Do I Really Want to Tackle This Job Myself?

That's the hard question my long-time friend, Jim Bauer, asked himself recently when a problem developed with one of his Lew's reels--a Tournament Pro TP1H model, to be exact. He thought he knew the answer until he received the package of parts in the mail and started trying to replace them. It was then that he, like yours truly on many occasions, realized he probably was in over his head. He subsequently decided the smart thing to do was to make a phone call to the experts.

While that phone call ultimately cost him some money, it likely was some of the best money he ever spent, because he knows that when he gets the reel back, it'll be right. And if it isn't, all he has to do is send it back, and they'll make it right.

Jim's situation all began last weekend when he discovered what he first thought to be a screw missing from his Lew's baitcaster. He called the company on Monday to order a replacement screw, as well as an accompanying washer and spring, and they arrived on Thursday. When he started the job, though, he was surprised to find that the screw wasn't missing after all; the head just had broken off. He got another surprise, too--the new spring wouldn't go in.

"OK--time to call a service tech," Jim said to himself. Here's where he soon decided he may have bitten off a little bit more than he could chew. The service tech explained that he had to remove both side covers to properly get the spring inside the handle side cover, which  meant removing the handle, star drag, etc., and making sure not to screw up the gear assembly in the process.

"Whoa! Let's back this truck up!" Jim thought to himself. "That doesn't sound like something I want to do."

The gal on the other end of the phone then made it real simple for him. "You can return the reel if you want, and we'll do the work for you," she said. "There's a $15 fee and a $5 shipping charge for servicing the reel," she continued.

With that, Jim told the gal she had a deal. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to have it cleaned and tuned up, so I took care of all the paperwork on the phone and whipped a credit card on her," he explained. He went on to say she had offered a couple other options: (1) putting a check in with the reel, or (2) waiting until they got the reel and called him, whereupon he would provide the credit-card info or send a check. This last option no doubt would extend the turnaround time.

Jim subsequently learned that you have to get a return authorization number before you send Lew's any reels for service, and that number goes on the outside of the box. If you send them more than one reel for service, it's only an additional $1 (vice $5) shipping charge for each. You ship the package to the following address: Lew's Speed Service, 3031 N. Martin Ave., Springfield, MO 65803. And unlike a lot of other reel-servicing centers, these folks want you to leave the line on your reels. In the words of the service tech, "We like to see it on there because it just might help us identify a problem." That's welcome news to guys like me, who use braid exclusively.

When you're dealing with Lew's Speed Service Team, you're dealing with folks who have more than a century of combined experience in fishing-tackle repair, design and customer service. By their own admission, they're committed "to servicing all products we sell at the most economical value to our customers. Lew's first-class warranty, discount parts, extended-service policy, low-cost replacement products, and a 'Do It Right, Do It Fast' motto are more ways Lew's products truly remain the best tackle value."

Lew's Speed Service Team stands behind its repairs and replacements with a promise that products repaired or replaced by them "will function flawlessly." If you have questions, call Lew's toll-free at 1-877-470-5397.