# Sage customer service.



## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

I broke a rod tip this winter and sent it in for repair in may. 
Ups says it was delivered the same week. 

Ive had no contact from them and have sent a few inquiry emails with no response.
To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. 

has anyone had a similar experience ?


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## Will Poston (Dec 26, 2016)

They have a new portal that tracks your repair. That being said I’ve had a rod in for 5-6 weeks now to fix a blown up ferrule


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## David Taylor (Mar 15, 2020)

I sent a rod in for repairs during COVID and it took forever to get it back. Then there was a mix up and got it fixed in a week. I recommend emailing the repair department and corresponding with an individual.


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

Recent Winston experience was prompt and courteous. None better. This kind of thing can be extremely frustrating!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

That’s why I build my own, screw a bunch of warranties. I understand time is an issue for people but so is waiting on a return on a warranty repair.


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## Ironhead (Mar 24, 2021)

Caution - this response is going to be long-winded.

My 10wt Igniter broke the butt section on the first tarpon I hooked this year. The first fish on the rod as well. It was only a 65lb fish on 16lb, and I had the fish beat. Either the Igniter is not a tarpon stick or it was defective. I'd believe either. Yes, both my hands were on the cork when it let loose.

I called Sage and it rang and rang. So I waited a few hours and called back. This time it rang and rang until it went to a voicemail. I left a message. That was 5/30. I have yet to get a call back.
The interesting thing was I received an email on 5/30, after I left a message, from Sage. How they got my email from a phone call I don't know. The email was titled "How was your customer service?". Needless to say they got a response back saying "What customer service? You didn't even pick up the phone".

After about a week of waiting for a call back, I got frustrated and threw all the pieces of the rod in the rod tube and sent them back to Sage. We'll see if I get it back but the rod was junk as it was.

After being a Sage customer for 20 years my next rod will be a Scott or Hardy. I liked Sage, I don't like Farbank.


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

agree


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

I had to send a 2 piece 12wt back at the end of 2020 for a new reel seat. It took three times back and forth for them to get it correct. Each time the reel didn't line up with eyes. 

I'd say it's never been the smoothest experience with them but this one was brutal.


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## Gator Trout (Aug 2, 2017)

i broke a 12 wt Scott Meridian butt section while fighting a tarpon this season. Sent it back to Scott on 5/12 and received it back on 5/31. Best part was the communication from Lois who works in the warranty department. No playing voicemail tag or waiting on responses. When I called she answered. This was my only experience with their warranty process and I was very impressed.


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## MatthewJ (May 30, 2021)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> I broke a rod tip this winter and sent it in for repair in may.
> Ups says it was delivered the same week.
> 
> Ive had no contact from them and have sent a few inquiry emails with no response.
> ...


I had the same issue with a Redington that was sent in last September. I believe they were both bought out again early this year or merged. They will not respond to emails. I was able to finally get a replacement in May after continuing to call them. It's unfortunate but seems to be the direction customer service is headed.


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## Pierson (Mar 16, 2016)

In the same boat. Broke the tip of my Salt Hd a couple months ago. Sent it in, followed instructions, got an email they received it, then radio silence after that. That was 6 weeks ago. Sent an email follow up last week, nothing.

Sage no longer selling blanks and this poor customer service is really starting to rub me the wrong way….


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

Sent a rod in to save right before Covid using their portal. I got no confirmations/updates/communications from them.
One day months later I logged back in to see it had been repaired and was on the way back.


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

I won't buy another sage rod unless used. When they changed their warranty program I was done. I have had rods repaired in the past by sage and all was fine but last was probably 5 years ago and I had to fight for them to honour the warranty which they finally did after phone calls and emails. No more sage unfortunately for me.


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## Pierson (Mar 16, 2016)

Ironhead said:


> I liked Sage, I don't like Farbank.


 100%


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## gulfcoaster (Aug 8, 2019)

Ironhead said:


> Caution - this response is going to be long-winded.
> 
> My 10wt Igniter broke the butt section on the first tarpon I hooked this year. The first fish on the rod as well. It was only a 65lb fish on 16lb, and I had the fish beat. Either the Igniter is not a tarpon stick or it was defective. I'd believe either. Yes, both my hands were on the cork when it let loose.
> 
> ...


Sage used to be a great company and even visited the shop about 20 years ago. I guess like a lot of businesses, customer service has gone downhill. I started building my own rods and use mostly St Criox blanks now.


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## Tarpontamer69 (6 mo ago)

Just gotten to big for their britches


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

I am not crazy about Orvis rods But if you want great service and supported warranties and someone who answers the phone Orvis will delight you.


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## fishn&flyn (Oct 23, 2015)

Broke my Salt HD 11 at the first ferrule when I had a large fish surge boatside. I sent it to Sage after I registered it with Farbank, followed their instructions to the letter. Received an email it was received and an invoice from PayFabric services for $50. I paid it and received the repaired rod back in 5 weeks. Like someone else said I love Sage but I’m not a fan of Farbank but it won’t stop me from purchasing more Sage rods. 2 companies I will never do business with are Scott and Orvis, Scott has the worst customer service in the industry and Orvis should just stick to making overpriced dog beds.


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## Maliberti (Apr 25, 2021)

I hate to say it but I think this will be the norm, Sage is dead and Farbank killed them.


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## j_f (Dec 15, 2021)

I’ve been trying to get a repair in for months and it’s been like a Seinfeld episode.
Farbank: “We’ll need information about the rod purchase.”
Me: “Yeah, that’ll be right here on the purchase history.”
Farbank: “Purchase? History?
Me: “For my account. That we’re both currently looking at. Because I bought the rod from you…”
Farbank: “hmmm?”
Me: “Do you need me to literally _*send you the email that you sent me*_?”


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## Fernando Perez (May 7, 2021)

A friend of mine purchased a sage esn blank to build it himself and a section broke and they took almost 3 months to send him a new section and when it arrived the ferrule was the wrong size….. I would be so pissed


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I started out with Sage when I first began guiding full time back in 1996... The first ten or fifteen years I was happy with their warranty service (even though it was slow...) and I still have one or two Sage rods in my arsenal. When Sage reneged on their "lifetime warranty" I was done with them period - and won't ever recommend them to anyone again, period.

Want outstanding warranty service? Look no farther than TFO... inexpensive rods are all I buy now (look at the new Mangrove Coastal series - my anglers have been impressed by them...) but their service is tops.

ps... I built my first fly rod back before graphite blanks came available back in 1976 and have built with Lamiglass, Sage, Fisher, Thomas & Thomas, as well as others over the years. If one of my anglers breaks a rod I simply can't build another rod quickly enough so I rely on TFO now... Haven't been disappointed even once...


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Lots of valid issues and in general rod warranty issues now suck no matter the vendor. Except maybe TFO and they need a fantastic warranty as their rods break more than any rods I see on my skiff and its not close.. But I will make one comment that guys should stop bashing rod manufacturers over. The whole "lifetime warranty" thing. Go back and read that lifetime warranty. They all say (just like they do today) that it covers manufacturers defects. A 10 year old rod does NOT break because of a manufacturers defect. Sure the assumption we all made was that they would just replace those rods forever but that as much on us for expecting that as its on the companies. If they had "no fault" lifetime replacement then we'd have a legit beef. That's not what they said.

As to Sage its really a shame that their customer service has sucked so bad for awhile now. Their rods fit my stroke the best but dang its hell if you break one.


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

Not entirely true. Orvis has always said and advertised that even if you broke your rod in the car or screen door they will replace, and they do except for discounted defect rods they still offer at certain outlets. 25 yr warranty they do stand by. Sage will or did support certain older rods under any circumstances but you had to fight for that. Probably not true with this new middleman agency. Captain Lemay has it right!


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

lemaymiami said:


> I started out with Sage when I first began guiding full time back in 1996... The first ten or fifteen years I was happy with their warranty service (even though it was slow...) and I still have one or two Sage rods in my arsenal. When Sage reneged on their "lifetime warranty" I was done with them period - and won't ever recommend them to anyone again, period.
> 
> Want outstanding warranty service? Look no farther than TFO... inexpensive rods are all I buy now (look at the new Mangrove Coastal series - my anglers have been impressed by them...) but their service is tops.
> 
> ps... I built my first fly rod back before graphite blanks came available back in 1976 and have built with Lamiglass, Sage, Fisher, Thomas & Thomas, as well as others over the years. If one of my anglers breaks a rod I simply can't build another rod quickly enough so I rely on TFO now... Haven't been disappointed even once...


Capt Lemay,

Did you ever do much with Biscayne Rods? I have an old Billy Baroo.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Never have dealt with Biscayne - except to copy their style back when I was building rods of all kinds in the seventies and eighties for customers who wanted rods to match the Biscayne gear they had. I'd say they build first rate gear for those that know what they want.


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

I was a Sage guy for a long time but agree their customer service has fallen off. I now fish a mix of manufactures. I carry hardy 1pc on the skiff but also still enjoy my Salt HD in 7wt and 8wt. I also build often and have on Sage, T&T, and MHX. I enjoy all of them but hate to see when customer service or product quality drops. A number of companies lately appear as they have catered more to their "influencers" and their "content" and put the core users on the back burner. 

In terms of comparing rod companies customer service, you need to be sure you are comparing apples to apples. For companies like Sage, Scott and Orvis, they take in repairs and have to repair them or build a new section before they send your replacement. As for TFO, they pull a new rod or section off the rack that they imported for probably $25 and send you a new one. Please understand I am not knocking TFO or imported rods (see above I fish Hardy) but it is worth noting the warranty processes are vastly different.


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Yes I expect to pay for repair when I break a rod. The preppies at Orvis have impressed me so far with speed and ease of repair.
G loomis broke my heart when they told me they couldn’t repair my GL2 anymore and gave me a credit towards a cheaper rod.
If only I’d kept my GL 2 out of the ceiling fan !!!!

I’m done griping. Now I’ll just wait for a response and hopefully a repair.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

ifsteve said:


> A 10 year old rod does NOT break because of a manufacturers defect.


I have an old St Croix 5 wt, It was their top of the line of the Legend series at the time.
My favorite rod to cast out of 14 from various manufacturers.

Long story short, I called and got a return authorization for a 20 year old rod and really thought they would not warranty it. 
Instead, about a month after I sent it in, it came back with a new top section (2 piece rod).
But that happened about 20 years ago.
The other rods that I've broke might have had something to do with operator error...


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

ifsteve said:


> Lots of valid issues and in general rod warranty issues now suck no matter the vendor. Except maybe TFO and they need a fantastic warranty as their rods break more than any rods I see on my skiff and its not close.. But I will make one comment that guys should stop bashing rod manufacturers over. The whole "lifetime warranty" thing. Go back and read that lifetime warranty. They all say (just like they do today) that it covers manufacturers defects. A 10 year old rod does NOT break because of a manufacturers defect. Sure the assumption we all made was that they would just replace those rods forever but that as much on us for expecting that as its on the companies. If they had "no fault" lifetime replacement then we'd have a legit beef. That's not what they said.
> 
> As to Sage its really a shame that their customer service has sucked so bad for awhile now. Their rods fit my stroke the best but dang its hell if you break one.


Remember when craftsman had a lifetime warranty on all their tools nearly bankrupted them.


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

Craftsman hand tools still have a lifetime warranty. Started in 1927 bought by Stanley in 2017. Not a bad run


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## TreyC (Jul 24, 2019)

7WT said:


> Craftsman hand tools still have a lifetime warranty. Started in 1927 bought by Stanley in 2017. Not a bad run


TFO is the best by a lot!


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

lemaymiami said:


> I started out with Sage when I first began guiding full time back in 1996... The first ten or fifteen years I was happy with their warranty service (even though it was slow...) and I still have one or two Sage rods in my arsenal. When Sage reneged on their "lifetime warranty" I was done with them period - and won't ever recommend them to anyone again, period.
> 
> Want outstanding warranty service? Look no farther than TFO... inexpensive rods are all I buy now (look at the new Mangrove Coastal series - my anglers have been impressed by them...) but their service is tops.
> 
> ps... I built my first fly rod back before graphite blanks came available back in 1976 and have built with Lamiglass, Sage, Fisher, Thomas & Thomas, as well as others over the years. If one of my anglers breaks a rod I simply can't build another rod quickly enough so I rely on TFO now... Haven't been disappointed even once...


I could not agree more. I've fished Cabelas FT (back when we used to build them because that's all we could afford), Sage, and TFO and now fish TFO exclusively. That new Mangrove Coast is the perfect blend of speed and a soft tip. I'm biased as they are in TX and my son, Braden Sherwood, fishes for them but I've been a TFO fan long before he was even born!


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## mooker82 (Jun 25, 2015)

Sage’s customer service has gone downhill. Scott and Orvis have been excellent.


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## NewHampshireSkiff (Jun 15, 2020)

I had a rod break last fall, forgot about it until early may, sent it in using their online service, received the repair (new tip section) within two weeks. This was a DART 276-3 and I would imagine it being that model helped the process happen quicker? My buddy broke an old sage pike 1090 a week or two ago and I thought there was no chance of a repair, but he started the process on repair and they said it would be 6 weeks. Just wanted to at least get this out there. This time of year may be exceptionally slow? Love all my sage rods.


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## Sabalo (Sep 6, 2019)

I have had great experiences with G Loomis. I have had a sprung recoil guide on an NRX replaced under warranty with reasonable turnaround time and I just had a tip section replaced on an NRX that shouldn't have been a warranty claim as it was caught in a trolling motor which I disclosed when speaking to the customer service rep. I provided my CC info fully expecting a charge on the tip replacement, but Loomis handled it gratis as a warranty claim I guess. I received the replacement tip within 10 days for calling customer service. I give that two thumbs up and excellent customer service.


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## fotofinish (Aug 31, 2020)

I have little warranty experience, I have been fortunate. The one warranty claim I have filed was with ECHO. It was not a covered breakage and I new it was not but wanted a repair. They sent a replacement section, free of charge with free shipping. A note saying it wasnt covered and a Thank you for choosing Echo.


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## Landcrocdan (8 mo ago)

7WT said:


> Not entirely true. Orvis has always said and advertised that even if you broke your rod in the car or screen door they will replace, and they do except for discounted defect rods they still offer at certain outlets. 25 yr warranty they do stand by. Sage will or did support certain older rods under any circumstances but you had to fight for that. Probably not true with this new middleman agency. Captain Lemay has it right!


 Orvis has always been more than fair in replacing or repairing different rods for me. They just repaired a tarpon reel for me (my fault) and had it back in less than 10 days. I just sent a TFO 6 wt off and TFO took care of that repair in less than 2 weeks. Very pleased.


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## k_lindsey14 (Sep 8, 2021)

Haven't gotten them to answer calls, only emails. I had a couple rods fixed within a reasonable time frame, but they were both purchased new. I am curious if they will still repair rods if you aren't the original owner, for most companies it isn't an issue but I can see Farbank making that a problem...


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## POCtied (Oct 19, 2016)

Managed to break the 3rd section of a helios 2 the first weekend in May, completely my fault, snapped it while up on the poling platform and not paying attention. Took it in to Orvis store in Houston and had it sent in for repair and it took around 3-4 weeks for full turnaround with shipping in both directions, repair looks "ok-ish" but have yet to cast it


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

I’ve had to send a couple rods back to Sage for repair. Always been pretty quick turnaround but not this time. I broke the tip section of my 8wt Maverick and sent it in a couple months ago. No word or update since the initial automated email. A little disappointed but it is peak season. Good thing I’m a gear whore and have back ups for my back ups.


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

POCtied said:


> Managed to break the 3rd section of a helios 2 the first weekend in May, completely my fault, snapped it while up on the poling platform and not paying attention. Took it in to Orvis store in Houston and had it sent in for repair and it took around 3-4 weeks for full turnaround with shipping in both directions, repair looks "ok-ish" but have yet to cast it


Repair looks “ok-ish”? Did they not just substitute the broken section with a new one?


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

UPDATE: After I posted above, I emailed Sage through the Contact Us page. Within an hour I got an email from Farbank requesting payment for my repair. Apparently my rod has been finished and they did not contact me or I deleted the email because it comes from Payfabric and not Farbank or Sage. Anyway, it was only $50 and my rod will be shipped out Monday. So good news but they, Farbank, need to smooth out some hiccups in their customer service program.


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