RBZ Stage 2 Driver Shaft Snapped

[corrupthalo]

Hi all

Basically this is a post to rant and vent some anger and frustration.

Yesterday the shaft on my 2 month old RBZ Stage 2 Driver snapped and now it's in 2 pieces. Took it back to American Golf and they said that Taylormade won't replace it due to the shaft happening in the middle of the shaft. Apparently they measured and spoke to Taylormade and nothing will get done about it. I had to argue to get them to even send it away to Taylormade.

Anyone else had driver shafts snap in this way? Driver hasn't even mistreated in any way. It was a great club and in fact I was looking at the Taylormade Rocketbladz irons but now have distrust about the build quality in Taylormade's equipment.

Not it a happy bunny at all

 

[Ethan]

Don't take no for an answer. TM presumably consider any mid shaft break as being the result of deliberate whacking of a tree or the like, and that may be often true, but it doesn't mean they can apply a blanket policy just like that, and they still have obligations under Sale of Goods Act. If the shaft broke in normal use within the warranty period, you are entitled to a replacement shaft. End of story.

if you bought it with a credit card, you credit card company is also liable, but press the retailer first.

You could also try a post on either TM or AG's Facebook page, protesting the problem. You might well get a swift positive response.

The stock shafts used by TM are not the best quality, either. A google search should find a video where they were tested by a club fitter and found to be rather weak.

 

[Foxholer]

Plenty of TM, or proper, shafts available on Ebay.

And the beauty is, the shaft can simply be swapped!

TM stock shafts are built to a $ point, not a quality one - though the quality tolerances may actually be finer than higher cost shafts.

 

[nemicu]

Contact TM customer service here:
http://taylormadegolf.co.uk/customerService-warranty/customerService-warranty,en_GB,pg.html

Either way, your warranty exists with the shop at which the club was purchased and this is where you have the legal right to pursue a claim for faulty goods. It may be difficult to prove that the shaft broke under the normal course of play though, but the more evidence and details you can provide the better. Regardless of the alleged quality of the shaft in question, they are not designed to break under normal circumstances and mid-shaft breaks are quite rare. Shafts have to pass basic QC checks to make sure failures like these don't happen. Much more likely breakage points are the butt and tip, where they have been prepped or manipulated to build a club.
Best of luck with your claim, but you may be in for lengthy negotiations before you get any satisfaction.

 

[corrupthalo]

Cheers for all the replies guys. Have to wait 3 weeks until I get the official word from Taylormade that the shaft won't be replaced before I can pursue anything. But thanks for the help

 

[hovis]

Take this misfortune as a blessing and get a after market shaft in that bad boy. You'd be amazed at what it "can" offer your driving

 

[nemicu]

Take this misfortune as a blessing and get a after market shaft in that bad boy. You'd be amazed at what it "can" offer your driving

does that apply to any after market shaft?

 

[hovis]

does that apply to any after market shaft?

I would say no but anythings better than the rubbish stock option (imo of course)

 

[ToddM1985]

Iv worked in the industry and as a rule TMade will replace shafts if they snap at the top or bottom but the middle is usually a sign of the gold old whack on the floor after a bad drive. American Golf have done nothing wrong by the way Taylor Made will make the call. Go on Twitter or Facebook and post a pic to Taylormade Europe they don't like bad publicity and see what they. Best of luck!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I'm guessing it snapped during a tee shot ?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Surely your contract is with AG as you purchased from them and so whether TM will or won't do anything the liability is with AG if the driver isn't fit for purpose. I assume it was in the course of a normal shot and not testing its aerodynamic capabilities!

 

[Oddsocks]

AG could easily lose one from their fitting cart to keep you happy, but as said there are lost of cheap shafts on eBay and on here, why not tune that bad boy with something better, generally as said TM stock shafts are toss.

 

[drdel]

Cheers for all the replies guys. Have to wait 3 weeks until I get the official word from Taylormade that the shaft won't be replaced before I can pursue anything. But thanks for the help

You do not have to wait and suffer the loss of use of an item you have just bought and used for the purpose it was made - if it was broken by hitting something other than a golf ball it would show evidence of impact damage.

You have a contract with AG, NOT Taylormade. AG's deal with TM is their business; the TM warranty merely sits behind AG and is to their advantage and does not affect or detract from your rights. Your rights are with AG and under the Sale of Goods you do not have to prove anything as within 6 months any fault is considered to have existed at the time of manufacture.

 

[palindromicbob]

At 2 months old the burden of proof that the fault is not due to the product lies with the retailer. Had it been after 6 months that burden switches to the owner but you have consumer rights on your side.

Go to AG again and don't let them fob you off to Taylormade. They have to prove that you and not the shaft are at fault. It is up to them to pursue the matter with Taylormade. It isn't that Taylormade won't replace the shaft for you. It's that they won't replace the shaft for them. I am sick of seeing companies fob the consumer off to the manufacturer.

Good chance the guy you are dealing with in the shop is not fully aware of the consumer law that backs you up and will try to fob it off.

 

[nemicu]

You do not have to wait and suffer the loss of use of an item you have just bought and used for the purpose it was made - if it was broken by hitting something other than a golf ball it would show evidence of impact damage.

You have a contract with AG, NOT Taylormade. AG's deal with TM is their business; the TM warranty merely sits behind AG and is to their advantage and does not affect or detract from your rights. Your rights are with AG and under the Sale of Goods you do not have to prove anything as within 6 months any fault is considered to have existed at the time of manufacture.

Not quite as cut and dried as that I'm afraid. The consumer has to prove that the failure occurred in normal use. In over 30 years, I've yet to see a graphite shaft break in half in the middle under normal use. AG are well within their rights to be suspicious of how the breakage occurred, just as the consumer is well within their rights to ask TM to inspect the club for appraisal to pursue any warranty claim. In other words, you need substantial proof - not "you do not have to prove anything" as you implied.

 

[Dcross92]

i snapped my shaft on my covert 2.0 snap within a week and nike replaced it free and that was near the middle!

 

[corrupthalo]

Basically I didn't notice anything wrong until I pulled the driver out on the tee box of the 6th hole. I noticed it was "wobbly" and on further inspection it was cracked. Looking closer at it and it basically came apart.

I can't take a picture of the club as it's away to Taylormade now according to AG but they think it's a waste of time. As a side point I beeline I was given a demo club when I bought it from AG as their was no plastic over the head etc. plus it has a slight bit of paint missing on the back of the head but I only noticed this after I got home and by then I couldn't be bothered to return it. I think it's a broad statement I make that because the shaft snapped in the middle then I must have abused it. The head and the parts of the shaft are in great condition.

 

[nemicu]

Nobody is saying you abused the club, but for your warranty claim to be upheld it's likely that you will have to prove you didn't. By far the vast majority of shafts that break are usually the result of misuse - retailers know this fact and are usually reluctant to give on the spot replacements or refunds without inspection from the manufacturer. That could be difficult - but if no decision can be made either way how the damage occurred, the nod should go to the consumer and a replacement or refund is the right thing. Like I said, be prepared for lengthy negotiations.

EDIT - if it's an ex-demo club, then possibly normal warranty terms do not apply. Technically speaking, demo clubs are not normally allowed to be sold for this reason. Did you pay full retail price for the club or was it "reduced"?

 

[corrupthalo]

Was only reduced as I price matched it to another retailer. Still cost £135 thou!
How am I supposed to prove that I didn't abuse the club?

 

[nemicu]

Was only reduced as I price matched it to another retailer. Still cost £135 thou!
How am I supposed to prove that I didn't abuse the club?

That's the hard part. From experience, the likely outcome will be that the manufacturer will find no fault with their product and will offer to provide a replacement (new shaft) at cost. Here's the link to the AG terms for warranty (ironically the RBZ is now down to £129 lol)[h=3]Purchases under 30 days old[/h]We will exchange the faulty item at our expense, simply email aftersales@americangolf.co.uk with your order number and a day time contact number so we can arrange an exchange delivery.
[h=3]For purchases over 30 days old but less than 12 months old[/h]american golf is an authorised stockist of all major brands in golf. This means that our warranties have the full manufacturer backing for your complete peace of mind. All new product lines are fully tested by our purchasing team for quality and performance. As a result, we confidently extend the Guarantee of all new clubs from 12 months to 2 years absolutely free of charge. Quality is assured!
Please send the item to the address below, along with a covering letter stating what the fault is, your order number and your daytime contact number. We will then contact the relevant manufacturer who will inspect the item and then, at their discretion, repair, replace or offer a like for like replacement, issue a voucher or they may, in certain cases, return the faulty item if they feel there is no manufacturing fault at blame.
In some cases where the manufacturer feels there is no manufacturing fault, they may offer to repair the faulty item at your cost. If you accept the offer you will be required to pay for the repair before we instruct the manufacturer to proceed.