Hey guys - I was just looking at buying one of these during the sale and the warranty concerns me a little. It looks according to this I can't get the 'no hassle' warranty unless I have a dealer near me which I do not believe I do. Anyone had to use this

yet and have any experience on it?

Thanks guys!

" Dobyns Rods 'No Hassle' Warranty Alternative

If you need to get a replacement rod immediately for that fishing trip tomorrow, simply take the damaged rod to your local Dobyns Rods Dealer and pay them a $60 replacement fee. They will keep your damaged rod and give you a new, same model rod, in return. No questions asked, no shipping, no waiting or wondering about warranty claim charges. This replacement is dependent on the dealer having inventory of your damaged rod model and their willingness to participate in this program. "

I have had great service w/ Dobyns. Ordered a couple rods that had dents in the cork and sent them all back and they were quickly exchanged. I would imagine that if you had a broken rod that you could call Dobyns and they would take care of you. I would guess you send the rod with a $60 check, they inspect it, and they send you a new one plus shipping. Just a guess. 

Customer Service is what they are known for. Gary and his son both work very hard at making sure every customer is 100% satisfied. When you call during normal hours, you will reach a live person, or get a call back very quickly.

  No worries if there's no dealer near you, the no hassle warranty still applies. Call them up, tell them what happened, and they will walk you through how to get your new rod. All done very easily.

I have ten of em and have only had one issue. I called and they told me to send them the rod. They had it back to me in a week no questions asked and didn't charge me a penny.

To me these warranties are crap. I bought a Powell rod about a month ago with a supposed "lifetime warranty" Only after reading the warranty, the warranty isn't a warranty at all because if the rod does fail you still have to pay almost half the price for a new replacement, even if it was defective. To me this isn't a warranty at all, but more like an exchange program. And even then it says they will inspect it and if they determine a defect then they will send you a new rod.  >

To me, a warranty is something that covers the replacement. They should advertise it as a deductable warranty or something that isn't so misleading.

To me these warranties are crap. I bought a Powell rod about a month ago with a supposed "lifetime warranty" Only after reading the warranty, the warranty isn't a warranty at all because if the rod does fail you still have to pay almost half the price for a new replacement, even if it was defective. To me this isn't a warranty at all, but more like an exchange program. And even then it says they will inspect it and if they determine a defect then they will send you a new rod. >

To me, a warranty is something that covers the replacement. They should advertise it as a deductable warranty or something that isn't so misleading.

Considering it costs close to $30 to ship a rod to you, they're really only asking for an additional $30. If it was a defect in the rod and not your own wrong doing, send it in, they will check it, and replace it. Most of the time when a rod breaks, it's the owners fault. And $60 may be close to half of the Powell rods cost, but many dobyns are $220 - $320 , so $60 is quite a small charge in the event that  you break a rod on your own fault.

The fact that companies will replace rods if you step on it and break it, the rod locker breaks it, a door slams on it, is quite nice IMO. They're certainly not making money off of you by replacing it for $60. If they didn't charge, people would break a rod after 6 months because the cork is dirty and they just want a new one.

I don't think I am or would be upset at the charge, just how they use the term "Warranty". Its not really a true warranty when you have to pay part of the replacement unless they offer something like a 5 year free replacement and then the charge after that. It's more of a breakage coverage program or rod replacement program than anything.

This is the real world, nothing is free

To answer the OP's quaestion: yes I have.... I broke a Champion 703c and took it back to the tackle store I purchased it from. Paid the $60.00 and got a new rod from the store inventory. I had no wait and no hassles. Very smooth...

Only thing that sucks for me is that little piece of paper called a receipt. I try my best to keep track of those little things but find my self loosing track of them after years. Those new thermal printers suck too after 6 months they are soled black. cant make out what is what. I know you need a receipt for the limited warranty do you need one for the No Hassle exchange? If you do then to me it's still a bit of a hassle.

I did not need a receipt for the no hassle warranty.

I called them up and asked about the no questions asked warranty and about past breakage issues.

They're friendly people there, and the NQA warranty sounds alright. I won't be worried about getting a replacement if I snap one, but I would prefer a service similar to the GL Expeditor instead, so I didn't have to pay to ship the rod in first and wait for it to be processed before a replacement was shipped.

I did not need a receipt for the no hassle warranty.

sweet