Bowtech General Recall??

[archerjustin]

Has anyone heard about the Bowtech General recall? Is this old news? I just heard about it today. 255 reported cases of broken limbs and a dozen or so serious injuries directly related? Just wondered if anyone else has heard about this? Is it for real?

[archerjustin]

Just found this on another site:



Bowtech recall -The General
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2009
Release #09-132 Firm's Recall Hotline: (888) 689-1289
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908



Compound Bows Recalled by BowTech Archery; Bow Can Unexpectedly Break Apart
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: “The General” Compound Bows

Units: About 8,000

Manufacturer: BowTech Archery, of Eugene, Ore.

Hazard: The ends of the bow’s limbs can unexpectedly break during use and send fragments of the bow in the direction of the user or bystanders, posing a risk of injury.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 255 reports of the bow’s limbs breaking, including 11 reports of lacerations, abrasions, or contusions when pieces from the breaking bow struck the user.

Description: This recall involves the “The General” compound bows hunting and target models with draw weights of 60 and 70 pounds that do not have a collet (see illustration below) in the limb. The bows measure about 31 inches long and have draw lengths of 26-30 inches. Hunting models were sold in real tree and mossy oak camouflage patterns. Target models were sold in gray, black, and wood-grain. The bows have laminated wood grips engraved with the word “BowTech” and a label with “The General” on the center pivot point of the bottom limb.

Sold at: Authorized BowTech Dealers nationwide from September 2007 through July 2008 for about $800.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bows and contact their dealer to schedule a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact BowTech Archery at (888) 689-1289 anytime or visit the company’s Web site at www.bowtecharchery.com

[wolverines]

Has anyone heard about the Bowtech General recall? Is this old news? I just heard about it today. 255 reported cases of broken limbs and a dozen or so serious injuries directly related? Just wondered if anyone else has heard about this? Is it for real?





Yes, yes, and yes:) Just have a dealer get the new limbs for you and they should switch them out for you when they arrive...the problem has been fixed for the 09's....

[Michihunter]

VERY old news.

[Swamp Monster]

Yes and no. It is the same "recall" but this one is from the Gov't. Bowtech already had a voluntary recall for the same issue. This one is just to make sure those that can, get notification. So yes, it's a new recall, but it concerns the same issue that Bowtech was already in the process of fixing.

[archerjustin]

Thanks for the clarification Swamp Monster. I don't own a Bowtech I was just curious.

[madmike22]

The govt issued the recall because bowtech wasnt sending notices to most people that there was a problem. The dealers arent all saying anything because they are getting paid by bowtech to do the repairs, its all out of there pockets. So not everyone knew that there bow was recalled. Hopefully this will get everyone taken care of and they can move on. They make a nice bow.

[Michihunter]

Do you know this to be fact MM? Reason I ask is that I would imagine a great deal of those people not notified would be the ones who did not register their bow. From what I've been told, anyone that registered a General was indeed contacted. I have no idea if in fact that was true.

[madmike22]

There are alot of people that registered them that did not get notices in the mail. You can ask alot of the dealers. They sent out notices to the dealers and expected them to do most of the left work from them and track down everyone they sold. I was told by a respected dealer that only 30% of his customers that bought generals that were covered under the recall recieved notices. They have sold almost 80 generals that were covered under the warranty period.

[Michihunter]

There are alot of people that registered them that did not get notices in the mail. You can ask alot of the dealers. They sent out notices to the dealers and expected them to do most of the left work from them and track down everyone they sold. I was told by a respected dealer that only 30% of his customers that bought generals that were covered under the recall recieved notices. They have sold almost 80 generals that were covered under the warranty period.Thanks for the info and clarification. As I said, I truly wasn't sure but I do recall reading that they were supposed to.;)

[Kelly Johnson]

The govt issued the recall because bowtech wasnt sending notices to most people that there was a problem. The dealers arent all saying anything because they are getting paid by bowtech to do the repairs, its all out of there pockets. So not everyone knew that there bow was recalled. Hopefully this will get everyone taken care of and they can move on. They make a nice bow.

Bowtech went through the only channel they have to track the sales Mike...the dealers. Unless it was a "Bowtech in the boonies" purchase (damn few) these bows are only sold by dealers or pro shops.

4 dealers I know of mentioned Bowtech has given them zero funding for labor on these issues. New limbs are sent and the dealers are expected to cover shipping, labor and the either the customer or the dealer eats the cost of a new string when needed.

2 of those 4 no longer carry that brand.

[madmike22]

If people have registered there bows bowtech has a way to contact them. I understand not everyone registers there bows though and thats there fault. I think all bows registrations should be done and filled out by the dealers and the dealers keep and send out the cards not the customers. I sell rvs. We have to fill out the warranty info with the customers information and we send it in ourselves. That way one the illiminate people selling bows that are technically used but selling with warranty because they werent registered. That is not the manufactures respsonsibilty to warranty them to people that were not the original purchasers. The dealers should get paid for there time. I dont understand that one at all.

[Kelly Johnson]

The dealers should get paid for there time. I dont understand that one at all.

Agreed.

Can you confirm that the dealers you know were in some way reimbursed for their time and labor Mike? Pm me if that's easier but there'll be a whole lotta questions if this is true.

[Michihunter]

Agreed.

Can you confirm that the dealers you know were in some way reimbursed for their time and labor Mike? Pm me if that's easier but there'll be a whole lotta questions if this is true.
Looks like a typo to me Kelly. I added the red to make the blue make sense.;)

The dealers arent all saying anything because they aren't getting paid by bowtech to do the repairs, its all out of there pockets.

[madmike22]

I was agreeing with you. I know for a fact that they were not paid for there time. I was never paid for doing warranty for pse, darton, bear, and pearson when we carried them either. Technically we were because we would get discounts on future purchases from some like pse and darton but i dont think we recieved anything from the rest of them at all.

[Kelly Johnson]

Ahhh.....makes sense now.

[Swamp Monster]

4 dealers I know of mentioned Bowtech has given them zero funding for labor on these issues. New limbs are sent and the dealers are expected to cover shipping, labor and the either the customer or the dealer eats the cost of a new string when needed.

2 of those 4 no longer carry that brand.


Thats total BS in my opinion. One more reason not to buy a blowtech.

[Kelly Johnson]

Thats total BS in my opinion. One more reason not to buy a blowtech.

I don't know if the others handle it any differently Swampy.
This one's just has a nice, fresh incident.

[Swamp Monster]

I don't know if the others handle it any differently Swampy.
This one's just has a nice, fresh incident.

It would be nice to know wouldn't it? Likely surprise us I suppose. I'd be shocked to see Hoyt, Martin, Mathews, or PSE on that list but??? Still a load of crap dumping those costs on the dealers doorsteps.

[SaluteYourGeneral]

Ladies, ladies, ladies.......Calm down. Let's look at the stats for a moment shall we????? Mathews has the highest failure rate of any of the bow manufacturers. BlowTech ?? The only thing that blows about BowTech is the arrow I shoot that blows by yours ! I wonder why someone with an Elite Archery avatar would start a thread about the BowTech recall ?? Smells fishy to me...didn't a pissed off ex-BowTech employee start that company ?? But that's old news too.

[SaluteYourGeneral]

And all of the bows that I know of have been sent to BowTech for them to deal with directly. No cost other than the time to put the bow into a box is incurred by the dealer.

[Hoyt_em]

This recall as stated a few times is old hat...this particular version screeming around the net is our gooberments version...a day late and a dollar short, I might add.


A good friend of mine who sells Bowtech, did inform me, that the dealers are eating the warranty on these bows. The are not getting reimbursed for there time. The dealers have two choices on this repair...1)do it, or 2)take the customer's belongings off and send it in...then reinstall customer belongings.

To my knowledge, and I'm sure someone will correct me (please do), most if not all the manufacturers work this way.

[Swamp Monster]

And all of the bows that I know of have been sent to BowTech for them to deal with directly. No cost other than the time to put the bow into a box is incurred by the dealer.

Wrong! The bows don't go back to the manufacturer, blowtech sends new limbs! I watched my local bowtech dealer unwrap the limbs and install on a Max 4 camoed General that was also being traded in. I could have purchased it for a song, but no thanks....no need for a bow with pop rivets in the limb.

I like the new Admiral...nicer draw than the general and a little more speed. I'll wait until August or September before I buy...if they have limb issues like many bowtech models in the last 5 years, I'll stay away.


Oh, and you said lets look at stats? Show me stats then! Oh, your statement about which bow has the most failures is a stat? Pardon me for laughing at you! Keep your schtick to the fanboy nation on AT.

[Michihunter]

This recall as stated a few times is old hat...this particular version screeming around the net is our gooberments version...a day late and a dollar short, I might add.


A good friend of mine who sells Bowtech, did inform me, that the dealers are eating the warranty on these bows. The are not getting reimbursed for there time. The dealers have two choices on this repair...1)do it, or 2)take the customer's belongings off and send it in...then reinstall customer belongings.

To my knowledge, and I'm sure someone will correct me (please do), most if not all the manufacturers work this way.I hear ya Hoyt em, I don't know of ANY mfg's that reimburse for warranty work done by a dealer.

[madmike22]

Some of them do reimburse some. But not in cash payments. When i was a dealer pse and darton were the only ones that paid us anything for warranty but both paid us with credit of some sort towards future orders. We got a very small discount for each warranty repair. Which at the end of the year may have been 50% off one bow and that is if we did a eally high amount of warranty work.

As for the comments by the general. As much as i dont like alot of things mathews does and how pretentious they are i dont know of any bow that mathews has ever produced that was recalled. Every single general produced since late 2007 till mid 2008 had been recalled. Not just a few but every single one. Thats over 8000 bows. Not to say every bow manufacture is trouble free but i doubt in the last 10 years mathews has had that many problems with all there bows. Plus the problems with previous years bowtechs every one has a lot of catching up to do before they catch bowtech in problem department.

[Michihunter]

Some of them do reimburse some. But not in cash payments. When i was a dealer pse and darton were the only ones that paid us anything for warranty but both paid us with credit of some sort towards future orders. We got a very small discount for each warranty repair. Which at the end of the year may have been 50% off one bow and that is if we did a eally high amount of warranty work.

As for the comments by the general. As much as i dont like alot of things mathews does and how pretentious they are i dont know of any bow that mathews has ever produced that was recalled. Every single general produced since late 2007 till mid 2008 had been recalled. Not just a few but every single one. Thats over 8000 bows. Not to say every bow manufacture is trouble free but i doubt in the last 10 years mathews has had that many problems with all there bows. Plus the problems with previous years bowtechs every one has a lot of catching up to do before they catch bowtech in problem department.

In defense of Bowtech, they recalled every one of those bows regardless of whether it had a problem or not. And not all of them did. They were very proactive on this issue and although I doubt there was a legitimate issue with the majority of them, they took care of it anyway. Every mfg has had their issues(Mathews included) but only one was as proactive in getting it fixed.

[madmike22]

They werent as proactive as you think. The reason the recall was announced was because bowtech didnt send notices to everyone to begin with. With the original design of the limbs chances are the majority of them would have failed. They started to step up to the plate bet changed there minds and all headed back to the dugout.

[Michihunter]

Actually, everything that was done was done in accordance to the CPSC Fast Track Voluntary Recall Program. This government recall was nothing more than procedural due process and had nothing to do with Bowtechs actions in this matter which were in full compliance of the Consumer Protection laws.

[madmike22]

They were not in full compliance. They were suppose to send notices to all who registered there bows. They had only sent out notices a small portion of those who had them registered. This is straight from one of there sales reps. Yes it says voluntary but everybody knows it wasnt voluntary. If they had it there way it would only be a portion of the 8000 that would have been recalled. Not all of them.

[Michihunter]

"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product."

Call this number if you want the real deal;) (800) 638-2772

[Hoyt_em]

They werent as proactive as you think. The reason the recall was announced was because bowtech didnt send notices to everyone to begin with. With the original design of the limbs chances are the majority of them would have failed. They started to step up to the plate bet changed there minds and all headed back to the dugout.

They were not in full compliance. They were suppose to send notices to all who registered there bows. They had only sent out notices a small portion of those who had them registered. This is straight from one of there sales reps. Yes it says voluntary but everybody knows it wasnt voluntary. If they had it there way it would only be a portion of the 8000 that would have been recalled. Not all of them.


2+2=4 and what your saying doesn't add up. They voluntarily recalled a problem on 8,000 bows, EVEN when they could track down the problem limbs to a specific timeframe, far shorter than the production period of the full 8,000. They sent out info to the dealers to post and pass on the information concerning the General...it was all over the net.

Yet, they only sent out a few letters...PER A SALES REP...thats the part that don't add up.

They have a rep running the country, or a portion of the country, who is spreading the word around that they did a pizz poor job of handling this...:confused:...and they, in this world of litigation, are only going to contact a "few" people and take the chance that someone who didn't get a notice/see the net chatter/dealer posting so they can have the living bejeesus sued out of them for negligence....

[fishunter9160]

2+2=4 and what your saying doesn't add up. They voluntarily recalled a problem on 8,000 bows, EVEN when they could track down the problem limbs to a specific timeframe, far shorter than the production period of the full 8,000. They sent out info to the dealers to post and pass on the information concerning the General...it was all over the net.

Yet, they only sent out a few letters...PER A SALES REP...thats the part that don't add up.

They have a rep running the country, or a portion of the country, who is spreading the word around that they did a pizz poor job of handling this...:confused:...and they, in this world of litigation, are only going to contact a "few" people and take the chance that someone who didn't get a notice/see the net chatter/dealer posting so they can have the living bejeesus sued out of them for negligence....

I agree.

[SaluteYourGeneral]

I am speaking from personal experience. My dealer is Schupbach's in Jackson. I took my bow to them and they said that they are sending the bow to BowTech to be fixed. The bow was returned to me about 10 days later in an unopened box with a letter from a tech stating what work had been done on the bow. That's the end of my ranting on this subject.

[SaluteYourGeneral]

As far as a sales rep contacting everyone that purchased a General, that is really up to the dealer to complete the paperwork that BowTech requires to be sent in with each new bow sold. If your dealer doesn't do it, and you don't register the bow over the net, they won't contact you.