(Important stuff at bottom, you can skip the beginning stuff if you think it’s too long)
Okay, so I have a bit of a problem.
I was working out yesterday at my home gym. My barbell is made by Cap Barbell. The advertised strength for it is 700lbs.
I take care of my bar, unload all weights after use, don’t drop it needlessly etc.
Now it was to my surprise that when using a weight far below 700lbs (450lbs to be exact) the bar developed a permanent bend in it.
Now first off I’m pissed because it’s supposed to be unsafe using a bent bar so I can’t workout at home until I get it replaced.
Second off, I was 250lbs away from the advertised limit of the bar, that shouldn’t be happening.
I’m glad it didn’t snap while I was using it or something crazy like that, but I’m still extremely mad at this whole predicament.
Should I ask for some sort of compensation? Like they replace my bar or something since I wasn’t misusing it or using outside of advertised bounds? I don’t know what Cap’s Warranty is like and couldn’t pin it down. I bought the bar in August (of '09) so it’s barely half a year old.
On their Canadian site the only contact email they had was for sales, should I try contacting them there? Or is there a better email for me to contact them at?
I don’t know about you guys, but I think I have a case here, don’t I?
Anyone else with similar experiences that can help me out here?
I have no clue how they will react as they may ask if you use it for Oly lifting. 700lbs to some companies may actually mean 700lbs of force meaning that dropping 200-300lbs from above your head…could break that limit.
I found this on their legal statement link on their website.
[quote]"No Representation or Warranty
CAP reserves the right to modify the information contained in this site at any time without notice. While CAP makes all reasonable efforts to insure that all material on this site is correct, accuracy cannot be guaranteed and CAP does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or authenticity-of-any information contained in this site. This site and all information and materials contained herein, is provided to you “as is” without warranty of any kind."[/quote]
The 700lb limit is most likely a static limit, meaning that the dynamic load will be much lower. Generally, when you complete a lift (deadlift, squat, Oly lift, etc) you are imposing a dynamic load on the bar and 700 lb static load limit will be exceeded with a 450 lbs lift.
I doubt that you will have anything to go back to them with, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. If the only contact you can find is a Sales guy/team, then that’s who I would email/contact. Simply explain your situation, but don’t go into extreme detail. Again, I doubt they will do anything and will probably tell you that you are out of luck. I have heard nothing good about Cap Barbell and their products, other than they are cheap. Remember, you get what you pay for!!
I’d certainly try and get a replacement bar or money back. Since you haven’t dropped it while oly lifting then it seems that you have been using it for the purpose it was intended. I’d be surprised if there weren’t Canadian consumer rights laws stating that you are lawfully entitled to a replacement or refund if a product turns out not to be of the standard required for its intended purpose. It might be helpful to google that and see what Canadian law has to say. I know in some countries a company stating that your rights don’t apply isn’t enough for the law to see it that way.
I’d start with sales since that is the number that you have. I’m sure they can redirect you to the appropriate division of the company.
It can be handy to be able to cite the relevant consumer law when talking to those people, however.
I think it’ll be fine if you use the bar for a little longer until you get a replacement for it. We have a bar at the gym that was bent almost a year ago, and now it’s really looking fucked up, but it still works for heavy rack pulls and stuff like that.