Re: Lurkers (and Winston rods)

[Ffishnfly]

Your remarks about me being emotional about the issue of buying the rod is correct.  One point needs clarifying, however.  The rod was brand new, never used, and had been purchased by the donor to the auction, from an authorized dealer back east.  I was upset when the donor of the rod couldn't come up with the warranty card.  I was prepared for keeping the rod even without the warranty card in effect.  The thing which made me sell the rod was the poor customer service I had received from the Winston folks.  I deal with folks everyday who purchase very high ticket items and I know what is good customer service and what isn't.  My point was that Winston treated my request and me like dirt.  I discussed this with my local flyshop and they advised that that is just the way Winston does business.  Their way or ! no way.  He offered to intervene with Winston on my behalf, but I told him no, as I understood I had "rolled the dice."  But what a contrast to the customer service on the rod from T&T.  I bought that rod from a charitable auction, understanding there was no warranty card.  When T&T was contacted, they said they stand behind their products and since it had never been registered sent me the card to fill out.  Mind you, in over 40 years of flyfishing I have only had to use a warranty once.  Just ticks me off that a manufacturer won't stand behind their products because, as the owner of the shop emphasized to me, "it wasn't purchased through a franchised flyshop, or a certified auction."  Also, the proceeds of the auction benefited a charitable organization and the price I paid was only a little below the $695 retail for this rod.  Again, it comes back to whether a manufacturer will stand behind their product.  My friend at the! flyshop said that was one reason they were starting to buy less and less rods from Winston.  Too much hassle with warranty issues.  And this from the leading flyshop on the Eastside.    Maybe I am cutting off my nose to spite my face, but regardless of how good a product a manufacturer has, if they will not stand behind their product, just because the i's are not dotted turns me off from that product.   Back to the original subject of "lunkers," (and I really detest that word), lets keep things the way they are.  Observers, yeah, that's a better word, will eventually contribute.  But let's let them have the opportunity of finding out how to catch the lunkers, or just the little ones.  Maybe something they learned from the regular contributors will enable them to pass on something they learned.  Let's stay away from an "elitist" attitude.   Roger Bellevue