"Lifetime" warranty...

Crumble · Feb 6, 2016

According to the fine print, the Sunspot lifetime warranty applies until he decides that the scoop cant be repaired and must be replaced. Then the warranty is over except for repairs, only one scoop replacement.

Not quite a "lifetime" warranty.

Cfmct · Feb 6, 2016

If it can't be fixed and he is willing to replace it why should he do anymore if one is that abusive? What does your scoop manufacturer offer you?

Franz · Feb 6, 2016

I don't want to argue, but it doesn't look like fine print to me. It's actually one of the most straight forward, plain and simple warranties I've seen.

The way I read it, it's an honest genuine lifetime warranty. If the scoop is deemed "dead" and beyond repair, the lifetime of the scoop you purchased is over, and so is the warranty. Sunspot shows their condolences for your loss by giving you a free scoop - no warranty on this one as it wasn't purchased. If it was bound by the same lifetime warranty as the scoop it replaced, it would no longer be a lifetime warranty, but lifetime (of owner) free replacement plan.

ATBro · Feb 6, 2016

Someone pointed this out to me today.

I guess they make a judgment call and if the scoop just looks plain worn out, you get a one time replacement.

If the scoop is broken but not worn out, then I guess they will take care of you indefinitely?

I guess its the old "lifetime of the product" spiel, as usual pays to read the fine print.
It is not "scoops for life" after all.

OBN · Feb 6, 2016

I've only heard of one instance that was not covered under warranty, and this is after a replacement scoop was damaged. Then the hunter turned around and used it in the same conditions that bent the first. After seeing both scoops I would say both were abused. He was hunting rocky beach's and using it to pry up rocks, where a shovel would have been better suited... Another friend broke his carbon fiber and they replaced it N/C. Of all the company's making scoops it really is hard to top this kind of service. And what I like about Chuck he stepped in and made a scoop that was needed, big. lots of drainage, and fairly light in weight.

Earl your next.... :shock:

HarveyH48 · Feb 6, 2016

Seems like a very reasonable warranty these days. Not many companies offer much in the way of warranties, just enough to cover any defects in materials or workmanship. Basically, if you take reasonable care of your tools, use the right tool for the job, it should last a lifetime. It's the people that take advantage of lifetime warranties, believing they can use and abuse the product, and demand a replacement, that we get one year, seriously limited, full page warranties, all in very small fine print. I think it's great some companies still stand behind their products, as well as they do.

ScubaDetective · Feb 6, 2016

Chuck is an upstanding guy that will help anybody who has purchased his scoops. I have met him personally a few times and I have absolutely no problem with his products or service.

I do believe if he can't repair it you abused it.

Surf Master · Feb 6, 2016

Crumble

You should have got a Stavr, no warranty, I never would have recommended a SunSpot to you , if I new you were going to complain before you even got the scoop, if you weren't happy with ordering the 920ix because of the best warranty on any scoop's period , why did you order it to begin with :tissue:

j_h_smith · Feb 6, 2016

I'm not sure if a lifetime warranty is for the device or the life of the purchaser. Usually a lifetime warranty will state that the warranty is not transferable or only for the life of the original purchaser. If an item wears out, is that the life of the item? Well yeah, but wouldn't that be true for anything. So why give a lifetime warranty. Now if the manufacture would have said something like the item having a lifetime repair warranty and the item can't be repaired, I could almost see this.

I'm loyal to some manufacturers, but they must be loyal to their customers.

YMMV

Crumble · Feb 7, 2016

Actual definition of lifetime warranty:

A lifetime warranty is a warranty against defects in materials and workmanship that has no time limit to make a claim, rather it is a warranty that the product will perform for the lifetime of the buyer.

Sunspot's warranty is a limited lifetime warranty. Meaning it is guarenteed for the useful life of the product.

Leaving out the word limited means a lot.

Before anyone says that no products have actual lifetime warranties. A lot of guns have lifetime warranties, like every smith and wesson. If the gun ever fails, they repair or replace it, and the new gun has the same lifetime warranty. For the life of the owner.

I have nothing against Chuck at Sunspot. I just paid $278 for one of his scoops, and am still happy about my purchase. The warranty is still by far the best scoop warranty, although a little misleading.

fsa46 · Feb 7, 2016

I haven't got a Sunspot Scoop but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know he has the BEST warranty in the industry.

dewcon · Feb 7, 2016

Here Here FSA. I dont own one either....... but ive seen him replace/fix a few now. Now days any warranty over a year is a gift. NO ONE wants to stand behind their China products. These are MADE IN THE U.S.A.

I think you pay for shipping to and from also, BUT most that have them...... praise them enough and have them repaired. To me that says a lot. Chucks not a lawer, hes just a guy making a buck off something we all NEEDED at a price that dont break him.

Dew

budaf250 · Feb 7, 2016

Say what you will about sunspot scoops. I have the 920IX. I will tell you if you damage it.It would be through abuse. Where I live we have 2" sand under that is a mix of clay and gravel. The scoop stands up to that with out any problems. If bend or break the scoop I would not expect Chuck to stand behind it. As I would have been using it improperly. The one time replacement far exceeds any of the others.

dc426 · Feb 7, 2016

Mine broke and I took it to a local welder to fix it. A lot easier than dealing with boxing it up and sending it back and being without my scoop.

dewcon · Feb 7, 2016

Come on Chris...... Cliff would have let you barrow a home made one for a month or so. :laughing:

Raphis · Feb 7, 2016

budaf250 said:
The scoop stands up to that with out any problems. If bend or break the scoop I would not expect Chuck to stand behind it. As I would have been using it improperly.

No scoop on the market is impervious to wear or breakage. The rate of wear/failure all depends on the conditions you use the scoop in as well as how often you use the scoop. I expect Chuck will stand by and honor his warranty to any of his customers, no matter if they are weekend warriors or hard-core hunters. Aren't we all using these scoops to dig targets at the beach (wet/dry/rocky/clay/etc) or in freshwater swimming holes? As long as we are using this scoop for its intended purpose (recovering targets found by any detector at fresh/salt water beach sites), you can't just assume that a treasure hunter over-abused his scoop and thus should not be honored the lifetime warranty. That's the reason I purchased Chuck's scoop over any other maker....for the warranty. I've been detecting my beaches here on the west coast for the past 10 years, and put many, long hrs a week in my hobby. I will wear out any scoop faster than the average rate of failure. We don't have super-fine, fluffy white sand here. Our sand can be very hard packed, and full of rocks/pebbles, iron conglomerates, etc. That's not the fault of anyone. These are the conditions we must hunt in.

I will be taking photos of a 920iX I bought from Chuck less than a year ago, and I will be emailing him these pics. It's in pretty bad shape. It wasn't a defective scoop....it has been the best scoop I have ever purchased for the conditions I dig in here. This scoop has found over 300+ silver coins, over 30 pieces of deep gold, lots of clad, trash, iron, etc over the past year. It's just worn out!! The tip of my scoop has worn down to the first drilled holes in the basket area, in addition to some cracked welds/joints on the sides. My typical depth of target recovery is 12-20" with my TDI Pro. I'm pretty sure Chuck will honor the one-time replacement of my scoop. I will also purchase a backup scoop from him too, because the 920iX is a good one for me. I like the large size volume of the basket for removing large amounts of sand and reducing the time/physical effort to recover deeper targets.

Owl Engineering · Feb 8, 2016

Warranty

Crumble said:
According to the fine print, the Sunspot lifetime warranty applies until he decides that the scoop cant be repaired and must be replaced. Then the warranty is over except for repairs, only one scoop replacement.

Not quite a "lifetime" warranty.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I like the one comment that was made that I am not a lawyer :yes:

In the rare instance someone destroys their scoop I give them a new one or refund their money. If what they are doing with the scoop destroys it, they need to find another supplier or buy another from me. I try to be as open and honest as possible and try to state the warranty as clearly as I can.

Honestly, I would not say my warranty has fine print.

Spring is in the air, look out GOLD

Chuck

Surf Master · Feb 8, 2016

Crumble

Now is time for confession , you never told Chuck at the time of purchase that you were a twice a day ---7 days a week hunter , that hunted in rocks , one of the reasons i wouldn' t sell you one of my pretty Sunspots , myself on the other hand falls in the occasional hunter status ,who hunts on vacations , white sand , one of Chucks best customers :lol:

, Just wondering how many scoops do i have to buy before i get 1 free howboutit :?:

ps just kidding Chuck , more than happy here bro., happy hunting this spring , Earl

Crumble · Feb 8, 2016

Surf Master said:
Now is time for confession , you never told Chuck at the time of purchase that you were a twice a day ---7 days a week hunter , that hunted in rocks , one of the reasons i wouldn' t sell you one of my pretty Sunspots , myself on the other hand falls in the occasional hunter status ,who hunts on vacations , white sand , one of Chucks best customers , Just wondering how many scoops do i have to buy before i get 1 free howboutit ps just kidding Chuck , more than happy here bro., happy hunting this spring , Earl

I only get out a few times a week, but i do hunt rocks... those are the conditions that we all hope to find on the beach.

Here is my concern. When looking at the sunspot, i am worried about how little metal there is between the holes of the scoop. This obviously makes the basket prone to bending or even cracking when subjected to prying forces which are necessary in the best beach hunting conditions (rocks and gravel). You can look in the classifieds on these forms and see a 720i that is bent in the back from prying.

The reason i mention this, is when buying the sunspot, i was worried about it's strength, but figured it had a lifetime warranty so I need not worry if it fails. After reading the warranty closer, am back to being worried about it's strength.

I would love to see Chuck build a scoop that is made for pure strength, while still retaining it's light weight and good draining. A cross between his scoops and the nuttall. The nuttall has held up to tons of prying that i have subjected it to, but the basket is too small, it drains very poorly, and is super heavy. A scoop like a sunspot that is reinforced in the right spots, mainly the tip, the spine, and backof the basket, i would buy again in a second with no worries about strength. The 920ix has obvious weak areas, so I remain worried about how long it will hold up, hopefully if i baby it it will last.

Owl Engineering · Feb 8, 2016

Who can buy a Stealth scoop?

Surf Master said:
Now is time for confession , you never told Chuck at the time of purchase that you were a twice a day ---7 days a week hunter , that hunted in rocks , one of the reasons i wouldn' t sell you one of my pretty Sunspots , myself on the other hand falls in the occasional hunter status ,who hunts on vacations , white sand , one of Chucks best customers , Just wondering how many scoops do i have to buy before i get 1 free howboutit ps just kidding Chuck , more than happy here bro., happy hunting this spring , Earl

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Just a little detail. We don't limit who we sell to. Newbie or hardened hunter. Actually 90% of our sales are to "serious" hunters who have gone through inferior scoops and want to increase their finds

Chuck

"Lifetime" warranty...

Crumble

Elite Member

Cfmct

Administrator

Franz

ATBro

Banned

OBN

OldCherryPicker

HarveyH48

Elite Member

ScubaDetective

In Memory Of

Surf Master

j_h_smith

Crumble

Elite Member

fsa46

dewcon

Quality Control Expert

budaf250

dc426

Elite Member

dewcon

Quality Control Expert

Raphis

Elite Member

Owl Engineering

Surf Master

Crumble

Elite Member

Owl Engineering

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