Sage Repair/Replacement

[JGH]

So I snapped my 4 piece Xi2, at the bottom ferrule, on my last day in Andros recently and sent it back to Sage. I've never returned a rod to them before. They tell me that they are building replacements for the bottom two pieces of my rod, and that it'll take about two weeks. I have to think that this is more costly and labor-intensive than just sending me a brand new rod. Does anyone have any idea why they do it this way?

[gonzo]

So I snapped my 4 piece Xi2, at the bottom ferrule, on my last day in Andros recently and sent it back to Sage. I've never returned a rod to them before. They tell me that they are building replacements for the bottom two pieces of my rod, and that it'll take about two weeks. I have to think that this is more costly and labor-intensive than just sending me a brand new rod. Does anyone have any idea why they do it this way?

Not sure why they are taking this course of action, but what I do know is that Sage's warrenty is second to none and they are quick... it's the postal service that lets everyone down.

[Strat]

I have snapped a few Sages and that's the typical response. I have never had them send me a brand new rod. They have sent me a new section or 2 or repaired the problem in the past. I was a little surprised by this given the price of the rods, but the repairs have always been very well done and undetectable. It's actually kinda nice if you break one of the discontinued models.

[flyinsalt]

Luckily, I've never broken a Sage rod. Do you have to be the original owner of the rod for the warranty to be good? I have a rod that I purchased from another individual, so I suppose the warranty isn't any good, is that correct?

[RogerStg]

but what I do know is that Sage's warrenty is second to none and they are quick.

Am I the only one that thinks 2 weeks plus shipping time is not quick and is worse than most? :confused:

FWIW, a broken Scott was returned to me in under 2 weeks total from the time it left my house, and a broken TFO was returned within 5 days from the time it left my house.

[Fin]

a broken TFO was returned within 5 days from the time it left my house.

For me too, although it doesn't compare to a Sage rod, the warranty is pretty damn good.

Sent out my TICR and got it back in 5 days. That's just awesome customer service.

[JoeA]

I used to think that way about them but eight or nine years ago I broke the top of my sage rplx 10 weight I sent them the whole rod as instructed and got back a rod other than my own. The difference was the butt capp on my old one had a nice round rubber end, the new one they sent back to me was made of cork and cheaper quaility, the handle was also worn like mune was so I knew it wasn't a new rod. The people at sage insited that it was my rod despite the evidence of a different butt cap. I sent it back one more time maybe a year later and I got the same rod back. They make nice fly rods but I'll never buy another one.

[H2O]

As much as I understand the desire to have it immediately replaced - 2 weeks isn't that much time. Having worked in shops that retail Sage, Winston, Scott, Orvis, TFO, etc. - 2 weeks could be considered really good. I've had rods take over a month to get back to me - that's why I have a full arsenal b/c rods do break!

[jake61198]

flyinsalt,
It's been a couple of years since I broke a sage, but I've had no problem with their warranty on a couple of rods that I bought secondhand and had not registered myself. Hopefully they still do that. By the way, the best I've ever seen was Redington, a three day turnaround with a brand new rod. The only bad part was that it was one of their nano's and I had to do that three day turnaround about four times before I finally got rid of the rod.

[JGH]

Thanks for the responses. This is only the second rod I've ever broken. The other was a Redington years ago (before it became part of Sage), and the shop I bought it from was nice enough to just give me a new rod off their shelf and return the broken one itself. Now that's service. Unfortunately, since Sage doesn't just provide new rods that arrangement wouldn't work for Sage rods.

[MichaelDS]

Working in a fly shop, I frequently send rods back for repair/replacement. Ten days to two weeks for repair is typical for any manufacturer. If we believe that our rod is the only one in the repair shop then we might be upset by this wait time. But it's not. We are in the queue with the others.

As for just sending a new rod rather than rebuilding one, what would they do with the unbroken sections of your old rod? Can't resell them. By rebuilding the broken sections they are out only the materials and labor costs of the broken sections not for a complete rod. Sending a new rod everytime would drive up their costs and thus our costs. Might even cause them to go to a limited warranty. As it is now, I have sent broken rods to Sage that were more than 15 years old and they were repaired.

And all this for $40. Such a deal!

I remember the days before the lifetime warranty when a broken rod was a costly item to repair/replace. I think that today's rod owner is getting a very good deal from Sage and the other manufacturers. Count our blessings . . .

[oakislandreds]

If your car were so cheap that the manufacturer threw it into the trash each time that it quit running and gave you a new one (and still made a profit), what would you think about the quality of that car?

I could not fathom dropping 3 perfectly good sections, handcrafted by American's, into the dump, in order to send out a new rod a few days sooner that waiting for a repair. A quality item is to be appreciated; if broken, then repaired, if unrepairable, then replaced. I know that TFOs and other mass-produced import rods can throw a lot of line, but rods by Winston, Sage, Scott, Loomis, and other premium rods are truly works of art. Their craftsmanship is beautiful. If that is not appreciated or valued, then buy a cheap stick and the manufacturer can hand you a new one every time.

I personally detest lifetime warranties. They drive up the cost of the quality rods that I prefer to fish. I would rather pay a more reasonable price for a quality rod, and then pay a fair repair fee if I break it.

I know that I just ruffled some feathers, but keep in mind, that this is just my opinion...

The original poster is getting knotted up without even receiving unacceptable service yet. Remember that it is better to under-promise and over-deliver...

Signed

[JGH]

If your car were so cheap that the manufacturer threw it into the trash each time that it quit running and gave you a new one (and still made a profit), what would you think about the quality of that car?

I could not fathom dropping 3 perfectly good sections, handcrafted by American's, into the dump, in order to send out a new rod a few days sooner that waiting for a repair. A quality item is to be appreciated; if broken, then repaired, if unrepairable, then replaced. I know that TFOs and other mass-produced import rods can throw a lot of line, but rods by Winston, Sage, Scott, Loomis, and other premium rods are truly works of art. Their craftsmanship is beautiful. If that is not appreciated or valued, then buy a cheap stick and the manufacturer can hand you a new one every time.

I personally detest lifetime warranties. They drive up the cost of the quality rods that I prefer to fish. I would rather pay a more reasonable price for a quality rod, and then pay a fair repair fee if I break it.

I know that I just ruffled some feathers, but keep in mind, that this is just my opinion...

The original poster is getting knotted up without even receiving unacceptable service yet. Remember that it is better to under-promise and over-deliver...

Signed

Wow, and just four posts into this guy's reel-time tenure. (#$119) I'll let others decide if this is "unacceptable" service. I simply asked a question and never said it was "unacceptable." I would point out that Sage received my rod on April 18, and today is May 7, and I have not received my rod yet. Nor have I gotten a phone call from Sage. (I previously had to call them to get the status.) If given the choice between waiting this long for a repaired rod or a new rod in less time, I'd choose the new rod. I suspect most others would, too. I'm glad this is early season and not prime time to be without my favorite rod.

[catspaw]

Do yourself a favor and buy a backup. I would also guess that this is the busiest time of year for the repair shops.

[oakislandreds]

OK, I was a little over the top last night. I guess getting blown off the water 12 of my last 14 days that I had approval from the wife to fish is beginning to take its toll!

All right, here is a constructive idea for Sage, Winston and the like who choose to take time to build replacement parts instead of sending new rods. They could send a new rod lightning fast so that the customer who paid $600+ is happy and willing to buy their product again, but then repair the rod that was returned and sell it online as used with no warranty. Sage could pocket $350+ on that repaired Xi2, far more than their cost. The customer, Sage, and the guy who got a chance to fish that premium rod for half price are all happy. Not a bad idea....

[JGH]

To close out this thread, I received the repaired rod yesterday. Turnaround time was April 17 (when I sent it by overnight courier) to May 14. Repair looks good to the eye (they replaced the bottom two sections of the rod), though I have not yet fished or cast the rod.