I sent back my two broken rods from last years Albie wars about 2 weeks ago. One was a 9 wt. Silver Label TL and the other was a 10 wt. Trident TL. I got the 10 wt. back in a week and it was back to new again, they even sent me back the broken parts. On Thurs. UPS pulls up and it is my other rod. I bring it in the house and open er up to check out the repair work and to my amazement their is a Trident rod tube inside??? I said to myself I didn't send it back in a Trident tube, and then it dawned on me what was going on and I hurriedly tore open the box to find 1. brand new complete Trident TL 9 wt. rod. They upgraded me from a Silver Label TL to a Trident TL without me even asking them to. I don't know why but I am not complaining it is a beautiful rod and matches my other Trident. I took it out for a test ride today on the Sound and it casts like a cannon and handles every bit as good as the 10 wt. Every time I have had to deal with Orvis they have been absolutely awesome, they have bent over backwards for me more times than I can remember and now they do this. I have said it before and I will restate here now, Orvis has a customer for life in me!!!! Customer service and satisfaction is what it is all about BABY!!!!! And they are the pro's in this dept. If you are thinking about a new rod purchase please give Orvis a chance as you will not be disappointed by the remarkable customer service they will provide. TWO THUMBS UP!!!!!!!
Mike, I have to agree with you on all counts. My regular flyshop isn't my regular just because it's on the way home from work (that in itself is dangerous enough)....it's also because they are an Orvis outfitter with the service and guarantees/warantees that keep me coming back.
Nice to hear that someone else out there feels the same!
You Just cannot knock Orvis for Customer
Service. I too broke a rod. Took it to the local shop and said I was going on vacation the following week and needed the rod back quickly even if there was extra freight involved. Shop said they would loan me a rod if the rod was not back quick enough. It wasn't the shop loaned me a trident and I was happy for a week. They upgraded the rod. I had thought of buying a cheaper rod given that I was traveling with kids who invariably broke things.Glad I did not.
I have had similar experiences with other companies as well since then but no loaners.
That is why you buy Orvis,
++++
I agree - kind of. The service is great. I've always gotten a brand new rod when I've broken my Trident TL 5wt. Usually, it takes 1-2 weeks, but this last time it took 4.
What I want is a rod that doesn't break! I have broken the same rod 4 times now, and each time in routine fishing situations. I just think they have a durability problem with this model. I've talked to so many people whose rods have broken for no apparent reason.
I think Orvis should put a premium on making a rod that doesn't break every 14 mos (that's my average), so we wouldn't have to keep taking advantage of their fantastic warranty. Good warrantees are standard for high-end rods now. I don't think that should mean that we should expect them to break.
I know I'll be looking elsewhere next time I am in the market for a new rod.
I can't speak for your situation but in my case it was my fault 90% of the time the rods broke. I have broken all of them on Albies and it was due to over pressuring them before they were ready. The one rod I broke that I thought was freaky was an 11 wt. Trident that exploded while fighting an Albie a couple years back. Never did figure that one out. Rod ended up in 5 pieces it broke so violently. Actually hurt my hand from the shards that flew in every direction. I won't be looking anywhere else for equipment as I am sold on Orvis for as long as their service stays the way it is, they would have to really screw me to make me go somewhere else and i don't think that is going to happen. Just my opinion of course and equipment is a very personal thing, you have to go with what you are comfortable with.
Went to Alaska a few years back on a 10 day float trip.
My buddy who owns a local Orvis store, brought 5 Orvis rods 9-10 wts. Those king salmon broke all 5 rods! Orvis replaced all of them within weeks......we are located only a hour from their Manchester, VT shop. No Questions asked! Does not get any better than that.....
Hey - I'm with you. I think it's great that they have such a great no-questions-asked warranty. I have always had my stuff replaced quickly. And the rods perform beautifully.
Personally though, I would rather just have a rod that lasts longer. With my experience and other peoples' stories, it seems like Orvis has put a premium on quality of service over quality (ie. durability) of product. I'd prefer high standards in both. It's like they made a business decision to forgo spending what it costs to create a durable rod and transfer the savings to their service department. Of course, this is just hearsay, but that's what my experience suggests.
Patagonia is a good example of good service AND great product - they have a similar approach to service as Orvis, but I've never had to send anything back to them.
Hey Dewey....I hear ya
BTW...on that Alaska trip....."MY" Sage RPLX 9 wt. did not break....do not know if it was the "rod" or the "fisherman" holding it?
I think it is time for an extended warranty option for these rods and other products. Basic warranty one year for defects ( infant mortality should be done with by then) and then extended beyond that for an additional fee. That way, those that take care of their rods will not be paying the higher prices for those that do not.
I am not sure what you are getting at but it sounded as though you were saying I don't take care of my equipment??? I can assure you my equipment is taken care of and never intentionally abused, but it does get used .....ALOT! And I do use every bit of the rods capacity when fighting a fish. I think at times though I have over extended the capabilities of the rods and they succumbed to the torture. I am not convinced that dong what you suggest would have any effect on pricing.
On this point, I am with you, striper.
I have to maintain that my Orvis rods have been used often, but never abused. My 13 year old Browning rod has received similar treatment and the blank has never broken. This is a product problem, not a user problem.
I am sure there are some who abuse generous service, but I have a feeling that in the FF world it is not enough to greatly effect prices.
IS the warranty service built into the price of the rod? yes, it has to be to some extent. But Temple Fork has a pretty good warranty and their rods are under $100.
IS the warranty service built into the price of the rod? yes, it has to be to some extent. But Temple Fork has a pretty good warranty and their rods are under $100.
The only way we will truly find out how much replacement costs are is to adopt an extended warranty practice. Then there will be a choice that the individual purchaser will have to make. That seems fair to me.
JF,
I will respond to this one more time and then I am finished. Fighting fish hard in order to facilitate successful C&R is not quite the same thing as throwing a rod on the ground or something similar. I don't believe that applying maximum fighting pressure to a fish can honestly be put in the same category as "not taking care of their rods". A rod shuld be able to withstand much more pressure than what we put on them before breaking, I think as it has been stated before that Orvis does need to address their design philosophy and see if they can build some durability back into their rods. If you have watched their product releases over the past few years overall weight of the rod seems to be a big factor but at the cost of durability.
I see that Striper, in his Montauk Albie post, has broken his orvis that was just replaced.
Also - I returned my Trident TL this summer, and on top of the 4-6 week turnaround time, I just got an INVOICE. They want $30 for the replacement rod. I already have the replacement. I have broken the rod 4 times, never in abnormal circumstances, and a $30 fee was never included in any of the Warranty cards I've seen. It's not that huge a fee for a repair, but it wasn't part of the deal, and they never mentioned it on the phone.
Most Likely. Based on a recent article I read by Al Campbell upon his return from the Denver tackle show, it seems as if manufacturers are getting away from lifetime warranties with no further costs involved, such as shipping and handling. Further, manufacturers are generally within their rights to change policies at their discretion, without prior notice.
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