Broken Shimano Trevala

I wont speak for anyone else, but I certainly do not believe I am entitled to a new rod just 'cause it broke. I think I have stressed the rod at least this much previously when working a 20 pound Ling and it was in the kelp and rocks.

Shimano Warranty Department is the expert in my opinion, I have shipped it to them and if they deem it was from overstress or abuse and deny replacement, I will abide by it and accept my role. I like the rod action, feel and weight enough, I will buy another however the chips fall. Previously I set a $30 limit on rods, this one changed my mind on that. I am still a cheapo at heart tho . . .

Gloomis is owned by shimano. Also switching to a one year warranty so I hear.

30 year on their rods.
The Shimano switch isn't a company switch, it's a store to store choice.
sportsmans Warehouse isn't taking away the Shimano Warranty.

Gotta find a good store that respects it's customers.

Let's see what they do after Aug 1st,
If they continue the over counter, it will be at their loss.
Is this good customer service or bad business?
Should a business enable a consumers belief of entitlement, or prevent a loss?
I hope there is an answer somewhere in the middle.

A defect doesn't occur after time, it is built wrong from the beguining and will show as soon as it is loaded.

I'm a novice with rod technology but have a hard time believing this far-reaching statement. The statement ignores the possibility of a small defect that might not snap a rod in the first load but becomes bigger with each load, breaking somewhere down the line.

I think Eric's point is valid, however, in that most defects would show up within a year of regular use. Sucks for people that only get out on the water 2-3 times a year and like nice gear.

I deal with thousands of broken rods on a regular bassis and it always amazes me what consumers think they are entitled to. Just because a rod breaks, doesn't mean you are entitled to a new one. 9 times out of 10 the rod has failed due to abuse (over stressing, scratched blank, etc.).

Also, there is(was) a marketing campaign by the industry related to lifetime replacement. Retailers used the warranty as a selling point for the rods. I remember my first Crucial rod: "If it ever breaks, just bring it back to me and we'll give you a new one." I thought to myself, "do I spend $70 on rod A or $120 on rod B, knowing that if I get rod B I can enjoy this level of quality for life."

This perhaps isn't fair to Shimano (unless they encouraged it, which you can argue they did by generous rod replacements) but I think the best thing Shimano could have done with this situation is enforce their current policy better instead of changing the policy. IMO, it wasn't a problem with the policy, but its application.

You guys who are snapping rods when a swell comes up have your drags set too tight.
Thumb the reel. That way when the swell does come up you can immediately release the pressure.
I've never bought a rod with lifetime warranty. I always figured I lose it to Poseiden before I'd ever have the opportunity to use the warranty. Plus I'm too cheap to fork out the $$ for one. Back in the day guys caught bigger and more fish on much less than what the cheapest rods are today. Just about any stick will work for me.

I agree with Mike.  I don't buy high end expensive gear anymore. Instead buy GOOD gear I know won't fail.  If I loose it or it fails its not painful.  I have a buddy who uses only Phenix rods.  I do just as well on my Clarus rod that cost 1/3 the price.

As I stated in my first post, I feel changing a policy after selling goods is always bad business.
In my opinion,
They should leave what they created (continue to honor past warranties) and start a new warranty with their product from this point on.

As I stated in my first post, I feel changing a policy after selling goods is always bad business.
In my opinion,
They should leave what they created (continue to honor past warranties) and start a new warranty with their product from this point on.

AMEN

Gloomis is owned by shimano. Also switching to a one year warranty so I hear.

The Shimano switch isn't a company switch, it's a store to store choice.
sportsmans Warehouse isn't taking away the Shimano Warranty.

Gotta find a good store that respects it's customers.

This is inconsistent with the release from Shimano to all retailers posted by yakhopper.

Is sportsmans warehouse offering its own warranty on shimano products?

I just fished with the manager of the fishing dept of the Chico store. He didn't know anything about the warranty change.

Shimano is a large corporation, and I'm sure they know fully understand the waves this will make amongst the angler community. The main reason I bought a Trevala was knowing that I could "be myself" and break everything I touch, and that I was covered. Perhaps they should offer a one time "rod insurance fee" to accept or refuse at the time of purchase. The fee could be based on their calculations of historically what percentage of rods sold are replaced by warranty. This way, accident prone people like myself could still benefit from the lifetime warranty, Shimano could achieve the cost cutting on those who don't want the warranty(and perhaps make a profit on those insured rods that never make a claim), and those who don't care about a warranty could get a more competitive price.

I broke my first Lamiglas salmon rod thinking that it was a Trevala when I snagged the bottom.  Ooops!!!  Broke on the first day of use.  Still, I considered it my fault, due to the extreme bend I put in a poor glass rod to try and free a snag.  Sent it in with FW and they replaced it!  I had my doubts but the guy at the shop said, hey why not send it in for 20 bucks, that was a 300$ rod! Glad I took his advice, and was very happy they replaced it hassle free!

I've got like 5 trevalas ( and lost two overboard) and none have ever broken on a snag for me.  I crushed the third eye down on my favorite rod (6.6 MH2) and it still works fine    Now I guess if one broke on me now, after several years of service, I'd still buy another one.  Most likely I caused that failure anyway!   

One more thought... who does have a longer than 1-year warranty now?  If not Shimano, Gloomis, Shakespear, Lamiglas?  Then who?

Cousins... 3 year warranty.
GLoomis still advertises on their website that they have a 30 year.

That's right... I had forgotten that they didn't cancel it, they just apparently raised the costs.

I've been lucky enough to only break 1 rod (while fishing) in my lifetime.  Tried to pull a snag free & placed too much bendo on a rod.  Having been on the other side of the counter in retail fishing supply world, I've seen a lot of rods & reels come thru that were clearly not a defect.  Heavy salt corrosion is not a defect when you don't clean your reel.  Seen a lot of rods from car door slams and ones that they were abused during use/transport and broke at a location where they were chipped.  I think it is fair to pay or be charged a small fee for replacement of a rod.

As I stated in my first post, I feel changing a policy after selling goods is always bad business.
In my opinion,
They should leave what they created (continue to honor past warranties) and start a new warranty with their product from this point on.

If the text of the dealer letter posted here is accurate, then it looks like Shimano is honoring past warranties for goods sold (" ...in supply chain...excepted").

Is there somewhere you see that differently?

I agree with Skunkasaurus.
It's a bummer for the consumer, but oh well, there are about 10000 other fishing rod manufacturers...so I'll just have spend my money on other brands.

thats right. Ive started looking earlier this year when I first heard the rumors of this.