Taylor Made Warranty Service

[el tigre]

In the past I have received some truly excellent service from both Callaway and Adams Golf – companies that stand behind their product and are willing to go the extra mile. And then on the other end of the scale is Taylor Made – the company with the WORST customer service in the golf industry.

THE PROBLEM: I bought a BRAND NEW Taylor Made 200 Steel 9-wood on E-bay from a seller who does a ton of business selling new TM clubs. The club had the stock R80 steel shaft and was delivered still wrapped in the factory plastic from Taylor Made. The next day I go to Golf-O-Max to try it out, and after 3 hits there is a rattle in the head. Great – another shoddy assembly job by Taylor Made (I was told that in most cases a head rattle is caused by the hosel plug being damaged or broken when the shaft is being inserted into the head). So I take the club to CB's to have Taylor Made repair or replace the club as per their warranty, which can be found on their website here:

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/global...s_warranty.asp

THE TAYLOR MADE B.S.: As per the warranty, TM asks for proof of purchase to show that I am the “original consumer” (like that should really make a difference, but whatever). No problem - I fax a copy of the Ebay listing and my PayPal receipt. Then the s*&$t hits the fan. First they say that their warranty does not cover ANYTHING sold on Ebay. Hmm, doesn’t say anything about that in the warranty. They spin me a line about counterfeit clubs on Ebay and not being expected to repair them blah blah blah, and I respond with “Well I’m sure you can tell if it is really YOUR club when it is sent to you for service!” Next they try to tell me that the warranty only covers sales through “authorized dealers” and NONE of their “authorized dealers” sell on Ebay! Funny, no mention of “authorized dealers” in the warranty either – and how are consumers supposed to know whether someone is an “authorized dealer” or not? Not to mention the fact that every year tens of thousands of BRAND NEW Taylor Made golf clubs worth millions of dollars are sold on Ebay – are they trying to tell me that this is all being done through “non-authorized” dealers without their knowledge or approval? Where do these thousands of clubs come from if not from Taylor Made? Their final response is that my only recourse is to return the club to where I bought it and get THEM to fix it! Hmm, so you want me to ship it from Ottawa all the way back to California and have them repair it and sent it back to me again – all because your factory screwed up the club assembly!

THE SOLUTION: Well, I did contact the Ebay seller and they told me to get it fixed locally and send them the bill and they will go after Taylor Made to get reimbursed. So I’m not actually out any money. But I still don’t like when someone tries to rip me off, and it is not fair to me or the Ebay seller that we have put up with this kind of cr*$p to get an obvious manufacturer’s defect fixed. Plus these head rattles have a nasty habit of turning up again later on – so I guess if that happens then I’m really screwed!

THE BOTTOM LINE: This is the second (and last) time I’ve been screwed by Taylor Made. I’m getting rid of ALL of my Taylor Made products (fairway woods, hybrid, golf bag, golf balls) and NEVER doing business with them again. And I’m posting this appalling tale of crappy service and shoddy workmanship in the numerous forums I participate in so others can be forewarned about how this company treats their customers. Buyer beware indeed!

[fathead]

i would have to go the other way on your comment didn't have my receipt or anything and chuck browns sent back my 540 with a concaved face and they sent me a brand new one.

[rgk5]

In the past I have received some truly excellent service from both Callaway and Adams Golf – companies that stand behind their product and are willing to go the extra mile. And then on the other end of the scale is Taylor Made – the company with the WORST customer service in the golf industry.

THE PROBLEM: I bought a BRAND NEW Taylor Made 200 Steel 9-wood on E-bay from a seller who does a ton of business selling new TM clubs. The club had the stock R80 steel shaft and was delivered still wrapped in the factory plastic from Taylor Made. The next day I go to Golf-O-Max to try it out, and after 3 hits there is a rattle in the head. Great – another shoddy assembly job by Taylor Made (I was told that in most cases a head rattle is caused by the hosel plug being damaged or broken when the shaft is being inserted into the head). So I take the club to CB's to have Taylor Made repair or replace the club as per their warranty, which can be found on their website here:

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/global...s_warranty.asp

THE TAYLOR MADE B.S.: As per the warranty, TM asks for proof of purchase to show that I am the “original consumer” (like that should really make a difference, but whatever). No problem - I fax a copy of the Ebay listing and my PayPal receipt. Then the s*&$t hits the fan. First they say that their warranty does not cover ANYTHING sold on Ebay. Hmm, doesn’t say anything about that in the warranty. They spin me a line about counterfeit clubs on Ebay and not being expected to repair them blah blah blah, and I respond with “Well I’m sure you can tell if it is really YOUR club when it is sent to you for service!” Next they try to tell me that the warranty only covers sales through “authorized dealers” and NONE of their “authorized dealers” sell on Ebay! Funny, no mention of “authorized dealers” in the warranty either – and how are consumers supposed to know whether someone is an “authorized dealer” or not? Not to mention the fact that every year tens of thousands of BRAND NEW Taylor Made golf clubs worth millions of dollars are sold on Ebay – are they trying to tell me that this is all being done through “non-authorized” dealers without their knowledge or approval? Where do these thousands of clubs come from if not from Taylor Made? Their final response is that my only recourse is to return the club to where I bought it and get THEM to fix it! Hmm, so you want me to ship it from Ottawa all the way back to California and have them repair it and sent it back to me again – all because your factory screwed up the club assembly!

THE SOLUTION: Well, I did contact the Ebay seller and they told me to get it fixed locally and send them the bill and they will go after Taylor Made to get reimbursed. So I’m not actually out any money. But I still don’t like when someone tries to rip me off, and it is not fair to me or the Ebay seller that we have put up with this kind of cr*$p to get an obvious manufacturer’s defect fixed. Plus these head rattles have a nasty habit of turning up again later on – so I guess if that happens then I’m really screwed!

THE BOTTOM LINE: This is the second (and last) time I’ve been screwed by Taylor Made. I’m getting rid of ALL of my Taylor Made products (fairway woods, hybrid, golf bag, golf balls) and NEVER doing business with them again. And I’m posting this appalling tale of crappy service and shoddy workmanship in the numerous forums I participate in so others can be forewarned about how this company treats their customers. Buyer beware indeed!

Your problem amy be a simple as this. If the club was purchased from an USA seller there is no warranty. It is no different with Ping, Titleist, and many others unless they feel benevolent that day.

[covanant]

Terry,
I agree with you that you should not be screwed out of warranty on a new product.
Nearly everything you buy these days have transferable warranties,including cars!
Wondering why you didnt just spend the 15.00-20.00 dollars to fix it here.
Then make it known to taylormade how cheesy they are!

[sensfan63]

Never dealt with Taylor Made re. warranties, but when I was reading the original post I kept thinking "why in the world would a warranty cover anything sold on Ebay?"

I think that the mistake that el tigre made was trying to deal directly with Taylor Made. It is so much easier to have a reputable retail store send the product back and deal with the warranty department. Much less hassle that way.

By the way, I have no idea what the rules are regarding warranties...it would be interesting to know how a product being sold on Ebay affects its warranty status.

But yeah, next time, take it to Golf Town...

[el tigre]

Never dealt with Taylor Made re. warranties, but when I was reading the original post I kept thinking "why in the world would a warranty cover anything sold on Ebay?"

I think that the mistake that el tigre made was trying to deal directly with Taylor Made. It is so much easier to have a reputable retail store send the product back and deal with the warranty department. Much less hassle that way.

By the way, I have no idea what the rules are regarding warranties...it would be interesting to know how a product being sold on Ebay affects its warranty status.

But yeah, next time, take it to Golf Town...

I took the club to Chuck Brown's, who contacted Taylor Made for warranty service. When Taylor Made refused, I contacted them directly and was given the same BS that Chuck Brown's was given. Apparently I am not alone - since posting this story on the GEA and FGI forums I've heard from many people with similar Taylor Made warranty horror stories. I seem to recall one posted on this forum a few months ago as well.

And why wouldn't a warranty cover anything sold on Ebay? What difference does it make where you purchased the product? A manufacturer's warranty is supposed to protect you against manufacturer's defects - regardless of where your bought their product. As long as you can show that the damage was not caused by abuse or misuse and that it occurred within the warranty period, it should not matter where you got the club from.

[SIMMER]

I don't blame you at all for boycotting the company with bad customer service like that and I would probably do the same thing if I was in a similar situation. A company should ensure that each customer is happy especially since it costs the company next to nothing in ratio to their overall revenues to get one more customer happy. It's not the $20 it costs to repair the club but the cliché of mere principal of it...

From my position, I haven't had any bad personal experiences with TM directly so I will continue to use their products until I get bad customer service or I experience something of the same magnitude from TM.

[wopstergolf]

I'm not going to come right out and say that Taylormade is right, because exceptions to rules can be made, but in reality, I don't blame them for denying your warranty claim.

First, the club was not purchased at an actual Taylormade distributor, it was purchased off of Ebay, which would not make Taylormade very happy because they don't know where the seller got that product. Chances are he isn't a distrbutor because most companies have rules against their distributors selling their product online, unless it is on their own webpage.

Second, you did not have an original receipt or proof of purchase from a Taylormade distributor, so they really have no idea when the warranty would have been effective. The club was originally produced in 2000. That's a long time. If the club had been purchased at Chucks, or Golftown, or any big store, then they would probably fix it, no questions asked, but you bought it off Ebay, which is something that the big companies absolutely hate.

In my view, it's the price paid by the consumer to get lower prices on golf stuff. Buyer Beware. It is unfortunate, but that's just the way it is, and chances are, it's not going to change.

[sensfan63]

Well said...

El Tigre, that's pretty much what I wanted to say re. warranties on products bought online. Not trying to say that you are definitely wrong here, but the above post probably summarizes TM's stance on the issue.

A little curious, though, that they didn't just fix it and make you happy. Maybe they, too, were worried about the "principle," that people may take advantage of their service.

[covanant]

So lets say for example,you buy a car from e-bay.Ad states balance of factory warranty

avail.What then?Do the manufacturers void your warranty?No way cant be done.
Just because a product is sold or purchased online is an excuse.
TAYLORMADE should examine the club,determine if its abuse or a man. defect than make an assumption.
just my opinion however!

[el tigre]

Your problem amy be a simple as this. If the club was purchased from an USA seller there is no warranty. It is no different with Ping, Titleist, and many others unless they feel benevolent that day.

First of all, it makes no difference to warranty coverage whether the seller is located in Canada or the US. That is true for all manufacturers - including Ping, Titleist and Taylor Made.

Secondly, because the club was shipped to Ontario then legally the sale took place in Ontario (that's why you have to pay GST and PST on it). So from a legal standpoint, I bought the club in Ottawa.

[wopstergolf]

So lets say for example,you buy a car from e-bay.Ad states balance of factory warranty

avail.What then?Do the manufacturers void your warranty?No way cant be done.
Just because a product is sold or purchased online is an excuse.
TAYLORMADE should examine the club,determine if its abuse or a man. defect than make an assumption.
just my opinion however!

that is true, but with this club, there was no warranty stated, nor given. Sure if there was a definate balance of warranty then he should have it, but there wasn't necessarily.

Also, legally the sale took place in ontario, but also legally you did not buy the club from an authorized dealer. It would basically be like you buying the club from me, not knowing where or when i bought it. I could have bought it 5 years ago when it came out and just never un-wrapped it, thus the original warranty would be completely void.

All I am saying is that this is not completely Taylormade's fault, so you shouldn't place all the blame on them. It might be partly their fault, but not totally, both you and the seller are also at a bit of fault, each for your own reasons.

[el tigre]

First, the club was not purchased at an actual Taylormade distributor, it was purchased off of Ebay, which would not make Taylormade very happy because they don't know where the seller got that product. Chances are he isn't a distrbutor because most companies have rules against their distributors selling their product online, unless it is on their own webpage.

You would have to be incredibly naive to think that the tens of thousands of brand-new Taylor Made clubs sold on Ebay every year come from anywhere except Taylor Made and Taylor Made distributors. I know for a fact that the seller of my club got it directly from Taylor Made, and he has over 8,000 feedbacks on Ebay. Other Ebay sellers of brand new Taylor Made clubs include Rock Bottom Golf (75,000 feedbacks), Proshopwarehouse (43,000 feedbacks) and Tin Cup Auctions (18,000 feedbacks). These are not fly-by-night operations - they are big Ebay businesses who get their stock directly from the manufacturers on closeout. And the manufacturers are VERY HAPPY that these sellers exist to take old stock off their hands.

Taylor Made is also notorious for doing "NO WARRANTY" dumps of discontinued clubs to Ebay sellers. These are clubs that were returned under warranty to TM, custom orders that were not paid for, etc. They stamp "NO WARRANTY" on the hosel and sell them to Ebay retailers. What reputable manufacturer would knowingly dump inferior product on the marketplace without warranty coverage? Only a sleazy, money-grubbing, anything-for-a-buck outfit like Taylor Made would stoop so low!

Second, you did not have an original receipt or proof of purchase from a Taylormade distributor, so they really have no idea when the warranty would have been effective. The club was originally produced in 2000.

Yes, I do have a proof of purchase - it was simply ignored because it said "Ebay" on it. The warranty period is supposed to be 2 years from the purchase date (3 weeks ago) or 5 years from the "consumer introduction date" (October 2001), whichever is longer. I'm well within the warranty period on both counts, so that is not an issue.

In my view, it's the price paid by the consumer to get lower prices on golf stuff. Buyer Beware. It is unfortunate, but that's just the way it is, and chances are, it's not going to change.

The price you paid is irrelevant to warranty coverage - for golf clubs or any other product. A warranty covers "defects in materials and workmanship" - which by definition means that the manufacturer is the party at fault. Unless you dismantled the club, there is no way that a broken piece inside the clubhead can be anyone's fault except the manufacturer.

The issue is about a company taking responsibility for the quality of their products. Where their customers choose to buy their product is irrelevant.

[jeffc]

again, playing devils advocate, but if you buy any electronic equipment (stereo, tv, dvd player, etc) from the US and bring it to Canada, the warranty is void. Not sure why they do this but it is true.

Do I think TM should have replaced your club. Sure. If it were my business, I would.

[wopstergolf]

El Tigre,

when i said "the price paid" i didn't mean the literal price, i meant that it's a sacrifice that you make when you don't want to go to an actual store to buy a product.

Lots of companies do what Taylormade does. There is a difference between being an authorized dealer, and selling discontinued models. The discontinued stuff doesn't carry a warranty with it. Companies like that sell millions of discontinued products, and if they warrantied all of them it would cost them millions. It may not be the greatest thing in the world, but that's the way it is.

If this seller is actually an authorized dealer of Taylormade products, and not just the clearout stuff, then he should have no problem getting this problem fixed for you. But I don't think that he sells new taylormade product, just the clearout stuff.

Honestly, what sense would it make for big companies like that to sell to Ebay sellers, all of their actual store buyers would be furious because they have overhead to worry about and people on Ebay don't. From a business standpoint, for Taylormade to sell their newest stuff on ebay is just stupid. I don't think that a store like Golftown would be too pleased if they found out that everything they sell was available on Ebay for less money.

[Kilroy]

Golftown would be too pleased if they found out that everything they sell was available on Ebay for less money

That's funny. You can get whatever you want on ebay. Many retailers have ebay stores. Have you ever used ebay?

[BC MIST]

All I am saying is that this is not completely Taylormade's fault, so you shouldn't place all the blame on them. It might be partly their fault, but not totally, both you and the seller are also at a bit of fault, each for your own reasons.

Holy smokes. The brand new, still in the wrapper club was defective. Fix the thing at no charge and you will have a customer for life. Don't and you just lost one.

The purchaser and the seller did not cause the rattle, the manufacturer did.

[jeffc]

actually, GolfTown has an ebay store themselves.

[jbrace]

again, playing devils advocate, but if you buy any electronic equipment (stereo, tv, dvd player, etc) from the US and bring it to Canada, the warranty is void.

Not sure if this is true or not... I bought a Sony digital camera from New York (on e-bay too). I registered the camera with Sony online, giving them my Canadian address and New York seller. No problem, they sent me a confirmation e-mail and everything saying that I had successfully registered my product with Sony for warranty purposes. I think the catch here is that if anything happens to my camera, I'm covered under warranty, but I'll have to ship it back to the States (vice bringing it to a Canadian Sony store or authorized Sony repair shop).

[el tigre]

Lots of companies do what Taylormade does. There is a difference between being an authorized dealer, and selling discontinued models. The discontinued stuff doesn't carry a warranty with it. Companies like that sell millions of discontinued products, and if they warrantied all of them it would cost them millions. It may not be the greatest thing in the world, but that's the way it is.

No, that's not the way it is. I know of no other company in the world that does what Taylor Made is doing. All NEW products come with a warranty - whether the product is the latest release or last year's model. The clock doesn't start ticking on warrantly coverage until someone buys it. And warranties only cost you money if your product is defective. I've driven Hondas for over 20 years and I have not cost Honda a dime in warranty coverage. If your product doesn't break then the warranty is a moot point.

If this seller is actually an authorized dealer of Taylormade products, and not just the clearout stuff, then he should have no problem getting this problem fixed for you. But I don't think that he sells new taylormade product, just the clearout stuff.

In my case the seller is reimbursing me for the repair work. All that means is that it is ultimately the seller that gets ripped off by Taylor Made. The fact remains that TM will not stand behind the quality of their products and is refusing warranty coverage on the thousands of clubs they dump on Ebay.

Honestly, what sense would it make for big companies like that to sell to Ebay sellers, all of their actual store buyers would be furious because they have overhead to worry about and people on Ebay don't. From a business standpoint, for Taylormade to sell their newest stuff on ebay is just stupid. I don't think that a store like Golftown would be too pleased if they found out that everything they sell was available on Ebay for less money.

It makes perfect business sense, because Taylor Made does not sell their latest stuff on Ebay - only last year's models and discontinued lines. The brand new TM clubs you find on Ebay are 500 series drivers and fairway woods and the original versions of the RAC irons - not the new R7's and R5's. TM has all this leftover stock of last year's stuff and retail stores don't want it - so they sell them to the Ebay stores.

BTW, Ebay is an auction site. There is no guarantee that you will pay less money for clubs, especially when you factor in shipping and brokerage charges. What IS guaranteed is that you will find a lot of choices, including some hard-to-find clubs that just aren't available at retail anymore. I could probably visit 100 retail golf stores and never find a brand new 200 Steel 9-wood - hell, I've been looking for this club on Ebay for six months now. I really didn't save that much money.

[g8r]

If Taylor Made amended its warranty policy to reflect these exceptions it would be acceptable for them to refuse to service the club. The point of a warranty policy is to let the customer know what is and isn't covered, and obviously el tigre was smart enough to check and see if it was covered before making the complaint....which it should have been....

[lovethatping]

well, last night I found myself needing to use TM's warranty too. The face of my R540XD got dented at the simulator. I bought the driver around xmas time and it has seen only 5 rounds and maybe 10 rounds indoors. Like El Tigre, I bought this driver brand new from an ebay store in the US. When I received it, it was in all original packaging, plastic wrapping, blah, blah. Plus, I took the time to register the product through Taylormade's website. I'm going to CB first. 2nd option is TM's warranty 1-800 number.

[rgk5]

First of all, it makes no difference to warranty coverage whether the seller is located in Canada or the US. That is true for all manufacturers - including Ping, Titleist and Taylor Made.

Secondly, because the club was shipped to Ontario then legally the sale took place in Ontario (that's why you have to pay GST and PST on it). So from a legal standpoint, I bought the club in Ottawa.

The sale legality only refers to the selling venue, not where you live. The taxes collected are a result of importing the club to Canada. The foreign seller has no license to collect Canadian taxes. I agree that TM from a customer relations point of view should have fixed the club but legally, they are under no obligation to do so unless the seller was an authorized TM dealer.

[el tigre]

I agree that TM from a customer relations point of view should have fixed the club but legally, they are under no obligation to do so unless the seller was an authorized TM dealer.

If you read their warranty you will see that there is no such condition. I will provide the link again:

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/global...s_warranty.asp

The relevant wording is "original cash register receipt from the retailer from whom the consumer purchased the product". The context of this wording is to prove the date of purchase so that TM can verify that it was purchased within the warranty period. There is no mention of "an authorized TM dealer", which means that the have a legal obligation to fix any TM club within the warranty period upon presentation of the receipt from any retailer.

Since they do not honour their basic legal obligations to their customers (let alone provide a normal standard of customer service), I have chosen to sell all my TM products and will never buy another. I have no time and no respect for a bully - in the schoolyard or in the marketplace!

[rgk5]

"original cash register receipt"

Read this carefully. You do not have one of these do you? I can fully appreciate your frustration and have said previously that they should have fixed the problem. The above wording is their legal escape hatch and unfortunately the burden for "proof of purchase" is on you and the possession of said receipt.

[el tigre]

"original cash register receipt"

Read this carefully. You do not have one of these do you? I can fully appreciate your frustration and have said previously that they should have fixed the problem. The above wording is their legal escape hatch and unfortunately the burden for "proof of purchase" is on you and the possession of said receipt.

Yes, I do. It didn't matter.

[lovethatping]

well, last night I found myself needing to use TM's warranty too. The face of my R540XD got dented at the simulator. I bought the driver around xmas time and it has seen only 5 rounds and maybe 10 rounds indoors. Like El Tigre, I bought this driver brand new from an ebay store in the US. When I received it, it was in all original packaging, plastic wrapping, blah, blah. Plus, I took the time to register the product through Taylormade's website. I'm going to CB first. 2nd option is TM's warranty 1-800 number.

ok, follow up. CB gave great service to me. They accepted the driver and after a week they called and told me they needed a receipt (or taylormade wanted a receipt). when i told them i bought it on ebay the CD guy said, "ok, i'll do what i can and get back to you". about three days later i got a call and was told to come pick up my replacement club, an R5 dual N. my 540xd is out of production so TM gave me the R5. yeah, i'm happy

hopefully i can swing this club as well as my 540!

[Golfbum]

I have played TaylorMade drivers, 3 and 5 woods,irons and putter for 5 years now. The only problem I had was with a new Supersteel 3 wood, it developed a rattle in the head shortly after I bought it from the local golf retailer. He replaced it with a new one and I have not had any problems with any of my TaylorMade clubs since.
So I can't comment on their warranty other than they do offer a lenghty warranty on their equipment. I think if you deal with retailer that is an actual TaylorMade dealer then you will be treated fine when it comes to any problems you might encounter.

[lovethatping]

I'm sad to report that the saga continues......

this afternoon i went to the thunderdome with my new R5. it developed a rattle! the club was brand new and i hit maybe 1 bucket of balls with the club. looking at the face, it's pretty clear that every ball was hit square in the middle of the face with maybe one toe hit. sucks. back CB.

[Golfbum]

What happens in any driver is that sometimes a piece of epoxy comes loose and rattles around.
I have seen Titleist, Callaway and other brand name drivers experience the same problem. So it is just not TaylorMade drivers or metal woods that have this problem once in awhile.
However I do like TaylorMade's 5 year warranty, can't beat that with a stick!