curt,not lookin for a pissin match here just tryin to figure out why it is the way it is.why the fifty bucks, so your out a rod for a few days.happy customers are repeat customers and when there is a problem with a product and its taken care of fast that is what keeps people coming back.this is defintly not the last rod I will buy but it may be the last loomis.If this is the factory policy to stick it to the customer the dealer should step in and fix the problem(replace rod and deal with factory).when it all comes down to it if u cant fix this problem why should I come back to your store.