15ft drennan acolyte rod

sis the roach · Jul 23, 2018

was fishing on the trent at sawley cast out underarm 4x4 no stick float the top end of the top broke 3 rings down from tip has close to the ring as if it had been cut with hacksaw and just as clean at first It look like the top section had come off but as I wound in I cound see it was broke there was no sound just broke and it run down the line as I wound in I took it to the tackle shop and 3 weeks on was told Drennan was not going to replace it because it was to old and it has been used and they have not sent my broken piece back

tigger · Jul 23, 2018

sis the roach said:
was fishing on the trent at sawley cast out underarm 4x4 no stick float the top end of the top broke 3 rings down from tip has close to the ring as if it had been cut with hacksaw and just as clean at first It look like the top section had come off but as I wound in I cound see it was broke there was no sound just broke and it run down the line as I wound in I took it to the tackle shop and 3 weeks on was told Drennan was not going to replace it because it was to old and it has been used and they have not sent my broken piece back

That's not good...i'm surprised at the response you've had back from drennan.
I wonder if the tackle shop did actually contact drennan?
It might be worth your while contacting drennan yourself and letting them know the situation.

sis the roach · Jul 23, 2018

I was told they sent two tops back both 15ft acolytes they replace one but not mine has I have said they have told me the rod is to old and has been used it 15 moths old

nottskev · Jul 23, 2018

That sounds very upsetting and unsatisfactory. Don't be surprised if some people tell you it must be a handling fault on your part, or that it would have broken sooner had it been a fault in the blank. Whether you find such comments convincing is another matter.

It broke right next to a ring? If you check previous threads - these issues have arisen before - I'm sure I read someone putting forward the idea that whipping rings too tightly had been judged to play a part.

Whatever caused the breakage, it's surprising the company seem indifferent to the poor PR value of stories like yours, if the response was as unhelpful as you say.

tigger · Jul 23, 2018

sis the roach said:
I was told they sent two tops back both 15ft acolytes they replace one but not mine has I have said they have told me the rod is to old and has been used it 15 moths old

If your prepared to accept that then you've got several choices, buy a replacement tip section, sell the rod as is or scrap it....can't think of ewt else.

Mark Wintle · Jul 23, 2018

Under the Consumer Rights Act (formerly Sale of Goods Act) your contract and redress is with the retailer not the wholesaler/manufacturer so it's down to the retailer to put things right. Whether the retailer then takes it up with their supplier is not your problem, The retailer has to decide whether the goods are faulty within the spirit of the law ie would a customer expect such a rod to break in these circumstances PROVIDED the rod had not been damaged in any way previously. It is not up to Drennan to make such decisions and in this case the retailer is passing (illegally) the buck.

Back in the days of early carbon rods the Sundridge Kevin Ashurst rods were notorious for breakages but the retailers always replaced them, possibly knowing that Geoff Bucknall of Sundridge would replace them.

iain t · Jul 23, 2018

Maybe out of luck as the rods only come with a 1-year guarantee.

thecrow · Jul 23, 2018

iain t said:
Maybe out of luck as the rods only come with a 1-year guarantee.

Goods must be of merchantable quality, I suggest that an expensive rod should last longer than 15 months.

binka · Jul 23, 2018

I notice that there were two Acolyte tips that the retailer returned to Drennan, I wonder if this is costing Drennan rather more than they anticipated and if they are beginning to get picky about returns in light of what appears to be a common problem and maybe affecting larger volumes than they feared?

I reckon it's poor PR, especially given what imo has reached the status of notoriety given how many times we hear about it.

I know of two people personally that this has also happened to, both with the 15' rod.

tigger · Jul 23, 2018

iain t said:
Maybe out of luck as the rods only come with a 1-year guarantee.

That's correct so in reality if the rod breaks after 12 months then your banjaxed!
You just have to swallow it and buy a new section, rod or whatever.
Shyte happens as they say, it's just unfortunate that the consumer has to take the brunt of it.

Mark Wintle · Jul 23, 2018

Some useful stuff: Consumer Rights Act 2015 - Which? Consumer Rights

tigger · Jul 23, 2018

Mark Wintle said:
Some useful stuff: Consumer Rights Act 2015 - Which? Consumer Rights

That really is useful....Mark I think that link has helped me out with something else....thank's !

sam vimes · Jul 24, 2018

Is the rod in question an Ultra or a Plus? What about the other one that was sent back? I suspect that it will make a difference as it's the 15' Acolyte Ultra that was rumoured to have an issue. Good luck with it, but after 15 months, even if it's not been used that many times, I suspect that it might be a losing battle. I'd not be best pleased if I broke one of mine. However, I'm lucky enough to be in a position to use a new rod quite frequently in a relatively short period of time. I don't buy a rod only to have it sit unused for ages. I go out of my way to use them knowing that a flaw will usually show inside a few uses. Biting the bullet and buying a new tip section may be a cheaper alternative to any legal action. If you are really hacked off with it, it may be a case of buying a replacement tip and selling the complete rod on.

Richox12 · Jul 24, 2018

That's a shame. I guess you haven't actually caught much on it at all then.

mikench · Jul 24, 2018

sam vimes said:
Biting the bullet and buying a new tip section may be a cheaper alternative to any legal action. If yo

Undoubtedly!

103841 · Jul 24, 2018

Maybe this has something to do with the relationship between the retailer in question and Drennan.

I also broke the tip on my 13ft Plus, a clean break just six inches from the tip, admittedly the rod wasn’t that old but that shouldn’t make a difference imo, the top section was replaced, no quibble.

tigger · Jul 24, 2018

s63 said:
Maybe this has something to do with the relationship between the retailer in question and Drennan.

I also broke the tip on my 13ft Plus, a clean break just six inches from the tip, admittedly the rod wasn’t that old but that shouldn’t make a difference imo, the top section was replaced, no quibble.

In reality how long are manufacturers supposed to guarante a rod for?
I'm not sticking up for them, just curious how long of a guarantee they should actualy give.
At the end of the day there's an awful lot of people out there who treat their gear as though it is a tool on a building site rather than a quite delicate object.

I have no idea if the acolyte rods have had an issue but going off the number of people saying their rod tips have broken off it seems there's every chance that there is, or has been an issue?
In a situation like this I think the manufacturers should replace any broken tips unless they where broken in an accident such as being trapped in a car door.

thecrow · Jul 24, 2018

Contact Trading Standards for their views on this, collect any information about the same problem others have suffered with this rod to show them, tell the retailer what you are doing and that he should be dealing with you not you with Drennan.

jasonbean1 · Jul 24, 2018

personally I would send a polite email to them stating you were not happy with the outcome when you went through the retailer you bought it from.

info@drennan.co.uk

sam vimes · Jul 24, 2018

I'd be quite surprised if there's a zero cost happy outcome in the offing, regardless of the avenue pursued. All the retailer or Drennan are likely to say is that it's out of warranty and has been subjected to accidental damage of some kind. The former is not in doubt and the latter is a case of one party's word against another. However, if you don't try, then it definitely won't happen.

If an individual feels strongly enough about this kind of situation, all they can really do is boycott the products of whichever manufacturer it is. There are plenty of people that won't touch products of certain manufacturers for similar reasons. The very items that have let them down will be absolutely loved by others. That's true of pretty much any consumer item you care to mention.

The thing I take from it is to beware of the perils of buying a rod and barely using it. They need as many uses as possible, well within the warranty period, to show up any manufacturing flaws as quickly as possible. I understand why anyone would feel aggrieved when a rod breaks after minimal use, but if that minimal use period extends beyond a warranty period, you are far more likely to end up in an unhappy stand off situation.

15ft drennan acolyte rod

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