Dont Buy Cabelas

[Baitbucket]

Im starting this thread because I know alot of guys will be looking to buy gear from them soon.

A couple years back I purchased a pair of Cabelas brand boots. The reason for this is because of the warranty they came with.


http://www.cabelas.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=ReturnsPolicy

What this lead me to believe was the same as it would any other normal honest human being. That as long as i dont destroy them on purpose (fire, wood chipper, etc) that they would be covered under warranty for normal wear and tear.

Well after last season they began leaking. So i contacted Cabelas and they said no problem send them in. The boots originally cost $79.99 and since they no longer make them I was going to use that money + and additional $120 to get the $199.99 Trans Alaska III Cabela boot.

Today I received this letter from them:



Baffled by this, as this doesnt sound like any kind of lifetime warranty i have heard of, I called them. Especially with them stating in the first line that it was covered.

What I found out will not only baffle you as well, but HOPEFULLY convince you to not buy from them ever again. Or at the very least, expect them to be honest, word keeping human beings.

I found out that this "Lifetime Guarantee" isnt on your lifetime. But on the lifetime of the product. A time that THEY determine!!!!! I asked if there is a way for me to know what Cabelas dictated lifetimes are on certain items, and was told there is no way to know. They just decide.

Essentially meaning that no matter when you send your item back, they can say their "dictated lifetime" on your item has expired. And offer you a % of what you paid.

It really is to bad they have adopted this deceitful way of doing business. I can only hope that in sharing this lesson with all of you that it will save you the same hassle.

If it does, or if you agree with me, spread the word. Tell your friends, post on forums and blogs. Don't let other fellow fisherman/hunters fall victim to this.

[stripernut]

Sleazy marketing department....

[Baitbucket]

Im seriously considering returning all the cabelas gear i bought this year and buying from somewhere else.
My fly rod/reel, waders, hat, etc...

[MrE1979]

As Tommy Callahan would say "I can take a $h!t in a box and put a guarantee on it but all you would have is a guaranteed piece of $h!t."

Gotta love the "lifetime warranty".  Thanks I know I wont be buying from cabellas now

[Jschumacher]

As Tommy Callahan would say "I can take a $h!t in a box and put a guarantee on it but all you would have is a guaranteed piece of $h!t."

Gotta love the "lifetime warranty".  Thanks I know I wont be buying from cabellas now

AHHHH a great movie that TOMMY BOY

Will that sux. I always liked Cabellas but that is some poor marketing

[fishfighter]

AHHHH a great movie that TOMMY BOY

Will that sux. I always liked Cabellas but that is some poor marketing

I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's ......

Boots should last longer than that, no matter what kind of warranty they offer.

[The Jigger]

It is a shame we live so far from their stores. I had the same issue with Cabela's boots after a year and a two months. I was going to CT 2011 Christmas  Eve and stopped at the Hartford store. They also didn't have the same boot. They looked up my purchase because I didn't have my receipt but I knew the date of purchase from my C/C statement. They did give me full credit towards a new pair that I bought. I think the stores handle their customer service a little different than online and mail order.
Last year I again returned to CT because I had a problem last October with a Parker crossbow after a year and a half it broke. Again Parker discontinued that model and I ended up with a Horton that was on sale from $699.00 to $499.00. It was an even swap. Again they took it back and I was given a full credit.
 I would keep arguing the point with a manager. The warranty is deceiving and should be more specific as to what is the lifetime expectancy of the product.   

[Baitbucket]

Agreed Jigger.

The most bizarre part is when I called them to get the specifics on sending them back, they at no time told me they were no longer under lifetime warranty (sounds funny saying that).
They even looked up the order by the number I gave them..

It wasnt till after i shipped them in (cost me $15), and they admit they were faulty, that they told me they were no longer under warranty.

They should change the wording to their guarantee to: "Spontaneously decided time dependent on whether or not the item falls under our warranty guidelines."

Because thats exactly what they are doing.

BTW for those wondering. I was told that their range for lifetime guarantees on boots are 1-5 years..

[bee]

Bring them up to Maine and swap them out.

[Baitbucket]

Bee,

I cant, I shipped them to their store. As the closest Cabelas to me is 2 hrs a way.

[Poot]

As Tommy Callahan would say "I can take a $h!t in a box and put a guarantee on it but all you would have is a guaranteed piece of $h!t."

Gotta love the "lifetime warranty".  Thanks I know I wont be buying from cabellas now

Here's the way I see it, Ted. Guy puts a fancy guarantee on a box 'cause he wants you to feel all warm and toasty inside.

Yeah, makes a man feel good.

'Course it does. Why shouldn't it? Ya figure you put that little box under your pillow at night, the Guarantee Fairy might come by and leave a quarter, am I right, Ted?

What's your point?

The point is, how do you know the fairy isn't a crazy glue sniffer? "Building model airplanes" says the little fairy; well, we're not buying it. He sneaks into your house once, that's all it takes. The next thing you know, there's money missing off the dresser, and your daughter's knocked up. I seen it a hundred times.

But why do they put a guarantee on the box?

Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of sh!t. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for now, for your customer's sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality product from me...

[sst4life]

Like bee said you shouldve brought them up to Maine and made a day of it. Cabelas isnt that far away from freeport and LL Bean and Portland has an awesome oceanfront.

[Baitbucket]

If i had known it was their practice to do this when you ship them in, i would have driven to the store.

[The Jigger]

How long did you have these boots?
You should find another Cabala's pair of boots on line that state a lifetime warranty.
 Call a sales rep inquiring about the boots  and see what their definition of a lifetime warranty is.

[BASSQUATCH]

In my personal experience, every store brand name is junk! I do hours & hours of research and review reading before purchasing an unfamiliar brand. It saves the headache of returning inferior products.