My cue cracked while breaking. This was my favorite cue so I decided to send it back to the manufacturer and take advantage of the "lifetime" warranty. Just got a call that since there were some small dents in the side of the cue that it would not be covered. I am extremely disappointed and and angry that they would not stand behind their product. There was absolutely no abuse or side pressure put on this cue. Shame on you VIKING.
Broken Cue
- Thread starter rebar
- Start date
Bummer! Ah wells, time to get a new shaft I guess.
You got shafted by a manufacturer (pun intended), time to vote with your wallet.
I should however point out that if your cue was your main player and not a break cue, I'm not all that surprised. Breaking is what break cues are for. Main playing cues aren't really meant to take the abuse, especially if you power-break.
I should however point out that if your cue was your main player and not a break cue, I'm not all that surprised. Breaking is what break cues are for. Main playing cues aren't really meant to take the abuse, especially if you power-break.
Agree
The first thing I asked before even sending the cue to Viking was....Is it OK to break with this cue? I figured I would be honest when I told them how it broke. If this was a problem ,I would not have even sent it to them. Their reply was." absolutely not a problem breaking with the g-14 or any viking cue". "Send it in and we will look at it." After spending almost $35 to ship it to them on this advice, you can imagine my frustration at being told it is not covered. They even wanted $12 to ship the shaft back to me. I told them what I thought of their company and suggested another way to dispose of the undamaged shaft.
The first thing I asked before even sending the cue to Viking was....Is it OK to break with this cue? I figured I would be honest when I told them how it broke. If this was a problem ,I would not have even sent it to them. Their reply was." absolutely not a problem breaking with the g-14 or any viking cue". "Send it in and we will look at it." After spending almost $35 to ship it to them on this advice, you can imagine my frustration at being told it is not covered. They even wanted $12 to ship the shaft back to me. I told them what I thought of their company and suggested another way to dispose of the undamaged shaft.
Of course, all companies I've ever dealt with use any excuse to not honor their warranties. As for "lifetime" warranties, I found out long ago they usually refer to the life of the product, not yours.
If I were you, I'd send them a letter (not email, a real dead tree letter) explaining very politely what you just said, and I'd tell them to make good on their promises, or else you'll make sure to advocate against their brand on the internet and wherever you can. If they do however repair/replace the cue as they should, you'll praise them for being customer-friendly.
If they care about their brand's reputation even just a little, they might just start treating you properly.
If I were you, I'd send them a letter (not email, a real dead tree letter) explaining very politely what you just said, and I'd tell them to make good on their promises, or else you'll make sure to advocate against their brand on the internet and wherever you can. If they do however repair/replace the cue as they should, you'll praise them for being customer-friendly.
If they care about their brand's reputation even just a little, they might just start treating you properly.
This is total bunk! Break cues are a fairly recent development in the cue sports world. Until that time, most everyone broke with their playing cue...and many still do, choosing not to fall for the hype. They became very popular with the advent of the phenolic tip, and some utilized fatter 14mm shafts to get the job done.
I have owned two break cues. One I sold pretty immediately...I was less than impressed. The other I had won in a contest, and would have kept it for that reason only, except a friend and fellow player fell in love with the darn thing and kept begging me to sell it to him, which I eventually did....I have yet to have a regret about either. Truth be told, my hands-down best breaking cue I own is an old wrapless Helmstetter that I also use to play with...have picked up more 8 Ball breaks than I can remember now...and very rarely not pot a ball on the break.
You don't need to break as hard as possible to get an effective break...it's more about technique than power.
Lisa
I've seen people trying to break like freight trains: they litterally throw themselves against the table like demented morons and ram their cues into the cueball to get it to pass the speed of sound. There is a fair chance of snapping a cue in half with that kind of madness, or at least split the shaft or something. All it takes is a wrong move.
Of course a main cue is capable of breaking, but breaking like a madman is likely to damage it. Mad breaks seem to be in fashion these days. As for me, I wouldn't know, I mostly play straight pool and carom, so I rarely break
But when I do play 8-ball, I do use a cheap break/jump cue because, even though I don't break hard, I don't want to do that with my pride and joy.
As to the reason the OP's cue broke....
...Of the butts I have seen that have splintered, it was usually at or very close to the joint...and on close inspection, there was a distinctive 'wave' or distortion in the wood's grain at that point in the butt. This is not a surface defect, but generally goes all the way through the wood. It has almost always been right where the joint pin ends inside the butt...providing for an optimal place for a blow-out to happen.
All but one cue I have seen this happen with was a production cue of one type or another. They are not as selective about their wood as a custom maker might be.
To the OP...if you noticed a distortion in the grain at where the butt broke, then the cue should be covered under warranty for defective materials. Since no pics were provided, it is difficult to ascertain if the 'dents' were a contributing factor or not.
...Of the butts I have seen that have splintered, it was usually at or very close to the joint...and on close inspection, there was a distinctive 'wave' or distortion in the wood's grain at that point in the butt. This is not a surface defect, but generally goes all the way through the wood. It has almost always been right where the joint pin ends inside the butt...providing for an optimal place for a blow-out to happen.
All but one cue I have seen this happen with was a production cue of one type or another. They are not as selective about their wood as a custom maker might be.
To the OP...if you noticed a distortion in the grain at where the butt broke, then the cue should be covered under warranty for defective materials. Since no pics were provided, it is difficult to ascertain if the 'dents' were a contributing factor or not.
I've seen people trying to break like freight trains: they litterally throw themselves against the table like demented morons and ram their cues into the cueball to get it to pass the speed of sound. There is a fair chance of snapping a cue in half with that kind of madness, or at least split the shaft or something. All it takes is a wrong move.
Of course a main cue is capable of breaking, but breaking like a madman is likely to damage it. Mad breaks seem to be in fashion these days. As for me, I wouldn't know, I mostly play straight pool and carom, so I rarely break
I totally get that!!...LoL...seen it myself...craziness! The biggest downfall, I feel, to using your player to break with is that breaking tends to flatten out the tip, and therefore requires reshaping more often than if a break cue were used.
My main point would be that with today's superior adhesives and construction techniques...a well made cue should not break under normal breaking conditions. With that said...it is not to say that a few lateral whacks against the table on an already unknown weak area couldn't speed along that process.
Lisa
Lisa:
I 100% agree with you. Most good cuemakers -- even production cue makers -- stand by their product even if you break with it. Joss is a good example. I know that Dan Janes (Joss) will frown if you mention to him that you won't use his playing cue product for breaking, especially if you mention you're "afraid of harming it." He'll explain to you the virtues of the stainless steel joint he uses, and how it's designed not to "wedge" the wood apart under extreme stress (e.g. the joint itself won't act like a firewood splitting wedge or splitting maul down the forearm's or shaft's grain, like some cheap pin inserts do).
Even then with a cheap pin insert, that's not supposed to happen if the cue is screwed together firmly. A "blow out" occurs when there's a small space from not firmly screwing the shaft onto the butt, and the space between the two parts of the cue (shaft & butt) is suddenly forced closed by the force of the break itself, driving the pin/insert into the wood and thus splitting it.
Better materials, adhesives, and more precise tooling (i.e. more precise lathes and cutting tools) give rise to products not prone to the type of failures that older products had.
-Sean
SoonerFan
Registered
I don't think they denied your claim because it was used for breaking.
I think they denied it because the damage was caused by side load or bending. Viking is a good company and they would take care of it if it was a defect.
Cues are not designed to take a load from the side. If it split out the side, then it had to have a load to the side.
I think they denied it because the damage was caused by side load or bending. Viking is a good company and they would take care of it if it was a defect.
Cues are not designed to take a load from the side. If it split out the side, then it had to have a load to the side.
dave sutton
Banned
i say call them again. 9 out of 10 times a broken cue is the result of someone banging it mad or dropping/throwing it.
usually if i was a defect youll see a knot or something where the break occured.
usually if i was a defect youll see a knot or something where the break occured.
I'm curious. What were they gonna do, throw your butt into the trash? I mean, it may be worthless but it's still YOURS!!! I've always been a little leery of "lifetime" warranties. I didn't get to see the actual damage in a picture of the broken cue, but this whole situation smells a little rotten.
Maniac
Mcdermott is no better
Back around 1991 or so I had a similar experience with Mcdermott. I bought a brand new Mcdermott, two days after I got it the shaft warped. I didnt leave it in the car or anything. I called them and they said send it back and well take a look. 2 or so weeks later I got the shaft back with a letter saying (I am not exaggerating) since the tip was chalked they could not warranty the shaft.
How in the hell are you supposed to play with a cue without chalking it. Needless to say I wil never again buy a Mcdermott and do my best to let everyone know about my experience.
Back around 1991 or so I had a similar experience with Mcdermott. I bought a brand new Mcdermott, two days after I got it the shaft warped. I didnt leave it in the car or anything. I called them and they said send it back and well take a look. 2 or so weeks later I got the shaft back with a letter saying (I am not exaggerating) since the tip was chalked they could not warranty the shaft.
How in the hell are you supposed to play with a cue without chalking it. Needless to say I wil never again buy a Mcdermott and do my best to let everyone know about my experience.
Some Questions
How old was the cue when it broke?
Are you the original owner?
Did you buy the cue though a local dealer?
Where the dents anywhere near the site of the break?
Are you one of those that press the front end of the cue down on the table during power break follow thru?
How old was the cue when it broke?
Are you the original owner?
Did you buy the cue though a local dealer?
Where the dents anywhere near the site of the break?
Are you one of those that press the front end of the cue down on the table during power break follow thru?
Because if you dent your care, the manufacturer should not deny your warranty. That is why.
If you crash your car, you have insurance, WHICH IS WHY A LIFETIME WARRANTY IS A SELLING POINT AND SHOULD BE HONORED.
Should Ford be able to walk away if your car breaks in two pieces while accelerating from a stoplight??
And dents and nicks are not always caused by misuse. That is absurd. How many of us have had some sort of nick "just show up"? I have...everyone who I know who plays pool has.
This is just another example of a manufacturer looking for an excuse....plain and simple.
I'll call them tomorrow and let them know how I feel.
Lifetime warranties always crack me up. Whose lifetime are the talking about? Yours, the cues, or their's?
What waranty??
IMO the 'large' billiard cue manufacturers could care less about their warantees. I have had problems with Predator in the past and do not use their products as a result. Do they care? Not one bit I'm just another singular customer to them. The individually owned cue builders are much more likely to stand behind their products than the corporate owned cue manufacturers are.
Every time I have had a waranty issue with a billiard company I have been screwed and the exact opposite is true when dealing with an individual cue maker.
IMO the 'large' billiard cue manufacturers could care less about their warantees. I have had problems with Predator in the past and do not use their products as a result. Do they care? Not one bit I'm just another singular customer to them. The individually owned cue builders are much more likely to stand behind their products than the corporate owned cue manufacturers are.
Every time I have had a waranty issue with a billiard company I have been screwed and the exact opposite is true when dealing with an individual cue maker.