Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

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fishindad
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Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by fishindad » Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:41 am

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I have to share this and inform others of what has been the worst customer service I've experienced from any fishing rod company. I had purchased an Envy A light power spinning rod and it was a sweet action rod for what I needed. But, after a couple of outings I noticed a strange 'bend' or 'kink' in the rod at the top between the tiptop and adjacent guide. I continued using it thinking it was my eyes, lol but a couple casts later, the top 3" of the rod broke. So, I sent it in to 13 for warranty (the rod was one year old). I was told the Envy line of rods was discontinued with no Envy 2 release date known. They offered to replace it with one of their Muse Black rods, which is their next best line. Unfortunately there is no light action spin rod so I kindly asked for a 7'1" MH, thinking everyone can use another 7 foot MH rod, right? Well, they shipped me a 7'5" MH. And lo and behold, when I unpacked the rod and inspected it - not only was the tip top glued on out of line but - that weird 'kink' was also present, again! I documented this with some photos so hopefully you all can tell me if it's my eyes or what but this is simply unprofessional and bad business, IMO. I have contacted 13 via emails and have not yet received any response. Know that I have 4 other Envy rods and a Concept A reel, which are all doing well. But at this point, unless the company rectifies this to my satisfaction, they get no more of my money.

fishindad
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Photos of bent Muse rod

Post by fishindad » Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:46 am

Just checking if it's my eyes or if there actually is a defective blank they wrapped and sent me?
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Tim Kelly
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by Tim Kelly » Wed Jun 28, 2017 10:52 am

Blanks are often not completely straight. I can't think it will hurt anything about the rods performance. For the tip top, just get a flame and gently warm the barrel of the tip top to soften the glue and twist it straight and allow to cool. Not the best experience, but on the other hand you got a new rod after fishing with another rod for a year before breaking it. Not the worst deal ever.

fishindad
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by fishindad » Wed Jun 28, 2017 12:26 pm

Not disagreeing with you Tim. I actually only fished with the rod 3-4 times in the past year but acknowledge it was one year old. What I'm trying to get at is I would have thought their QC people would have at least looked the replacement rod over more carefully before shipping it to me - instead of just 'blindly' picking one off the shelves? My hope was they would have seen what I see and decided to ship a better built factory rod...just seems customer-unfriendly, IMO.

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johnD
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by johnD » Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:01 pm

fishindad , I can give you a tip on dealing with these fishing tackle compaines , call them on the phone and talk to a real person..emails ain't gonna cut it with none of them...
Last edited by johnD on Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

fishindad
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by fishindad » Wed Jun 28, 2017 4:03 pm

Thanks johnd. That's my next step, was just too swamped at work today. I have never ranted about a company before - because I've not experienced something like this before. IMO said company needs to focus on their everyday customers and set things right the first time. I'm sticking with Falcon, Dobyns and St Croix from now on.

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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by Cristo » Wed Jun 28, 2017 4:38 pm

Dang that's really too bad when 13 Fishing came out I dealt with the many occasions and they were Tip Top. I guess time will tell in most instances with companies. In any case sorry about your dealings and good luck

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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by sarcazmo » Thu Jun 29, 2017 12:00 pm

Sorry to hear about your poor experience. I have to admit my experiences with them have been nothing but positive.

Seems like they're going through some crazy growth these past years, hopefully it's just some growing pains. I'm sure they'll take care of you.

fishindad
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by fishindad » Thu Jun 29, 2017 1:00 pm

I am hoping so as well, sarcazmo.

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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by MAChucker » Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:09 pm

I would definitely give them a call. Sounds like the only wrong they've done you so far is not reply to emails quickly, which in this industry, while still not something that should be excusable, I have come to accept. After two rods that were defective I would think talking with someone there would get your situation resolved very quickly, if not then yes, that is very bad customer service.

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MediumHeavy
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by MediumHeavy » Fri Jun 30, 2017 6:41 pm

You could also post in the 13 Fishing Support forum on TT or contact them directly by sending them a message here. I haven't had to contact them in a while, but they've always been helpful.

The images you posted of the blank look to me like the optical illusion of the guide train getting smaller as it reaches the tip top, then if the company uses a tip top that is a fair bit smaller than the previous few eyes it can look like there's a kink in the rod. Tough to tell in pics, though. Also, as mentioned previously, most rod blanks aren't perfectly straight, and depending on whether the rod builder/designer prefers to build on the spine or opposite the spine can have an effect. One thing that might be helpful is to look at other rods you have to compare.

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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by earthworm77 » Tue Jul 11, 2017 11:02 am

I have never had a blank that was like that. That should not have gotten past quality control.

fishindad
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by fishindad » Tue Jul 11, 2017 4:56 pm

Completely agree, earthworm. I still have not heard back from 13. I sent them my email and phone in a PM in response to one of their reps requesting this. Lesson learned, I should have stayed with Falcon, St Croix and Dobyns. Thought I would give this new company a shot but after this experience, never again. I'll sell off the 13 rods I have and not look back. In this day and age, a company either cares about their customer base or they don't.

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BRONZEBACK32
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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by BRONZEBACK32 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 1:28 pm

I have heard some horrible stories about 13 fishing...I have never dealt with them.

Right now my guess would be they are all at Icast.


It does look like the tip guide is off a bit, its a easy fix with a lighter.

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Re: Terrible customer service at 13 Fishing

Post by Fishing4Fun » Thu Jul 13, 2017 8:53 pm

I wanted to try a Envy rod but never pulled the trigger. Had a few friends purchase Omen spinning rods. Both rods broke within a month with in the first 3 or 4 outings. I don't think either was damaged from fowl play. After hearing of the breakage/quality control issues coupled with a lack of response from the company I will probably keep my cupboard bare of 13 fishing equipment.

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