Paid $40 dollars for gloomis to fix them, not haddrell’s. Bought them (4yrs ago) under the impression that there was a lifetime warranty on them…maybe I didn’t read the fine print. I broke the tips off on pilings sheepshead fishing and had them replaced. They did not ask what happened to the rod, just charged a flat rate. So must have been the expediter deal.
I am hard on tackle and went into haddrells asked which rod I can break, walk in with and replace it with one on the floor. I was informed you can do that with star rods for a $10 convenience fee, which is more than reasonable. So I now own two and love them. Do I break my rods on purpose? No, but like you said it happens and if a rod offers a lifetime warranty back it up or don’t have the warranty. Gloomis makes a great rod, but personally do not think they are worth the money.
quote:
Originally posted by fishcrazy… I am hard on tackle and went into haddrells asked which rod I can break, walk in with and replace it with one on the floor. I was informed you can do that with star rods for a $10 convenience fee, which is more than reasonable…
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>This is the part that is sooooo funny to me. And fishcrazy, I’m not singling YOU out. People are being told that Star Rods will replace your rods for $10 and they will be replaces with “no questions asked”.
When G-Loomis sold me a rod or two they said, “we will replace it and no questions asked”. Guess what? Things change.
But, Star Rods will NEVER change their policy like the other guys did… right?
I certainly don’t mean to beat a dead horse but after reading these posts I spent some time to Google “G Loomis warranties” and “G Loomis warranties change” and the posts from the different fishing forums are all over the board. One would think that it would be a pretty standard response from G Loomis (now Shimano) but it doesn’t seem that is the case. I did see the “Xpidetor” service that Fritz mentioned and it has been raised for a replacement rod as of September 2010 to $100. I don’t know why the csr lady didn’t tell me about that program rather than quote me the $150 repair price unless she was just trying to maximize the profit (which I know we all have to look out for our boss, but a customer service rep title seems to be weak on the “customer” part - even forgetting the snide comment about me trying to pull a “stunt”). Last, I am unsure if I correctly stated the “tip” was broken after reading your comments and seeing Haddrell’s could repair it for $8 bucks. What broke was about 2 inches at the end of the rod leaving me at the end immediately where the last eyelet is located. I noticed it on the boat after a few casts. When filling out the G Loomis return form it asks what happened and that is where I wrote “I don’t know”. I guess that is what cost me a replacement rod but what I would write again because I don’t. The small print of the warranty cost me this time. I really appreciate all your advice and information. It is a real benefit to have a sounding board like this one. On a lighter note, I’m glad I didn’t put the G Loomis fish sticker that came with my new rod on my car or Yeti like I thought about doing!
Allen
Ok… First off… Ive never heard of Loomis treating anyone like that, it was rude and i would complain to someone over her head… That being said…
G-Loomis warranty (and every other warranty ive ever dealt with) Only covers the blank… no guides, handles, etc… they will fix that stuff for you, but it might cost a little. If the blank breaks and it was due to user error. That IS NOT a warranty issue. The warranty is against manufacture defect, period. In other-words if you are just fighting a fish (the way you should) and the rod breaks, it was probably a manuf defect and they will replace it. Now if you close it in a door (ive done it, we all do it) that is not a warranty.
you can send it however you like but either way you will have to cover shipping. If you bring it into my shop I will charge you $48… that covers shipping and handling and warranty fee. Now if Loomis gets the rod and can clearly tell that the rod was not broken in a normal fishing situation. (they can tell by the way the graphite splinters) then they will call you on it. Usually they will offer you a reduced price on a new rod. If they cannot tell, or they can tell that the rod broke in a normal fashion, they will give you a new one no questions asked. I would say 75% of the time i never hear from them and we just get a new rod back for the customer.
Now what alot of people dont realize is that when you break your rod “just fishing” the damage was usually done previously when you dropped it in the parking lot, hit it on your ceiling fan, set the hook too hard and clipped your t-top…etc… etc… etc… These type of impacts can damage the graphite internally and the next time you put pressure in just the right angle you get a break. Usually a clean break, not an exploded splindered out one… thats a sure sign to the company that the break was because you hit you damaged your rod in some fashion… that is not their fault, and they won’t warranty it… And if you close it in a door or step on it, you get a crushed or pin
BALLEN - you can send a Loomis back in two fashions… 1.) Standard way costs give or take $50
2.) Xpiditor - you have to call them, give them your info and a CC they will send you a new rod within 2 days, you pack your old rod in the box they send. You can only use it once and it costs $100
These warranty changes came because they were losing so much money on warranties. Alot of people, mainly guides, would just break their rods when they got a little old or overused and send them back for new ones. It only takes a few bad apples to ruin it for everyone. Ive seen similar changes across the board as far as warranties go. More so in the high end rods… mainly because they do cost more, therefor there is more money lost on the warranty process.
None of this excuses that persons behavior towards you though… Once again, sorry about that…
Mad Mike
"to hell with insane… I’m OUTsane!!! "
At least you were honest. But she didn’t need to be rude. I don’t see why a company should have to replace something when it was broken by other means than it was intended for. Not saying I never returned something I broke. Good luck with getting you problem corrected.
A wise man once said “Do as I say not as I do” Good advice when I tell you that.
Mike the expediter service is once per rod is it not? I have, according to my bride, invested my retirement plan in GLoomis rods. I would hate to think I could only use it once!
yes, its once per rod… no worries…
Mad Mike
"to hell with insane… I’m OUTsane!!! "
The rods I buy come with a great warranty. If it breaks in half you get to keep both pieces.
Boatless
Ive sent back plenty of rods to Gloomis working at Haddrells (for customers, not mine) and Ive never had a problem. Sorry to hear they gave you such grief. Complete shocker!
Reel Shallow Charters
Capt Justin Hubbard
843-327-7563
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Shallow-Charters/285675628125080
http://www.haddrellspoint.com
www.Zmanfishing.com
Look into the Okuma EVX and higher rods, about $95. Lifetime OTC warranty, no questions asked. Tommy Samuels(Too Busy) here is an Okuma Pro and uses them with his kayak fishing guide service www.kayakfishsc.com. Nice reels also.
over the last 4-5 years quality control has gone way down with the Loomis rods. When Shimano bought them 10-12 years ago it seemed like a steady decline and other manufacturers narrowed the gap. I think it was in 2009 that they got rid of the Loomis sales reps and turned it over to Shimano sales reps and customer service took a hit in that time period as well. Not knocking shimano just a different business model.
Nothing against any manufacturer of rods, reels, cars, parts or anything else but I work for one of the largest automotive retailers, service centers in the country and we like to keep in mind that if there is any gray area…ITS COVERED. Customer satisfaction is ALWAYS #1. Maybe Every rod manufacturer should be given a survey on their product, rated, and stuck in front of the public eye (JD power). THEN, anytime there is a problem, you get in touch, and get another survey…they are crappy…you fill out your survey accordingly. Drop the lowest and highest score and use the rest as scoreable surveys. Now, with those surveys, we base the pay of everyone involved how high or low your survey scores are. The customer service lady would have just cost her boss hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for that one poor survey. You want to see changes? you’ll see changes.
I do not have a dog in this hunt but have been told on several occasions by retailers trying to sell me Loomis rods that there is a no questions asked replacement. I only had one Loomis rod, unfortunately I set it down to net my partners fish and it got “gone”. Pretty expensive lesson. Another point here is that highly sensitive rods are usually the less durable and need the most gentle care. You can’t break an Ugly Stick if you try…but neither does it have the feel of a high end graphite rod. Broken rods in my life at least appear to be “the price of poker”.
iFLY, Star Rods is not charging you the $10…We are charging that for us handling and shipping your broken rod for you. Like any business, we have to pay someone to handle all warranty claims and that $10 fee is to help us compensate SOME of our expense back for being able to accomodate our customers right there on the spot with no hassle and get you guys back to fishing asap.
GLoomis Expeditor fee is now $100 as of last year, fyi. To the original poster I am sorry for your bad experience. If you are looking to steer away from loomis after your experience, it would be well worth your time to come check out the new Star Seagis rod we are carrying. $149 and they are covered with a true OTC program, and 95% of the time we will have that rod already in stock to replace any warranty issue you may have. The tangle free guides and new reel seats on the Seagis is awesome, one of the few rods that has actually excited me in recent years!
Scott Hammond
Haddrells Point West Ashley