Policy and Coverage Information
ECHO Warranty & Repair Policy
All ECHO rods are covered by our policy over the natural life of the product for the original owner at the discretion of Rajeff Sports. Rods that are determined to be damaged by abuse or neglect, either by physical or environmental factors (excessive wear and tear beyond normal use, saltwater corrosion, mold damage, damage from vehicles, etc) are not covered by our warranty policy.
If your rod breaks during normal fishing use, we will repair or replace your rod for a service fee (fee level differs by rod model) while the rod is a currently produced model and repairable. If your rod is a discontinued model and/or is not repairable, you will be offered a current equivalent replacement model at 50% off the MSRP.
Most current production models will have replacement tips available for purchase through our website without submitting a warranty/repair request.
Rajeff Sports / ECHO Fly Fishing reserves the right to update and change this policy at any time. We understand that every situation is unique and strive to stand by our products and guarantee quality, performance and reliability. Accidents happen, and we want you to have options to get back on the water. Quality control and manufacturing inconsistencies also happen, though rarely, and we want to make sure we do everything in our power to get them corrected.
All warranty and service requests are processed at the discretion of our warranty department. Rods deemed not repairable will be discarded unless explicitly requested before service is performed. Any return shipping fees on canceled/declined service requests are the responsibility of the customer.
ECHO Reels are covered under our warranty policy for 1yr. When making a claim on your reel, please send a photo of your reel along with proof of purchase within the previous calendar year from an ECHO dealer to the email below.
Reel warranties - please email warranty@rajeffsports.com
Walk-in service is urrently unavailable at our warehouse in Vancouver WA. We appreciate your understanding on the matter and apologize about any inconvenience. Please follow the links on this page for standard warranty service.
Who and what is covered by warranty?
ECHO WARRANTY = All coverage for rods that failed due to defective materials. The specifics of your service and fees may vary depending on your situation.
REPAIR SERVICE = Replacing broken rod sections that were incidentally damaged during normal fishing use. Fees will be charged for all repair services.
Who is covered: All ECHO rods purchased from an authorized dealer qualify for the warranty or repair services. If you do not qualify for these services, purchasing tip (top) sections is the only available repair option.
Warranty or Repair Service covers: All manufacturing inconsistencies, fishing-related incidental damage, or anything that is keeping your ECHO rod from performing in a fish-able manner (within the limitations of what is considered fishing-related damage). Service fees may vary by model, and by determined cause of failure.
Fishing-Related Incidental damages include any damage that was a direct result of using the rod on the water for its intended purpose. This includes casting, line management and fighting fish.
Our policy for both no-charge warranty and charged repair covers failures caused during normal fishing use.
What's not covered for warranty, repair, or replacement services:
- Wear & tear and cosmetic issues caused by excessive abrasions, vehicular accidents (of all kinds, including rods broken in doors), blatant mis-use, extended sun exposure, saltwater, or other environmental factors are not covered by our warranty and repair process. This includes damages to blanks, hardware, and cork. If your rod is unusable due to these types of damages, we politely request you support your local fly shop and purchase a new fly rod.
- Lost rods, lost sections, theft, or other issues where the rod or any parts of the rod are no longer in your possession unless determined to be as a result of a defect-related failure.
- If it is determined that your rod failed due to neglect or by any of these physical or environmental factors, service may be denied.
- Rods used in outfitter, rental, lodge or other "fleet" type scenarios.
All ECHO reels are covered by a one year warranty for the original owner.
Are there things that you will not cover?
Yes, there are situations where we politely request you would support your local fly shop and purchase a new fly rod.
- Damage and degredation from being left in the sun, saltwater or other elements.
- Excessive abrasions from not being properly covered during travel.
- Non-fishing related incidents. We design our rods to be used in fishing siatuations. Damages incurred off the water should not be considered warranty situations. If you only damaged the tip, those can be purchased online for most current models.
- Any similar situations where excessive ongoing damage is accumulated, leading to a rod failure.
- Rods used in outfitter, rental, lodge or other "fleet" type scenarios.
Does Coverage Expire?
Our Warranty covers the natural life of the product. What's this mean? If your product fails due to wear and tear from regular use over the years, then we would politely request you consider purchasing a new rod from your local fly shop.
A rod used 200+ days per year will need to be replaced sooner than one used 2 days per year. If you look back and see that your rod has had a long, full life, then maybe it's time to retire it instead of submitting a warranty service request. We enacted our lifetime warranty policy with the belief that our customers are honest, well-intentioned people that would not take advantage of our policy.
What's the difference between warranty and repair?
While we often use the terms interchangeably since it all goes through our warranty department, there is a slight distinction: Warranties cover all manufacturing inconsistencies and defects. Repairs cover incidental breakages.
We trust that our customers are honest and ethical people and would not take excessive advantage of our warranty & repair program. If you have used your rod and received a lifetime of use from it, please consider supporting your local fly shop to purchase a new rod.
ALL Warranty and Repair Services carry a standard processing fee. Your fee will depend on a few factors and will be listed when you submit your claim.
Why do I have to pay for a warranty?
With the exceptions of items that arrive to you already broken or immediately defective, all services carry a fee per our policy.
ALL Warranty and Repair Services carry a standard processing fee. Your fee will depend on a few factors and will be communicated when you submit your claim.
How do I know if my issue is caused by a defect?
We can't recommend this article enough! It is a very thorough look at how graphite failures happen with fishing rods: Rod Failure by Tom Kirkman
Defects are extremely rare and we see a very small percentage of our claims come in that are due to a manufacturing inconsistency. Our warranty staff is trained in diagnosing manufacturing inconsistencies and will evaluate your item when it arrives. It is inspected for inconsistencies and incidental damage.
For ECHO rods: With graphite rods, a defect in the graphite itself is typically apparent during its first use. Any breakages that happen after the first few dozen casts, or several trips in to the rod's life, are almost always caused by an incidental damage or misuse scenario.
Why did my rod break? Why do I keep breaking in the same spot?
We can’t recommend this article enough! It is a very thorough look at how graphite failures happen with fishing rods: Rod Failure by Tom Kirkman
Graphite fly rods can withstand a lot of stress and survive. They can even take the occasional nick or impact. All rods do have a limit to how much bend they can survive before breaking.
By far, the most common breakage issue we see is from "high sticking." This is when you stick the rod straight up, and maybe even a bit back with the fish or other heavy object directly below you, causing significant stress near the ferrules in the top sections. This will break just about any rod of any weight. Always apply pressure off to your side when doing any significant pulling. Leave the "rod up in the air" stuff to the TV guys.
The next most common breakage issue we see with graphite rods are spots on the rods that are weakened by being hit with a fast moving object; usually split shot weights or a weighted fly. This is common with certain nymphing techniques to hit the rod blank in the same spot with split shot several times over. If you have a rod that is breaking in the same spot more than once, pay close attention to your casting technique. You may not always notice the impact happening.
What if my rod's not made anymore?
If you have a discontinued rod that is not repairable, and your repair/warranty issue is due to incidental breakage, you may be eligible to purchase a new equivalent model at a discount. This service is offered on a case-by-case basis. Select your model from the warranty submission page to determine your options.
For any model, we make no guarantees of being able to replace a section or entire rod for any model that has been discontinued at the time of making a warranty claim.
Can I get a different model rod instead?
We do not offer an exchange service for warranty rods. You will receive back the model you sent in for service. In the rare instance where you are using a discontinued model that is not repairable, we will substitute the closest current model as your replacement.
How do I pay for service?
Warranty/repair fees will be collected after your product has been received, inspected, and processed. If you do not include payment with your shipment, we will contact you after your repair is completed.
Payments accepted:
- Money order included in your warranty shipment: Made out to Rajeff Sports
- Credit card online: you will be sent a link to our online payment portal after your repair is processed
If it is determined your issue was caused by fault in the materials or workmanship, your fee will be waived.
Why do you want me to submit this online form?
Submitting the online forms linked here help us to more efficiently process your claim. It also gives you the ability to receive email updates or check online to see if your claim has been processed or received to our warranty and repair department.
Where do I send everything?
You don't! By completing our online form, we will have all the information we need to get you the appropriate replacement parts sent to you.
How long does it take?
In the case we are out of the parts needed and have more on the way, your repair may be delayed for up to a few weeks (this does not happen very often).
I still have questions
We're happy to help if you have additional questions: warranty@rajeffsports.com
If you are in the area (Vancouver/Portland), our walk-in service procedures have changed. Please review this checklist to receive local service. In order to get our customers from all over North America taken care of, we have made necessary updates to this service. We greatly appreciate your understanding.
1. Please submit a warranty/service claim online prior to driving your rod to us.
2. Email warranty@rajeffsports.com for drop-off instructions.
– Please wait for a response before making a drop off.
3. We are no longer able to offer same day service. Local service is for drop-off only. Your rod will enter our warranty/repair queue, processed, then shipped back to you unless a pick-up is arranged.
4. Please note and respect our “Employees Only” policy in our facility. All drop offs are arranged to go to a receptacle at our front door. We respectfully request that warranty customers not enter our office at this time.