Predator Warranty Policy

[dags_lax]

This is a continuation of a discussion in another part of the forum. To understand the context of this discussion readers should check out link at: http://www.seyberts.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1033&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

Predator was putting the logo on long before their products became as popular as they are now. There are also counterfeit logos so I don't think that idea has needing the logo to ensure it is not counterfeit has much merit. Predator could also ask for a proof of purchase to verify that the shaft did come from an authorized retailer.

The logo is there for branding purposes only and I am fine with that. When I had a shaft made to match my Jackson Custom Cue I asked that the it be made without the logo. The folks at Jackson told me that there would be no warranty for the shaft if I had them do that. So I had the shaft made with the logo on it. They did not tell me that If I went without the logo that the warranty would be on an individual basis.

The implication I get from Neil is that if your shaft has the logo you have warranty coverage. If your shaft doesn't have the logo the warranty is on an individual basis. From that a person must assume from that that some people that own a shaft without a logo will have warranty coverage while others will not. What is the basis for determining who will and who will not have warranty coverage?

For the two people (from a different thread) that have the Predator shafts from Viking that the Predator logo came off will they have a warranty if the don't go to the trouble and expense of sending their cue back to Viking? And if the don’t have the sticker replaced how will they know If they do or do not have a warranty?

I don't think the folks at Predator are necessarily trying to get out of their warranty obligations. In fact Predator is under no obligation to provide a warranty. The fact that they do so is good. It seems to me they just want to make sure that people don't remove the sticker, or that if the sticker falls off they have it replaced, or that people don't order a shaft without the sticker. Predator’s promotion their brand recognition is fine, but to promote that brand recognition through their customers fear of losing the warranty, that is just not right!

[Neil Fujiwara]

Here we go again.

Again, I respect your opinion, please step off of the soap box now.

[CJK]

I viewed it as, "If you don't have a sticker, then your warranty is on a case-by-case basis." Meaning, if it turns out, upon inspection, that the shaft is a Predator shaft AND has not been modified in a manner such as to void the warranty, it would be covered. The genuine logo would be an easy first step to ensuring authenticity, which is why Predator and other companies spend a lot of time and money protecting their trademarks.

[Cardinal_Syn]

wut is the pred warranty anyways? wut does it cover?

I own 4 Predator shafts which includes 1 for my Predator BK. I also have receipts for every one of these purchases. What if the logo were to come off one or all my Predator shafts? That doesn't change the fact that the shafts are genuine Predator products & I would hope with the back-up of my sales receipts that a future warranty issue would not be a problem. IMO I could have the logo replaced when some down time from the pool table was available.

Last time I checked all of my golf equipment from the glove to the clubs down to the ball all have a company name/logo all over them. I play with what looks appealing to my eye & what offers the best result.

Sure my stuff says Titleist, Foot Joy, Ping, Callaway, Cleveland & my cues indicate Pechauer/Predator & I don't have any problem with it at all. My play does the talking for me whether winning or getting my butt kicked - not the tools I am using.

[Neil Fujiwara]

http://www.predatorcues.com/english/warranty.htm

If you tried to sell a used shaft on ebay no logo = less $$.

[Tanar]

I understand what the logo thing is all about, but it has been done to death. I can see that Predator is worried about possibly warrantying counterfeit product. When I sent my Predator shaft in to have the Moori tip put on, they knew it was a Predator by the color of the ferrul. For the company to know their product that well, should tell you that they would be able to tell a genuine from a counterfeit. To all of those that have had their sticker fall off, if it is a genuine Predator product, there should be no reason why Predator would not honour the warranty. It is an unfortunate thing that you might be without your cue for a week or two, but that is the way life is. At least you will know that once your shafts are back, you won't ever have to worry about this problem again. If your in the middle of an important part of your pool season, wait to send them off. I am sure the company will understand. As to having the Predator logo on my cue, it makes me proud. I know I have spent my hard earned money on some of the best product available. This doesn't mean that I flash my cues around telling everybody that they are a Predator product, but neither do I hide it. Nobody cares. When I play pool, people respect me for my ability, not the product that I use. And vise versa. I do understand where Dags is coming from as I try not to buy t-shirts that have a company's logo splashed across the front of it. But when I buy really good running shorts for example, I know they are going to have the Nike symbol on them. Again, I am not buying because I can show everybody that it is a Nike brand, I am buying because they are some of the best running shorts on the market and they help improve my ability. It is a fact of today's world that no matter what you buy, the producers logo will be on it. Accept it and get back to pool playing topics.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Well said.

[guest]

This mesaage is for Neil Fujiwara Predator Cues Rep. I think your attitude sucks. If I would spend 200 for a shaft and the logo falls off, I think this is based on a poor workmanship instead of a warranty issue. By the way for all Predator users, I think Neil Fujiwara does not even come close from being a good rep. I would just give Sid and Rick a call to fix the problem. Seyberts has better customer service than what his name "Neil Fujiwara". Go to hell Neil! Hope you find another JOB :twisted:

[guest]

this message is for Tanar. You probably have a fake nike shorts if the logo falls off. lol. Who cares about a logo, Nike knows if the shorts are fake or not. I just think Pedator is just afraid of the competition. A company who does not know there own materials and products, means they do not make them or there quality control has gone down. Why need a logo if you know it is authentic? By the way, any warranty claims needs a receipt anyway. :D

[Neil Fujiwara]

Thanks for the compliments.

As I said before, we take everything on a case to case basis, and we make no claims for warranty or deny a warranty until we receive, inspect and make our determination on a warranty situation.

The logo is there for several reasons, just like any other company. But materials, workmanship and other specifics will allow us to determine if the shaft is genuine or not, or if someone has altered the shaft in a way that we will not warranty it. i.e. replacing ferrule.

Considering I am the only salesperson at Predator now, but still make time to monitor this forum, I take offense to this. But, I can't please everyone and I know this.

[CJK]

To the anonymous coward who posted the attack on Neil Fujiwara:

You are either an idiot, or you loaned your keyboard to one who typed the message for you. Mr. Fujiwara has contributed many hours to this site, explaining Predator products, answering questions about a variety of subjects (not just the cues he sells), and generally being as helpful as anyone could ask. I've had a Predator cue for about a year now, and he answered a lot of my questions about the cues, both before and after I purchased. His helpfulness has led me to the conclusion that my next cue is probably going to be a Predator 2. Why? Because I feel comfortable with Predator, comfortable with Seybert's, and I don't let loudmouths who attack from behind a veil of anonymity persuade me otherwise.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Thank you for your support CJK.

[maughanm]

Well said CJK. Neil's time on this forum has been beneficial to everyone. One reason I play with a Predator now. As for the "no name" guest, I remember my first beer too. 8)

[dags_lax]

The attack buy "guest" on Neil was totally unwarranted. While I may have concerns about the Predator logo in regards to their warranty it was an issue of Predator policies and not in any way personal against Neil. Neil does a fine job of representing his employer on this site and I for one appreciate the time he spends on this site responding to the players questions and concerns.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Thank you dags_lax, coming from you, that made my day.

[dags_lax]

The only salesperson at this time? Perhaps I should apply for a job. I wouldn't have to relocate to Florida would I? I can't take the heat of the Wisconsin summers. I could not imagine trying to survive a summer in Florida!

[Neil Fujiwara]

Fax your resume please: 904-448-9151.

[Tanar]

It is very unfortunate when a person uses a forum such as this to post personal and slanderous remarks. What makes it even worse, is the person posting the remarks does not even have the backbone to log in so the person he is talking about can see who is verbally attacking them. These are adult discussions on this board and they should remain that way. For the "guest" who attacked both Neil and I, if you don't like the discussions and cannot contribute your opinion, instead of childish name calling, then don't post here. For Neil and all of the other responsible people posting on this site, I have nothing but respect. Difference of opinions happen all of the time and are what makes a board such as this so informative and interesting.
To Neil: if you ever need a Predator Rep in Canada, let me know. If my Policing career doesn't pan out, I will need a new line of work. :wink:

[Neil Fujiwara]

Thanks Tanar, we will keep that in mind, but for right now, Grace Nakamura is our Predator Rep. in Canada.

I hope the police thing works out, it is an honorable position.

[Guest]

I speak on behalf on of 314 shaft owners. Now that for a fact that neil said that it is a case by case issue for warranties, this topic brings to a different ballgame.
Neil should think first before what he says anything on the forum, He represents Predator and anything he says can come back to him. In fact, he firmly stated on a different thread that: "No LOGO equals to no warranty". That is what I call a very firm stupid statement coming from a rep of Predator.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Thanks buddy.

I didn't think you could beat a horse to death, after you have beaten a horse to death already.


"I speak on behalf on of 314 shaft owners."

What is "on of"?
Did you get everyone's permission to speak for them?


I am sorry that everything that comes out of my mouth is not correct, it must be nice being perfect.

[DELETED]

DELETED

[guest]

If you have a problem with anything talk to Jean at Predator instead of crying on this forum.

trust me I don't cry for a $200 shaft. WAY TOO CHEAP. It is just the matter of clarifying the warranty issues for those that are new in the billiard industry. Don't let these companys' get you. Consumers has the right to know specifically what they are getting into. I remember the very first time I bought a 314 shaft when they were first produced. It was the best shaft they have ever produced. and at that time it is even warranted for warpage.

The only company that I know of that stand behing their product is Viking Cues. I had sent a warped cue to Viking to see if they would fix it. Indeed they did it for no cost. These company know if these cues are abused or not. and are willing to go extra mile for customer service and not say NO LOGO scenario.

[guest]

Once again Neil, whatever you say in a public forum will be closely watched by your employer, since you still work for Predator.
I see a lot of people in this forum say:
Where is it made? BUTT? Shaft?
Warranty? Have a lawyer write it out, to protect your behind. LIFETIME WARRANTY with a clause!!! Don't that tell you something.
Prove yourselves that your product will last for a lifetime-or it could just be a maketing sceme for people to buy.

If you are really proud of your product show it off by saying MADE IN USA and the BUTTS are MADE IN CANADA in your site. This will solve a lot of gray areas and consumers will be more confident in buying your famous 314 products. You may one day be promoted and tell your reps how to please your boss and consumers.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Thank you for the sage advice.

We have all the legal jargon on our website and in our warranty information which is delivered with each cue.

I could put a link to each webpage that someone asks a question about, but what fun is that?

I understand that EVERYONE is watching what I say on this forum, and that they can check on EVERYTHING that I say on this forum. The company I work for has faith in the ability for me to respectfully represent them, and until they find otherwise, I will continue to do so.

If I have offended anyone, I apologize. If I have mistated a situation, I apologize. If I have not quoted a policy verbatim, I apologize.

I figure anything that anyone posts on the Internet will be taken with a grain of salt, but that is just my personal feeling.

Again, I apologize, but I am only human.

[judge]

the Predator Rep backs down. What will it be next?

[Sid]

Hopefully an end to this topic, I am getting SICK of all the talk over something that has happened twice in all the years and thousands of Predator shafts we have sold.
Then, it was not even on a Predator applied logo, it was done by Viking and we have loooooong retified the problem.

I will leave this topic open in case someone has something useful to ad, if it is going to be used to put down neil, a guy I really appreciate participating in the forum, I will shut it down and start banning ips.

I always liked the way our forum was always full of infomation and not drivel. I don't think I will let it change now after all these years.

[Neil Fujiwara]

Back down? Call it what you want to, it is just the truth.

Well judge, I guess you are just being your namesake.

[Kokopuffs]

My .02:

The Predator shaft is a great shaft, especially for a beginner. Why, consistency and shaft dynamics. I like the way it plays and won't spend time discussing deflection blah blah blah. It just plays good.

Although I've moved on to another style of shaft I'll always recommend the Predator. When a substantial number of professionals use it, THAT says something big.

[dags_lax]

I know a lot of folks that switched to the 314 shaft and love them. A few that did not see a difference and even less that preferred their old shaft. The 314 may not be for every one but from the testimonials from players I know it is the right shaft for a lot of players.

If you are new to the game and purchasing your first quality cue, go with the 314 shaft. If you learn how to shoot with the 314 shaft to start with you will avoid the learning curve associated with the change after your game has developed. If you have been playing awhile and your game seems to have peaked at a certain level you may be better off spending your money on lessons from a BCA instructor. For many players I think this (lessons) will give you more bang for the buck when it comes to improving your game. If you still have money left to spend after lessons (trust me, those guys don't work cheap) give the 314 shaft a try.

I have yet to have an opportunity to try the new Z shaft from Predator and I do not want to hype something that I can not personally vouch for, but from the mechanics of this shaft (low mass and strong taper) it looks this just may be the ultimate design, at least until someone comes up with a good composite to replace the maple shaft

[dags_lax]

To Kokopufs: If you want to put in your two cents worth hold down the alt key and on the numeric keypad hit 0162 then release the alt key and you will get the ¢ sign. If you are working from a laptop then you are SOL (s@#% outa luck).

[mmorri12]

Whenever I here talk about a warranty, I now always remember the Chris Farley movie (Tommy Boy) where he was trying to sell his fathers brakes to auto part distributors and the owner didn't want to buy them because the warranty was not posted all over the box. Chris's character responded that you can take a crap in a box and write warranty all over it but you still have a box of crap.

Who cares what may have been said or misstated about a warranty. If a company makes a quality product (which Predator surely does) then 99.9% of the time you will not even have to invoke the warranty, and if you did I'm sure you would be handled with honesty, respect, and fairness to your situation. There is no way predator would continue to get all of the positive press if their product was not top notch. And along the same line, there is no way Neil would remain the sales rep of Predator if he was not top notch as well.

My 1st real cue was the predator 2 and it has made substantial gains in my game. I just received the BK last night and as well I can really notice a difference in the power of my break. I purchased a Pechauer pro j for my wife and if they had a Z shaft to fit it, it would have been purchased as well. I've never seen that shaft in action, but because of my previous experiences with my predator products and the feedback of this forum, I have no hesitations of purchasing the shaft. And I know that if it turns out that the Z does not work for my wife, I have the confidence that I can return it within 30 days. Who else offers that policy? not too many in this industry I'm sure.

Again, thanks to you Neil and Predator for putting out a quality product. And thanks to Seyberts for selling them and having this forum. As long as I am playing this game, Both Predator and Seyberts will have a repeat customer.

[Tanar]

To Moori,
How do you like the BK? I have noticed a huge difference in my break since I started using it. I have the no-wrap version. I used to hold the cue near where the wrap would have ended on a regular cue, but now I hold cue closer to where the butt cap would be. I found I get way more power and action from the break. This works especially well with heavier balls such as the kind you would find on a bar table.

[mmorri12]

I've only used it for a few days on my home table (8 footer) but i definetly like it so far. There's only been a few breaks without a ball going in where before it was almost 50 50. I also got the no wrap version (I prefer no wrap cues).

Take care

[guest]

first of all neil is human, not some brainwashed person who is taught to say "predator is the best do not doubt the godliness of my company"......he speaks whats on his mind......ok fine so he's not perfect nobody is....stop beating it to death.....i've been browsing these forums for a few weeks and its gettin old......but i did have some questions for neil/sid.....i am interested in ordering the predator 2 black with leather wrap and maybe the bk cue.......ive owned a custom viking vm13 (stolen from my car).....and im used to the 13mm thickness......would it take me a while to adjust to the z?....afterall it is the "newest" thing.....also i noticed that the predator2 on the seyberts webpage isnt offered with a z shaft?.....also can i use the predator 2 to break?....my main reason is that i dont wanna carry a heavy case like b4 with i carried my vm13 and a cuetec graphite......anyways....u guys are doin a great job....and posting on a messageboard always has its ups and downs.....just gotta learn to deal with it and i think everybody is just giving their own opinions....thanks!

[guest]

oops also forgot to ask.....i noticed the pred 3k series gives seyberts bux but the pred 2 and bk do not?.....any reason?.....is it cuz its newer?....if so if i wait will i get bux?.....lol sorry but i still need to buy more parts for my duc so i been cheap =P

[Neil Fujiwara]

All of our cues are sold with 314 shafts, the Z is an upgrade.

It took me a while to get used to it, but that is normal when all I ever shot with is 12.75-13mm shafts.

It was well worth it though.

You can use any cue to break with, but it is best to have a cue for every shot, i.e. break, jump, playing.

Golfers have it made, they get 13 sticks to play with.

[Sid]

oops also forgot to ask.....i noticed the pred 3k series gives seyberts bux but the pred 2 and bk do not?.....any reason?.....is it cuz its newer?....if so if i wait will i get bux?.....lol sorry but i still need to buy more parts for my duc so i been cheap =P

Predator's pricing structure is set different on the P2's so there are no Seybert's bucks available on that model cue. On the 3K series cues, we save a little money and pass it on to the customer. It is just that on the P2's, that little extra money is not there. Sorry.

[StB]

Neil, they may have 13 sticks, but their balls are a lot smaller.

[Neil Fujiwara]

I have never heard of a women complaining of her partners ball's being too small.

[StB]

Fine, our shaft's are lot longer, and thicker too, except at the head, kinda works in reverse.

[Neil Fujiwara]

I don't know about our shaft's being longer.

[guest]

is the logo that people are talking about a sticker? wouldnt it just be easier if it was somehow permanent? or is it just because it came from viking? does seyberts predators a sticker as well?

[Sid]

it is a sticker applied to the wood of the shaft. It then has a thin coat of finsh sprayed over it to protect it. Predator uses a heavier coat to protect the sticker. Viking shafts never used a sticker so they used a lighter coat of finish on their shafts as all it is on a Viking shaft is cosmetic to match the butt better. When they done the Predator shafts for us, they applied the sticker and finished the cue as always. A couple of the stickers flaked on the Viking/Predator shafts. We asked Viking to apply more coats of finish over the sticker, they did and the problem has been solved for several months now. It is no longer a point. Hope this info helps,

[guest]

sounds good to me sid!.....just gotta finalize all the stuff imma buy then order....man im excited....never shot a pred2 or a z...only the 2k series and the 314.....thanks

[New Kid In The Hall]

I agree, Neil's time in here is great. I come here to discuss Predator as I own a few of their cues and many of the shafts. I have had 314s made for 3 of my Vikings, my Robinson cue, my Schon LTD, a few with matching Lucasi ringwork, and for my Dale Perry.

Just on a whim, I put "Neil Fujiwara" into Google and here's what came up...nice page Neil. With a nickname like "Pillage" you better take charge...

http://www.onthesnap.com/players/ots_players/neil_fujiwara.htm

[Neil Fujiwara]

Thanks, www.onthesnap.com were my old sponsors, some really great guys to be associated with.

Pillage is one of my nicknames, most people use some form of my last name to call me something funny.

i.e. Fujifry, Fuji woof-woof, you get the idea.