I was wondering what other rod builders use or put into their warrenty paper's that you give to your customer's. I know that all defects in craftsmanship are covered by the manufacturer of that component. I am working on printing out a warrenty form for my customer's. Any Ideas are helpfull.

Do a search here for warranty or warranties. It has been discussed quite a bit in the last few days

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Here's mine ...

XYZ Rods include a limited lifetime warranty on craftsmanship, all components are subject to their respective manufacturer's warranty. In the unfortunate event that your rod breaks, you may return your rod to XYZ Rods along with a check for $25.00, to cover return postage and handling. This warranty does not cover failure due to damage caused by workmanship of others, misuse, normal wear and tear, improper storage or accidental damage. Please remember that proper care and maintenance of your custom rod are important. In the event the problem is not covered by warranty, a repair quote will be provided.

NOTE: In no event shall XYZ Rods be held liable for incidental or consequential damages due to breach of this warranty or other warranties implied by law. Under no circumstance will the liability of XYZ Rods exceed the original purchase price of the rod, less applicable taxes.

I warranty all my work for 1 year unless there has been abuse. The rods and components are covered by the manufacturer in most cases, however, if the center ring comes off a guide its not usually manufacturer problems. Its usually abuse or failure from incorrect guide placement among other things. I charge to replace guides that this happens too and warranty again only my craftsmanship.

Thank You Jim, And vern. That will help with my project. short and to the point. Thank you for the responses.

Send your worst customers to your competitors.

Take a look at the Warrenty that is in the North Fork Composite catalog. It is available on line. Gary Loomis has been building rods and blanks for many years. I think he has boiled the warrenty language for his new blanks down into a very simple format and language. I think this idea could be modified to fit what you are looking for.

Gentlemen,

Warranties are all a part of everyday life. Life insurance is warranty against death . . .If I die, somebody's gonna pay!!! You bet you're gonna die, and the insurance company bets you won't - winner takes all!! The insurance company wins as long as you are living, you win when you die!! Man, what a trade off!

I have been in the custom picture framing for 33 years and just last week a dear customer brought back a frame I completed probably 10-15 years ago based upon the moulding that was used. It was disassembled, reinspected, frame corners resecured from failure due to age and probably where she had it displayed, and then fully placed back in service. All at no charge! I was able to use all of the components as they were correct for the job when originally assembled. All of the moulding suppliers that I have dealt with through the years will replace the moulding if I feel the quality or condition is not suitable for what I want to sell to the customer. And they have on several occasions.

That is also what the rod component manufacturers will do for rod builders, and it's wonderful - but they don't cover the time and effort to make it all right for the customer - but we as rod builders, as well as picture framers, etc, still have to REDO to satisfy the customer. Do the customers really care who warrants what - they just want to get back to fishing! I guess we try to "cover all the bases" with our wording in our warranties.

Will customers shy away from businesses that do not have a clearly written and understandable warranty for their products? For what reason do "warranties" have to be so long-winded. This I struggled with six years ago. I wanted to be fair to all parties. I guess I get this as a habit In my "real" job, where I write contracts and job scopes that on some occasions may exceed 1/2 million dollars in value - THERE, all aspects must be covered - the Devil is in the details!

But as rod builders, either we're gonna' fix it or we ain't!! It's our choice. I guess the major difference between the picture framing business and the rod building business is I don't have that same little old lady bringing the same picture back every summer or fall to be re-done!!! Thats why my framing warranty has never been written down - I just do it!

Keep 'em turnin'

Charlie
tightlinerods@aol.com

Thank you to all that have given their input. It is greatly appreciated.