St Croix Warranty Irritates Me

[Skipper]

I bought an SC2 ML 7'' spinning rod for float fishing walleye a couple weeks ago. Last night, it got its maiden voyage on Mille Lacs. After lindy rigging for a few hours in that blazing sun, we decided to move up on the edge a reef, put out some floats, and wait for the sun to get a little lower. I pulled out my brand spanking new $110 rod and gave it a cast..... no snap, no nothing, the top 18'' FELL OFF. It looked like it was cut clean! It was not over loaded, mishandled or abused in any way between the time I bought it and its first use... I am positive of that.

OK, crud happens. Someone made a mistake when the rod blank was manufactured, we are all human. I have no real gripe about the rod, I have a few of these St Croix Premier rods and they have been pretty tough.

Here is my gripe.

St Croix expects me to send it back on my dime (more like $20) and send them a check for another $20.... I can't even exchange it where I bought it. I have the receipt, I returned the warranty card, and I never even used it.

$40 in the toilet to fix something that was defective from the factory? Seriously?

I will be interested in how they handle this. Needless to say, I'm not really happy right now.

[jtk2]

That really sucks. I have multiple st. Croix rods and havent had an issue yet. I beat the crap out of them too. Try calling customer service and tell them what happened. Maybe they can help you out.

[Skipper]

The rod is all packaged up and it will be off to park falls in the morning, I will give them a call too.

I'm sure this is in response to massive amounts of fraudulent claims, but it still sucks. I've witnessed people step on rods and claim they snapped on a fish when they went back to the store. It would be nice if they gave special consideration to rods that failed right away though.

It would be nice if there was a grace period when you can just exchange them in the store without this trouble.
 

[jtk2]

Whered you buy it? I had an issue with the tip breaking on a rod last year. I cant remember what brand maybe a cheap star rod or something. I brought back where i bought it, a local tackle shop, and they gave me a new one. I went home and the tip broke just pulling the line through the guides! I immediatly drove back and they took it back and used the price toward a st. Croix. No issues with that one. I think i have 5 st. Croixs and love all of them. I bet a ton of People close rods In doors, step on them, hit there gunnel ect and break them and say it was a manufacturer defect. It makes it suck for when you have a real issue with a rod. I hope st. Croix helps you out!

[Skipper]

I will post an update when I have closure. The post office lady did some magic and got the rod off for $6, I got a price quoted on the usps website for $22 last night. That was pretty cool. USPS can still beat the brown truck on allot of stuff.

[jmh58]

Keep us posted..  John

[Skipper]

Well.... It was on my doorstep when I got home. They kept my $20 and made me eat the return shipping.

I talked to one of their techs on the phone last week Tuesday. He told me they examined the rod and found that the blank was faulty and would warranty the rod.... but they still kept my $20.

I may not be so quick to run directly to the St. Croix rack from now on with sub $150 rods. Cabelas will warranty their rods in store and so will Fenwick. None of this being without my rod for 15 days and having to cough up my own money for something they claim themselves was defective.

I will continue buying St. Croix rods because I LOVE them. They dropped a few notches in my book though.  

[jtk2]

Im glad they warranteed it although it does suck about the wait and the $$ when it was a real defect. I think they should cover it.

[Skipper]

They need a 30 day store return to avoid this. You know as well as I do, if a rod is defective, it's gonna fail right away. They could really clamp down on the stuff they know is fake then. I have a hard time believing that a blank that is 4 years in would fail due to faulty craftsmanship. The only thing I could see failing that far out is maybe a loose grip.

[O]

Interesting....I bought a St Croix rod at Dick's Sporting Good (of all places) had an issue a couple of months later and brought it back there.....replaced with no questions.     Maybe it was Dicks policy more than St Croix's but both are still good in my book.  Beautiful rod too. 

[Skipper]

Oh, don't get me wrong, St Croix is still way up there in my book. I got a call from a tech, in the factory where the rod was made, in THE UNITED STATES, to tell me IT WAS THEIR FAULT. That is pretty impressive right there. 

[fishgalore]

I recently sent back my 8' Tidemaster with 2 ceramic guides missing........#2 & 3 from the top down. I also sent the $20 shipping & handling charge but I'm expecting a call for more $$$$ saying I must have abused it.   I hope not though........I like their rods ..........good value/price but their warranty policy is not that great.  Even the "Gold Star" plan costs you dough out of pocket. Plus it cost $9.87 to ship it to them meanwhile I'm down one Striper/Muskie pole.

[Skipper]

It is nice to know that I have options when I have a broken $300 rod in my hands, but this is just mostly annoying with a lower end rod. If it's junk, replace it. If It was my fault, send me a kleenex to wipe my tears upon.

I don't care about what the warranty stars are made of, just take care of me!

Like I said, Cabelas and Fenwick offer plenty of rods that fill the areas of the SCII and SCIII St Croixs for around the same prices and they ain't such turds about warranties. I will be looking in those racks now instead of heading straight for the St. Croix stuff.

Just for the record, this is one of two rods I have warranted in my life. Both failed in the first outing. The rest of of the mishaps were re topped or just thrown away.   

[Skipper]

I was closely inspecting the rod as I put the reel on and started rigging it and was horrified to see this...



OPEN TENTS!!! I build rods, and I know that this is a fatal flaw in a rods construction. First of all, water and anything else can get in there to rot the thread. Second, the epoxy in the tent provides a large amount of the strength. Third, the paint or treatment is ground off the guide foot when it is prepped for wrapping. This leaves the guide foot prone to corrosion if anything gets in there.

Either way, it's not right, not even close. The epoxy job on the rest of the rod looks like crap too.

I sent another email to St. Croix. I told them that I would not be sending this rod back with a $20 check but I would like them to make it right. I will not pay another $20 for a warranty on a rod that I would have NEVER allowed out of MY rod shop in the first place. If they expect me to pay them again to get another rod, I will fix it myself with some flex coat and part ways with their company.

This is ridiculous. I'd expect this with berkley cherrywoods. Two clunkers in a row and one of them is visibly defective, I have not even successfully cast one yet.  

[jtk2]

Wow. Im sorry man. I can't believe they would send ypu another effed up rod. I wouldnt blame you for not buying another after this fiasco.