Is My Broken Snowboard Covered Under Warranty?

By Published On: July 26th, 20104 Comments

The following information has been created to help you, our customer, by highlighting situations in which manufacturers will not honor the manufacturer warranty of a product (based on our experience). Please note that The House does not make the final decision in manufacturer warranty matters. It is the manufacturer’s decision whether a product meets the warranty qualifications.

Prior to returning your equipment to The House for warranty review, please use the following situations as a guide of what may not be covered. Along with the examples, we have provided some suggestions for quick fixes to the problems that you may be experiencing.

! Tip: All of the items carried by The House are backed by at least a one year manufacturer warranty. In some cases manufacturers back their products with at two-year or lifetime warranty period. If you are unsure if your item is still under warranty give us a call at 1-800-992-7245.

Click on the pictures to view examples!

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Board-to-Board Impact
As with a car door ding, these things happen all too often. You and your buddies are waiting for your turn in the lift line when some dude enters into the line a bit too fast and whacks into the back of your board. In some cases this will cause the board to chip and in extreme cases an impact with enough force may cause the edge to separate from the board. The easiest way to identify this type of damage is by the contact markings that are made from someone else’s edges. This type of damage is not covered by manufacturer’s warranty.

! House Tip: Try to pay attention to the people around you. Your buddies and others close by are usually the culprits causing the problems. And if someone does nick up your board, take a deep breath, understand it for the accident that it was. Then, lightly file down any rough spots around effected area so that these do not peel further and serve to aggravate the problem.

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Board-to-Object Impact
Damage to your snowboard is not always someone else’s fault. Most of the time you, as the rider, need to face the music. You may find yourself out riding the backcountry on a warm spring day with slightly less than ideal snow cover. It is exactly these types of conditions when the rocks, normally covered by snow, seem to find their way to the surface or lie in wait just beneath. As you cruise along, the base of your board may impact these rocks. The result of this impact may be simple base gouges, edge bending, or a separation of your edges away from the board. Tell tail signs of this type of damage are detected by a scratch (or scratches) on the bottom leading to, or originating from, the affected area of the board.

This is definitely an unfortunate mishap and one that all who have ventured into the backcountry or cut through some trees have incurred. However, this type of damage is not covered by manufacturer’s warranty.

! House Tip: Take your time and check out the line you’re going to take before heading down. Know your snow depth and terrain! This is not only the safe route, but it is also the least costly way to ride. If you do bang up the board, see if your local shop can fix it up – you’d be surprised what a little epoxy and a set of clamps can take care of.

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Rails, Boxes, and Natural Terrain
Freestyle snowboarding is a huge part of the today’s riding scene. Rail riding is now commonplace and has become very popular. All riders should be aware that any time your board comes in contact with a solid structure of any kind, the manufacturer will not warranty any damage or wear to your board.
Structures can cause serious damage to your board including: scratches, bending, denting, rolling, or the edge completely separating from the board.

Rolling or separating your edge on a rail or any object is commonly a result of not having your board totally centered on a rail when initially hitting it. Bending or denting your rail occurs by coming up short on a rail and slamming the edge of you board into the rail. This type of damage is not covered by manufacturer’s warranty.

! House Tip #1: Keep your eyes open. Watch out for trees, poles, mountain goats or any other objects that could damage your board.
! House Tip #2: If your base takes a gouge, grab some P-tex and fill it in. And if your edges get scratched or worn, a file will work miracles.

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“Nose-Dive” Nose Breaks
In this scenario, let’s say that you’re having a great day in the park. You decide to hit the big kicker and go for a corked 900. The only problem is that you miss the cork and bury the nose of the board into the top of the jump. In doing so the impact of your unplanned landing causes the nose or tail to flex backward; or in essence under itself. Structurally this is not the direction that a snowboard was designed to flex and this force will ultimately break it. If you bend the board in such a manner other than the designers had intended, the board will break. This type of damage is not covered by manufacturer’s warranty.

! House Tip: Know your limits and your landing. Your board is designed to flex a certain way and it’s not backwards. Manufacturers won’t warranty this type of break.

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Intentional Abuse
Now we know that customers of The House would never do this, but it is widely known within the industry that some individuals will try to completely destroy their snowboards it in hopes of getting it covered under manufacturer warranty. This will not work.
Breaking the board more than it had already been damaged is a common tactic used by some riders. This type of damage is not covered by manufacturer’s warranty.

! House Tip: Don’t do it! Duh!

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“The Boot Sheath”
Anybody who has snowboarded knows that your back foot must be taken out of the binding when riding up on the lift. In doing so the weight of the board is put on your front foot and leg. What a pain, literally! The tension on your leg forces you to alleviate the pressure any way you can, and the easiest way is to rest your board on your back foot. Who knew that your back foot is nature’s perfect board rest? When you do this however, you are sawing away at the top of your boot. Your board has a 90-degree metal edge that can easily cut through your boot. This type of damage is not covered by manufacturer’s warranty.

! House Tip: This wear on your back boot is the most common boot problem that manufacturers see. The House, as well as every retailer out there, sells lace protectors that attach to your back boot to counteract this problem. However if you like to gamble with your $100+ boot by saving $4, a quick solution (until you come to your senses) is to put the toe of your back boot under the heel-cup of your rear binding. Either way you look at it, it’s all about the lace protector.
* The information concerning warranty is for information purposes only. It does not create or imply a warranty separate from or in addition to the manufacturer’s warranty. In all cases, the provisions of the manufacturer’s warranty shall control the final decision.

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4 Comments

  1. garrett johnson December 29, 2010 at 7:41 am - Reply

    show the things that are covered by warranty

  2. Brandon February 1, 2011 at 12:21 am - Reply

    What’s the purpose of showing specific things that you don’t cover, if you don’t cover anything at all? please let me know if this board is at all covered by warranty because im thinking of purchasing it. Thanks

  3. bob bowie February 3, 2011 at 2:48 am - Reply

    My favorite part of the article was the pictures. MS Paint woot woot!

  4. Brandon February 3, 2011 at 7:19 am - Reply

    Is there a purpose to writing these questions if we dont get a response? HELLOOOOOOOOO. you guys suck

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