Do any of Hardy- Greys personnel read the Forum, if they do, could they answer the following,
1, Why does it cost £40.for a lifetime guarantee?
2, How much does Greys purchase a spare top for?
I bet its not even half of that.

According to what I have read on this forum they can buy 8 complete new rods for that.

Alan

Why are all the top (U.S.) rods so expensive, cos you're buying the next one when the first one breaks.

Most of them are made in China anyway. So it's just a matter of getting another section/blank/rod shipped over to replace a stock item.

The cost of building a rod these days is so low you wouldn't believe it. There are 2 factories in China that make over 90% of ALL fishing rods. The average life expectancy in these used to be around 35 with all the chemicals/fumes.dust etc.

Im repeating myself, but a number of years ago i met a sales rep from a company, i cant remember who he worked for, and he told me, that greys will purchase a large number of spare tops when bringing out a new rod, although they will also have spare other sections, its usually the top that snaps, i would like to know how much they buy them at.
and if you did not have a guarantee, how much would they charge you, for a top.

The £40 charge is a so called "Handling fee".

But here's a way to get your rod replaced for free if it's over a year old.

The consumer protection act does not limit your rights to a free replacement to within the first year of purchase. The product should be "fit for purpose", is a fishing rod that gets used say six months of the year fit for purpose if it breaks after two, three, four years ? I would say that a rod that cost in excess of £100 should be lasting a minimum of 5 years.

Phone Hardy and tell them that you don't agree with their handling charge and that you don't think the rod is "fit for purpose". No doubt they'll say 'It's over a year old' or 'Read the terms of sale'. Needless to say they're wrong on both counts. Report them to trading standards, in the unlikely event Hardy try and face trading standards down they would need to proved the following information to trading standards which as the complainer you would be entitled to see.

a) Provide failure rates for the type of rod.
b) Provide all test data for the rod.
c) Provide a detailed cost analysis to justify the £40 charge.

Remember it don't cost nowt to report them to trading standards who are oblidged to act on your behalf.

Answer when you try to register online for your "unconditional" guarentee only to find that you are directed towards membership of Hardy and Greys owners group. This involves agreeing to "terms and conditions " as well as a "privacy" policy the details of which appear to be unavailable .
Your unconditional lifetime protection also involves registering on the website within 21 days of purchase [ surely a condition] and accepting to pay the handling fee plus all sorts of other requirements none of which appear to be in the customers interest especially given the costs involved.
I have not registered my rod as I will not sign up without knowing what I'm agreeing. The advice on Trading Standards sounds a possible way forward in the event of problems so thanks for that.

Has anyone sent a broken top to greys, without a guarantee, and if so, what were they charged?

I phoned them last year for a spare top section for a rod i bought second hand, i was charged £30!

The lifetime guarantee thing is a con! handling charges are a con and the price of most rods are a con! when you buy hardy or greys for example you are paying for the name, i have a scierra rod that is near identical in every detail to a streamflex, only difference i can find is the pricetag and graphics on the rod!

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[B][COLOR="Black"]"Bang Tidy"
.[/COLOR][/B]

i had the same thing with daiwa. I called them a bunchof everything going and that i would write to the fishing magazines to ask the experts for advice... just let me speak to my manager...

---------- Post added at 11:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 AM ----------

the other thing is that mine was a lifetime WARRANTY, i'm sure that a warranty means you don't have to pay, as the manufacturer is taking the blame for any breakages.

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Chris

Gott weiss ich will kein Engel sein

I happen to like Greys rods, but i object to this £40, surely they could charge £15 plus postage or do away with this present guarantee altogether, it really stinks as a con,
I purchased a platinum xd, the fist time i used it, i was putting the line through the eyes,
and i am careful, with only the slightest bend on the rod, the top snapped, i phoned Greys explaining I had just bought the rod, and this was its first outing, when i was told to cut it in to pieces, post it along with the handling fee,I refused and they eventually replaced the top free of charge.