avet 5 year warranty information from bloody decks

[alantani]

first was okuma with a 5 year warranty.  now avet!  if your avet is badly trashed, send it to them first.  if you want it hotrodded afterwards, send it to us.  this is great news!

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/avet-reels-support/427134-possible-avet-warranty-thoughts.html

Now that we've had our reels on the water and fished hard for over 10 years, we have re-evaluated the durability and performance of Avet reels based on customer feedback, service records and warranty claims. Given the large volume of Avet reels in service today and the proven performance world-wide, we are considering upgrading our Avet reel warranty. We would like some feedback on our new warranty proposal from the customers point of view before we proceed and put it into effect.  Again, at this stage its just an idea, and we simply want to hear opinions from the end user.
Currently our warranty is 1 year from the date of purchase. It covers defects in materials and workmanship. It does not cover wear and tear from normal use, lack of maintenance, damage from salt, sand, debris, abuse, accidental damage (dropped, run over by truck, etc)...

Our new warranty proposal:
Avet Reels 5 year Progressive Conditional Warranty.
The terms and conditions of the original 1 year warranty will remain the same:
http://avetreels.net/WARRANTY.php
Within the first year, your reel must be sent in to the factory for our standard maintenance service and checkup. This will ensure that the reel is functioning as designed and breaking in properly, as well as clean lube and replace any needed bearings.  This will automatically register your reel for the following year for warranty extension, beginning on the anniversary of the original purchase date.

Within the next year, repeat the same conditions as above, send the reel in for the routine maintenance service before the original purchase anniversary date to extend the warranty to the following year.
As long as the reel is sent in to the factory for routine maintenance before each anniversary date, (minimum once or more as needed) the warranty will be extended each year, up to 5 years.
The warranty will only be activated once the warranty registration is submitted, and MUST be returned within 10 days of the original purchase of your new reel.

The prices for the factory maintenance will also be adjusted. Currently the flat rate $39, covers clean, lube, replacement of any needed bearings, and return shipping. The new pricing for the same service will be:

All SX MXJ MXL  $29  
All JX LX HXJ HX HXW $35
All EX Series $40

The idea behind this is to promote regular routine maintenance on the reels, to keep them performing as they are designed to do, as well as the added "insurance" to cover a legit warranty claim in the event a defect in materials or workmanship does arise after the normal one year warranty period has expired.

As an example, think of the warranty on a new car. A car is a mechanical piece of equipment. Without proper lubrication and replacement of parts expected to wear, even under normal driving conditions, something will fail prematurely. Car manufacturers have certain maintenance requirements that must be done in order for the warranty to remain valid, and to keep the car performing as it should. For most vehicles, this is the car owners responsibility to perform the maintenance required to prevent long term damage to critical parts. If the engine seizes because the oil hasn't been changed or coolant levels maintained, of course the warranty will be void. The engine, no matter how sophisticated and well engineered, simply cannot operate without the correct lubrication and coolant. Sure it may have black, sludgy oil in it, but its not lubricating. Brakes are another good example. The car manufacturer cant predict how much a person will have to brake, or how hard, or how often. Some people just go through brake pads more often than others. Some carry heavier loads. Others (like here in CA) drive only a few feet at time and hit the brakes, stop and go for miles every day.  If your brake pads wear down to the point grooves are cut into the rotors and aren't checked and replace as needed, of course replacement of the rotors will be the responsibility of the owner, not the manufacturer. Proper maintenance and inspection prevents these issues. Obviously there are exceptions. Some manufacturers have "bumper to bumper free maintenance", but were talking high dollar products here with "bumper room" built into the profit margin for the manufacturer or dealer. The customer pays for this but its built into the overall price of the car.  We would rather not increase the price of the reels to cover  "free" maintenance.
 
Reels are mechanical equipment, that are subjected to some of the harshest environments on the planet...extreme heat, cold, and of course the corrosive acid bath we call the ocean! Given enough time, and lack of maintenance,  saltwater will eventually destroy any mechanical equipment. If not from corrosion, erosion, oxidization, you also have to be concerned with salt crystal abrasion between moving parts, electrolysis with dissimilar metals, lubricant viscosity breakdown, lubricant salt saturation which causes stiffening and thickening of the grease, on top of normal wear and tear. CORRECT MAINTENANCE IS KEY TO PEAK PERFORMANCE AND PREVENTING FAILURE.

So what do you guys think? From a fishing reel users point of view, do you think its a fair trade off to have the warranty extended up to 5 years in exchange for sending your reel in once a year for factory maintenance, with a reasonable price?

[Keta]

  if your avet is badly trashed, send it to them first.  if you want it hotrodded afterwards, send it to us. 

Although they are easy to work on this is my first choice when dealing with well used/abused Avets.

[Bryan Young]

Make sure you see the fine print.  It states:

Within the first year, your reel must be sent in to the factory for our standard maintenance service and checkup. This will ensure that the reel is functioning as designed and breaking in properly, as well as clean lube and replace any needed bearings.  This will automatically register your reel for the following year for warranty extension, beginning on the anniversary of the original purchase date.

Within the next year, repeat the same conditions as above, send the reel in for the routine maintenance service before the original purchase anniversary date to extend the warranty to the following year.
As long as the reel is sent in to the factory for routine maintenance before each anniversary date, (minimum once or more as needed) the warranty will be extended each year, up to 5 years.
The warranty will only be activated once the warranty registration is submitted, and MUST be returned within 10 days of the original purchase of your new reel.

Which mean you have to send the reel in to Avet before the end of the first year, and every year thereafter to extend the warranty each year, up to 5 years.

[Dominick]

Love it when the lawyers write this stuff.      Good catch Bryan.  The answer is always "read the fine print." Dominick

[mackereljoe]

I wonder how much extra for an Alan Tani special service?  There's more people now that wants the greased drag, open spool bearing....

[Bryan Young]

After Avet's service, it should be $40 for a single speed, $50 for a 2 speed since everything "should" be fixed already.

[alantani]

avets are simple enough that anyone here should be able to service them.