i recently broke the second section of my four piece Scott A3 rod .when i bought this rod from a UK supplier i posted off the registration card for my unconditional warranty.but after contacting Scott about a repair i was informed that rods with a serial number less than 350000 were not covered .but i bought a rod with a warranty and sent it off in good faith i argue .that's our policy its on the web site says the reply .apparently they have the right to amend the terms somewhere in the small print .i couldn't find it .bottom line is they would be able to repair it but at a cost of $70 dollars per section and $20 for each whipping that is required. having checked the postage with insurance to the US i began to wonder if it was worth it .so i checked with Scott how much the return postage was liable to be .their reply was give us your credit card details and we will charge it at cost when we post it back . that is their policy it's on the website .i ain't giving what amounts to a blank cheque to any one so if any of you out there have a Scott or are thinking of getting one beware ,or just don't bank on them honouring the warranty .
Garry
Thats terrible, I always thought they had good customer service.My mate broke his S3S and was sent a whole new rod last year, but that would have been an older model.
I think all the companies are going this way, the unconditional warranty is totally unsustainable in the long term.
my rod is a mid-range rod ,hence the reluctance to pay for a repair , i will just have to write it off and get myself a new rod. I still think Scott rods are great ,but i dont think i will bother with another .
Garry
Trading Standards or Citizens Advice should be your first stop, they should be able to advise you on what steps to take.
I wrote a piece on urbanflyfisher about Greys a while back.
Sitting on the train my phone rings, unknown number. I am free and easy with my number so I pick up.
"Is that Alistair?" said a very polite voice.
"Yes"
"I got your number from a pal, I wanted to tell you something"
"Yes?"
"Greys warranty still sucks" he said and then hung up!
True story.
to be honest ,having to send the rod back to the USA insured and having to pay return postage plus their handling charge makes it an expensive fix even if i could get them to accept that i have a valid warranty.on top of that ,wanting my credit card details so they can charge me when the rod is ready just aint going to happen . they are not answering my emails anymore so i am just sick of the whole episode . at least with Orvis and Sage any warranty returns are dealt with in the UK so it will be one of those two or buy British.
Garry
I just checked the s/n on my Scott S4. It won't be covered either, but I bought it 2nd hand, so it's not such a big deal.
What about your home insurance ! Could this not cover the costs
To be honest I think all the warranties are a joke. They can't possibly honour the commitments they make.
if rod manufacturers were to do away with unconditional warranties ,then all their prices should fall significantly as they have obviously factored in the cost of replacements to the current prices. i reckon they will eventually do away with them ,but dont hold your breath waiting for prices to drop.
Garry
The should drop but most of the price of a.rod is the proportion of the marketing budget attributed to it. The unit price for most rods is less than £50.
Some of the big manufacturers use the same mandrels for golf club shafts. Just goes to show you the technology that isn't in rod manufacturing.
Buying high end rods second hand is the way. Half the price or less and you don't get a warranty either way.
I recently bought a mint #4 9 foot Sage Z Axis. £280. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open and don't get tempted to pay silly money.
I too broke a Scott rod a couple of years ago - an S4. Like Garry I decided it would cost me more than I was prepared to pay to replace it, especially as I have several 9' #5 rods I can use instead and I usually use a # in preference anyway.
I agree on the buying secondhand v new thing. I also agree that Sage's policy of settling the claims in the UK is far better.
I have broken two Sages. The first time I took the rod back to the shop where I bought it and received a new rod. The shop (Glasgow Angling Centre) took my old rod to deal with the warranty claim themselves.
The second Sage I think was different. I needed a replacement section pronto as I was heading to Canada or NZ to fish in a few weeks time. I got a phone number for the UK distributor and explained my predicament which was a tricky one seeing as the XP series had been discontinued. The guy simply asked me for the registration number on the blank and posted me out one of the spare sections they still had in stock. I didn't even need the warranty card.
I still have a #4 Scott S4 which I haven't yet broken :) I won't be replacing it with a Scott. :8)
Alex
Legally speaking, when you bought the rod the sale transaction was between you and the UK distributor. Third party contracts ie between you and Scott are unenforceable, and thus they can change their warranties to to suit themselves
I think you are right Stephen. It also does not help that Scott don't seem to have UK agents now. A few years ago Joe had to send to the US for an S4 because he could not buy one here.
I think the lesson from all of this is do not buy Scott rods. Pity really, they are good rods.
Incidentally the contact for Sage in the UK is (or certainly used to be) Gary Coxon Tel.01606 882891. That is the man who sorted me out with a spare tip section.
Alex
read somewhere that its no longer Garry Coxon ,Guideline have taken over responsability for Sage warranties. always heard good things about dealing with G .Coxon . have not heard how Guideline are shaping up.
Garry
Quote from: garryh on July 27, 2015, 08:43:18 PM
read somewhere that its no longer Garry Coxon ,Guideline have taken over responsability for Sage warranties. always heard good things about dealing with G .Coxon . have not heard how Guideline are shaping up.
Garry
it's Guide Flyfishing for Sage, who are excellent; one of the best distributors I've come across; right up there with the best companies in the outdoor industry. fortunately NOT Guideline, who are absolutely awful.....
GAC I note sell Scott rods. Does that make them the UK dealer? I do not see anyone else who does. Just wondering.
Tight Lines
QuoteGAC I note sell Scott rods. Does that make them the UK dealer? I do not see anyone else who does. Just wondering.
Could be. I can't remember where I bought mine. Wherever it was they were doing good business by selling them for the same price as they were going for in the States, which made a refreshing change. It may have been Farlows or Foxon's, or neither :?
Quoteit's Guide Flyfishing for Sage, who are excellent
That's good news :D Hopefully I won't need another rod, but it is good to know nevertheless.
Alex
I bought a Scott S4 direct from an outfit in the USA and through my own fault broke the top of the tip section.
I contacted them and flowered the story up a bit. Have to say they were immense. No quibble, just sent the rod back and got a new one in return, though there some some grief claiming back import tax times two.
It was a rod I could not get on with and eventually sold it after just 2 seasons for less than half price. My loss.
Guide Fly Fishing are indeed the point of contact for Sage in the UK. I have a broken up tip section posted in an envelope down at Leeds just now along with a cheque for £25 which irritates. I suppose with a rod It's difficult to prove failure and claim under statuary rights. They seem switched on enough when I phoned them. I'll see how long my new section takes to arrive. I posted the bust one two weeks ago come Friday.
Best warranty was with a Sonik rod which snapped playing a fish. No grief, just posted the broken section somewhere down south and received another in the post FOC.
Unfortunately it was another rod that didn't like me. :(
just a bit more bones on the guide flyfishing service; last year I had a problem with failed taping on a vision jacket with only days to go before a trip. the folks at guide arranged for a replacement jacket to be sent next day to my local dealer, so all I had to do was hand in the faulty one. there was no charge. and the dealer wasn't even the one who'd sold the jacket.
following on from this, I decided to buy a sage rod last year. guide politely yet firmly refused to sell me the rod at the game fair; they insisted I use my local dealer, but duly arranged swift delivery, direct from the states. I got a great deal from my local dealer. this is the way distributors should work, showing both integrity and support for their retail partners.
recently I needed a section of the rod replaced (i'd clanged it pretty hard with a tungsten eyed clouser). the bad news was that the rod was so specialist they don't keep spares in the uk. the rod had to go back to the states. okay, it took about 5 weeks in total, but the good news is I have my rod back and it cost me the princely sum of £35. having purchased through the local dealer, there was absolutely no quibbling about warranty, filling out forms etc. not only is this superb service, there's also a lesson in here wrt supporting your local dealer......
guide flyfishing and mortimers of grantown on spey get a big thumbs-up from me :8)