Shimano warranty change

[FrankTheRabbit]

Thanks for confirming on the Loomis rods. Although reassuring for now, it remains to be seen if they apply the same Shimano warranty with Loomis rods. Hopefully I'm wrong on that.

[Moosebunk]

It always seems the more money i spend on fishing gear, the more it breaks? Anyone else with me in this boat ahahhaa

 

Same here man! The easier it breaks actually.

 

Buy "mostly" mid-range priced gear. Depends on it's annual usage or it's purpose.

 

LeBaron's "actually" and SAIL "especially" have treated me well on returns of late.

[misfish]

The thing with warranties is they are designed to cover manufacturers defects, which in general will fail within the first few trips if there is one. Many people take advantage of it and get a rod covered that is 10+ years old and Shimano loses their shirt on it, I would be surprised to see other companies follow suit and shorten their warranties within the next 5-10 years. It must have been pretty bad if they can afford to hire several staff to work full-time inspecting rods.

 

Well said Miller.

 

I have one high end rod. Custom made.

 

All my others are mid 80-100 bucks. Im still fishing many of them after 10+ years. The only think Im seeing on them is the guide wrap coating is starting to crack. Big deal. 10+ years of great use.

[miller]

^This^

 

Also, just a heads up that SAIL has changed their policy on returned rods, you now have to send them to the manufacturer, we can mail them as well but they will not be replaced by SAIL.

Regardless of what dealer you go through they can no longer handle Shimano warranties, you have to send it in yourself.

[miller]

 

Well said Miller.

 

I have one high end rod. Custom made.

 

All my others are mid 80-100 bucks. Im still fishing many of them after 10+ years. The only think Im seeing on them is the guide wrap coating is starting to crack. Big deal. 10+ years of great use.

I see it every day working on the retail end in fishing, guys abuse the rods get plenty of years out of it and expect it to be warrantied, other companies like Pure Fishing(Abu, Fenwick, Berkley) have already gotten more strict with their policies. If you get several years out of a rod you've easily gotten your money's worth.

[miller]

It always seems the more money i spend on fishing gear, the more it breaks? Anyone else with me in this boat ahahhaa

 

now im really worried about my g-loomis rod i just picked up. I did however see that now with G-loomis you can pay 100 bucks and they will replace your rod no matter what happens to it...not such a bad deal.

The more you spend on a rod the more sensitive, light, etc it is which comes by using the more brittle material, you buy a cheap rod it's built with cheap components which will take a beating. Glass rods compared to graphite is the easiest example. Take a look at the classic ugly stik, you can fold them in half without breaking it but for sensitivity you can't feel crap lol.

[BillM]

This is why I buy St.Croix Avids (or higher), it breaks, I send it back and get a new one.. The replacement costs are minimal. There's no way I'm going to drop $200 on a new Shimano rod and then another $100 to replace it if it snaps 2 years down the road, that's insanity.

Edited August 15, 2014 by BillM

[GBW]

Well, my 2 cents don't count for squat around here BUT Shimano sure did me right in the past few weeks. I lost the top 1/2 section of a rod while bushwhacking fishing. It was 100% my fault as it fell out of the bag it was in. I left a message asking what the cost was to get a new top 1/2 for it. I found out after 4 days (of the bottom section getting to them in Peterborough for match up the harware) that I was going to get a whole rod sent to me on "good faith" to why the top was missing. This rod value was not a $200 one but they only made this one for a year AND only had a short warranty. So for ME I AM and WILL BE a Shimano customer for a very long time to come.

PS, this was and IS the BEST customer service from ANY company in a long time that I have had. So Shimano will still get my support when I need more gear hands down.

Ardent and others now have no chance with me due to the problems I have had this year alone with them...

[bare foot wader]

maybe change a few of my future purchases, but overall still a big shimano fan, they've been much better than some other companies on customer service (and it also says they will still honour existing lifetime warranties)

 

regardless of manufacturer, high end usually equals higher sensitivity and lighter weight, both of which tend to come at the expense of durability...and for some rods I'm ok with taking that risk

[thegrumpyfisherman]

It was a great gimmick but be honest guys, how many people can actually say they used that warranty for defects? I broke 2 rods this year (so far), and as much as it pissed me off I can admit both were probably my own fault... (yanking too hard on a snag, and trying to yank one out of a storage compartment a little too aggressively)

 

I'm by no means suggesting there aren't legit defects all the time, but from their end when something snapped gets sent in they pretty much had to replace it under the old policy, unless there was an obvious boot print left on it or something. I'd be interested to see the hard numbers of how many new rods they were having to dole out, that they were forced to make such a drastic policy change...

 

Tony

Edited August 16, 2014 by thegrumpyfisherman

[Lunatic]

the question i have is this....I bought my rods and gear with a lifetime warranty,so having bought my rods with this offer shouldnt they still have to honor it? grandfather rule?

[thegrumpyfisherman]

the question i have is this....I bought my rods and gear with a lifetime warranty,so having bought my rods with this offer shouldnt they still have to honor it? grandfather rule?

 

I think I read rods bought prior to Aug 1 2014 warranty will be honoured

[kickingfrog]

I'm glad I've stuck with my policy of not lending my equipment to friends.

[porkpie]

I don't buy shimano rods, mainly st. Croix and fenwick, both who offer a 5 year warranty on most rods. I think lifetime warrantys are a bit unrealistic to be honest. The only rods I've broken have been purely operator error, and the few that have been defective have broken on the first or second trip out. I really like Shimano reels, and if I liked their rods I probably wouldn't let a 1 year warranty stop me. I would expect a reasonable warranty period of a minimum of 5 years if I laid out the cash for a new Loomis IMX or the like though! The price of those rods pretty much includes a free replacement imho.

[ecmilley]

had my first warranty decline this year from shimano on a clarus that was way out of warranty anyway wont stop me from buying shimano products there my #1 reel and #2 rod though i replaced the claurus with a 7ft ultra light st.croix panny rod. got 15 year old chronarchs that are in better shape and perform better than any of the ardent or quantum stuff i had

[miller]

the question i have is this....I bought my rods and gear with a lifetime warranty,so having bought my rods with this offer shouldnt they still have to honor it? grandfather rule?

They will be covered but the new rod you receive will only have one year.

[MCTFisher9120]

This is nice to see. Almost all rods taken in have been casted many many times and caught and landed fish. What Shimano wants to do is build better stronger rods and a 1year warranty is part of this. Defects and problems with the rod will become apparent the first or 2nd time on the water. They want to stop taking broken rods in that take damage from rod lockers, doors etc. If the rod is bruised or hit on the blank it creates a weak point on the blank and this is why they break. Warranty? I think not, user error breaks rods. I broke a St Croix few years ago, the rod was 2 years old and took a hit near the tip section. In order for better products to hit the market they need to tone the warranty down because there is to much cost factored into it. The new Crucial's I tried on my camping trip and was I ever impressed. After the rod has been used, casted and such it should never break, once a rod has hit the side of the boat, tailgate whatever that is me and you who caused a problem with the blank. You get 1 full year of grace, after that were out of luck.

 

It's nice to see less waste, many guys replace 2-10 sticks a year as new models come out the break the tips and never have to pay. It was handy but no more will Shimano kiss ass for us the consumer. Take care of your equipment and it will last a lifetime.

 

Good job Shimano, your reels have never failed me and I'll continue to use both G.Loomis and Shimano rods. My cumara is the black IM-10….I remember how many I saw "break" when the red ones came out, the sad thing is I like older versions of most rods.

 

Suck it up guys, the new crucials crush the old ones and this 1year warranty is going to put stronger better rods on the market. My Expride 7'1H has the same warranty and has seen 15+ days use. Unless I hit it off something it won't break, or unless I overload it on a snag.

 

Tightlines, not surprised to see these posts

 

MTBF

Edited August 22, 2014 by MikeTheBassFisher

[Roy]

Well said Mike. I agree wholeheartedly.

[scuro2]

 

I think I read rods bought prior to Aug 1 2014 warranty will be honoured

Requiring a reciept or simply the original lifetime warrenty attached to the rod? They should honour what they state. One group screwed are shop owners who took broken rods and now get nothing.

[sneak_e_pete]

If rods were to fail immediately (one or two uses) then I guess I should expect a car to fail on a test drive.

 

I had a Compre break after using it several times and I can assure you it has been babied.

 

Defects dont have to be immediate to exist.

[BillM]

Defects dont have to be immediate to exist.

 

Agreed. I had a St.Croix blow up on me probably 2 years after purchasing it, broke about 4 inches above the handle. St.Croix had no issues replacing it under warranty.

Edited August 19, 2014 by BillM

[musky_hunter]

I'm fine with non lifetime warranty as long as the manufacturer's offer better quality products for less price. when they throw the same crap @ you and take away the lifetime warranty then that is a bad step backwards

[esoxansteel]

This is nice to see. Almost all rods taken in have been casted many many times and caught and landed fish. What Shimano wants to do is build better stronger rods and a 1year warranty is part of this. Defects and problems with the rod will become apparent the first or 2nd time on the water. They want to stop taking broken rods in that take damage from rod lockers, doors etc. If the rod is bruised or hit on the blank it creates a weak point on the blank and this is why they break. Warranty? I think not, user error breaks rods. I broke a St Croix few years ago, the rod was 2 years old and took a hit near the tip section. In order for better products to hit the market they need to tone the warranty down because there is to much cost factored into it. The new Crucial's I tried on my camping trip and was I ever impressed. After the rod has been used, casted and such it should never break, once a rod has hit the side of the boat, tailgate whatever that is me and you who caused a problem with the blank. You get 1 full year of grace, after that were out of luck.

 

It's nice to see less waste, many guys replace 2-10 sticks a year as new models come out the break the tips and never have to pay. It was handy but no more will Shimano kiss ass for us the consumer. Take care of your equipment and it will last a lifetime.

 

Good job Shimano, your reels have never failed me and I'll continue to use both G.Loomis and Shimano rods. My cumara is the black IM-10….I remember how many I saw "break" when the red ones came out, the sad thing is I like older versions of most rods.

 

Suck it up guys, the new crucials crush the old ones and this 1year warranty is going to put stronger better rods on the market. My Expride 7'1H has the same warranty and has seen 15+ days use. Unless I hit it off something it won't break, or unless I overload it on a snag.

 

Tightlines, not surprised to see these posts

 

 

MTBF

 

 

I partially agree with what you said Mike, but working in a tackle store, as other i know do, most receive a supplier discount, which im sure you do, as you stated most if not all of your rods and reels are shimano, so its in YOUR best interest to say nice things, your right many do mysteriously snap tips when new line ups come out, but i to like the older line ups, when cork was the norm on rods, and not the cheap EVA foam, rod prices should drop, as warranties are reduced, but i doubt that will happen, if they want to produce more stronger rods, i would suggest they manufacture, and assemble in North America, meaning blanks, and all hardware, such as the case when they built there only North American rod the V-Rod, which was assembled in Washington State, then i might see the benefits of paying full pop for a Crucial with a one year warranty, and not something made offshore with cheap labour, where they likely dont know what a spine is, and its importance for guide placement

[thegrumpyfisherman]

Requiring a reciept or simply the original lifetime warrenty attached to the rod? They should honour what they state. One group screwed are shop owners who took broken rods and now get nothing.

 

I read they require original receipt as well Scuro, I have one I broke the tip off this spring but like I said before I am honest enough to admit I did it myself so not having the receipt anymore I'll live. I think most guys, if they are honest (honest fisherman? Theres a laugh!) know that most rod breaks are of their own doing. I doubt defects play anywhere near the role that the amount of returns Shimano was dealing with actually represented. Thus the reason for the change.

[googleme]

There is a guy out in Mississauga that is an authorized repair centre for Shimano. He fixed my rod and reel without question. The reel was a curado and past the warranty. He said don't worry about it.