Warrior Refused Legit Stick Warranty

[Zamboni 6]

Whenever possible I buy my equipment and the kids gear at smaller local shops-think most know to take their time with skate sharpening when I start looking at sticks

A few weeks back I bought a Warrior stick in exactly that scenario, I had time to tape it before playing and the stick was admired in the room....got the usual advice that Hockey Monkey online to US address was cheaper, big local chain was cheaper...learned long ago to not get involved in that discussion. The stick breaks in warm up, it felt odd when I leaned on it for a wrist shot and when I loaded up for a snap shot the shaft crumbled.

Warrior refused the warranty....told me the dealer wasn't authorized! How the hell is a consumer supposed to know who is an authorized dealer, this is a local sports shop with a few hundred sticks on rack-not some guys car trunk. If Warrior wanted to crack down on dealers selling to other stores the sticks have serial numbers, why involve consumers like me?

I'm guessing Warrior wants one dealer in an area to stop price wars or something?....or big chains don't want smaller shops with same brand. Am I supposed to ask a local shop for its invoices or shipping paperwork from Warrior when buying. Sorry for the rant, thought I should post Warrior's new policy so others don't get burned as I did. Warrior's email is below, the store owner refused to replace the stick.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We cannot honor the warranty of this stick purchased at the “------ & Sports”.  They are not an authorized dealer of Warrior products. Over the past few months we have been forced to verify every dealer listed on receipts and returns claims due to the high amount of sales from unauthorized dealers.  I would suggest going back to the retailer in this case as we are unable to replace. 

 

Below is a link of our complete warranty breakdown if you have any questions.

 

http://www.warrior.com/USA-Hockey-Returns/returns-warranty-usa-hockey,default,pg.html

[Kgbeast 195]

... this also means high amount of warranty claims, which means quality issues.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

That's pretty damned shitty.  I can see not warrantying a counterfeit or prostock , but what difference does "authorized retailer" make if the damn stick you made broke?

There are Warrior reps on here, right?  I've bought something like five warrior sticks of various models since this time last year.  If you want me to stop doing that, this would be an excellent way to do it.

Mark

[2nhockey 21]

It is totally unreasonable to expect the end user to verify the dealer's 'authorized' status. This one's on Warrior to make right, and given the expense of their sticks (I know because there are 4 Coverts, and 4 Dynastys in our hockey room) maybe the same money spent on CCM sticks will get a better return? Agree with the above - this seems to signal quality concerns.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

It's the first line on the warranty terms - it must be sold through an authorized dealer.

It sounds like your dealer isn't an authorized dealer.  Which means that they did not buy their stick stock through the proper channels, which means that the product is not warrantied.

It sucks for you, sure, but Warrior is not the bad guy in this case.  The CSR even said to go back to the retailer for a replacement.  He's the one who dropped the ball there.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

1 hour ago, Kgbeast said:

... this also means high amount of warranty claims, which means quality issues.

 

1 minute ago, 2nhockey said:

It is totally unreasonable to expect the end user to verify the dealer's 'authorized' status. This one's on Warrior to make right, and given the expense of their sticks (I know because there are 4 Coverts, and 4 Dynastys in our hockey room) maybe the same money spent on CCM sticks will get a better return? Agree with the above - this seems to signal quality concerns.

Please...no need for that.

Why is Warrior catching heat over this - maybe you should ask how did the store get the product in the first place?

[Davideo 99]

If the stick is authentic and retail the manufacturer should stand behind their warranty. I understand trying to rein in dealers, but it just makes the manufacturer look bad. If the manufacturer stands behind their product and has few warranty problems then I believe they should make an exception and accept the claim. My business actually does manufacturing in a different area and have been presented with nearly identical scenarios and have taken care of the customer.

I went to Warrior's website and looked up authorized retailers. They still have closed and renamed stores listed, so their official list is at least a few years out of date. I understand wanting to make the customer responsible, however, Warrior's list online of authorized retailers is very old and out of date.

Edit: Actually, the OP should check this list as if the dealer was authorized a few years ago and then was yanked, they might still be on the online list.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

9 minutes ago, JR Boucicaut said:

It's the first line on the warranty terms - it must be sold through an authorized dealer.

It sounds like your dealer isn't an authorized dealer.  Which means that they did not buy their stick stock through the proper channels, which means that the product is not warrantied.

It sucks for you, sure, but Warrior is not the bad guy in this case.  The CSR even said to go back to the retailer for a replacement.  He's the one who dropped the ball there.

 

The sticks have a serial #, right?  If that serial # comes up as "retail" in their DB and its not counterfeited, why on earth wouldn't they just replace the damn thing?  Do they want people to trust their brand or not?  Because guaranteed that at the rink (and on the internet) hardly anyone is going to say "Oh, its totally ok it broke in five minutes of play... It was from an unauthorized retailer!"
 

:-)

Mark

[Davideo 99]

24 minutes ago, JR Boucicaut said:

 

Please...no need for that.

Why is Warrior catching heat over this - maybe you should ask how did the store get the product in the first place?

I understand your position, but you are asking the consumer to monitor the manufacturer's supply lines. I do not believe this is reasonable. If this is as big a problem as Warrior seems to be indicating it is, then I believe the onus should be on them to make an emphasis on consumer education and there isn't much emphasis at all. This isn't something obvious like buying fake sticks off of Alibaba.

I've used Warrior blades exclusively for the past few seasons. So now I need to get written confirmation from Warrior that the dealer is authorized at the time of purchase or I may not have a warranty. Hmmmm? I don't care who is right or wrong, I think I might just switch brands. Edit: I just learned that replacement blades are not covered under warranty regardless. So I'm glad I read through their terms.

I can see the conversation with some random minimum wage employee at the store? "So, do you guys purchase directly through the manufacturer or go through a distributor? Can I see some invoices and sales reports so I can confirm none of this is third run or grey market? I'm going to have take some samples to a lab for further testing."

[dtodd380 23]

Hey everyone - We are in contact with Zam and working to get to the bottom on this. Appreciate the discussion and the points raised, as always. We'll work to find a suitable solution. 

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

I'm very confident this will be resolved, however, once again, it is the policy. And that CSR was doing his job. 

If we want to go with your scenario, let me throw this one at you:

Say someone buys a stick from someone who stole it. And that person just happens to get a receipt and he can send the stolen stick in for warranty.  It's a legitimate stick. Is that ok?

That's why that is the first line in the policy. Obviously this case doesn't apply, because there's no way to know for sure why they aren't authorized. 

 

[Davideo 99]

22 minutes ago, JR Boucicaut said:

It's the first line on the warranty terms - it must be sold through an authorized dealer.

It sounds like your dealer isn't an authorized dealer.  Which means that they did not buy their stick stock through the proper channels, which means that the product is not warrantied.

It sucks for you, sure, but Warrior is not the bad guy in this case.  The CSR even said to go back to the retailer for a replacement.  He's the one who dropped the ball there.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see the OP linked it. Hey JR, do you have a link to Warrior's warranty terms? On their website I can only find details regarding returns for items purchased directly from them online.

I do note that have the following line at the top of their returns and warranty page:

Quote

We laugh at the competition and their lame excuses for why they can't accept returns. From the very beginning, Warrior has changed the game and the way it's played—why would we take a cheap-ass shortcut when it comes to customer service?

 

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

6 minutes ago, Davideo said:

I understand your position, but you are asking the consumer to monitor the manufacturer's supply lines. 

No, I'm asking the dealer to be honest. 

The dealer knows he no longer has an account. Therefore, the dealer should let the consumer know the warranty isn't valid and process the claim in-store. 

[Davideo 99]

3 minutes ago, JR Boucicaut said:

No, I'm asking the dealer to be honest. 

The dealer knows he no longer has an account. Therefore, the dealer should let the consumer know the warranty isn't valid and process the claim in-store. 

I am in complete agreement that is the ideal scenario. However, unfortunately dishonest dealers are a fact of life and I do not think it is a good long term decision for them to allow the consumer to take in the shorts.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

1 minute ago, Davideo said:

Hey JR, do you have a link to Warrior's warranty terms? On their website I can only find details regarding returns for items purchased directly from them online.

I do note that have the following line at the top of their returns and warranty page:

 

Once again, to prevent the situation I presented earlier. 

[OzziesDad 89]

I definitely see both sides.  However, I have to err on the side that while Warrior is not obligated to replace the stick, it would be a nice gesture on their part to do so.

Providing that OP can prove the stick is legit (serial number), and that the stick was literally brand new (receipt), then it's just good business for Warrior to replace the stick for him, and stand by their product.  I understand they are running a business, and they have rules and guidelines that they set and attempt to adhere to, so they are under zero obligation to replace it. 

I don't know, hopefully the shop replaces it, and that's the end of it.  Best of luck OP.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

21 minutes ago, JR Boucicaut said:

I'm very confident this will be resolved, however, once again, it is the policy. And that CSR was doing his job. 

If we want to go with your scenario, let me throw this one at you:

Say someone buys a stick from someone who stole it. And that person just happens to get a receipt and he can send the stolen stick in for warranty.  It's a legitimate stick. Is that ok?

That's why that is the first line in the policy. Obviously this case doesn't apply, because there's no way to know for sure why they aren't authorized. 

 

 

How's that any different from me breaking a QR1 I've had for a year and sending it in with a receipt from the one I just bought last week from an authorized retailer?

Fraud is fraud.  If you want to prevent the situation you describe the way to do that is for the original retailer to report those serial #'s as stolen to Warrior.

At the end of the day, the customer voting with their wallet is going to go with whoever makes them jump through less hoops.  And in a world where NOS sticks sell for 1/3 of their retail cost, I've got to believe there's enough profit margin to err on the side of customer service vs. attempts to completely eliminate fraud.

Mark

[Hills 712]

11 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

 

How's that any different from me breaking a QR1 I've had for a year and sending it in with a receipt from the one I just bought last week from an authorized retailer?

Fraud is fraud.  If you want to prevent the situation you describe the way to do that is for the original retailer to report those serial #'s as stolen to Warrior.

At the end of the day, the customer voting with their wallet is going to go with whoever makes them jump through less hoops.  And in a world where NOS sticks sell for 1/3 of their retail cost, I've got to believe there's enough profit margin to err on the side of customer service vs. attempts to completely eliminate fraud.

Mark

Don't stores have to scan the codes on the sticks so they can tell when they were purchased? So the broken bar code wouldn't match with the one you just bought.

[stevelknievel 51]

Profit margin should have nothing to do with this. And warrior shouldn't feel compelled to do anything. It's stated very clearly in their policy the seller must be a authorized dealer. If I was the OP I'd be aggravated too, but I'd be directing it at the retailer not warrior. 

[Miseaujeu 291]

I have reached out to Zamboni to resolve this issue direct.  It will be taken care of quickly.

Warrior has prided itself on a very easy Warranty process.  We know how important the stick warranty is to our consumers and to provide them with the most confidence in purchasing our product.  In past years, our warranty has saved our relationships with consumers and is seen as a valuable tool.  We've gone through a lot in the past and we're now at our lowest warranty return rates ever and our quality and performance levels are at their highest.

Recently, we've had an increase in some fraudulent warranty claims.  Absolutely not implying that Zamboni's claim was, but in some of those other cases we have used our authorized dealers to vouch for warranty claims or to further verify with store receipts and work with consumers to get the very best, fastest service for their warranty.  It is for this reason that our CSR referred back to our dealer and held to our "Authorized Dealer" policy.

Every issue unique and we totally understand that.  

Glad Zamboni brought this to MSH attention and glad to help resolve it quickly.

Keith

[tryandstopme 35]

Definitely no need for ire towards Warrior here. The recourse is to take the store to small claims court. The stick was bought in good faith that it was through legitimate channels (that is the store's responsibility). There was no reason for the customer to think that things weren't legit. Unless the store expressly said that the stick had no warranty before you bought it, they are on the hook. It'll be a pain to go through the process, but you'll win. And the store will get the message loud and clear and at the very least start doing their due diligence.

[psulion22 402]

OP, talk to Keith at Warrior.  He's on here as Misanjeau or something like that.  I had a warranty issue a few years back, and he handled it beyond what was typical for a replacement.  

EDIT: speak of the devil, and he shall appear.  I knew he would take care of you.

[Miseaujeu 291]

Devil?  I'm sure there's some people in an office space in New Hampshire that would agree. 

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

1 hour ago, marka said:

Howdy,

 

How's that any different from me breaking a QR1 I've had for a year and sending it in with a receipt from the one I just bought last week from an authorized retailer?

Fraud is fraud.  If you want to prevent the situation you describe the way to do that is for the original retailer to report those serial #'s as stolen to Warrior.

Those serial codes are not used by retailers in any capacity.   The best we can do is to stick the peelable one onto the receipt  

The situation you have described goes back since these sticks hit the market. 

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

1 hour ago, Hills said:

Don't stores have to scan the codes on the sticks so they can tell when they were purchased? So the broken bar code wouldn't match with the one you just bought.

No.