I agree with Betty. You want recompense then you better step up your game and get serious. Emails, telephone calls, letters and whatever else is necessary to the guide and the fly shop, chamber of commerce, Better Business Bureau... Why you pussyfooting about? Good luck and push like crazy.
Before getting all ballistic I would calmly contact the lodge manger and make the case they should reimburse you now. Any good lodge will do that and then fight it out with UPS. If they refuse this request, I would, in no certain terms, let them know you will make it known, on every fishing site, facebook, twitter, etc. that they did not honor their responsibility. that it will cost them more in business than the cost of the rod. I took this approach with a certain wading boot manufacturer and got their attention, real fast.
good luck
If they are anything like the Canadian Postal Service which lost a fly reel & never replied to a claim other than until they finished their investigation; which was years ago, someone is still supposedly investigating & has probably made more money than the reel was worth.
Just so's you know, you don't have to go ballistic to get the right thing accomplished. It's gone far beyond reasonable time for this to have all been settled. The moment that rod was broken was when the proper thing should have - and could have - been done. A few well placed phone calls to the flyshop that employes this guide should be enough to move things along, maybe with the suggestion that instead of waiting for UPS, the shop should make it right.
I'm usually a very mild mannered person ... but I wouldn't have left that shop without a new rod the day it happened.
Trouts don't live in ugly places.
A friend is not who knows you the longest, but the one who came and never left your side.
Don't look back, we ain't goin' that way.
Wow! I figured when there was no response you'd been taken care of. As Betty has said the time for being nice has come and gone and it's time to put the screws to the lodge/outfitter and the guide. Open up a conversation via phone first with the owner of the lodge/outfitter with whom you arranged the guide. Depending on how that goes you'll know if you need to bring in the big guns and go to the Better Business Bureau, etc. My assumption is the lodge/outfitter are aware of the situation and that you've kept them in the loop with how things have gone. If you haven't involved them yet you need to do so ASAP. While I hate suggesting it I'd also involve your credit card company as you may be able to at least dispute the charge on the fishing trip as a means of getting the guide or lodge/outfitter to take responsibility for the broken rod.
At the end of the day it is highly unlikely that UPS will do anything as the guide didn't purchase additional insurance on the shipment (at least this has been my experience). Now they'll look into what happened, but at the end of the day their liability is only to refund the shipping cost, if they find the item was damaged/lost due to a fault on their end. So regardless of whose fault it is that the rod is missing you are out your rod unless the guide or lodge/outfitter steps up and takes responsibility to replace the rod.
The best advice I can give is to contact the owner of the lodge/shop with exactly the resolution you expect and then stick to that regardless of what they say. It is their responsibility to resolve it and make you whole and how they handle this situation will give a good view into how they view their customers.
"My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation - come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy." Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It
I've been watching this thread with a sense of curiosity. Being in the food service industry I've been on both sides of poor service issues. so here's my 2 cents.
write off UPS. the guise/shop screwed up on the shipping and the rod is gone. Look on the bright side. someone stole a broken rod. if they get caught it was for stealing broken stuff. kind of a Karma thing.
send a certified letter to the shop and also the same in an e mail. state what you want to settle this. you want a new rod of the same model or better. Plus since the guide screwed up your trip by having the wrong equipment and for his lack of care in yours you want a free guided trip replace the one you planned on.
also in your email to the shop reinforce the fact that if the issue is not settled in X number of days you will be posting your experience and naming names on every social media site and fly fishing related board possible.
I would bet that by going this route your issue will settled in less than 24 hrs.
It's worked for me, several times.
The only things we permanently keep, are those we give away-Waite Philips
Completely agree with Cheffy's post immediately above. I'd add one other thing. If geographically possible and if the guide was an emplyee of the shop, I'd file papers to take that shop to Small Claims Court. If the guide was not an employee of the shop, I'd file papers to take him to SCC. If you do, take as much evidence as you have: Bills/receipts/cancelled checks for the trip, payment to the guide or shop, photo of rod, catalogs with that rod and prices, anything else. Good luck.
Cheffy's advice is spot on...............as a business owner for 40+ years, don't waste your time with the BBB. That outfit is a joke................good luck and get going to get a rod back in your hands
Nothing changes with the BBB. As long as the business pays, they stays...
"Trust, but verify" - Russian Proverb, as used by Ronald Reagan
I have been a member of the Better For Business Bureau several times over the past 40 years. Good luck but It Is not a consumer protection agency It Is a business networking society. Did you sign a release before going out with this guide? If you did, you may not have recourse to court action. Negligence would be very hard to prove over an Inherent risk of fishing. See this example of a release http://www.boatus.com/Angler/guide_liability_waiver.asp
Also, depending on the state you may not have any recourse at all since there is implied risk... Just checked and Michigan requires licensed guides to have "general liability" insurance. It maybe time to contact Michigan DNR.
Having said this I can only assume the guy is a jerk or cannot afford to do the right thing.
Last edited by billhouk; 06-29-2014 at 01:02 PM.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote