# Dont buy a fishing Rod from Gander Mountain



## abamadude (Mar 12, 2009)

I bought a rod from Gander Mountain in June, and after the second use the rod broke when my daughter was reeling in a little shark. The manager told me he was sorry but he could not refund my money. I asked why not, and he told me I should have purchased an extended warranty. I explained that the rod had a 1 year warranty already. The manager said, "The warranty only covers defects". I said that's why this pos broke in the first place. 

I went to make an honest review on Ganders website but they will not publish it.


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## WAReilly (Jun 2, 2014)

Why did he say the rod wasn't defective? Where did the rod break?

What brand rod was it?


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## abamadude (Mar 12, 2009)

He said it wasn't defective because rods can break easily. 

It was a gander mountain elite series rod by gsx. It's made my 13 fishing I think. The rod broke 13 to 14 inches below the tip.


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## WAReilly (Jun 2, 2014)

That's piss poor customer service. I'd call Gander's customer service line. Rod's shouldn't break easily. That's the point of a warranty.


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## J0nesi (Jun 22, 2011)

bottom line your rod broke and these guys cant help you. they got your money now they don't care it seems. wareilly is right piss poor.


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## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

Don't buy ANYTHING from Gander Mountain. Waaaaay over-priced.
I stopped by there Tuesday to get some 5.56 ammo they had on sale in their circular I had received in the mail the day before. They had none.
Now I see the circular came in today's paper.
So a newly purchased rod breaks but it's not due to a defect? Amazing.
They won't be in business long.


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## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

Buy local. I have never had a bad experience with outcast. They have fixed me up a couple times from faulty gear.


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## Big Iron (Jul 16, 2015)

Was looking for a fish scaler like I had a few years ago, couldn't find one like it so I got a stamped metal one. 96 cents at Wal Mart, 98 cents at Academy, $2.98 at Gander Mountain.
For the exact same fish scaler in Dothan, AL


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

That stinks I just bought a rod and reel from them...they were pushing the crap out of the extended warranty (close to $30 extra)I asked the guy was it because it was junk? He said oh no great product just looking out for the customer....hmmm


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Should have just gone to walmart. 
Yes you get what you pay for, BuT, they will replace a broken rod.


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

Go to outcast or other local shops. You won't ever have any customer service problems like this, or need to sit on any 1800 numbers to complain either.


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

Reason #276 to shop local. I'd bet my paycheck if that rod came from Outcast they would replace it no questions asked.


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## CootCommander (Aug 24, 2008)

Splittine said:


> Reason #276 to shop local. I'd bet my paycheck if that rod came from Outcast they would replace it no questions asked.


I can confirm. I picked up a Trevela F from them and it broke on the 2nd trip. When I walked in they told me to grab another off the rack and off I went. Couldn't have been easier!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## stc1993 (Nov 23, 2014)

Chapman5011 said:


> Should have just gone to walmart.
> Yes you get what you pay for, BuT, they will replace a broken rod.


I had a spinning rod & reel combo I used for flathead catfish. I had it for around a year & the rod broke. They gave me a brand new rod & reel combo. I had to replace my line though.


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

I haven't bought Ganders branded rods, but have bought five 13 Fishing Omen's (4 black, 1 green), 3 Diawa Lexa's, an Abu Garcia Veritas and an Abu Garcia Vendetta from Gander. I bought all of them on sale (some 50%+ off) so they were cheaper than Dick's, BassPro and Academy. Have also bought some Stradics and other reels (and even a few guns). Have fished all of them pretty hard with no problems, so I haven't had to experience customer service. Their prices are really high, except that when they have something on sale, it's usually a much better sale price than anywhere else. And when anyone else has a sale and runs out of the product, I've never had any problem with Gander price matching the same item. This comes in handy when I buy 5-10 bricks of shotgun shells.


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Shimano used to have a policy to replace any broken rod under their lifetime warranty at any dealer store. Well that came to an end because every time a rod was broken in car door, gas station roofs, high sticking or any other manner it was taken back for replacement. The whole idea of the life time replacement was for manufacturers defects and not abuse, accidents or improper use of the rod. 

Now when you break a Shimano rod you have to send it back to Shimano and they will inspect the rod to determine how it was broken, if it is in fact a defective rod they will replace it under the life time warranty.


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## bhudson (Apr 22, 2015)

There are other companies comparable to Shimano that still do that and all you have to do is take it back to the dealer and swap it out and they will deal with the warranty. Maybe it also depends on the dealer too


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

CootCommander said:


> I can confirm. I picked up a Trevela F from them and it broke on the 2nd trip. When I walked in they told me to grab another off the rack and off I went. Couldn't have been easier!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


How long ago was this? Shimanos policy has changed (sadly), see Kim's post and others in archive.

Hate it when the learning curve costs $$$


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

abamadude said:


> He said it wasn't defective because rods can break easily.
> 
> It was a gander mountain elite series rod by gsx. It's made my 13 fishing I think. The rod broke 13 to 14 inches below the tip.


I will have to say, if it broke that high up it could have been from "high sticking". Any rod could break if you pull high and hard enough. Just my .02.


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## speckledcroaker (Mar 23, 2012)

Wirelessly posted

I've broke a lot of rods all over the world, when I break one hawg dawgin on a minnow, Screw the warranty. Obviously I would go buy a stronger rod.


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## thejedi (Jul 18, 2015)

They replace broken rods all the time, especially their own brand. Never had any issues and they price match everything and everybody. I would try again... maybe somebody was just having a bad day.


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## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

There's not much education in the second kick of a mule.


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## thejedi (Jul 18, 2015)

You are completely correct. But people make mistakes... Even in retail. When I have been dissatisfied in the past, I try again...


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## florabamaboy (Nov 18, 2011)

Gotta toss in my 2 scents!
+1 for the Outcast bump. I bought my son an Inshore Outcast custom rod last year for Christmas. Shortly thereafter he had a mishap, broken 4" off the tip. The Outcast staff replaced the rod, no questions asked, and were a pleasure to deal with. That simple act earned my yearly fishing monies. I now by local.


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## thejedi (Jul 18, 2015)

Those moments can/do define great service and store/brand loyalty... Just saying I had had those same moments at Gander... And hope this was just an isolated incident/bad day for someone, as I have only experienced good... At several locations....


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

Outcast! Done.


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## TarponDan (Nov 29, 2011)

A few observations. If you have trouble with customer service, ask for a supervisor, and get the name of the person who failed to provide satisfactory service. Always be polite; you'll usually get much better results, and you can still be firm. I like to use the phrase "May I speak with your supervisor, please?" It works most of the time. Emailing a customer complaint hasn't been very effective for me. I usually get some canned response that doesn't address the issue. 

Regarding the Shimano rod warranty, it is my understanding that rods are now supposed to be sent back to Shimano directly from the consumer. If a shop gives you an over the counter replacement, they are doing you a favor and risking that Shimano will not credit them for the return. Rods purchased before the change are still covered by the lifetime warranty, but you are supposed to send them in yourself now, and if they give you a replacement, it will only have a 1-year warranty.

I have also received excellent service from Outcast. It's nice to have several local tackle shops who not only know their business, but also give you accurate information for catching fish.


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