Club Champion Customer Service

[Bethpage Hack]

CC's policy is clearly stated, and I think people have become lackadaisical when it comes to Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware), meaning that many (myself included) don't do their thorough homework on big purchases as much as there should be done. We all have been spoiled with the likes of Callaway, Cobra and other big OEMS customer service and their tendency to error in the favor of the the customer. I think the frustration comes with CC not advocating on behalf of their customer as much as the customer would of liked. Researching warranty policy and return policy is so important and varies from place to place. I love buying my electronics and other big purchases from Costco because they will stand behind almost everything they sell (its crazy what people return there, and take advantage of as well). But like the big OEMs Costco can absorb that if it doesn't work out with the manufacturer, it may difficult for a place like CC to do so, because of the margins and volume (though they are expensive, I doubt the margins are very large). Hearing this and several of the good and bad stories about CC that have been shared over time, personally I would use/pay them for a fitting (which I have in the past), then take their recommendations and purchase the clubs assembled from OEM (through my club or other retailer). If you tell CC that you want to work with offerings (stock or upgrades) from the manufacturer they will accommodate that.

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

I’m sorry that you had this experience @e1iterate ! I know you spent a lot of money on that club and it was a gift for a special occasion from your wife.
My opinion is that if I purchase goods from a business, I would expect that business to warranty what I purchased for “x” amount of time....30, 60, 90, 1 year, lifetime, etc. When I look for big ticket items, I also look at where I should purchase them from based on a customer service/ parts availability stand point. I will gladly pay more upfront for a product, if that company has a service department on site with live human beings! I do not want to speak with a robot or someone in a foreign country. Also, I want to know if you stock replacement parts. When this product eventually breaks, and it will, I want the part to fix it now. Not, we can order it...it will be here in two weeks.
The fact that Club Champion does not warranty any of the products they sell gives me concern. If I have to deal directly with the OEM for warranty claims, why shouldn’t I purchase directly from them and “cut out” the middle man? I would save money on the golf equipment no doubt.
I guess going forward I would use CC for their fitting services, but probably purchase directly from the manufacturer.

https://clubchampiongolf.com/manufacturer-warranty

 

[Tevenor]

I'm just catching up on this thread, I'm only on page 2 so I have lots to read still, I'm not calling you out...I understand your frustration with the price you had paid but I agree with others that CC is not at fault here and their hands are probably tied as to what they can do. Having experience with a knee break on a graphite shaft I can say that is most definitely not true at all. The only way a graphite shaft has a clean break is if its cut. And it takes quite a bit of force for it to break. Granted mine was an iron so maybe its a little harder to break but it took more than one knee to snap it but it looked very similar to the picture you showed. I would guess its a defect in this case and thats a huge bummer.

There is a big difference from "being at fault" and "supporting your clientele". I don't think anyone is saying CC is at fault. The club making part is not what failed. The components used by the club maker failed. However, as this thread shows, regardless of component manufacturer being the one to own up to the flaw, CC was the retailer that sold it. My expectation is that the retailer is on my side as their customer to solve the issue. Not punt it and say "well that sucks. Want to buy a new shaft?"

I love CC for fittings. The experiences I have had with the guys have been great. The gear I have purchased through them however, not so great. Of the 2 things I have bought directly through CC, both come in sketchy state ( e.g.shaft extenders on 'new' shafts? ). While I will 100% go back to CC for afitting, I was already hesitant to buy anything through them and stories like this, solidify the deal.

So this one issue has cost CC how much in potential revenue? Pretty sure its well over hte replacement cost of the shaft which they could then recoupe from Fuji themselves instead of making Mike do it.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

I’m sorry that you had this experience @e1iterate ! I know you spent a lot of money on that club and it was a gift for a special occasion from your wife.
My opinion is that if I purchase goods from a business, I would expect that business to warranty what I purchased for “x” amount of time....30, 60, 90, 1 year, lifetime, etc. When I look for big ticket items, I also look at where I should purchase them from based on a customer service/ parts availability stand point. I will gladly pay more upfront for a product, if that company has a service department on site with live human beings! I do not want to speak with a robot or someone in a foreign country. Also, I want to know if you stock replacement parts. When this product eventually breaks, and it will, I want the part to fix it now. Not, we can order it...it will be here in two weeks.
The fact that Club Champion does not warranty any of the products they sell gives me concern. If I have to deal directly with the OEM for warranty claims, why shouldn’t I purchase directly from them and “cut out” the middle man? I would save money on the golf equipment no doubt.
I guess going forward I would use CC for their fitting services, but probably purchase directly from the manufacturer.

https://clubchampiongolf.com/manufacturer-warranty

I think a better policy would be to match the manufacturer warranty, meaning if PX, Fuji, whoever says their warranty is 90 days then CC has the same warranty so the customer has a place to get it taken care of instead of making 50 phone calls and then CC just claims it with the manufacturer. I think that seems very fair.

 

[JonD]

I love CC for fittings. The experiences I have had with the guys have been great. The gear I have purchased through them however, not so great. Of the 2 things I have bought directly through CC, both come in sketchy state ( e.g.shaft extenders on 'new' shafts? ). While I will 100% go back to CC for afitting, I was already hesitant to buy anything through them and stories like this, solidify the deal.

This is how I feel about it at this point. Their fitting services and shaft selections are hard to beat. I actually have a driver fitting session in a couple weeks. None of the gear I've bought from them has been sketchy in any way that I can tell so far, but hearing stories like this definitely makes me more inclined to source it myself.

 

[Phil75070]

I admit I know very little about shafts and, other than a manufacturing defect or being abused even if lightly and not deliberately, I have no idea what could cause a shaft to snap like this in the middle. Do we know the history of this shaft? Are we assuming that CC bought it from Fuji just to build this particular club, that it wasn't a pull or already in stock? Could any atmospheric conditions that the shaft may have been exposed to in transit or storage at CC, extreme cold or heat, affect the integrity of the shaft? Is there anything that CC could possibly do in handling the shaft in the process of building the club that might weaken it?

Most people when they buy a product or service and get what they pay for and expect, they never mention it. Those that talk about their experience is when there is a problem, like in this case, or the product or service is exceptionally good, when it goes well beyond any expectation. The latter is a real win, promotes loyalty, repeat business and potentially brings new customers. Even in a "bad" situation most people recognize that problems can occur and it isn't the fact that there was a problem that makes it bad, it is how it is handled. Properly handled even problems can be a big win for a company, instilling confidence in the company and its products and/or services. I think CC, responsible or not for the problem, had an opportunity to do this. Like all the praise that Callaway gets for its customer service, imagine how different this thread would read and the accolades that would be heaped on CC had the problem been taken care of to e1iterate's satisfaction.

If I read correctly, pictures of the broken shaft were sent back to CC, but it is unclear to me if the broken shaft itself went back to CC. Even if it did, are they the ones to make a final determination in what may have caused or contributed to the problem? Shouldn't the shaft go all the way back to Fuji for examination before a final outcome is/was determined and any resolution offered? Wouldn't Fuji be the more likely one to find out if there were a problem with that shaft?

 

[MWard]

i understand the policy and absolutely agree Fuji is ultimately at fault, but CC should be doing more to make this right even up to or including replacing it and working with Fuji behind the scenes. Make Mike whole first IMo.

as for the phone , last I checked Verizon wasn’t ordering complements of the phone and claiming to assemble them better than Apple like CC is doing With golf equipment.

In this case though, all CC did was assemble the parts. The head didn’t go flying off, the grip didn’t twist and get all borked up, and it’s the length etc as per the build sheet. The OEM’s product failed, not necessarily anything CC did. Once it leaves CC’s possession, it’s hard to say they’re liable for anything that happens to the club, they didn’t touch it.

A catastrophic failure of the shaft however, yeah I would think to go through the OEM directly to begin with. They’re the final say in the matter no matter what anyway.

I’m kinda failing to see how this is on CC, unless they’re doing cool javelin tricks with a brand new shaft before build.

 

[Chef23]

Well, just the fact that I can buy the exact same setup direct from the OEM minus the Puring process for at least 20% less, and, knowing the OEM who made my driver, they would try harder than CC has appeared to in this case if I had an issue 2 months in.

A premium price comes with a reasonable expectation of premium service.

One thing I will add that I have received from a CC type fitter (it was a Cool Clubs franchise) was the fit guarantee. I paid for the build which comes with the fit guarantee and wasn't happy with the performance of my iron shafts and they replaced the shafts. That is a performance warranty that you generally don't get from an OEM.

This isn't in regard of for the specific situation with CC here but the value of club fitting and some of the boutique firms like CC, TrueSpec and Cool Clubs or some local fitters. I believe there is value there vs buying your specs direct after a fitting.

 

[BigDill]

I think a better policy would be to match the manufacturer warranty, meaning if PX, Fuji, whoever says their warranty is 90 days then CC has the same warranty so the customer has a place to get it taken care of instead of making 50 phone calls and then CC just claims it with the manufacturer. I think that seems very fair.

I agree, or like I said earlier, monetize it and sell it as an extended warranty. how many time do we all say no to the person at "Big Box Store" saying "Would you like to add a protection plan to your toaster for $29.99 which will allow you free replacement for two years?". Make it a one time, no questions asked replacement. It takes all of this assumption, speculation, guessing, all of it out of the equation. But here we all are, 11 pages deep into this now, and I'm not sure @e1iterate or CC are any better off for it. Mike still doesn't have a replacement shaft, and CC at best seems to have turned some people sour on their warranty policy which, if I am being transparent, I had no freaking idea was an "as is" policy before this thread existed.

Good for CC for sticking to their stated policy and enforcing the "as is" language of their policy. And good for some of us voicing our objection to such a policy as unreasonable. It may not help Mike, but it may help the next Mike.

 

[Tevenor]

In this case though, all CC did was assemble the parts. The head didn’t go flying off, the grip didn’t twist and get all borked up, and it’s the length etc as per the build sheet. The OEM’s product failed, not necessarily anything CC did. Once it leaves CC’s possession, it’s hard to say they’re liable for anything that happens to the club, they didn’t touch it.

A catastrophic failure of the shaft however, yeah I would think to go through the OEM directly to begin with. They’re the final say in the matter no matter what anyway.

I’m kinda failing to see how this is on CC, unless they’re doing cool javelin tricks with a brand new shaft before build.

I don't think anyone is saying they are liable for the shaft quality. They are however the point of sale for the customer. Minimally they should have been the one contacting Fuji on the customer's behalf, not essentially telling @e1iterate to go screw because they don't make the shaft. As he mentioned, JB did more in this thread to help reach out to Fuji than CC did. @e1iterate is not Fuji's client, he's CC's client.

Good customer service doesn't mean they take the negative financial impact of a bad component, but it does mean they advocate for their customer on his behalf with THEIR suppliers when a bad component comes in. What if it was the head that cracked? or a grip that ripped? Not their fault for the bad component, but how they treat the customer is exactly what hte issue is.

 

[BogeyNSmith]

This has certainly displayed CC's policies to people who had no idea that they are considered a reseller and that they have an as-is policy. I would have gone in this summer assuming they would stand behind a product they sell. I will go elsewhere based on these policies. I am planning a driver fitting for my son.

I can't tell by the OP pictures about obvious signs of abuse or neglect so I can't speak to this specific situation with any certainty. It's unfortunate that the days of benefit of doubt seem to be over which leaves the honest consumer feeling accused and holding the bag.

When I worked in retail years ago the company would allow returns of other retailers exclusive items to make customers happy. The statistics showed that the monetary return was far bigger than the returned item's cost.

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

Maybe Fujikura should start putting this label on their shafts!

 

[MWard]

I don't think anyone is saying they are liable for the shaft quality. They are however the point of sale for the customer. Minimally they should have been the one contacting Fuji on the customer's behalf, not essentially telling @e1iterate to go screw because they don't make the shaft. As he mentioned, JB did more in this thread to help reach out to Fuji than CC did. @e1iterate is not Fuji's client, he's CC's client.

Good customer service doesn't mean they take the negative financial impact of a bad component, but it does mean they advocate for their customer on his behalf with THEIR suppliers when a bad component comes in. What if it was the head that cracked? or a grip that ripped? Not their fault for the bad component, but how they treat the customer is exactly what hte issue is.

Then it would also depend on how the CS rep saw the dead shaft, and how they assumed it broke. It’s pretty splintery. I don’t have enough interaction with breaking graphite shafts to know what to look for. Perhaps the CC rep did (or thought they did) and they knew what Fuji would and wouldn’t do. Who knows?

 

[Tevenor]

Then it would also depend on how the CS rep saw the dead shaft, and how they assumed it broke. It’s pretty splintery. I don’t have enough interaction with breaking graphite shafts to know what to look for. Perhaps the CC rep did (or thought they did) and they knew what Fuji would and wouldn’t do. Who knows?

Thats a lot of assumptions piled on assumptions....... Even if the rep doubted how it broke, they should still fascilitate the conversation with Fuji and let them deny it as "non-standard usage" or whatever they decide. You can't say its up to Fuji and then never reach out to Fuji on behalf of your customer. That's how business lose customers, as CC is doing today with this thread.

 

[GolfinWithDad]

I would just buy from Roger Dunn or whatever your local WWG store is.
I was traveling (actually my first golf trip to the 2018 Ben Hogan Experience) and during my return flight the shaft of the Callaway XR16 driver was broken. And it was a Fuji too. It broke about 2 inches above the tip. It was a club I purchased from Callaway Preowned and it was all ready about 2 years past release.
I walked into the Roger Dunn to figure out if they had a shaft or if I should just buy a new club. Upon arrival, you have to check your club in before going to the repair area in the back. The manager was the one who was checking me in and I didn’t even have to ask about getting it repaired. She picked the head and shaft and said immediately, this is still under warranty. She took the club, it was a Monday. By Thursday I had a HZRDUS shaft installed and return to me, no charge.

 

[KY Golfer]

I have no dog in this fight. Just an honest question. Sorry @e1iterate that you had this happen.

Once any shaft manufacturer sends a brand new uncut shaft to any fitter, box store etc., then said fitter, box store does modifications to that shaft (trim, sand etc.), shouldn't the fitter, box store then become reliable for that shaft? I just assumed that's how it worked. It doesn't sound like that is the case.

I apologize if this has already been discussed, I read thru pretty much all of the posts but may have missed it.

 

[BigDill]

Then it would also depend on how the CS rep saw the dead shaft, and how they assumed it broke. It’s pretty splintery. I don’t have enough interaction with breaking graphite shafts to know what to look for. Perhaps the CC rep did (or thought they did) and they knew what Fuji would and wouldn’t do. Who knows?

Murder mystery and crime solver podcasts are very popular these days. Let's start a podcast/stream together where we take broken golf equipment and try to reconstruct what happened. We use industry experts, forensic analysis, and testing to try to determine what happened. We can call it "The Big Break (but not affiliated with the actual Big Break (tm))"

 

[jdtox]

There is a big difference from "being at fault" and "supporting your clientele". I don't think anyone is saying CC is at fault. The club making part is not what failed. The components used by the club maker failed. However, as this thread shows, regardless of component manufacturer being the one to own up to the flaw, CC was the retailer that sold it. My expectation is that the retailer is on my side as their customer to solve the issue. Not punt it and say "well that sucks. Want to buy a new shaft?"

I love CC for fittings. The experiences I have had with the guys have been great. The gear I have purchased through them however, not so great. Of the 2 things I have bought directly through CC, both come in sketchy state ( e.g.shaft extenders on 'new' shafts? ). While I will 100% go back to CC for afitting, I was already hesitant to buy anything through them and stories like this, solidify the deal.

So this one issue has cost CC how much in potential revenue? Pretty sure its well over hte replacement cost of the shaft which they could then recoupe from Fuji themselves instead of making Mike do it.

I agree but at what point does supporting your clientele become costly for CC? If they supported everyone that came in with a broken shaft they'd lose money. The line has to be drawn somewhere as a business. It sucks I agree 100% and I'd be less than thrilled myself but it wasn't their product that failed. I would think Fuji has to be at least responsible somewhere in this equation more so than CC. If CC offered a discount which it seems they did than you'd almost have to be ok with that, they are not going to replace the shaft for free.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

I would just buy from Roger Dunn or whatever your local WWG store is.
I was traveling (actually my first golf trip to the 2018 Ben Hogan Experience) and during my return flight the shaft of the Callaway XR16 driver was broken. And it was a Fuji too. It broke about 2 inches above the tip. It was a club I purchased from Callaway Preowned and it was all ready about 2 years past release.
I walked into the Roger Dunn to figure out if they had a shaft or if I should just buy a new club. Upon arrival, you have to check your club in before going to the repair area in the back. The manager was the one who was checking me in and I didn’t even have to ask about getting it repaired. She picked the head and shaft and said immediately, this is still under warranty. She took the club, it was a Monday. By Thursday I had a HZRDUS shaft installed and return to me, no charge.

If it was under warranty, why did you get a HZRDUS as the replacement? I would have thought it would have been a Fuji if it was still under warranty?

 

[ttucliffhanger]

Murder mystery and crime solver podcasts are very popular these days. Let's start a podcast/stream together where we take broken golf equipment and try to reconstruct what happened. We use industry experts, forensic analysis, and testing to try to determine what happened. We can call it "The Big Break (but not affiliated with the actual Big Break (tm))"

I'm in!

 

[Tevenor]

I agree but at what point does supporting your clientele become costly for CC? If they supported everyone that came in with a broken shaft they'd lose money. The line has to be drawn somewhere as a business. It sucks I agree 100% and I'd be less than thrilled myself but it wasn't their product that failed. I would think Fuji has to be at least responsible somewhere in this equation more so than CC. If CC offered a discount which it seems they did than you'd almost have to be ok with that, they are not going to replace the shaft for free.

Where in my scenario is CC out any money other than some time? The answer at the end of a successful customer service experience still may be "nothing we can do because Fuji won't warranty it but we'll give you a discount to purchase a different shaft if you want". Then, they have still done right by @e1iterate and the story is quite different.

That didn't happen. And now we have this experience to share and be posted to influence many people to not become customers of CC.

Which situation is actually costing CC more?

 

[GolfinWithDad]

This has certainly displayed CC's policies to people who had no idea that they are considered a reseller and that they have an as-is policy. I would have gone in this summer assuming they would stand behind a product they sell. I will go elsewhere based on these policies. I am planning a driver fitting for my son.

I can't tell by the OP pictures about obvious signs of abuse or neglect so I can't speak to this specific situation with any certainty. It's unfortunate that the days of benefit of doubt seem to be over which leaves the honest consumer feeling accused and holding the bag.

When I worked in retail years ago the company would allow returns of other retailers exclusive items to make customers happy. The statistics showed that the monetary return was far bigger than the returned item's cost.

There are a lot of good fitters out there. Find a local guy, get some recommendations and

If it was under warranty, why did you get a HZRDUS as the replacement? I would have thought it would have been a Fuji if it was still under warranty?

She said Callaway didn’t have the Fuji in stock so they gave a similar shaft. I assume they just placed a call to Callaway asking for a replacement shaft because it got done so quick.

 

[Parrot]

it wasn't their product that failed.

Actually, once CC paid Fujikura, it was CC's shaft.

 

[BigDill]

I agree but at what point does supporting your clientele become costly for CC? If they supported everyone that came in with a broken shaft they'd lose money. The line has to be drawn somewhere as a business. It sucks I agree 100% and I'd be less than thrilled myself but it wasn't their product that failed. I would think Fuji has to be at least responsible somewhere in this equation more so than CC. If CC offered a discount which it seems they did than you'd almost have to be ok with that, they are not going to replace the shaft for free.

I hate to quote you on this because its been said a few times here, so I hope you know me well enough that I am not singling your post out.

But why do we have to aggregate this out to "if we do it for one person, we have to do it for everyone"? It's not as if we know that they rejected every similar broken shaft request. My guess is that the deal with it on an individual basis based upon the circumstances presented, and then make a decision. I would be shocked if there was not at least one instance in which a shaft was replaced by CC in a similar circumstance.

 

[Canadan]

Where in my scenario is CC out any money other than some time? The answer at the end of a successful customer service experience still may be "nothing we can do because Fuji won't warranty it but we'll give you a discount to purchase a different shaft if you want". Then, they have still done right by @e1iterate and the story is quite different.

That didn't happen. And now we have this experience to share and be posted to influence many people to not become customers of CC.

Which situation is actually costing CC more?

Wait, isn't that exactly what happened here?

Mike reached out to CC, provided pictures.
CC reached out to Fuji, who declined warranty.
CC offered a discount on another shaft to Mike?