Cabela's "Legendary Lifetime Guarantee"

[treillw]

Has anyone had any bad experiences with Cabela's "Legendary Lifetime Guarantee"? As I understand it, the guarantee is for the lifetime of the product and the lifespan is determined at their discretion.

I'm buying a meat grinder and the only reason I have to choose Cabelas over LEM is the warranty. If the warranty isn't quite as advertised it might not be worth it.

My brother tried returning a pair of Cabela's rain pants to them that leaked and they would not honor the warranty, because the lifetime of the product had been exceeded. The pants had plenty of life left in them.

Just wondering if you guys have had any similar experiences or positive experiences.

Thanks!

 

[woodmoose]

yes,,

 

[Reload]

Personally, I would go with LEM. Their reputation and quality in their respective field is far ahead of Cabelas IMO.

 

[MTguy0341]

I just bought their carnivore 3/4 hp grinder. Has a five year warranty through the manufacturer. Things an awesome grinder, and not too bad of a warranty

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have only really had issues with sizing on clothes and one or two other things over the years. They have been awesome. Including replacing a pair of boots that I think were swiped off my porch over 20 years ago before I got home to get the delivery. It gives me a lot of comfort and is part of the reason I shop them a lot.

I hope they can keep it up. A lot of stores have had to do away with that kind of warranty because of abuse. I have a dirt bag friend that used to bring old crap he used the hel out of to REI just to upgrade every now and then. I think people like him are the reason they reserve discretion.

 

[bowieknife50]

I know it used to be a ridiculous good warrantee but they're tighter on it now. I knew more than one person that bought new Cabela's brand boots and clothes right before every hunting season and returned them right after so they could get new again the next year. As stated above that kind of abuse is why they had to change. Can you call customer service and ask what their designated life span is for that grinder?

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[treillw]

I know it used to be a ridiculous good warrantee but they're tighter on it now. I knew more than one person that bought new Cabela's brand boots and clothes right before every hunting season and returned them right after so they could get new again the next year. As stated above that kind of abuse is why they had to change. Can you call customer service and ask what their designated life span is for that grinder?

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I did call and ask. The guy didn't have a good answer. Maybe I'll try another salesman.

 

[blasterak]

Never an issue with their warranty or returning items, albeit I never personally used it but a few times. Replaced hunting waders I had used several times that had an issue and didn't fit right. Friend of mine got his Meindl Cabela boots replaced through warranty also Cabelas binoculars, they upgraded him at no cost to high end Vortex as same model wasn't made anymore. Honestly never been disappointed in cabelas service locally at least. There are some that abuse it unfortunatley, take a look in the bargain cave; use an item for a trip than return it. But as far as the meat processing equipment, I have no clue the quality of it.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I had an issue with a grill I bought from them. It was solved correctly, but it took around two months of staying on them. The issue as they stated it was that there were no parts available to replace the parts that had been damaged in shipping. Again, it was settled sufficiently, but it took a bit of work.

 

[skaldugwas]

Its the bass pro warranty now

 

[mlucashr]

We’ve had the 3/4 grinder for 4 seasons now and it’s a beast. Haven’t had any issues with it. Keep it clean and stored in a safe place and you should be good. I’m sure there are other brands out there just as good but we’ve had good luck so far.


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[Bubblehide]

Most credit cards double a manufactures warranty, so on such items, I make it a point to pay with a credit card, and save the receipt.

 

[highside74]

Without your receipt they are only giving credit for the lowest sold price of the item you are trying to return. No more straight exchange is what I've heard.

I just heard of a guy that was denied the exchange of his failed waders because he didn't have his receipt. The best they would do is give him the lowest sale price they could find on that item. They offered him $82 I believe.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Been that way for a while^^^^

I tried exchanging a Sitka kelvin vest I received as a gift w/ tags on it but no receipt 8yrs ago already and despite it being full retail at the time and obviously new (in plastic) the best they could do was the lowest offered price (which at the time was like $25, guessing at some point they had an 8XL or 3xs they couldn't sell so they marked it down and totally messed with me trying to exchange a large vest for a large jacket).

 

[mtnbiker208]

the useful life of a tangible product I believe is 7 years. Basically your lifetime warranty won't be over 7 years. it is the life of the product, not your life.

I believe, but an not 100% sure, there was a supreme court ruling on this. lifetime warranties on tangible products.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I find that as long as I'm reasonable about warranty things, a company like Cabela's will almost always help me. I try hard not to be a serial return artist because I know with certainty their software has the ability to flag the account of those who abuse the return policy. Guys who do this kind of thing are pretty morally bankrupt. It does pay to understand the exact terms of the warranty statement and not try to interpret that.

It also makes sense to do your purchases online (per your Cabela's account) because you'll have an online record of all purchases. Buying at the store is fine but you'd better always have that receipt available if something goes wrong.

There was a time....say 15-20 years ago....when Cabela's had a very liberal return policy. It was almost a no-questions-asked thing. Extreme abuse caused things to swing the other way and they became much more restrictive about returns. Now it feels like they've loosened up on returns somewhat. My guess is they were seeing competitors like REI and LL Bean receiving better customer satisfaction ratings and had to make competitive adjustments. My theory.

 

[Luked]

I have had really good luck in the past with returning things to Cabelas.
matter of fact the waders I have now I have had replaced 2 different times over the last 10 years probably. they are a Cabelas Brand and they told me they have a lifetime warranty.

not sure whats going to happen now that bass pro owns them.
this past weekend the Fiance and I were at a bass pro in branson where she bought a snow globe looking thing for a Christmas decoration.
when we got home it didn't work right so she called Bass Pro customer service and told them that it didn't work and asked if they could send a replacement to her since we live well over an hour from any bass pro.
they told her that if she had a cabelas closer that she could return it there now also. so looks like if you buy something from one store or the other you can return it to both. kind of odd even if they are owned by the same company

 

[treillw]

the useful life of a tangible product I believe is 7 years. Basically your lifetime warranty won't be over 7 years. it is the life of the product, not your life.

I believe, but an not 100% sure, there was a supreme court ruling on this. lifetime warranties on tangible products.

My annoyance is with the phrasing of the warranty. It's misleading and in a way false advertisement. If the tangible life of a product equals 10 years, say it has a 10 year warranty - not "legendary lifetime" and then bury the term somewhere deep within the secrets of your company. It's just not up front and transparent.

Really a quality professional grinder like they are advertising to sell should last or outlast a lifetime if it is cared for properly and not abused. But then again, I guess they don't make things like they used to. My grandmother who was born in 1919 just gave me a toaster that was her wedding present. The thing works great! It is ten times better than the one I bought at Macy's three years ago.

All in all, I don't have anything to complain about with Cabela's warranty. I don't have much experience with it recently. Just wanted to see what the general consensus on it was.