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That is a damn shame, Winston is a high ticket rod,
and they should stand behind their product. Unfortunately they are
falling into the same category as Simms; great product with terrible customer
service. Maybe you should contact John Covich, he is the NorthWest sales rep for
Winston. Personally I feel that he is an a$$hole, but maybe he can help you
out.
As far as the "lurkers" thread goes, well
indeed I lurk, but I never feel as though I never have anything to offer here.
Except when it comes to products, in that case I will always have something to
offer. Ready? Reddington; everything they make is CRAP!!!
Okuma; everything they make is even stinkier crap!!! Hodgeman
products; Absolute Crap!! Anything and everything that John Covich
reps; the worst stinkiest crap the world has ever seen at a high
price. Sage; without a doubt the best flyrods on the
market. Dan Baileys; The best waders, even though they are made
overseas(awesome warranty ). G.Loomis; the GL3 line up is better than the
SAGE DS except for a few models. G.loomis GLX; Fantastic rods with
no durablity but a good warranty makes them OK in my book. G.Loomis
Adventure reels; decent drag, great price, just don't drop them. Ross
Reels; fantastic product with incredible customer
service. Waterworks/Lamson; everything they make is great and they also
have great customer service.
Goodluck
BT
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2001 3:46
PM
Subject: Re: Lurkers (and Winston
rods)
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
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