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Thread: Wjhen Is A 'Guarantee' applicable?

  1. #21

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    I can only remember breaking one rod (butt) of a Lamiglas 3wt when a spare battery in the 6.5 diesel had issues starting and we had this spare along. Going down some rough trails the battery tipped over and landed on my 3 wt. Wasn't the manufacturers fault so my buddy ended up with a spare tip for his lami and I bought a new Lamiglas blank.

    Maybe I missed it perusing the responses but what is the consensus of the common folks when/expecting warranty coverage on blanks?

    The most expensive blank I personally have/own (Dan Craft FT and a Gatti G4) but should I expect warranty on these?

    My son, bless his little heart, because of his field of work, gets up to 50% off fly fishing products from some manufacturers. 15 years ago or so he bought a Winston WT (one of the nicest casting rods I've tossed) and still fishes it today. I've tried talking him into 'upgrading' to a Boron III blank as it would cost around $150 but he's satisfied with his WT.

    He did send the rod back because of a wrap and guide that became loose and it cost him nothing but shipping.

    But should we expect coverage on blanks?

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by caddisfly777 View Post
    I can only remember breaking one rod (butt) of a Lamiglas 3wt when a spare battery in the 6.5 diesel had issues starting and we had this spare along. Going down some rough trails the battery tipped over and landed on my 3 wt. Wasn't the manufacturers fault so my buddy ended up with a spare tip for his lami and I bought a new Lamiglas blank.

    Maybe I missed it perusing the responses but what is the consensus of the common folks when/expecting warranty coverage on blanks?

    The most expensive blank I personally have/own (Dan Craft FT and a Gatti G4) but should I expect warranty on these?

    My son, bless his little heart, because of his field of work, gets up to 50% off fly fishing products from some manufacturers. 15 years ago or so he bought a Winston WT (one of the nicest casting rods I've tossed) and still fishes it today. I've tried talking him into 'upgrading' to a Boron III blank as it would cost around $150 but he's satisfied with his WT.

    He did send the rod back because of a wrap and guide that became loose and it cost him nothing but shipping.

    But should we expect coverage on blanks?



    I would say "expect what is offered" that's all. My hubby has a Winston LT. The butt section ferrule (so to speak) was not the right size to begin with. Very little gap when connected. It took very little time for this to wear to the point the second piece slid off. Aside from the shipping fee it was covered....was the shipping fee fair? However, when the tip section broke, there was a slight fee to fix it and a fair price on an extra tip.
    I know with my Orvis and Sweet Grass bamboo, if "I" break it, they will still fix it at a fair price.
    I had a St. Croix blank that I built into a nice rod. The tip section snapped on a fish. Could have been my fault. I stripped the guides off and they sent me a new tip for shipping.
    Again, whatever the warranty reads, that is what I expect. But, IF it is my fault, they will still fix it at a fair price.

  3. #23

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    Let me offer a father's perspective on this topic. Fifteen years ago, my 3 sons and I entered the world of fly fishing. I learned my lesson early that kids, newbies, and fly rods are a recipe for breakage. We probably averaged 2 broken rods a year. I know some of the breakage was our fault, but was never on purpose and all part of the fishing experience. If it was not for the unconditional warranty I could not have afforded to keep my 3 kids fly fishing. Accepting the responsibility for the breakage was not the issue. On a teacher’s salary, the warranties kept my family fly fishing. For example, about 10 years ago we got a good price on a used snow mobile. The second season my middle son totaled the snow mobile. My son admitted it was his fault but that was not the issue. We could not afford to replace or repair the snow mobile. We do not snow mobile anymore……. but we do fly fish. Any company policy that keeps people fishing has got to be viewed as a good policy. Without it, this teacher and his 3 sons would have been forced to quit many years ago. I am sure there are some out there that have broken rods on purpose to take advantage of a warranty. My youngest son broke his first fly rod trying to release the fly off a snag. He was 12 at the time. I am just glad that I did not have to tell him that he would have to wait a year to fish again until we could afford to replace the rod…..and I am even more glad that I never had to face the temptation of lying to the fly rod manufacturer that the fly rod was broken by a fish to get a warranty repair.

    caribe


  4. #24
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    I guess the response I was getting at when I posed this thread was answered by Fly Goddess, "Again, whatever the warranty reads, that is what I expect. But, IF it is my fault, they will still fix it at a fair price." I expect the company to, at a minimum, comply with the terms and conditions of the guaranty. However, at its discretion, the company may go beyond that minimum.

    Allan

  5. #25

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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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