Whatever happened to taking personal responsibility for screwing up? You broke a great high-quality rod and it's no one's fault but yours. Loomis owes you nothing. Bashing them on a public forum isn't going to get you anywhere and it's pretty 'unclassy' if you ask me.

If you break that many rods, you should probably read this: http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf

Sorry for being harsh,

jeremy

 

This is sorta old news. There's loads of info on the subject on this forum:

http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=53267

IMO you've been overpaying for a name for years. Plenty of cheaper, nice rods w/ better warranties. This is what happens when the big fish (Shimano) eats the little ones (G.Loomis).

 

Whatever happened to taking personal responsibility for screwing up? You broke a great high-quality rod and it's no one's fault but yours. Loomis owes you nothing. Bashing them on a public forum isn't going to get you anywhere and it's pretty 'unclassy' if you ask me.

If you break that many rods, you should probably read this: http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf

Sorry for being harsh,

jeremy

Thanks this is a nice read. All makes sense to me. I've broken many rods and after reading this I know why on most. Recently I grabbed about a foot from the tip bending it to get my line twisted off the first guide and it snapped. As sson as I did it I knew it was my fault. Can't replace it. Try Gander Rods..they will replace with no questions.

 

I spent the extra cash on a few loomis rods because of their warrenty that they offered. If you have ever talked to a loomis rep in the past the used to preach "hey man, if you break it no questions asked just use the expidator program it will only cost you 50 bucks" Thats why i bought a few and happened to use it once and it was really nice knowing you had the warrenty and a new rod within 2 days. The way i see it is it was there warrenty program and they promoted it to sell rods. They are nice rods and very sensitive which i feel has helped out my catch rate. I too was not happy to find out this news but in no way do i feel Lord of the punks has done anything wrong with his post based on he bought a product and they did not live up to the promises they told him at the purchase. Hey it sucks they changed their policy but i understand how the business world works and i also understand i will not pay 350 for a rod with the lesser warrenty. I don't know but im sure a competitor has a rod with the same qualities as loomis at a lesser price and appealing warrenty so i'll be researching right with ya LOTP. I just don't think some people understand how much we use these rods and the rest of our equipment. Thats the main reason we buy the quality stuff because the lesser product doesn't get the job done and by the way i broke my loomis reeling a bass in. Even the best equipment will fail with the use we give it, thats why we liked the warrenty they promoted so much. Just went back and read the article, nice read but in the loomis case before their new program, it did not matter how it broke based on their warrenty system, which probably hurt their profit and loomis is now owned by shimano so with the change in ownership there is always changes that we are not going to like. But you still have to wonder how much it actually cost them to build a rod and sell it for 350 bucks, i would think they were making quite a bit on every rod sold but feel like we kind of bought the warrenty at the time of purchase. Oh well it was nice while it lasted.

 

"I can build you a rod you can't break, but you wouldn't want to fish with it!" - Gary Loomis

jeremy

 

Whatever happened to taking personal responsibility for screwing up? You broke a great high-quality rod and it's no one's fault but yours. Loomis owes you nothing. Bashing them on a public forum isn't going to get you anywhere and it's pretty 'unclassy' if you ask me.

If you break that many rods, you should probably read this: http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf

Sorry for being harsh,

jeremy

I'll respectfully disagree with you on this one. You are coming at this from a custom builder perspective, and not a production rod perspective. A lot of the "differentiation" in production rods is based on the "warranty" or "replacement service".

I think the TT thread reveals a lot about Shiloomis's business plan (Beancounter-centric). Now that the Wildcard service is not transferable on a new NRX, that just adds fuel to the fire.

 

I'll respectfully disagree with you on this one. You are coming at this from a custom builder perspective, and not a production rod perspective. A lot of the "differentiation" in production rods is based on the "warranty" or "replacement service".

I think the TT thread reveals a lot about Shiloomis's business plan (Beancounter-centric). Now that the Wildcard service is not transferable on a new NRX, that just adds fuel to the fire.

I agree that some of what you are paying for in a high end factory rod is the warranty. When you're buying the store brand rods from the big box stores, what you're getting is a $20 rod with a big warranty that you pay $100 for. They are banking on the fact that guys are going to break one or two and they will still get their money's worth from the guy without charging replacement fees.

However, with companies like Loomis that's not the case. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the reason Loomis rods have been traditionally more expensive is that they are the one's doing the R&D. Many other companies purchase the technology but the one's doing the R&D are the one's spending big bucks and they have to get it back by charging more for rods.

The $50 that Loomis was charging barely covered shipping. With so many guys breaking rods, I'm sure they've had to raise the price to cover costs.

Bottom line is if you use your rod properly, within its design limits, you won't break it. A rod will hold up to years and years of hard use but it will break the first trip out if you abuse it. There's a big difference between proper use and abuse. If a guy is constantly breaking rods, he's abusing them. Here's my definition of abuse: rod rated for 30lb line and a guy's using 100lb braid in heavy grass while setting the hook like Mike Tyson punching a hooker. The fisherman is obviously exceeding the rod's limits which qualifies as abuse.
I cringe every time I watch Bassmasters- those guys abuse the heck out of rods and you can usually see one or two break every show.

jeremy

 

Thanks this is a nice read. All makes sense to me. I've broken many rods and after reading this I know why on most. Recently I grabbed about a foot from the tip bending it to get my line twisted off the first guide and it snapped. As sson as I did it I knew it was my fault. Can't replace it. Try Gander Rods..they will replace with no questions.

I had a guy that use to fish with me do this to not one but two rods on my boat. One his own and one was mine. yeah he broke my rod but it was a Cabelas Depthmaster and I stopped at Cabelas on the way home and got a new one. I told him that isn't how you grab a rod when he grabbed his own and he said I didn't know what I was talking about. The difference was when he grabbed his he more slid it towards him, but when he grabbed mine he lifted it and with a Sealine 27 on a 7'6" rod it snapped the tip off. Yeah I cussed him and no he doesn't fish with me anymore

 

I had a guy that use to fish with me do this to not one but two rods on my boat. One his own and one was mine. yeah he broke my rod but it was a Cabelas Depthmaster and I stopped at Cabelas on the way home and got a new one. I told him that isn't how you grab a rod when he grabbed his own and he said I didn't know what I was talking about. The difference was when he grabbed his he more slid it towards him, but when he grabbed mine he lifted it and with a Sealine 27 on a 7'6" rod it snapped the tip off. Yeah I cussed him and no he doesn't fish with me anymore

Dave,

The problem is most fisherman (myself included until the last couple of years) have not been educated on proper rod usage. Many guys break rods and never know why. Most try to blame it on the elusive "manufacturer's defect." Hopefully your buddy learned his lesson!

jeremy

 

Does anyone have experience with high end Shimano rods returns??

I myself have upgraded all my equipment this year and purchased one high grade rod from each company, shimano cumara, stcroix ledgend and a loomis glx. As i have posted in other threads the St.Croix co. took care of biz replacing my rod for $50 also called me to advise me of shipment date and there obligatory upgrade option which is nice. After fishing with all 3 this season I like the Cumara reaction series the best. They are lighter and more accurate IMO. I worried enuff about breaking my 6'8"Mfast casting that I bought the next size up as well. Absolutely love these rods and they are cheaper then the other companys mentioned.

Real curious if anyone has had to return one?

 

Dave,

The problem is most fisherman (myself included until the last couple of years) have not been educated on proper rod usage. Many guys break rods and never know why. Most try to blame it on the elusive "manufacturer's defect." Hopefully your buddy learned his lesson!

jeremy

why dont you educate us on how to properly use a fishing rod. i have been tournament fishing for years, i dont abuse my equipment, i take care of my stuff. my point is when you spend as much time on the water as guys like marshal and i, s**t happens. unless you fish 30+ tournaments a year, you really cant comment on what its like to use a rod properly. my personal responsibility stops and g loomis starts when i throw down $300 for a rod that guarentees their product for life. just like marshal said, im paying not only for a great rod but for security.

now that this has changed, looks like i will be looking for a new manufacture.

as far as bashing a great rod manufacture on a forum not getting me anywhere, neither would saying nothing, i contacted g loomis and they basically said the same thing. i could almost live with the new charge, but the fact that they will only perform this service one time per rod is where i draw the line.

i cant justify dropping $300 for a rod when a simple thing like a rogue wave from an ocean liner cruising on alum creek causes me to miss step and land on a rod, breaks rod, and now im out $300. im not saying its g loomis fault but i am saying that it now makes that rod not worth the risk.

 

this is isnt about abuse, its about use. a rod might last forever if it gets used a few times a season, but if you heave a crank bait 1000 times a day 3 or 4 days a week, or you flip a jig into heavy cover 750 times a day 3 or 4 days a week. breakage happens. now if you buy a loomis rod to canoe down the olentangy 3 times a year, go to farmer bobs pond for an hour or two once a week, catch bluegills and channel cats with your kids then maybe that warranty doesnt concern you, maybe proper usage of a rod is easily achievable. bottom line is this.

i dont have the skills that alot of guys have, i close the gap by using the best equipment i can get my hands on. part of the reason i buy loomis rods is i felt that was the best rod on the market AND if it broke i could replace it easily. this is gone, i simply will turn to the next best manufacture. im not bitter, im not sad, i really dont care either way. i just think its going to adversely effect g loomis business.

not only will it cause more warranty claims ( two of my rods broke this summer that likely would have been warrantied but because of the convenience of the xpeditor program i didnt even pursue it) but it is also going to keep guys like me from buying their equipment in the future.

i have spent nearly $2500 over the past 5 years on loomis rods, that money is now going to start heading to kistler, powell, fenwick, etc.(suggestions are welcomed)

 

I would take a look at Powell rods for sure. They have loads of great bass rods (and more on the way soon). $40 replacement fee if it's your fault and free if it's a defect. Besides that, you can get 5 of them for the price of 2 GLX rods. They're my favorites so far, but I won't spend over $200 on a rod. Dobyn's also makes some sweet sweet rods, but they'll cost you more dough and I don't think their warranty is as good.

I totally understand your pain on the issue, as loads of others do as well. I would take my business elsewhere too.

 

I am with LOTP and Marshall here. All I used was Loomis because I liked the lightness of the rods and the easy replacement policy. I broke one this summer and saw that it was now a $100 and I went out and purchased a different brand. Over the course of the next two years I will no doubt be replacing all of my Gloomis rods with other brands. If enough people are doing what I'm doing, maybe the policy will change back. Time will tell.

Also the new rod I bought isn't near as nice as the Gloomis one that I replaced. So I'm still searching for a new rod brand that I like.

 

Not sure if Shimano would be the way to go? Still looking for feedback from anyone that has delt in broken rod returns from them. In regards to there reels I know that once a production run on a certain reel is outdated that it is hard to find authorized repair dealers that have parts. I was on a wild goose chase looking for parts for 3 of my old Curado 'B'.

Will the merger complicate things more????
_______________________________________

Shimano Rod - Limited Lifetime Warranty

As used herein, “Shimano” will mean “Shimano American Corporation” with respect to United States warranty claims and “Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE” with respect to Canadian warranty claims. Shimano and Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE warrant to the original retail purchaser that this rod will be free from non-conformities in materials and workmanship. Shimano's sole obligation under this Limited Lifetime Warranty is to repair or replace, at Shimano's option, a non-conforming rod at no cost to the original retail purchaser other than the cost of packing, insuring, and shipping the rod to Shimano. This Limited Lifetime Warranty will be considered VOID if the rod is found to have been subjected to repairs not authorized by Shimano, or if it has been modified, neglected, improperly maintained, misused, abused, or the appearance of the product reveals damage by your failure to provide proper maintenance.


To request warranty repairs on a United States warranty claim, send your rod, postage prepaid, to Shimano or return it to the retailer that it was purchased from. To request warranty repairs on a Canadian warranty claim, send your rod, postage prepaid to Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE or return it to an Authorized Canadian Warranty Center. All warranty requests must be accompanied by a valid dated sales receipt and a brief note describing the difficulty you are experiencing with the rod in as much detail as possible.

Rods that are repaired or replaced by Shimano or Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE under the terms of this Limited Lifetime Warranty will be shipped back to you with Shimano or Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE paying the return shipping charges. If your rod should be found to require repairs outside of the coverage provided by this Limited Lifetime Warranty, Shimano or Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE will perform the repair or replacement and bill you for parts, labor, and return shipping charges. Retailer and wholesaler outlets are not required to perform warranty repairs or exchanges on behalf of Shimano or Shimano Canada Ltd. / LTÉE, nor are they authorized to modify this warranty in any way.

THIS LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY DOES NOT EXTEND TO OR COVER ANY DAMAGE TO THE ROD NOT RESULTING FROM A NON-CONFORMITY IN MATERIAL OR WORKMANSHIP; ANY DAMAGE CAUSED BY MISUSE, ABUSE OR TAMPERING WITH THE ROD BY OTHER THAN NORMAL USE OF THE ROD; OR ANY NON-CONFORMITY OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM REPAIRS PERFORMED OTHER THAN BY SHIMANO OR AN AUTHORIZED SHIMANO SERVICE PROVIDER.

 

why dont you educate us on how to properly use a fishing rod. i have been tournament fishing for years, i dont abuse my equipment, i take care of my stuff. my point is when you spend as much time on the water as guys like marshal and i, s**t happens. unless you fish 30+ tournaments a year, you really cant comment on what its like to use a rod properly.

It's not my job to educate you but I thought the link I posted might be helpful. I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, next time I'll keep all helpful info to myself.

Contrary to what you may think, fishing 30 tournaments a year doesn't make a person an expert on rod use (all you have to do is watch tv to see that). Just because I choose family time over fishing 30 tournaments a year doesn't disqualify me from knowing how to use a rod properly either. I'm afraid you are grossly overstating your case.

Put yourself in Loomis' shoes. You need to increase your warranty charge because guys are breaking alot of rods and you are losing money. If you raise the charge, you lose customers. If you don't raise the charge, you are losing money. What would you do in their shoes? It's not an easy place to be.

My apologies for offending you. I do tend to be over-opinionated at times and I came across as harsh. I will choose my words differently next time.

jeremy

 

you speaking up isnt offensive, however assuming that rod breakage is solely a fishermans fault is absurd. you may know all there is to know about how to handle a rod properly but that stuff goes out the door when you fish 20 to 30 hours a week. not becuase i fish differently but because its more intense and there is so much more usage.

a rod to me is a tool, just like a mechanic buys mac tools, i buy loomis rods. if mac tools suddenly said they are only replacing a tool once if it breaks. mac tools would be going out of business.

bottom line is, you cant see this perspective until you are forced to subject your rods to fishing 3 days a week for 8 to 10 hours a day. you do that, you will break a rod from time to time, then you will be pissed when you cant get it replaced and you will stop spending $300 for a flipping stick that might break if you boat flip a 4 lbr

 

Hey doesn't bow season start next week.....

 

I thought deer season is all year long in PA :S

 

In my opinion I would have to side with lord on this one... Lets face it a warranty is a way for a company to draw you into their product(it can directly effect your dicision to buy theirs over anothers). With that being said... I disagree with a rod breaking being solely the fault of the owner. It respectfully could be the most probable reason but not the only reason. Face it things happen and nothing lasts forever. The company understands this and offers a warranty to you as the consumer to draw you in to spend your hard earned $$$ on their product. So that you dont decide to go with a cheaper rod, because of the fact that your wife has a habit of taking the car out to get groceries after a long morning of fishing and has smashed 3 rods already in the trunk, or coming home to find your rod in pieces because your kids forgot to lock the door on the dog's cage after playing with him(yes this is personal experience here).

Face it, times are rough for everyone and we all want to get as much as we can with our money... this goes for consumers as much as the
manufactuers... And this is where you need to look at the other side of the spectrum... as stated already the manufactuer might not find it's in their best interest any more to provide the same quality of service that they once used too... But in retro spect it doesn't mean it has to be in Lord's best interest to continue to use them because of this change, especially after purchasing a product under something the company was so eager to back to get him to purchase in the first place.

And I think fishing in 30 tournaments might not make you an expert in rods, but it sure as heck is gonna make you experienced with them and their limitations, over someone who doesn't spend half as much time with em. I could safely say my chances of seeing a rod break or having one break on me would most deffinately increase as I increased my time/use with it. Thus I would begin to weigh products based on how easily and cost effectively they could be replaced, and this when the manufacter lures you in to buy their substantially higher priced product with a warranty... And Lord clearly stated it wasn't in his best interest to use/support their product based on the terms of the "new" warranty...

Honestly I would be a little salty if I went out bought a high priced product based on it's warrranty and then a company changed it on me making it completely useless, who wouldn't...

just my .02

 

Hey doesn't bow season start next week.....

YESSSS!!! I can't wait. Anybody else seeing an abnormal amount of buck sign already? I have several pictures of bucks hitting scrapes already. I normally don't see this until Oct 10-12 in my area.

@lordofthepunks- St. Croix's Sling Blade makes a great flippin' stick cut down to 8'. Very durable!

jeremy

 

i just tried my new 8' powell max out tonight at bur oak. its a beast (boat flipped a 3.75lbr) and its fairly light. doesnt quite feel like my loomis stick but it will get the job done if need be and at $180 not a bad price, i went ahead and payed the $100 to get my mossyback loomis replaced but im likely finished with purchasing new loomis rods. to bad for them as collecting rods has become an obsession for me over the past year or so....

now, go get that monster buck marshall!

 

Lord check out Falcon Rods. I absolutely love them and their all I own except for 1 Powell I own for t-rigs. Never had any problems with them their light and durable and pretty affordable too.

 

update..... after much back and forth with a g loomis rep via email, my biggest worry has been squelched. mr. representative hinted to me that the even though the expeditor program states that it is only a one time offer per rod, g loomis will not do anything to enforce this policy. as quoted by mr. rep "we realize that g loomis customers may have more then one of the same rod and the expeditor program does not require a receipt".

so , while im not happy about paying more to replace a rod, its certainly better then having to just purchase a new rod.

i accept this and will consider continuing to purchase loomis rods but im certainly going to look into other rod manufacturers. i appreciate all the support from everyone who understands my plight.

 

Loomis is old news. I haven't fished for a long time but from my recent ventures, there are various companies that can do just as much as Loomis now. It's more of a following and it's a well deserved one as they were ahead of their time but they ain't all that anymore. There are a couple of rods in their lineup that are completely garbage.

I own a couple of Loomis rods but they aren't any GLX's so that could void my opinion but even then, some guys say the GLX price jump isn't worth it from the IMX.

When I rod shop now, it's all about rod warranty and I own various rods. IMO, Shimano's over the counter warranty is unbeatable but the only downfall is their rod selections. Customs are good but if you break it, its a guarantee wallet breaker to fix and IMO that's not worth it.

Lord,

Don't even bother with Kistler Rods if you want to look elsewhere. I did and I regret it. Imagine dropping a ton the new year on Kistler's new rods of the year only to find them at year end clearance for half or almost half of what you paid for it. Their warranty is.....yeah.