When Getting the Shaft From a Cue Maker Isn't a Good Thing...

Mikey Town

Mikey Town

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I recently had my Viking cue sent in for some warranty work (a few cracks in the joint and collar). To my dismay, the cue was rejected and sent back without being repaired. I was told that they are currently not accepting any warranty work because the company is in the midst of being sold, and they have to wait until they hear what happens with the transaction until they can perform any more warranty work. They said it may take 2-3 weeks and they didn't even know if they would be able to do the work after that... So much for that lifetime warranty.

This wasn't my main player, and it wasn't that expensive, but it's the principal that matters... The cue came with a lifetime warranty! Plus it was a perfect cue to bang around with at the bar. Who looks forward to breaking out their main player on a Saturday night around the alchies?

I guess it may be time to start looking for a new bar cue.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with Viking lately, or has anyone heard about the sale of the company? I wonder if they will be bought by a private party, or by another manufacturer like McDermott or something.

Either way... Viking owners better start taking very good care of their cues. That lifetime warranty may have an expiration date after all.
 
This is not good news. I've never had to send mine in, but it was always nice to know I could if something happened.
 
Mikey Town said:
I recently had my Viking cue sent in for some warranty work (a few cracks in the joint and collar). To my dismay, the cue was rejected and sent back without being repaired. I was told that they are currently not accepting any warranty work because the company is in the midst of being sold, and they have to wait until they hear what happens with the transaction until they can perform any more warranty work. They said it may take 2-3 weeks and they didn't even know if they would be able to do the work after that... So much for that lifetime warranty.

This wasn't my main player, and it wasn't that expensive, but it's the principal that matters... The cue came with a lifetime warranty! Plus it was a perfect cue to bang around with at the bar. Who looks forward to breaking out their main player on a Saturday night around the alchies?

I guess it may be time to start looking for a new bar cue.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with Viking lately, or has anyone heard about the sale of the company? I wonder if they will be bought by a private party, or by another manufacturer like McDermott or something.

Either way... Viking owners better start taking very good care of their cues. That lifetime warranty may have an expiration date after all.
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Mikey:

Unfortunately, "lifetime warranty" doesn't mean what many think it means. The word "lifetime" can mean "lifetime of the product," or "lifetime of the company that made/sold it." It doesn't mean your lifetime. And "lifetime of the product" and "lifetime of the company" are usually in the same sentence that ends with "...whichever comes first." Yes, a bunch of legal-ese mumbo-jumbo intended to create a loophole that the company can exploit when they need to.

I'll bet if you read the little slip of warranty paper that came with your cue, you'll see this legal-ese buried in there.

I did hear that Viking fell on hard times, and rumors of a sale started flying, but I don't know how substantial they are. McDermott recently gobbled-up the company Elephant Balls, as you know, so an acquisition could be in the works. But again, all this is conjecture until formal press releases come out.

I hope someone "in the know" posts a clarifying response here.

Hope this is helpful,
-Sean
 
DoubleD said:
How do you have cracks in the joint without serious abuse? I can't imagine a company covering an abused product.

As far as cue in a bar, I won't take one to a bar unless it is for a tourney or league--and then it normally goes into the case when I am not using it.
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No abuse... just use.

The dealer that I bought it from actually said that they have seen a few come back with the same problem and that Viking was more than willing to repair it under warranty.
 
sfleinen said:
Mikey:

Unfortunately, "lifetime warranty" doesn't mean what many think it means. The word "lifetime" can mean "lifetime of the product," or "lifetime of the company that made/sold it." It doesn't mean your lifetime. And "lifetime of the product" and "lifetime of the company" are usually in the same sentence that ends with "...whichever comes first." Yes, a bunch of legal-ese mumbo-jumbo intended to create a loophole that the company can exploit when they need to.

I'll bet if you read the little slip of warranty paper that came with your cue, you'll see this legal-ese buried in there.

I did hear that Viking fell on hard times, and rumors of a sale started flying, but I don't know how substantial they are. McDermott recently gobbled-up the company Elephant Balls, as you know, so an acquisition could be in the works. But again, all this is conjecture until formal press releases come out.

I hope someone "in the know" posts a clarifying response here.

Hope this is helpful,
-Sean
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I read Vikings lifetime warranty prior to purchasing my cue, it was very straight foraward. in case you are interested..... Viking Warranty
 
Not time to smash it yet...

It is common when one company buys another that they come to a formal agreement that liabilities change hands as of a certain date.
 
supergreenman said:
I read Vikings lifetime warranty prior to purchasing my cue, it was very straight foraward. in case you are interested..... Viking Warranty
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supergreenman:

I'm assuming you're directing this to Mikey, not me, right? (I don't own a Viking cue, so the warranty doesn't apply to me.)

However, while reading that warranty from the link you provided, just as I suspected, you'll find this clause:

"Viking Cue Mfg., Inc. warrants against warpage and all components of the cue for the life of the product, but excludes replaceable parts such as the tip, ferrule, finish, wrap, and bumper."

Who's to say what "life of the product" means? And that's nowhere to be found in the warranty verbiage itself, either.

Additionally, you'll find this further-limiting verbiage:

"Joint changes are covered. Shafts that are standard length and 12-13mm are covered. Anything longer, shorter, over 13mm, or under 12mm will not be covered. Butts that are standard length are covered. Custom tapered butts, over length, and under length butts are not covered. No-wrap butts (custom) other than current models will not be covered."

So they're basically saying that if you order a *custom* cue from them (specifically if you have the aforementioned over-/under- size and length considerations, or if you customize the cue to have no wrap), that you're not covered!

This is actually common practice in warranties, however. I work in an industry (I.T.) where this kind of game is played all the time. In fact, in my line of work, purchasing an extended maintenance/service contract is standard du-jour, because the product's "warranty" doesn't mean anything, except as a cheerleading sales pitch during the initial purchase.

-Sean
 
sfleinen said:
supergreenman:

I'm assuming you're directing this to Mikey, not me, right? (I don't own a Viking cue, so the warranty doesn't apply to me.)

However, while reading that warranty from the link you provided, just as I suspected, you'll find this clause:

"Viking Cue Mfg., Inc. warrants against warpage and all components of the cue for the life of the product, but excludes replaceable parts such as the tip, ferrule, finish, wrap, and bumper."

Who's to say what "life of the product" means? And that's nowhere to be found in the warranty verbiage itself, either.

Additionally, you'll find this further-limiting verbiage:

"Joint changes are covered. Shafts that are standard length and 12-13mm are covered. Anything longer, shorter, over 13mm, or under 12mm will not be covered. Butts that are standard length are covered. Custom tapered butts, over length, and under length butts are not covered. No-wrap butts (custom) other than current models will not be covered."

So they're basically saying that if you order a *custom* cue from them (specifically if you have the aforementioned over-/under- size and length considerations, or if you customize the cue to have no wrap), that you're not covered!

This is actually common practice in warranties, however. I work in an industry (I.T.) where this kind of game is played all the time. In fact, in my line of work, purchasing an extended maintenance/service contract is standard du-jour, because the product's "warranty" doesn't mean anything, except as a cheerleading sales pitch during the initial purchase.

-Sean
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Even with the limiting text, the warranty in itself is easy to understand. You are left with no doubt what is covered and what isn't.

As far as Viking the company, they have enjoyed a good reputation where thier warranty is concerned. I hope what ever the result of thier "sale" is, they continue to provide good service.
 
supergreenman said:
Even with the limiting text, the warranty in itself is easy to understand. You are left with no doubt what is covered and what isn't.

As far as Viking the company, they have enjoyed a good reputation where thier warranty is concerned. I hope what ever the result of thier "sale" is, they continue to provide good service.
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supergreenman:

Please don't get me wrong -- I never said Viking was a bad company. I just wanted to let people know that the phrase "lifetime warranty" doesn't have the bullet-proof exterior that many "think" it has. Some folks I've talked to, think that the phrase "lifetime warranty" is a foolproof means to "get quality." It isn't.

Viking is, and always has been, a very good company. They just play the same salesmanship / product-marketing tactics that all successful companies play. It's actually the hallmark of "good" marketing, 's all.

Like you, I'm sure that whatever the result of the "sale" (or transitional period) is, they'll continue to provide good products and support.

-Sean
 
Someone just stated in another thread Viking is going out of business, selling all their stuff. Probably why they're not doing the work.
 
I read a week ago that Viking was going out. There is no such thing as a Lifetime Warrenty! If the Company goes out you hold the bag. The new company might warrent it for repair & they might not.
 
Warantee

Sadly a warantee is only as good as the company or person behind it. PERIOD... That is why some companies are good to do business with and some are not. That being said I only buy cues from well established builders now. I had a bad experience with my first new custom cue (no name here) a Kao Fa cue from China and a Predator warantee problem. After those bad experiences I have owned a Lambros several Jerry Oliviers and the Kikel I play with now. All good experiences. I learned the hard way and unfortunately for the OP it appears he got screwed by the economic conditions that seem to have affected Viking Cues.
 
He does have an option of sending it to some cue maker/repair guy to get it fixed if he thinks its worth it. Viking was always close in price to custom makers in their upscale cue line. I always thought if I am going to pay that much, I might as well go to a custom cue maker.
 
Even if the company changes ownership, the new owners have to take over the previous owners "LIABILITIES."

Let's say that Viking owed $100,000 to the people they get raw materials from, the new owners can't just skip out of that debt owed. There is something about talking over liability when changing ownership of a business.

So if Viking cues and it's warranty was a key feature of its company, I highly doubt they can just say we don't warrant it anymore because there are new owners. I think what they are doing is bull because in the midst of uncertain process of changing ownership, they could have been done with your cue.

In addition, joint collar materials do crack and cues will break down, if you by a Craftsman hand tool, there's no questions asked, but you can't return tools with rust on it. That's weird, that Craftsman has that policy, but then again, you can just grind off the rust or even cut the tool in half. There's a way to do it. You should just send Viking what I've wrote, and send Emails out to all the companies, make blogs and make a video on youtube and get angry and express your anger with Viking cues, and attach it in the Email and post in on here for views and we AZB can give you kudos, Then they will be shitting bricks.

Then you'll see how fast you get a response and treated very nicely after that.
 
Duce said:
Even if the company changes ownership, the new owners have to take over the previous owners "LIABILITIES."

Let's say that Viking owed $100,000 to the people they get raw materials from, the new owners can't just skip out of that debt owed. There is something about talking over liability when changing ownership of a business.

So if Viking cues and it's warranty was a key feature of its company, I highly doubt they can just say we don't warrant it anymore because there are new owners. I think what they are doing is bull because in the midst of uncertain process of changing ownership, they could have been done with your cue.

In addition, joint collar materials do crack and cues will break down, if you by a Craftsman hand tool, there's no questions asked, but you can't return tools with rust on it. That's weird, that Craftsman has that policy, but then again, you can just grind off the rust or even cut the tool in half. There's a way to do it. You should just send Viking what I've wrote, and send Emails out to all the companies, make blogs and make a video on youtube and get angry and express your anger with Viking cues, and attach it in the Email and post in on here for views and we AZB can give you kudos, Then they will be shitting bricks.

Then you'll see how fast you get a response and treated very nicely after that.
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Duce, I don't believe anyone is buying Viking. I believe they are shutting their doors & liquidating inventory & equipment. So, in this case, I don't see an anger campaign helping the OP's cause.
 
TimKrazyMon said:
Duce, I don't believe anyone is buying Viking. I believe they are shutting their doors & liquidating inventory & equipment. So, in this case, I don't see an anger campaign helping the OP's cause.
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It was a good suggestion, but I've never really been one for anger and rage anyway.

I guess it's about time to start looking for a cheap, solid hitting bar cue. Any suggestions? :)
 
I'm sorry that this has happened, but how about a shred of respect for the people who work for Viking? There is no money to pay the employees, so there is nobody there who can do any warranty repair. What else are they supposed to do with the OP's cue at this point? It is unclear if Viking is going to vanish or if they will be bought. I have been told by Viking that there are potential buyers, so let's all hope it works out- for the people who own Viking cues, and for the people who work there....

-Mike
 
Mikey Town said:
It was a good suggestion, but I've never really been one for anger and rage anyway.

I guess it's about time to start looking for a cheap, solid hitting bar cue. Any suggestions? :)
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Mikey:

There's nothing wrong with your Viking, assuming you can get someone to repair it (at some cost, unfortunately, with the way things are looking). Plenty of qualified cue repair folks, as you know. You can try "Ryan" at Muellers (known as "ratcues" here on AZB), for he works a lot on production cues. (In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, other than the factory itself, he is now the only factory-authorized Meucci repair depot -- if you don't mind my using Meucci as an example.)

Anyway, if you like your cue, and just want it repaired, that can be done, and you'll have the cue you're already used to (and like?).

Hope this helps!
-Sean
 
cheapcues.com said:
I'm sorry that this has happened, but how about a shred of respect for the people who work for Viking? There is no money to pay the employees, so there is nobody there who can do any warranty repair. What else are they supposed to do with the OP's cue at this point? It is unclear if Viking is going to vanish or if they will be bought. I have been told by Viking that there are potential buyers, so let's all hope it works out- for the people who own Viking cues, and for the people who work there....

-Mike
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I can only speak for myself, but all of the comments in this thread have been directed at the company... not the employees that work there. These are two very different things. The employees don't come up with these policies and procedures, they just adhere to them. I'm sure that nobody wishes them any ill will. Most of us can probably relate these days.

If someone who has a vested interest in the Viking company is reading this, there is no disrespect meant. At the end of the day, they are the ones who posted this quote on the home page of their website though:

"With our continued commitment to the highest quality standards in the billiard industry, you can be assured, that when it's time to upgrade or get service on your current cue stick, Viking will be there for you."

I was merely explaining a situation as it unfolded. As you know, there are many story tellers here :)

Hopefully it all ends up working out though... Not just for me (my cheapy $200 cue is small beans compared to the grand scheme of things), or other Viking owners. It would just be a shame to see a reputable company that has been in the industry for so long fall as another victim to today's economy.
 
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