St Croix warranty issues 2025
Dom Hendricks reply :
I bought a new St Croix PC70MF last year to use as a pond hopping do everything rod. Bought at cabelas and registered with St Croix the day after purchase. Yesterday afternoon I notice the the eyelet on the tip guide has lost its insert. Decide to file a warranty request for a manufacturing defect. Get a phone call back from St Croix customer service and I have to pay $20 to ship it and $55 for them to send me a new rod instead of replacing the tip guide. I thought that warranty was for non manufacturing defects and damage. Everyone that raves about the St Croix warranty needs to take a look at the fine print. This will be my last St Croix purchase ever. Tried to take it back to cabelas and was told that the manufacturer carries the warranty.
Scott F reply :
Who warranties their products for user mistakes?
Dom Hendricks reply :
For $55 St Croix will. You have to pay the same $55 to plus shipping to even have them look at the rod for a manufacturing defect.
MickD reply :
I don't think there is a way of determining with confidence if this is a faulty tiptop or if the tiptop had been whacked against something. But it needs a fix. Have you asked St. Croix to send you a replacement tiptop for you to replace yourself? Piece of cake to replace. It hardly seems worth shipping a rod to get this fixed.
Dom Hendricks reply :
I’m going to replace the tip guide with and old Shimano one I have at the house. Shimano sent me 3 years ago when I slammed the tip of one of their rods in a tailgate. No charge.
According to the rep I talked to they do have the tip guides and sections for purchase on their website but I didn’t look.
A-Jay reply :
No one warranties a rod against user damage without requiring additional cost.
You can replace the tip yourself quite easily and for much less time & $$ than sending to St Croix for repair.
Here's the right way to do it without damaging your blank.
The replacement will need to be the same or at least very close to the size of the original.
You can take it with you if you have a source of supply locally or you can get one here . . .
https://www.mudhole.com/Components-Rod-Building/rod-guides-components/tip-tops-fishing-rod-guides
A-Jay
tbone1993 reply :
Buy local and skip the big box. I send in about 5 St. Croix rods for warranty each week , everything from 10 year old avids to year old legend tournament bass rods. Not once have I charged someone $55 to replace an entire rod because an eyelet was broken. The only time guys pay the replacement fee ( starts at $55 is different for every rod series) is when they snap them in half or they are out of warranty. There is a good chance cabelas sold you a rod that st croix was discontinuing. When that happens the warranty period is shortened, usually those rods are supposed to be put on clearance.
Fishin' Fool reply :
Doesn't seem worth sending it back for $75 for an insert. However keep that warranty in mind if you break your rod, for $75 they send you a new $150 rod.
Diggy reply :
My friend gave me a new Okuma SBX swimbait rod with a broken tip guide. It was 5 bucks to replace it at my local rod shop, removing the old one and swapping it with a new one they provided. Go that route, less headache.
The more I hear about warranty hassles from companies, is the more I appreciate Abu making life easy when I had issues, can't say that for some other companies that I had to deal with.
anderb54 reply :
St. Croix has a great warranty program, and a well earned reputation as being one of the best. Good luck finding one that's better. My rules of thumb with a St. Croix warranty is:
1) If it's less than $75 to fix, get it repaired
2) If it's more than $75 to fix, make sure it's broken enough to get a new rod from them. Tailgates of trucks and car doors will produce the best results.
jimmyjoe reply :
On 3/20/2019 at 5:35 AM, Dom Hendricks said:..... send me a new rod instead of replacing the tip guide.
Odd. Just this last year I sent an Avid spinning rod in for cracked tiptop (Kigan Z-guide). I paid to send it. They replaced it and returned it on their dime. I wonder what's changed and why. ???? jj
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
If the guide came apart the first few uses you could blame defect. After a year it’s at best questionable and at worst unlikely. A tip top is <$5 part two way shipping would be 10x that or more.
Joshua van Wyk reply :
On 3/20/2019 at 6:58 AM, Diggy said:My friend gave me a new Okuma SBX swimbait rod with a broken tip guide. It was 5 bucks to replace it at my local rod shop, removing the old one and swapping it with a new one they provided. Go that route, less headache.
The more I hear about warranty hassles from companies, is the more I appreciate Abu making life easy when I had issues, can't say that for some other companies that I had to deal with.
The only two rods I've broken were an Abu Vendetta and a Cabelas Salt Striker. The Abu break was 100% my fault and they sent me a brand new rod for free, I just had to pay the 10$ shipping. The cabelas rod I got my money back no questions asked.
A-Jay reply :
On 3/20/2019 at 7:43 AM, anderb54 said:St. Croix has a great warranty program, and a well earned reputation as being one of the best. Good luck finding one that's better. My rules of thumb with a St. Croix warranty is:
1) If it's less than $75 to fix, get it repaired
2) If it's more than $75 to fix, make sure it's broken enough to get a new rod from them. Tailgates of trucks and car doors will produce the best results.
No one can take your integrity away, you and only you can give it away.
Nicely done.
A-Jay
anderb54 reply :
On 3/20/2019 at 9:11 AM, A-Jay said:No one can take your integrity away, you and only you can give it away.
Nicely done.
A-Jay
I suppose my poor attempt at humor fell flat, like it usually does. I wouldn't encourage anyone to cheat the system. The point I was trying to get across is that if you're going to spend $75 or more on shipping and "repair or replace", I'd expect that the damages would warrant a new rod. That Gold Star plan is there to cover anything that isn't considered a factory defect. Something like a broken guide, or multiple, can be repaired for less than $75, so if you're going to spend that kind of money, be smart about it and send something in that you know will be replaced with a new one.
Mastermarsh reply :
I have never had anything but wonderful experiences with SC and their warranty and customer service. I've had rods replaced for free because of defects & broken tips, in fact they are sending me a free replacement mojo bass that was out of warranty today. I also had an eyelet replaced on a legend X this past week, & it only cost 10 dollars. I feel like there has to be more damage to your rod than just a missing eye insert, especially if they are sending you a complete replacement.
MickD reply :
On 3/20/2019 at 6:18 AM, A-Jay said:No one warranties a rod against user damage without requiring additional cost.
You can replace the tip yourself quite easily and for much less time & $$ than sending to St Croix for repair.
Here's the right way to do it without damaging your blank.
The replacement will need to be the same or at least very close to the size of the original.
You can take it with you if you have a source of supply locally or you can get one here . . .
https://www.mudhole.com/Components-Rod-Building/rod-guides-components/tip-tops-fishing-rod-guides
A-Jay
I cannot resist commenting that the grinding of a tiptop tube off the tip of a rod is not risk free. For that reason, before I would commit to that I would try a little heat. Some factory rods do use hot melt for tiptop retention, and it would be a shame to do an "overkill, risky" procedure on them if a little heat will work. The right way to apply the heat is to tie a string or rubber band onto the ring eye and provide tension, trying to pull it off at the same time touching a lighter flame to the tube. If it is hot melt it will slide off in a few seconds. If it doesn't move almost immediately remove the heat and commit to the grind process. You will be surprised how little heat it takes with hot melt adhesive, and a couple seconds of heat will not harm a blank.
A-Jay reply :
On 3/21/2019 at 4:32 AM, MickD said:I cannot resist commenting that the grinding of a tiptop tube off the tip of a rod is not risk free. For that reason, before I would commit to that I would try a little heat. Some factory rods do use hot melt for tiptop retention, and it would be a shame to do an "overkill, risky" procedure on them if a little heat will work. The right way to apply the heat is to tie a string or rubber band onto the ring eye and provide tension, trying to pull it off at the same time touching a lighter flame to the tube. If it is hot melt it will slide off in a few seconds. If it doesn't move almost immediately remove the heat and commit to the grind process. You will be surprised how little heat it takes with hot melt adhesive, and a couple seconds of heat will not harm a blank.
5
I would not argue with that logic.
By the same token, I could see a distraught basshead firing up the blow torch effectively scorching the blank unnecessarily as well.
A-Jay
MickD reply :
On 3/21/2019 at 4:38 AM, A-Jay said:I could see a distraught basshead firing up the blow torch effectively scorching the blank
Yes, that is why I was reluctant to even mention heat. The heat needed is so little that one can hold the tiptop in their bare fingers immediately after it slips off. But when I started building and repairing rods, I didn't understand the technique and amount of heat needed and I fried one.
A-Jay reply :
On 3/21/2019 at 5:11 AM, MickD said:Yes, that is why I was reluctant to even mention heat. The heat needed is so little that one can hold the tiptop in their bare fingers immediately after it slips off. But when I started building and repairing rods, I didn't understand the technique and amount of heat needed and I fried one.
Me too.
I think it's a right of passage.
A-Jay
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
Good rule of thumb when it comes to heat and rod blanks, don’t apply more than you can handle bare handed. Granted it may require a touch extra on the hot melt glue but Touch is the baseline I use.
jbrew73 reply :
Busted tip is 99% user error. Pay $75 or fix it for $5.
jimmyjoe reply :
I've been thinking this over. Are you sure that the factory didn't say twenty to fix it OR fifty-five TO UPGRADE? They used to have the fifty buck upgrade program, I guess for a good few years now. You have a Premier break, then for fifty you can upgrade to an Avid. Break an Avid, and fifty gets you a Legend Tournament Bass. And so on. It almost sounds like this is what they were saying and possibly were mis-understood. Maybe? Or no? jj
MickD reply :
On 3/21/2019 at 8:20 AM, jbrew73 said:Busted tip is 99% user error. Pay $75 or fix it for $5.
If "busted" means "broken," that was not what the OP reported. The ring from the tiptop came out.
jbrew73 reply :
“Lost it’s insert” is usually caused from the insert getting “busted” or a damaged guide in my experience but I’m not the OP so the insert fairies could have eaten it for all I know. I’m sorry that I assumed anything. If my rod had the fairies eat the insert I would replace it on my dime. If it fell out do to poor manufacturing I would replace it as well. If I felt I was justified in a warranty replacement I would pay $75 and move on.
Dom Hendricks reply :
I replaced the entire tip-top guide with an extra guide I had sitting around. I called St Croix again yesterday and got a completely different answer from a different employee. He explained that if the rod is defective (not damaged) you still have to ship it to them on your dime. That is why they have the discounted fed ex shipping label on their website. If they get the rod and it is a defect (not damage) they will repair or replace the rod no cost. The majority of the rods that they get are damaged or broken. That is where the extra charge comes in and the upgrade options are available. He told me that you can buy the guides and even whole sections for 2 piece rods on their website but I couldn’t find them.
jimmyjoe reply :
Sounds better. Good luck. jj
JLBBass reply :
I guess I've been lucky with St Croix's warranty dept. Nothing but GREAT service!Been using St Croix rods when they weren't even know to bass fisherman. Back in the early 80's.
A-Jay reply :
On 3/21/2019 at 10:08 PM, JLBBass said:I guess I've been lucky with St Croix's warranty dept. Nothing but GREAT service!Been using St Croix rods when they weren't even know to bass fisherman. Back in the early 80's.
Me Too.
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
I typically call them and ask for a tip kit for my specific rod. I think they're under $10. I've damaged a few in my days.
Hulkster reply :
to me, a guide insert popping out is a warranty claim under manufacturing issue.
I have been fishing for 25 years and I have yet to have this happen. The adhesive they used let go.
it wasn't your fault unless it was caused from obvious impact with something, got stepped on etc.
J Francho reply :
There's literally dozens of threads where someone knocked the tip top insert out. Pretty easy to do. Just drop the rod, or bang it on something.
jbrew73 reply :
I have lost tip inserts from reeling all the way down on a lure and freeing stuck lures.
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