BAD rod

Saltwater Inshore Discussion
1

My son bought a Shimano rod about 3 weeks ago from a local large vendor.

About the 7th cast it broke! Lure was a 1/4of jig and not hung up. Rod never hit any thing.

Vendors web sight says don’t bring back to them- go to factory.
Factory says 30 day warranty means we have to ship rod back to them at our cost and wait till. ____? for them to check it out.

They would not allow us to upgrade (with us paying the difference). They had a bunch of if’s one which required us to pay $50 in advance. If we wanted to replace the rod, it would probably be March to get one.

I don’t think a local vendor should sell something they won’t stand behind.
Shimano sure does not want to help.

Guess we are sworn off Shimano.

2

I here Shimano makes nice bicycles…and really cool Rowing shoes. Pretty sure most of their rods are made by G-Loomis.

"There's a fine line between fishing and standing in the surf like an idiot."
3

JUST GO TO WALLY WORLD ,PICK THE STYLE ROD YOU LIKE, BUY 2-3 OF EM , IFFN ONE BREAKS JUST THROW IT AWAY AND DRAG OUT ANOTHER, CHEAPER AND LESS BOTHER IN THE LONG RUN … NEVER COULD UNDERSTAND THE FETISH WITH HIGH DOLLAR CRAP , MUST BE A STATUS / EGO THING…

George McDonald US Navy Seabees,Retired, MAD, Charleston Chapter [http://www.militaryappreciationday.org

When you see “Old Glory” waving in the breeze, know that it is the dying breaths of our fallen hero’s that makes it wave.
author unknown

4

A lot of tackle companies such as Shimano don’t allow their dealers to assess warranty claims, so taking or sending it back to the vendor doesn’t solve anything. Sure, the vendor could help you with a refund, but then they’re out for their cost and they’re not likely to get any satisfaction from the maker, as that’s most certainly stipulated in their dealer agreement.

When you buy products like that, you have to expect to deal with the makers warranty process, when there is a problem, not with the seller. That’s most likely spelled out on the warranty tag that came with the rod too.

Unfortunately, that rod could have very well have been nicked on the blank at any time, and there’s no way to tell when, or even how. Could have even been well before the vendor received it and it’s only going to be evident once someone uses it, which unfortunately was you folks. The only way that can be determined it send it to Shimano.

Back when most rods were made of fiberglass, this wasn’t such a problem, but these newer space age materials are not very forgiving of even the smallest nick. Which with warranties, is why the cost for repair or replacement runs up the price tag.

I’ve only ever had some inexpensive Shimano rods, bought years ago for two of my sons. They held up very well and if they had not, it would have been the same situation as tossing them and going to Walmart as they weren’t worth warranty work.

I don’t think that expressing your distain here is going to get your rod repaired or replaced either. The only choices it seems to me is to follow the warranty process if you so choose, or simply go and purchase a different brand rod, from another seller of your choosing.

Perhaps look into St Croix rods. They have various warranty levels and I’ve heard their customer service is far superior to Shimano’s. I’ve never had to deal with either.

5

I agree with you doc ,that ain’t worth a ■■■■. I usually bring a couple of my boys with me and tell them that I’ll pay their bail .They usually see it our way.Montague sport shop in gas light square always stood behind their rods.

6

I hate to hear that, I have some old Shimano rods that have held up really well and they weren’t the expensive ones. The most I’ve ever paid for a rod was $100 for an All-Star. It broke catching yellowtails in Florida. All-Star sent me a replacement and I never had a problem with that one. You never know with these newer rods.

"Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It's Hand", but really, who cares?
7

I very respectfully disagree about buying cheap rods and simply throw them out if they break.
You would laugh if you saw my golf gear or my pickup or my clothes. I rarely spend money on that type stuff but I will always own a quality rod. I don’t think the reel is nearly as important as the rod.

I’ve said this before but with a good rod you can feel a fish take the bait, position it in its mouth and if you wait long enough you can actually feel it’s tail as it swims.

The difference between a kid catching fish (finesse fishing) with a good rod Vrs a cheap rod is night and day. When you’re finesse fishing not every bite is slamming the bait. Often times you’d never even know it was a bite with a lesser rod.
I’ve got a $250 G Loomis and it’s got nothing to do with ego. It’s worth every cent. I catch a lot more fish now than when I did buying Johnny Morris rods or Browning rods.
Again, just my opinion.

Ow, if you are looking for a rod to soak live bait or dead bait on the bottom I wouldn’t spend much on that.

8

very respectful and thought out reply

9

I have cheap rods I bought a LONG time ago. Yes they caught fish.

However, they are not a St. Croix. Even all the St. Croix should not bear that name. Some of them are spectacular and others are not.
I know a lot has to do with the feel of the angler…and budget.

That is not the complaint. I am not happy that big industry has made this so difficult. They do not want to talk to you or easily correct an issue.
I have owned an electronics company for 31 years. Some factories tell me “fix the issue and we will pay your time and expenses.” Others shun the client. Guess who keeps my business.

I little kindness goes a very long way.

DRMajor
10

I don’t disagree with you, but big business has not done this alone, consumers have contributed, with the market place attitude of I want it now, cheap, and if there is an issue, the warranty will cover it regardless of the situation. Or they think, I’ll toss it because, I can afford to replace it, and don’t want to deal with the hassles of waiting for warranty work anyway. That is the reality, because if not, these companies would not treat their customers in the way that they do. Many products are designed for planned obsolescence too, and the next new model may even be worse than the last as they look for ways to reduce costs. Cheaper, cheaper, cheaper! They gamble on that to a point. knowing that they’ll sell more with less issues, than those they’ll sell with and they count on some not to be willing to deal with warranties and repairs.

Too many folks will still buy these products, even after experiencing poor satisfaction with products or service, and these companies know that! The few folks who have problems, they can care less about, because it doesn’t significantly affect their bottom line. When consumers gave a crap, so did the producers/sellers at each level, and those that didn’t, didn’t stay in business. The blame lies solely on consumers

11

I just looked at the SHimano site and their 30 day warrranty terms. Looks reasonable to me. Only cost you will have to absorb ultimately is cost to ship rod to them. It didnt see shipto but bet it is Ladson. My advice is to hunker down and get the thing in the mail before the 30 days expires

12

btw, which model rod was it that broke?

13

Sorry the rod broke. I got a defective Penn rod last year from West Marine. It broke on the first fish and it wasn’t even that big. I took it back to West Marine and they gave a refund without issue. I was very pleased with West Marine.

2200V Pathfinder
14

Gone away from Shimano rods and I am now buying Star Rods. Life time warranty on most of their rods.

He must Increase,but I must decrease. John 3:30
15

I did an internship at Shakespeare in Columbia when I was in the USC Business School . I found out it was a great gig . This was in 1976 and I discovered Ugly Stik fishing rods . I have been brand loyal since . I bought an Inshore Special at Walmart and broke it fighting a 30 inch red in the Toogoodoo River . I called Shakespeare and they said since I could not provide proof of purchase they would replace the rod ONCE for free . I had to send them a photo of the broken rod and they sent me a brand new one . They said if I could have provided proof of purchase they would replace the rod no matter how many times it broke . By the way I should have bought the Ugly Stik at Haddrells since I found out after my purchase Haddrells charges the same price as Walmart on Ugly Stiks.

16

Imo a lot of the big brands have went mainstream. You really have to watch what you buy and where you buy it from. Personally ive notice shimano seems to be pushing promotion more then quality. Like they sponsor the right and pro staff the right people and events. It use to be hard to match there quality but now its not hard to beat especially on the lower end. As far as customer service from companies it goes Okuma>Penn>Diawa>shimano>avet. As far as quality Diawa’s high end stuff is insane. As far as rods go 100 dollar range, crap replacement, 200 dollar they work with you to get you a good rod for a fee. 300 plus rods with warranties usually are replaced by the company. Older rods and combo rods are hard to warranty because they usually dont have more of them. Its more a companys policy then a retailers.

Hadderals is competitive on some prices but you have to be careful with some stuff its a good bit higher. You go to stores like hadderals for service beyond the purchase, specialty purchases and the info you can get from workers and patrons. Ive seen them work with people with broken star rods and it made me think about buying a star rod from them, didnt need a new rod. Wally world does have easy returns and i dont feel like it has much impact on them.