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I got to test their unconditional return policy - snapped a Wayfarer 5 piece rod (my fault), sent it back to Redington Tuesday of this week, had a new rod Thursday of this week for $20. Wow.
Jim W
Jim W
FYI for Redingtron rod owners.....
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Nice to know. I might add, that any of you Sage owners; they have a similar warranty also.
I snapped a ferrule on a DS Series 9.5 5wt few seasons ago, (at that time it was a four year old rod); sent it in to their location on Bainbridge Island, and a few weeks later I had a brand new rod (top and bottom!) for only shipping cost (around $20). No questions asked, no hassles. Hey nice new cork
Granted, this wasn't even one of the "expensive" Sage lines either, but a DS (all I could afford at that point in my flyfishing endevors).I think honestly, to be competitive; all the 'namebrand' rodmakers offer the same type of warranty. Like they say, once you loose a customer, it's hard to get them back. If they stand behind their product, (like Sage did for me), they will keep me as a loyal customer for a long time. Now brands of cars... that's a whole nother story;-(
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67 Posts
Just call them up and get talk to someone to let them know your sending it in. Mine took 3 weeks to replace. Not fix but a brand new rod.
http://www.stcroixrods.com/index2.html
-Scott
http://www.stcroixrods.com/index2.html
-Scott
Both Thomas & Thomas and Diamondback have a no hassel, no-fault lifetime warranty as well. I've had the opportunity to test both out and can tell you excellent customer service as well as expeditious turnouround exists with these companies as well. Very, very happy with both the rods and the companies that made them. Redington is nothing special.
Greg
Greg
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385 Posts
You are comparing apples to oranges now, T&T does not sell a rod in the price range of the Wayfarer, for matter of fact I can't even buy a T&T blank for the cost of that Reddington rod when it's factory built. The Diamondback is another case as well, The only similarity that Diamondback and Reddington have is that they were both bought by very large corporations. Orvis now owns Reddington, and Cortland owns Diamondback, and that is why the Customer service has become what it is for Diamondback. If you wait you'll see some major changes with Reddington in the next few years, and customer service problems any of you have had in the past will be just that, a thing of the past.
As for St. Croix, I am a dealer of their blanks and use them as the platform to build some very desireable sticks. I hav not yet had a problem with any warranty work from them in the 10 years I've been building their rods. I have had customers return rods that I knew for sure were broken due to mis-use and neglect,even though they lied and told me "The rod just broke when I was casting" I sent them in and St. Croix still warrantied the blank, and they only offer a limited lifetime warranty on the blanks they sell. Rods by all the above mfg.'s have their strongpoints and downfall's, but let's start looking at the positive things here, Surf_candy had a favorable experiance with Reddington, and I believe with the merger now completed this will be the trend for the customer service the company provides from now on.
As for St. Croix, I am a dealer of their blanks and use them as the platform to build some very desireable sticks. I hav not yet had a problem with any warranty work from them in the 10 years I've been building their rods. I have had customers return rods that I knew for sure were broken due to mis-use and neglect,even though they lied and told me "The rod just broke when I was casting" I sent them in and St. Croix still warrantied the blank, and they only offer a limited lifetime warranty on the blanks they sell. Rods by all the above mfg.'s have their strongpoints and downfall's, but let's start looking at the positive things here, Surf_candy had a favorable experiance with Reddington, and I believe with the merger now completed this will be the trend for the customer service the company provides from now on.
mtlhead,
Didn't mean to ruffle anyones feathers. The subject was no-fault warranties, not quality of rods involved, so I believe I was talking "apples to apples." My obscure point was simply that just about EVERY manufacturer of rods these days has a similar no-fault lifetime warranty program, regardless of the price tag. Even the $78 Temple Fork Outfitter rod has a no questions asked unconditional lifetime warranty...would that be a more appropriate comparison to Redington's warranty for this discussion? By the way, my Diamondback was replaced by the original company in Vermont prior to Cortland's purchase of Diamondback on May 1, 1998 so, like you said, we need to keep those apples and oranges separated.
FYI, the Redington-Orvis marriage was dissolved 6 months ago when Jim Murphy of Redington bought the company back.
Surf_Candy got exactly the service he deserved and should have expected from Redington under their no-fault lifetime warranty program and I'm very happy he did; just not sure why it would come as a surprise to anyone though.
Greg
Didn't mean to ruffle anyones feathers. The subject was no-fault warranties, not quality of rods involved, so I believe I was talking "apples to apples." My obscure point was simply that just about EVERY manufacturer of rods these days has a similar no-fault lifetime warranty program, regardless of the price tag. Even the $78 Temple Fork Outfitter rod has a no questions asked unconditional lifetime warranty...would that be a more appropriate comparison to Redington's warranty for this discussion? By the way, my Diamondback was replaced by the original company in Vermont prior to Cortland's purchase of Diamondback on May 1, 1998 so, like you said, we need to keep those apples and oranges separated.
FYI, the Redington-Orvis marriage was dissolved 6 months ago when Jim Murphy of Redington bought the company back.
Surf_Candy got exactly the service he deserved and should have expected from Redington under their no-fault lifetime warranty program and I'm very happy he did; just not sure why it would come as a surprise to anyone though.
Greg
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728 Posts
broke the tip off my redington red fly 7/8 last september over labor day weekend in sekiu because of stupidity on my part. mailed the end piece to them and a note that week. they sent me a brand new rod within 10 days or so. thats what I call customer service
Thanks for the info Jim... I am looking for a new company to go with. I have always owned Sage rods, but after my last experience I have learned that their "unconditional" warranty has many exceptions. I broke a Sage LL which was a graphite II series (about 8 years old??) Anyway, their unconditional lifetime warranty cost me $180 plus $20 in shipping to get it replaced. Not a warranty that I am interested in since there are so many quality rod makers out there. Not bashing on Sage.... They make a good product. I am just a little erked that they are not standing behind their promises.
Scott
:TSKTSK
Scott
:TSKTSK
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29 Posts
$180 ??? Sure does'nt sound like the SAGE company I've dealt with- I'm very interested to hear their explanation for charging that much money...
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701 Posts
Next time I break a Sage, George Cook and Jim Green should get down on their knees and beg for an apology.
Im just kiddin...I think I still owe them $50 for upgrading my old DS to a DS2. When I got the rod back, it wasn't 9 feet anymore. It was an 8'6" and I was so happy to have a more balanced outfit. They did it by mistake but it turned out for the best. It is still my favorite graphite rod even if it is bottom of the line. I can still cast it just as easy as a graphite XXXI or whatever.
When I broke my Orvis, I got my replacement and broke it on the first cast. I got another and broke it on my first fish. When I got my third replacement, I got it stolen a few weeks later.
(Fish Gods are telling me something, "don't fish Orvis rods on the West Coast")
Im just kiddin...I think I still owe them $50 for upgrading my old DS to a DS2. When I got the rod back, it wasn't 9 feet anymore. It was an 8'6" and I was so happy to have a more balanced outfit. They did it by mistake but it turned out for the best. It is still my favorite graphite rod even if it is bottom of the line. I can still cast it just as easy as a graphite XXXI or whatever.
When I broke my Orvis, I got my replacement and broke it on the first cast. I got another and broke it on my first fish. When I got my third replacement, I got it stolen a few weeks later.
(Fish Gods are telling me something, "don't fish Orvis rods on the West Coast")
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6,802 Posts
It sounds to me like maybe your LL was built from a blank, and they replaced it with a factory rod. Or, maybe you weren't the original owner . . . ? Technically, the warranty only applies to the original owner.
I had a similar occurrence with Loomis. My first premium rod was a Loomix IMX, built on a blank. I broke it a couple of years after the IMX was discontinued. Loomis wasn't able to provide me a blank, so what they offered was a replacement factory rod. But, I had to pay different amounts (say $100 to go to a Trilogy, $200 to upgrade to a GLX) to get the factory rod. I thought it was fair.
By the way, I sent a St. Croix in last fall, and it wasn't $7.50 to get it fixed. It's $15 or $20.
I believe the uncondiitional (knucklehead) warranty is really pretty silly. While I appreciate being the beneficiary of the unconditional warranties, to the extent I have Sage, Redington, Orvis, Powell, etc., it's really not a very practical business decision (if not all of the other rod guys were doing it, and the rod manufacturer's have to keep up with the Jones's). Think about it. Why should the rod company be responsible for replacing or fixing something that is broken for a reason not related to their product? If my Lab decides to chew up the cork, hey, that's not Sage's fault, and I don't think they should feel obligated to fix it for nothing. But, Orvis wasn't selling any rods in the early 90's, and to get back on track it need a gimmick, so it started that unconditional 25 year warranty, for the life of the rod owner. Everyone else then followed suit.
I had a similar occurrence with Loomis. My first premium rod was a Loomix IMX, built on a blank. I broke it a couple of years after the IMX was discontinued. Loomis wasn't able to provide me a blank, so what they offered was a replacement factory rod. But, I had to pay different amounts (say $100 to go to a Trilogy, $200 to upgrade to a GLX) to get the factory rod. I thought it was fair.
By the way, I sent a St. Croix in last fall, and it wasn't $7.50 to get it fixed. It's $15 or $20.
I believe the uncondiitional (knucklehead) warranty is really pretty silly. While I appreciate being the beneficiary of the unconditional warranties, to the extent I have Sage, Redington, Orvis, Powell, etc., it's really not a very practical business decision (if not all of the other rod guys were doing it, and the rod manufacturer's have to keep up with the Jones's). Think about it. Why should the rod company be responsible for replacing or fixing something that is broken for a reason not related to their product? If my Lab decides to chew up the cork, hey, that's not Sage's fault, and I don't think they should feel obligated to fix it for nothing. But, Orvis wasn't selling any rods in the early 90's, and to get back on track it need a gimmick, so it started that unconditional 25 year warranty, for the life of the rod owner. Everyone else then followed suit.
I would take an exception to the idea that the warranties are silly. It does make sense that they were all forced into it by Orvis, but they wouldn't do it if it didn't make good business sense.
Many of the rods that have been made lately are very fragile, especially so a few years ago. Appropriate words for this forum could not expess the feeling I would have if my $900 sage combo broke in mid cast and I'm out of luck. I wouldn't buy another, and chances are I wouldn't buy anything else sage. (as an aside, I've never paid anywhere near $900 for a setup and probably never will).
G Loomis rods, up until a couple years ago, had no expressed warranty and the top of the line rods, while phenominal casters, were fragile. They got a reputation for both points and it hurt them. I am not saying that Loomis treated their costomers poorly, your case being a good example. Never the less, their warranty wasn't expressed.
Orvis' gimmick wasn't really something they just came up with. Orvis has always had a 100% satisfaction warranty on everthing they sell. They just marketed a whole lot more on the rods. I have a hard time believing they were not selling any rods in the early 90's. In the mid 90's they were #1 in fly rod sales, doubleing #2's(sage) sales, and they have been at it waaaay longer than sage, had a much larger global sales base with a mail order business.
Signed,
Big Orvis fan
Big warranty fan
Big cone headed fan
Many of the rods that have been made lately are very fragile, especially so a few years ago. Appropriate words for this forum could not expess the feeling I would have if my $900 sage combo broke in mid cast and I'm out of luck. I wouldn't buy another, and chances are I wouldn't buy anything else sage. (as an aside, I've never paid anywhere near $900 for a setup and probably never will).
G Loomis rods, up until a couple years ago, had no expressed warranty and the top of the line rods, while phenominal casters, were fragile. They got a reputation for both points and it hurt them. I am not saying that Loomis treated their costomers poorly, your case being a good example. Never the less, their warranty wasn't expressed.
Orvis' gimmick wasn't really something they just came up with. Orvis has always had a 100% satisfaction warranty on everthing they sell. They just marketed a whole lot more on the rods. I have a hard time believing they were not selling any rods in the early 90's. In the mid 90's they were #1 in fly rod sales, doubleing #2's(sage) sales, and they have been at it waaaay longer than sage, had a much larger global sales base with a mail order business.
Signed,
Big Orvis fan
Big warranty fan
Big cone headed fan
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