# Rod Warranties - Here's a new one



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

My mrs was determined to get on the case of the broken Tsunami graphite travel rod she bought me last Christmas. I broke it about mid year and wasn't bothered chasing up warranty for the obvious reason of not wanting to try and convince someone that it had actually broken through normal use and not missuse.

Anyway, she finally took it to someone yesterday and got a call today.....it is not a warranty issue due to it's age. She reminded the guy it broke many months ago and even now was still less than 12 months old....and it has a 12 months manufacturers warranty!

Apparently none of that matters because if it was a faulty rod it would have failed in the first few uses. It sounds like exactly the sort of excuse I'd use if I was peddling cheap consumer goods that break but couldn't help chuckle when she told me.

Anyway, I guess I should get her to buy me a $300 one this Christmas so I can then spend another $50 for a replacement in the event it also breaks during use....which it won't because $300 rods are good and never break.

Gotta go, bye.


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## MrFaulty (May 15, 2008)

Should have told him that it had been sitting unused and when finally it got used it broke first cast - sometimes it pays not to back down as I reckon mostly they bluff at first in the hope that you give up easily. Write a letter to the manufacturere outlining your disappointment etc and I reckon you'll be suprised at the response.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

It is crap that some tackle places won't stand by their products. Con, you should name and shame.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

The rod was bought on the Gold Coast and they were very helpful in directing the mrs to their closest affiliate, which is 100k up the road from us, for a rep of the company, Jarvis Walker I think, to have a look at.

Supposedly the rep said it wasn't an issue with the rod "given the age of it". They said they wanted to look at the rod in case it was jammed in a car door etc. but didn't suggest a reason for why it broke other than age....less than 12 months old.

Anyway, I expected nothing different and that's why I refused to do anything about it and wished the mrs good luck with her quest for fairness and equity.

Never mind, there are the exceptionally good operators like Trimble, Hobie and Apple and then there are the dodgy ones like Jarvis Walker and Ford. I suppose you need the bad ones to make the good ones stand out.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

Unbelievable. I actually had Wilson on my Chrissy shopping list. Scratched now .


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

It was a a Tsunami brand rod and Jarvis Walker is the distributor or warranty contact or something, I'll have to ask the mrs but pretty sure that's them.

Should check before I start slandering shouldn't I!

From the stories I've heard from others, fishing rods are a product that a warranty isn't worth the ink used to print it with. Haven't heard a good story yet except for those who feel the love and pay again to get a replacement section. Not worth the sweat to chase up buy good whinge value for a Thursday arve.


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

Barrabundy said:


> Never mind, there are the exceptionally good operators like Trimble, Hobie and Apple and then there are the dodgy ones like Wilson and Ford. I suppose you need the bad ones to make the good ones stand out.


BB,

It shouldn't matter who the exceptionally good operators are and aren't. They're all bound by the Australia Consumer Law. Warranties are regulated under the ACL. If you feel they have breached their duties under Commonwealth legislation you may have grounds to have the item replaced or fixed.

I know in the last couple of years rod manufacturers & distributors have been trying to blur the issue of warranties with so called "lifetime warranty replacement schemes", that is, pay XX dollars and they'll replace the section or entire rod if it breaks under normal use, or in the case of some brands, pay %50 of the RRP etc... These aren't really warranties, but more an insurance policy between the consumer and the manufacturer. It'll always be a grey area until someone challenges it in the appropriate jurisdiction, which will eventually happen by someone in the future. It just depends who wants to go to the effort.


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## bildad (Jun 20, 2011)

Hey BB what was the price of the rod?


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## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

Ive found that rod warrantys, in my case blank warranty, is pretty worthless, sadly.

I recently had a blank just fold over, no noise or bang to speak of, just a slight crunching noise. This was on the third cast using SP's, No snags and no abuse, rods live in bags, in rod tubes and was a fresh build, it folded just under the end of a binding, I had just built it so I obviously had a bloody close look at this section only days before hand...but...no, it was obviously misuse and damage..so no warranty...but we will send you a rod tip you can graft on at my expense from the US and we ARE bending over backwards to help you, arent we wonderful guys??? What do ya mean you arent impressed????

Thankfully the local distributor (Ross from Rodworks, great guy) who I cc'ed in on the emails got jack of them too and replaced the blank with another brand (Samurai) I just paid the difference.










Ive built 7 rods this year and most of these blanks came from from Rodworks, Ross will get all my future orders based on his service (just ordered 2 more) but this manufacturer will never sell me another blank. A very shortsighted point of view.... they just didnt care.... :shock:

Still got 2 of the bloody things in stock..... dont know what to do with them.... :?


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## Ray (Aug 26, 2012)

The company who sold you the rod is bound by consumer laws ( wife has been studying for the past 4 years) to "refund or replace" the product as the purchase is a binding contract as long as (a) you have the receipt, mainly to prove date of purchase (b) you can prove it was used in the way it was made for, there is no exceptions for them or massive fines under the sales act. I have had issues with products before and have never been knocked back on replacement due to planting my feet and refusing to accept there excuses for no replacement and the minister for finance and war (wife) sets them strate on the facts about consumer protection and rights. Dont be complacent, the more they get away with refusing to replace the harder it is for everyone else to get replacements on faulty products. I have seen sales people over stressing the flexability of a rod just to prove how far it can bend all to get a sale, thats ok in a shop now put in under load with head shakes etc from battling a fish, is that the rod your wife bought, you never know ! go back and get in the managers ear or take it further you will win......... Cheers Ray


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I have this bad feeling I initially mentioned the wrong company in regards to this rod. The rod was a Tsunami and, after checking, have gone back and deleted the other company's name which I'd used in error.


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

Barrabundy said:


> I have this bad feelin I've mentioned the wrong people in regards to this rod. The rod was definitely Tsunami but I'm now thinking that its Jarvis Walker and not Wilson that handle them.....ooohwaaah, that's my bad!


Still doesn't change the predicament you're in. Fire off a complaint to Jarvis Walker.



Artie said:


> Thankfully the local distributor (Ross from Rodworks, great guy) who I cc'ed in on the emails got jack of them too and replaced the blank with another brand (Samurai) I just paid the difference.


Picking up my custom samurai tonight. They seem like a good blank from the ones I've got to play with.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

Barrabundy said:


> I have this bad feelin I've mentioned the wrong people in regards to this rod. The rod was definitely Tsunami but I'm now thinking that its Jarvis Walker and not Wilson that handle them.....ooohwaaah, that's my bad!


woohoo, Wilson back on the christmas list!


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Yep, just checked, definitely a brand that Jarvis Walker handle and one of their reps supposedly inspected it. Not surte exactly what it cost as it was one of those lets get rid of some junk sales where I grabbed the rod and then started looking at reels and they gave me a "special deal" which was about $180 for both. Rod would have been about $80 I guess if you split it up.


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## mal.com (Feb 10, 2007)

Eggshelly this is reason for buying your kayak fishing gear at Kakky Mart. They take most stuff back, I bought 3 models of the same rod & broke 3 of them on stingrays, and Kmart, bless them, replaced all of them with out a second thought. Actually after the third one Angela, first name basis by then, suggested I get a better rod.

I figure that on a kayak everything is gunna suffer a fair bit of salt water ingestion, & associated abuse, so I use cheap stuff & replace it more often.

Apart from the fly gear which is ridiculous anyway.

cheers mal


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

First thing I did was go buy a nasty (not so cheap at $30) replacement but from the local rather than the big chain store, probably live to regret that one day too!


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Con

Re. the rod - don't fold, no matter how much crap they give you. They are getting away with far too much already. It may take some time, but as others have said, DO NOT GIVE UP! (or option # 2 below)

Re. cheap rods - I bought a graphite/composite from KMart 6 months ago, and it landed this: 
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=54851&p=565870

However, it broke in the carpark a week later when demonstrating to Beekeeper just how bent the rod was when fighting the big snapper (I high-sticked it). No big deal - I went back to KMart and bought another 2, at $ 15 each. Obviously I'm not a connoisseur of fine rods, and those here who are, will be horrified. If it can land this fish on this cheap shite rod, to me, it proves you don't need to spend a lot of money on expensive rods.

Will post a photo of the cheapie tomorrow.

trev


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Bloody hell, $15 rods, that's my kinda price and would be happy without a warranty at that price!


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Con

Here are the photos of that cheap as chips rod I told you about..



















*It was a baitcaster. I just sawed off the grip, and proceeded to get lucky landing that snapper. It is strong - if you don't high stick it!*










*Can't go past $ 15!*

trev


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## nog (Jul 17, 2012)

I own a few fly rods of various brands. I've broken a few and warranties always honoured, even got a whole replacement rod from one guy including the replacement broken section. I just pay postage there and back.

It does depend on the blank makers to a major extent. Gloomis is now an official joke, Sage and Scott are great, and from what I've heard TFO are pretty good. Just got a CTS blank from NZ which have a good rep but I guess one day we'll find out 

Rob, what blanks do you want to get rid of. I'm looking for a 7' yak fly rod for Bass.

Norm


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## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

nog said:


> I own a few fly rods of various brands. I've broken a few and warranties always honoured, even got a whole replacement rod from one guy including the replacement broken section. I just pay postage there and back.
> 
> It does depend on the blank makers to a major extent. Gloomis is now an official joke, Sage and Scott are great, and from what I've heard TFO are pretty good. Just got a CTS blank from NZ which have a good rep but I guess one day we'll find out
> 
> ...


Hi Norm, they are 7kg 1 piece spin/jig blanks, not much use for your needs, Ill probably build them into boat rods for use out west, sort of sacrificial sticks with no artwork etc. Then again I may make cork reamers out of them.. :lol:


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

liam8227 said:


> Con I dealt with Jarvis Walker when my water snake motor died a few years ago. Repaired no questions asked. As the others have said its more about being firm. Ive never been knocked back on a warranty issue. Just plant your feet and keep talking!


I've got a sneaking suspicion that the buck stopped with the guy who the mrs handed to rod to in the shop, Jarvis Walker probably didn't even hear about it....nothing in it for the guy behind the counter to chase up so a quick phone call to the mrs means the task is now complete...next please.


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

In a non-holiday month here's how consumer returns processes can work.

* Take the goods to place of purchase and state your case. Either hand the goods to the retailer or get the details of the local supplier who handles warranties.

* Call and speak to the department responsible for warranties. They will probably fob you off in the first 10 seconds. Before you hang up make sure you get a contact name, phone number and email address of a warranty supervisor and make it very clear that you may need the supervisors details to undertake due process with the Office of Fair Trading because, so far you are unhappy with the initial response.

* Write an email to that person with the subject heading, "Letter of Intent". In this letter you must tell the supplier that you are unhappy with the way they are handling the warranty replacement and provide a brief history of events. Let them know that if they undertake no steps to resolve the issue within 10 working days, you will be forced to forward a formal complaint through to Fair Trading. Let them know that you encourage both parties to resolve the matter on a friendly basis without resorting to mediation.

In 99.9% of cases it ends there and the supplier replaces or repairs the goods. If the supplier is too stubborn (or stupid), consumer law is skewed to your side.


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## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

spooled1 said:


> In a non-holiday month here's how consumer returns processes can work.
> 
> * Take the goods to place of purchase and state your case. Either hand the goods to the retailer or get the details of the local supplier who handles warranties.
> 
> ...


But if dealing with a US company???? In my case the local distributor made good, not his supplier.... in the end Im happy but the service from some companies stinks.... and the local guy is left holding the can which I feel bad about (to a degree).


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Artie said:


> But if dealing with a US company???? In my case the local distributor made good, not his supplier....


Yep! That's what I said, "local supplier..." 
With an overseas company we don't have that ease of protection. Currently I've got a 5 week old US order that's gone $177 pear shaped. All I can do is keep emailing them and I might call them next week. I'm looking at this order as a loss leader. In the long term the potential loss of $177 has been far outweighed by hundreds of online deals that went smoothly.


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

Artie said:


> But if dealing with a US company???? In my case the local distributor made good, not his supplier.... in the end Im happy but the service from some companies stinks.... and the local guy is left holding the can which I feel bad about (to a degree).


For the purpose of the ACL the distributor/importer is deemed to be the manufacturer of the goods. Any claim would be against them. They would they have to recover from the foreign manufacturer.


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

The best thing about our consumer laws are the fact that most of the time you can go through the entire ordeal without getting angry. I discovered this when I had a fishing charter from hell that totally screwed me for a couple of thousand dollars.

In the beginning I was furious. When I understood the processes and followed the systems as set out, maintaining the rage served no purpose. No matter what happened, I was always entitled to the cash refund. At the same time, no refund can fully compensate a bad charter fishing experience that's supposed to be a trip of a lifetime.


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## ornz (Feb 7, 2012)

I wouldn't have had a bar of this. Regardless of if a rod is $5 or $500 it should do what it was made to do and covered by statutory warranty.

Many times i've had companies try to back out on warranties with me (outside of the fishing world) I had one blind company recently, after spending $5000 on blinds that were shoddy say they were not replacing them... I laughed because i knew they would, and indeed they did, after a ring around, found the CEO's number, called him up, told him a local news company was going to run a story about how they provide a terrible product with a false warranty, which i assured him would be great for business in a time when retail is suffering, i ended up getting a full refund + $800 to repaint the holes in the walls where the screws went.

Stick to your guns and play hard ball... you'll get your way.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

ornz said:


> I wouldn't have had a bar of this. Regardless of if a rod is $5 or $500 it should do what it was made to do and covered by statutory warranty.
> 
> Many times i've had companies try to back out on warranties with me (outside of the fishing world) I had one blind company recently, after spending $5000 on blinds that were shoddy say they were not replacing them... I laughed because i knew they would, and indeed they did, after a ring around, found the CEO's number, called him up, told him a local news company was going to run a story about how they provide a terrible product with a false warranty, which i assured him would be great for business in a time when retail is suffering, i ended up getting a full refund + $800 to repaint the holes in the walls where the screws went.
> 
> Stick to your guns and play hard ball... you'll get your way.


Well said.

trev


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## spork (Jan 21, 2012)

+1
Stick to you guns.
If you know you didn't mistreat an item and it breaks / fails during normal use, within the warranty period, then nothing less than full refund / replacement is acceptable.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

After the mrs wrote to the company they have since replied so we'll see what happens.

The user manual they sent was well written in easy to understand language and should be attached to all rods they sell for those who may be unfamiliar in correct use of a fishing rod.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I probably should have contacted the company directly in the first place before deciding to make assumptions based on what some salesperson with no skin in the game said.

Jarvis Walker person contacted me again today offering a replacement rod. Unfortunately they don't offer a multi piece rod in their baitcast range of products but gave me a choice of the closest matches in single piece rods....delivered to my door.

My guess is there was no contact between the place my mrs took the rod for inspection and Jarvis Walker themselves and they didn't know about. They don't seem like the types to throw out a story like "given the age of the rod......"

All I have to do now is decide which spec rod would be the next best replacement for what I had and go from there.

I guess you don't grow a business like that in the long term if your after sales care is crap.

So....all's well that ends well.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Great result Con, and _*top marks to Jarvis Walker for backing the products they sell*_. It simply doesn't get any better than that.

trev


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Occulator said:


> Now that's what I call customer service. Well done JW, and well done Mrs BB. Care to name and shame the place which gave you the run around initially? Gaaaawn, yanoyawanta. :lol:


Ummmm.....no I don't actually want to.....for the reason that it was an employee of a tackle world store....not the owner. The owner has a good reputation in these parts, he just needs to talk to his staff by the sounds of it.....and yes I will tell him that.


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

Barrabundy said:


> Ummmm.....no I don't actually want to.....for the reason that it was an employee of a tackle world store....not the owner. The owner has a good reputation in these parts, he just needs to talk to his staff by the sounds of it.....and yes I will tell him that.


BB, I like the manner in which you have expressed you intentions, its your kind of attitude that helps keep the world on an even keel...

cheers

john


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

For someone who initially couldn't have been bothered with the hassle of going through the process for a $70 bit of gear, I think I've given this way more time than it deserves. The fact someone suggested that a rod bought with a 12 month warranty wasn't faulty when it broke at 9 months due to its age really got up my nose and I smelt blood.....yep, I know, it's only a $70 rod but it's the principle.

Anyway, I have been pretty amazed at the effort the person at Jarvis Walker has put in for the same pissy $70 item. I have 2 emails after 11pm last night trying to resolve the issue because they don't have a multi-piece bait cast rod.

Sooo, from initially coming here for a laugh at a novel excuse to not honour a warranty, to venting my spleen, I have now realised that these guys take their reputation seriously. They operate in a market which is pretty much discretionary consumer spending.....and those consumers talk to each other and have choices when it comes to where they spend their $$.

Considering I'm 1500k away from the place I bought the rod I think the warranty service is pretty damn good. In June I bought a rod from an online seller, also with a 12 month warranty, I can only wonder what the experience would be like trying to sort out a warranty issue with that! Are they still in business, who are they, will they give me the run around?


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

......and as for the tackle shop I mentioned earlier, I have known the father of the owner for over 30 years and know from him the effort his son has put into building that business up from nothing. That's why I didn't mention names, I'm sure it's a case of someone slipping up somewhere along the food chain and not the norm.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Ok, the replacement has turned up and it's "carbon composite", is this different to graphite? Should I feel ripped off? I know it's probably tougher.

Good thing is it seems to have mojo already built in


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Barra, there are some tackle companies that offer an expeditor program, so doesnt matter if its slammed in a car door, snapped in a ceiling fan, chewed on by the dog or what, small fee brand new rod no worries and it doesnt have to be a $300 rod to be good just pick one that suits the style of fishing your after. I think it obvious what brand i'm talking about and they are stocked in a lot of tackle stores up your way.

cheers Dave


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## drewob (Oct 23, 2012)

On warranties in general, any product sold within/to Australia (included on the internet) is covered under the Australian Consumer Law. This includes all goods, even fishing rods. Basically, it protects the Australian consumer from shoddy products that break within a 'reasonable period' or fail to do what they claim. It is in ADDITION to any manufacturer warranties (a company can offer their own warranty but it doesn't void the law)

Well worth a read :
http://www.consumerlaw.gov.au/content/t ... _guide.pdf

I've had electronic items replaced outside of the 1 year warranty, because it is reasonable to expect a TV to last more than 1 year. It usually takes a bit of back and forth, and arguing, they'll try and fight it, but threaten to ACCC and they quickly crumble.

It is surprising more people aren't aware of this or their rights.


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Carbon compostite is a mix of glass and graphite. It's supposed to be much tougher than straight carbon, but much more feel than straight glass. Probably the right rod for you really.


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