as long as I own it, for a $50 repair cost. I probably paid $200.00 of the $800.00 for this warranty, so that's exactly what I expect to get should I break it sometime down the road.

    John

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