Customer service experiences: Fenwick, St. Croix, Two Brothers Innovation (2B)

This post is to describe my personal experiences and interactions that all occurred in the past month with the companies of Fenwick, St. Croix, and Two Brothers Innovation. These experiences do drive my current and future purchase plans, but it’s up to the individual to make their own decisions as people have different experiences, I’m just sharing mine in regards to companies and products most of us engage with regularly.

Background: Through multiple fishing trips in the spring and early summer my family had some rod issues that required warranty/repair/replacement. I handled them all over an open weekend I had and describe the experiences below.

Fenwick: Interior of the last rod tip was cracked and fraying line. HMG rod was more than a few years old, I didn’t have my proof of purchase any longer. Filled out the online form for warranty or repair options, sent three pictures in for review. Was contacted within 10 days letting me know a replacement rod was being shipped, but the new rod would not carry a warranty as I didn’t have the original proof of purchase. Great customer service experience and I will continue to be a customer in the future. Have 3 of their rods currently.

St.Croix: Interior of the last rod tip was cracked and bent. Premier rod was approximately 6 years old, I didn’t have my proof of purchase any longer but the rod had been in for service in year 1 so on their files. Filled out online form, sent in 3 pictures. Within 10 days I was called to discuss options. Amicable solution of $70 for a new rod, keep the old one, advised me to look into local options to fix last eyelet. Great customer service experience and I will continue to be a customer in the future. Have 4 of their rods currently.

Two Brothers Innovation: Purchased two of their Genesis 6’6 ML-F (2 piece) rods on sale for $110 each on April 29, directly purchased from the 2B website. One of the rods broke right where the two pieces connect, strange. This occurred the second time the rod was used, and when my son was reeling in a 12 inch white bass. The bass made a run and the rod snapped. I filled out the online forms, yes, there are two forms, and sent in pictures. One form talks about Accidental Use and asks for the consumer to pay $75 in yr one for a replacement rod that breaks due to misuse or accident. I explained that this wasn’t the case, so I was directed to a “Manufacturer Defect” claim. This requires me to pay to ship the rod in ($20) to be inspected. I did that, paid to ship it to them for the next step. Upon inspection I was told “rod looks to have been overstressed causing it to break in the guide wrap, but that could have been a manufacturing flaw on our end.”, that particular rod was discontinued so options were offered at that same price point for replacement options. I discussed use and came to the conclusion that a rod they offer for $189 would be a better option and offered to pay the difference. That offer was accepted and I was sent an invoice. The issue was the invoice included the difference in price and that applicable tax, plus some additional costs (around $15-20). I asked what this additional cost was and was told it was the cost of a rod tube for shipping. At that point I wasn’t thrilled with the experience and shared with 2B that (1) I had very different experiences with other companies in the same line of work, (2) That I didn’t think I should have to pay to ship a rod in to them that broke on its 2nd use with no misuse and then to be told that it was a manufacturer defect and asked to buy a rod tube to have a new one shipped to me when I paid for an upgrade. I told them to pick an option; send me a replacement in the $110 options they provided or refund the original cost (with their logic I should’ve asked for reimbursement on my cost for sending in a rod that was a manufacturer defect). I shared that I want to be done with the experience and get to a conclusion as this has been a hassle. Very negative overall experience. I have 2 of their open water rods, 4 ice rods, and have positively recommended their products to family and friends that have made purchases in the last year. I will not make any further purchases or recommendations.

I understand that the companies listed above range greatly in size, history, and resources. This is one of the reasons I chose to support a smaller, more local option with similar products with past purchases and recommendations. These differences do not excuse warranty and customer service expectations when purchasing what they market as premium products. I believe this was handled poorly from beginning to end.

To each their own, but these were my recent experiences. Shop wisely and enjoy.

I now have 4 Fenwick HMG’s, and was very satisfied with my experience after having one replaced under warranty several weeks ago. For the type of fishing I do, they are by far, the best value in fishing rods available.
Most often, we only hear about the bad experiences with warranties, I think it’s fair to report positive experiences when they are encountered.

mojo wrote:

I now have 4 Fenwick HMG’s, and was very satisfied with my experience after having one replaced under warranty several weeks ago. For the type of fishing I do, they are by far, the best value in fishing rods available.
Most often, we only hear about the bad experiences with warranties, I think it’s fair to report positive experiences when they are encountered.

About 20 years ago my fishing buddies and I used a lot of Fenwick hmg rods and the rods were very nice. Had a few issues with the rods and contacted there warranty department. And what a joke that was. Without boring you with the details I and my fishing buddies said we would never buy another Fenwick rod and have not. Went to St. Croix and what a great company there are. Absolutely best customer service I have ever dealt with.

Accaroline- I have both Fenwick and St. Croix rods.
Have had customer service connections and repairs/warranties with both .
They have both stood behind their products and I am a very happy customer.
Supercat – that experience is unfortunate.
Mojo – that is so true – I had a “statement” I got from somewhere online one day many years back that I had on the door to my office and shared a staff mtgs. The numbers are not correct cause I can’t remember but the gist was ” the average bad experience a customer has is forwarded to an average of 11 other people. Good experiences are rarely or never shared”
I honestly think that somedays it just comes down to who answers the “phone” on the other end and what kind of day they are having and how they approach your problem from their current “mental state”

The lady’ i talked to on the phone last month re” my Henry Big Boy was fabulous. I told her UPS would not ship the gun and she replied ” you put them on the phone when you get there – we do millions of dollars of business with them every year……. I’ll take care of it for you” She uttered a bunch of “nonsense” at first and I said “what?” and she replied oh, sorry, that was the Polish in me. ” Pretty funny.
I sent in the gun, had it repaired and returned to me in under two weeks free of charge and cleaned and buffed to within an inch of it’s life.

I have a hmg or hmx that the second eyelet down broke, I guess It didn’t even break it just came loose. And fell off. It’s probably 3 or 4 years old and I never registered it. I wonder if Fenwick would work with me on that. I used to really like that rod.

Bearcat; my experience was similar and as described above handled with replacement by Fenwick with the completion of an online form and 2-3 cell phone pictures. Very convenient, fast, and smooth process. I hope you have the same experience if you choose to pursue it.

Mojo and Umy: Good to hear about similar positive experiences. I agree that many times the negative are only shared and not the positive. That is why I decided that if I was going to share a negative experience I was going to share the positive experiences, as they all happened in a similar time frame and with similar circumstances. People can do with the information of my experiences as they wish. I am disappointed with the negative interaction, as I had been fond of the products and like to choose to support semi-local options and smaller operations when it makes sense.

I have dealt with various rod manufactures on rod issues over the years. I would say by far the overall best customer experience I’ve had has been with St. Croix. This is the reason they most often get the majority of my current rod business. I worked with then twice in the last year. Ended up with a new rod each time for 70.00 ( Both were rods with a retail price of over 200.00 ) Both time the broken rod was my fault. They let me keep the original rods. Both we rather simple fixes and now I use both the replacement rod and the new rod.

I have had the same experience with Fenwick and 2Brothers. I have a Genesis 7 ft med light from 2B’s that failed. Ran into the same rigmarole about most likely not defective, buy a rod tube and have it shipped to me. Tube never showed up so I drove up to their small facility in Bemidji and dropped off the broken rod. 2 weeks later I received a new rod, no explanation.
2Brothers is pretty small specialty operation. Fenwick is part of a much larger group of brands and much easier to work with. I got a new Fenwick under a lifetime warranty after a 20 year old Fenwick had a spiral fracture!

I love both rods. Bought the Genesis at $200 after having a good experience with an Elliot ice fishing rod. I compared it to the Elliot and for the hundred some dollar greater price tag on the Elliot I chose to try the Genesis instead. Excellent rod for the money.

Now based on my experiences, if I was going to spend over $200 on a rod again, I’d buy a Fenwick. They still offer a limited lifetime warranty on their upper models.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Ike. Fortunately and Unfortunately, I’ve heard from a number of people now that have had similar experiences with the 3 companies in the discussion.

I’d also say that the size of the shop doesn’t have to be a reason for the way business is handled. This past winter I sent in a JT panhandler to have a spring bobber replaced, fully expecting to pay for all. I paid shipping, offered to pay for replacement/labor/return shipping, but JT took care of it. I bought two more JT ice rods after that last season (gold diggers).

Too bad these companies ( some of them – even outside of fishing tuff) don’t seem to understand how a little service on their end goes a long way for current and future consumers. With so many options in our world today there are only “ so many customers” before you reach critical mass

Had a older fenwick Aeros. My son lost a battle with a dock bringing the boat In. They dont even make those anymore. I wrote fenwick and sent pictures and told them my fault and was just hoping for a coupon of some sort to buy a new rod.. they sent me a new 220.00 replacement rod. Same as above tho with no warranty on new one. Totally will have my business in future

Something to keep in mind with manufacturers that tout their unbelievable warranty – you are absolutely paying for it one way or the other. Cheaper raw goods, cheaper process, etc. (See Vortex Optics)

When I buy something thats custom or limited from a small company I don’t ever expect that they can possibly afford to just no question asked replace something. Think of how many idiots are out there breaking stuff and trying for warranties.

AJW: I think there are examples of warranty being very generous and examples of the warranty being minimal. I understand your point but not in an instance of a recognized manufacturer defect in the first few hours of use.

Glad to hear some companies that are good to their customers.
Stay away from 13 fishing. I had a defect and I could not get them to answer anything and others I know had the same experience. I finally gave up trying to contact them.

I agree with 13 they just keep snapping and no replies sent one back at $25 never heard a word last one broke. Ironically just bought a couple Fenwicks like them so far.

my only experience with Fenwick was a positive one, the rod snapped at the tip on a hook set into a rock… I didn’t have the receipt anymore so I got the 1 time replacement with no warranty on the new rod. Cant complain there

I did get a 7ft Light 2B rod in early June, great rod so far. I dont buy a rod based on the warranty, just reviews of it, but with that said once you get into the really high dollar rods, warranty plays a part of the decision

I guess my experience with St. Croix is a little difference than most. I broke the upper section of a Wild River salmon rod while fighting a coho salmon about 15 years ago in Alaska. And no, I was not “high sticking” the rod.

It just happened that I was going to be in Park Falls, WI about a month after I returned from Alaska. I took the rod into the St Croix headquarters and told them what had happened and I would like to use the warranty on this new rod as it broke on the first trip is was used.

The guy took a look at the rod and said, “It looks like this rod has been shut in a car door.” Needless to say I was mad, the rod had never been close to a car door unless it was in a hard airline travel tube.

After some discussion and him going “back to check with his supervisors” he finally said St. Croix would replace the top section, which would “fix” the rod. All I had to do was pay them $20 so it could be shipped back to me (I live three states west of Wisconsin).

I have not used the rod since, but I am thinking about taking it to Alaska this year. If it breaks this time it is bound for the trash can.

Buffalo Fishhead

dennis smith wrote:

it to the Elliot and for the hundred some dollar greater price tag on the Elliot I chose to try the Genesis instead. Excellent rod for the money.

This is because they literally have more into shipping your rod from China to the US than in the qualities of the Chinese made components and labor to make it. This is not an exaggeration, it is true. They gave you a new rod and just got more value in marketing from your post than the actual physical worth of the rod.

Kudos to you for actually admitting your rod broke by means outside normal use and you had the gall to ask for something for free. Only in America.

ajw wrote:

Something to keep in mind with manufacturers that tout their unbelievable warranty – you are absolutely paying for it one way or the other. Cheaper raw goods, cheaper process, etc. (See Vortex Optics)

When I buy something thats custom or limited from a small company I don’t ever expect that they can possibly afford to just no question asked replace something. Think of how many idiots are out there breaking stuff and trying for warranties.

AMEN

I have dealt with Fenwick warranty twice for the same rod and both times it was very positive. A reel seat came loose on my sons HMX rod and they sent me a new one sand said keep the old one then about a year later the tip broke on the replacement rod. Contacted them and got a new rod. If I had to pay shipping for the broken rod that was it but I don’t remember.

Context wormdunker…context. You’re conveniently mixing together portions of a number of opinions.

Well an interesting subject. My latest rods are the Series One from Scheels, I’ve had 2 with the tips broke 3 inches from the end. the original rod had a lifetime warranty and they have honored it very well and without question. Any of these high end rods you are paying for an instant replacement the minute you buy one. St. Croix does it right, the $70 is basically their cost for a replacement, so you are buying it at the manufacturers pricing. This allows them to offer a warranty but in the end it really doesn’t cost them anything but the time to deal with it, and what the heck, a $300 rod for $70, who would complain. I often think that if the rod manufacturers would simply state the terms of the warranty and stop offering it after say the first 6 months with a replacement cost stated, then could the price of a new rod come down because they don’t have to cover the cost of someone mishandling a rod and having to replace it? I wonder what is the warranty % on the total number of rods sold, 25%, 50%? To Buffalo, I broke a St. Croix on a Silver in Alaska, went to the store in Soldotna and bought a Shimano Clarus for $60. Eventually got the St. Croix resolved but now I have all Clarus rods as they have the sensitivity, the toughness to stand up to days of pounding Silvers and humpy’s and are cheap enough to not have to worry about every cast.

Dunker.. read it again.. I offered to BUY a new rod. I didnt ask for a free one

David Anderson wrote:

To Buffalo, I broke a St. Croix on a Silver in Alaska, went to the store in Soldotna and bought a Shimano Clarus for $60. Eventually got the St. Croix resolved but now I have all Clarus rods as they have the sensitivity, the toughness to stand up to days of pounding Silvers and humpy’s and are cheap enough to not have to worry about every cast.

Where we go there is no store close (65 air miles via floatplane) so you need to take a backup rod.

There are a lot of Germans and Austrians that fish the area that we go and I have noticed the last couple years many of them are using Ugly Sticks. I doubt they have issues with those rods.

Buffalo Fishhead

dennis smith wrote:

to the Elliot and for the hundred some dollar greater price tag on the Elliot I chose to try the Genesis instead. Excellent rod fo

Why didn’t you just go to a store and buy one? Angling for a freebie?

Wormdunker: did you miss the context post? Happy to further the civil discussion but it helps if you can provide or respond to direct communications rather than pulling pieces from multiple conversation that fit your narrative.

I have had good experiences with Fenwick, St croix and loomis but I have to admit Fenwick was the best to deal with.

Update… Used my other 2B Genesis rod for the second time since purchase. Tip broke on the second cast. Has been stored in a rod tube in my boat the entire time. After the hassle last time I’m not even gonna bother with a return. $189 retail rod that is 2 for 2 with breaks within first two times being used, coupled with very poor warranty/customer service. No thanks, done with these.

Fenwick has me as a customer for life. I set a limit of $100 for a rod and those HMG’s could be found for $75 on sale pre covid prices.

I may have broke a tip in a rod locker and sent it in, no receipt no nothing just emailed them saying I could not remember how it broke. they said they would have a tech decide if I would qualify for a replacement.

7 days I had a new HMG at my door. Great rods if you ask me. I don’t think I could justify buying anything for more than a HMG costs these days.