I had a wonderful outing trying to catch White Bass last night. I caught one fish, and slipped on some algae covered slab rock, landing on my rod hand. It happened so fast I did not have the presence of mind to toss or let go of my rod. I landed on my Orvis Trident TLS 6wt and snapped it off about 6 inches above the grip. I filled out the Orvis Rod repair request online today. They say they will respond in 1-2 business days, but my experience with Orvis is a very fast response, usually in hours, so I expect them to respond tomorrow.
So how long does it usually take to send the rod in, get them to inspect or decide if they will repair/replace it and get a rod back in my hands?? Anyone with this experience?
I ended up fishing the rest of the evening with my 7 wt. Glad I had another rod with me.
wayne
PS: Timeline
Sat 4/10 - Broke Rod falling in stream while fishing.
Sun 4/11 - Filled out Orvis Repair request on web site.
Mon 4/12 - Received Repair order from Orvis at 8:13AM. I expected a quick response from Orvis, and was not disappointed! Packaged up rod.
Tues 4/13 - Dropped Rod off at FedEx. 4-day ground shipping.
Fri 4/16 - FedEx reports rod delivered to Orvis.
Fri 4/16 - Orvis called, offered choice of rods, placed replacement order!
Mon 4/19 - Got UPS tracking no. from Orvis for replacement rod.
Fri 4/23 - Bog Brown Truck showed up with replacement Rod!
Case closed! I am very satisfied with Orivs customer service in this case.
Depends on whether you ship it to them next day, 2 day or regular mailing; but graphite is usually shipped back within a work week & if it’s badly damaged bamboo the wait is obviously longer.
shipping methods per the above post and i doubt you’ll go to the front of the line because there will be others ahead of you
i broke a sage last year and it took about 3 weeks total to get it back. luckily i have many other rods to use as a replacement. i havent even used that newly repaired sage yet!
Busted a Silver Label 9wt fishing for jacks in FL, contacted Orvis on-line, mailed broken rod and recieved replacement within 10 days; can’t ask for better service than that.
I filled out the online repair request Sunday. Got email reply with shipping instructions this morning. Have to figure out how to find a box long enough for a 2 piece rod tube.
I’ve had good success with the triangular USPS priority mail tubes. They come in a couple of different lengths. The small hold items up to 25" and the medium up to 38". Longer tubes can be fabricated by putting two smalls, one small and one medium, or two mediums together to get tubes of varying length. Takes a little trimming and taping but I’ve been able to make it work for shipping long two piece rods.
I would appreciate it if you could keep us posted on your results with Orvis. I also had a mishap with an Orvis Trident TL 5wt, this Saturday evening. Had a buddy shut tailgate not noticing my rod laying there.(very dark) Still a 4 piece, just in wrong places. I won’t get home till this weekend, so I will take action then.
Thing is, I really liked the way that rod felt, and I don’t believe they make them any longer. Not worried about Orvis, they have excellent rep. just wondering how different it will feel when I do get it back
Thank you so much warrenp, when I start my process, I too will post, for any others with same or similar issues. But like I said, my process will start 4/16/2010
Hope all turns out well for you (and I think it will) GOOD LUCK
As for me… I want THAT rod (sigh) This was my honey !!
I know what you mean, I really liked my 6 wt. Cast nice, not too fast, not too slow. By the way . . . I am “waynep” . . I think warrenp is someone else
I did not have a good experience with Orvis and I seem to be one of the few here. I had a PM 10 that I bought back in I think 95. Well I broke it last year and was very unhappy with the T3 that they sent me I informed Orvis and they basically blew me off and told me that was what I was getting. I then went to the Orvis dealer where I live, I also got no help there. I since have sold the rod. I am not saying that Orvis is not a good company but that I got very poor service and will not buy another rod from them in the near future. Just my 3 cents.
Generally you can figure 10 days. Time of year will effect the turn around, but I think it is still early enough it will be quick. Plus I am betting they ship a new one.
I did send my T3 in as the ferrule was worn out. It was one of the first T3’s so it went for $645. I was concerned they would swap it for the newer discontinued T3 (less expensive hardware and allot less than the T3 I own) I was on the phone allot making sure I got (as they promise) At least equal value. They then mentioned the Hydros. Still about $145. less. I asked to pay the difference for a Helios, but they said that was not an option.
They ended up stripping my rod and replacing the section. I received my same rod all repaired back, but it took 8 weeks.
But when I sent my TLS in it was like 8 days and I got a new one back.
They do have great service but they need to figure out how to “At Least equal value” several rods I have. I have the Zero, also around $650. and I have a couple of the original TL Trident ( not TLS - sold for around $600. new) Nothing in that price range.
Sorry Waynep And Fly Goddess, what do you think my chances are of getting it repaired as opposed to them sending me another rod ?? It is 4 piece, broke at top ferrule and just below striipping guide. Any feedback would be so appreciated. I am so worried
Either way, I think you will be satisfied. With it being the butt section, I am betting a new rod. Is it the Matrix or the older Trident TLS? They are equal in my opinion with the Matrix maybe a little lighter.
My experiences with Orvis have all been excellent. Both in correspondance, and directly on the phone. Fact is…you will get either a repaired rod done in excellent fashion…or you will get a new rod to replace your used rod. If it’s a discontinued rod, there may not be an exact match. Or the models may have changed a bit. That’s life really. If my old style Far-N-Fine was to break, I would not be happy. Both because they don’t make that style any longer, and also because I don’t like the new Troutbum series NEARLY as much. But if that’s what they gave me…I wouldn’t compain:^)
I have both the old and new FnF. Other than color and the fact one piece is longer that the other on the older model, with eyes closed, I can’t tell the difference.
But they are using the same technology on them now as they do on the Helios…I would LOVE that.
I would make sure they understand you own the TL. I would not accept the new Matrix as a replacement. The Hydros is going to be the best substitution.
Let me know though, as I still have a couple.
Go to a TV store & get a cardboard box for one of those wide screen TV’s. Cut it down to longer than the rod tube & big enough so that the cardboard can be folded into a triangle, so when you wrap bubble wrap around the rod tube in 3 or 4 places it fits snuggly against the cardboard sides. Fold over the excess at the ends & trim to fit to tape closed. As for turnaround time, had a #6 Trident that got lost in the USPS for 3 weeks when a guide got pulled off taking the rod apart. When Orvis got it it was returned in 5 days. Had another Trident #9 that got swapped out for a T3 mid-flex because the ferrule broke & couldn’t be repaired nor replaced. Took about 8 days. Sent the new T3 back for a tip-flex T3 & that was done in about another week. Sent a bamboo #8 in for a rewrap on a snake guide. In less than 2 weeks they had replaced both stripping guides & rewrapped the snake guide. Also sent in a #5/6 fly & spin bamboo for a cleaning & cork repair. Took about 2 weeks total & they replaced a few guides they considered worn on top of what was required. Rods came back like they were factory new, & their reel repair service has been just as good !
