RoughCountry - Warranty Issues

[23OBX2.7]

Thanks for that top ....I'll try....hopefully don't have to mess around with roof adjustment to make it work....just spent 5 hrs yesterday meticulously sound deadening inside and out subwoofer enclosure, sheet metal and plastic panel as well as floor..,.

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[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

Hey everyone,

Looking to get some opinions/feedback here.

One of my Rough Country fog light brackets (SKU: RC-51088), purchased less than 2 years ago, completely shattered while driving under normal use. I was literally two blocks away from home when I heard a loud metal banging noise from the front end. Drove back right away and found the mounting of one of the fog lights had broken into pieces. The bolt was still on the larger bracket that holds all three lights, but the little light mount shattered and that light was hanging. Luckily, I always secure wiring with zip ties, otherwise I probably would have run over the light while it was still connected.

For context, I haven’t been off-roading since the beginning of the year (work has been crazy), so this didn’t happen from hitting rocks, trees, or anything like that. Just normal road driving.

I filed a warranty claim with Rough Country since their website states:

• “Lifetime Warranty towards manufacturer defects”
• “Product protected from structural and workmanship damage”
• “We’ll replace your defective item at no cost to you”
  https://www.roughcountry.com/warranty

Their customer support rep (who never gave me a name or position) offered to send me just the little mount piece instead of a new light. I said fine, as long as it doesn’t cost me anything - the light housing is scratched but I can repaint it.

Here’s the issue: they’re now refusing to cover fees like cross-border brokerage and duties (I’m in Canada), which basically means I’d have to pay for their warranty. To me, that goes against their own policy of “no cost to you,” especially since US-CA is covered under CUSMA/USMCA.

The rep keeps repeating that “the brokerage company looks at original addresses” and that because it won’t match the original shipment address, I’ll probably be charged and they won't be responsible. But that’s not how CBSA works — the requirement is proper documentation, not address matching. Also, their warranty explicitly says they cover it all. So why should I, the customer, be responsible for paying those?

From what I understand, all they need to do is:

• Send a no-charge invoice labeled “Warranty Replacement – NOT FOR RESALE”
• Show the unit cost as $0 (or nominal $1–5 if needed)
• Add a note “Not a Sale – Value for Customs Purposes Only”

CBSA has remission/relief mechanisms for warranty replacements when the supplier covers the cost. I’ve told them this multiple times, and they still refuse.

So my questions:

1. Has anyone else in US or Canada dealt with Rough Country warranty issues like this? Where they refuse to cover shipping costs or things like that?
2. Am I right in thinking they’re just not handling the paperwork properly?

I am afraid of cutting my losses, accepting it, and later I have another light or bracket breaking on me. Clearly this is a quality issue on their end. So shouldn't they cover all costs related to this replacement warranty and follow their own policy statement?

Appreciate any advice or shared experiences.

View attachment 753723

I have some comments but I'm JUST going to comment on the whole trade thing and border/customs thing.

So we're a re-seller and a manufacturer. We CANNOT ship things to Canda with a "$0" invoice. BELIEVE ME. We've tried. They ALWAYS yell at us and tell us "We need some type of price, you can't put $0" - It happens weekly for us when we ship orders to Canada and we have a FREE GIFT on there. They HATE IT and yell at us every single time. It's really annoying because it REALLY IS a FREE GIFT. So we have to put like $1 for the price or something to get UPS to leave us alone.

Also, we do handle warranties to Canada but we don't cover freight. We're a United States company so we only handle outgoing replacements to USA addresses. We can't cover that for Canada since it costs too much to ship to Canada. It would be like me ordering something from a German company and it fails. They may replace it but I'd be expected to cover freight from Germany to Canada on the replacement OR any customs fees that come up even if they did cover the freight.

Also, manufactures cannot lie about the ORIGIN of products. When we ship internationally we have to put the country of origin on each line item for each product. I can't put USA on something that was made in China. I'll get in trouble and could face penalties. So since the Rough Country products are made in china... well customs LOVES seeing that and hates seeing it. HATES it because it's not a USA or Canadian product (Canada even taxes USA made products). They love seeing it because BOOM, huge fees get added.

So when they send you a replacement they have to put some dollar amount (that makes sense) and the actual country of origin (china) so boom, taxes added.

Now on replacement parts, we usually put $1 but they may have a policy where they can't put $1 and they are forced to put the actual value of the product. I dunno how their company operates, just how we do things at our company.

 

[Broncolander]

I have some comments but I'm JUST going to comment on the whole trade thing and border/customs thing.

So we're a re-seller and a manufacturer. We CANNOT ship things to Canda with a "$0" invoice. BELIEVE ME. We've tried. They ALWAYS yell at us and tell us "We need some type of price, you can't put $0" - It happens weekly for us when we ship orders to Canada and we have a FREE GIFT on there. They HATE IT and yell at us every single time. It's really annoying because it REALLY IS a FREE GIFT. So we have to put like $1 for the price or something to get UPS to leave us alone.

Also, we do handle warranties to Canada but we don't cover freight. We're a United States company so we only handle outgoing replacements to USA addresses. We can't cover that for Canada since it costs too much to ship to Canada. It would be like me ordering something from a German company and it fails. They may replace it but I'd be expected to cover freight from Germany to Canada on the replacement OR any customs fees that come up even if they did cover the freight.

Also, manufactures cannot lie about the ORIGIN of products. When we ship internationally we have to put the country of origin on each line item for each product. I can't put USA on something that was made in China. I'll get in trouble and could face penalties. So since the Rough Country products are made in china... well customs LOVES seeing that and hates seeing it. HATES it because it's not a USA or Canadian product (Canada even taxes USA made products). They love seeing it because BOOM, huge fees get added.

So when they send you a replacement they have to put some dollar amount (that makes sense) and the actual country of origin (china) so boom, taxes added.

Now on replacement parts, we usually put $1 but they may have a policy where they can't put $1 and they are forced to put the actual value of the product. I dunno how their company operates, just how we do things at our company.

Thanks for the insight on your company's policy.

Going back to my case on RoughCountry, I guess you missed the part I said: “Show the unit cost as $0 (or nominal $1–5 if needed)” in my original post.

Different companies may have different policies, but if freight is not covered, that should be made explicitly clear on the website to avoid misleading customers. In this case, Rough Country’s warranty policy explicitly states there will be absolutely ‘no cost to the customer.’ They either need to revise/elaborate on that statement or honor it.

For the record, I never asked Rough Country to misrepresent the origin of their product. Their website states their products, including lights, are designed and assembled in Dyersburg, Tennessee, USA. All I asked was that they fill out the form with the correct country of origin. If that is the U.S., as they claim, then under CUSMA/USMCA there should be no duties or fees. And even if there were, Rough Country should stand by their warranty promise of ‘no cost to you.’ Otherwise, they should clarify their policy so future customers don’t face the same situation.

 

[MFP2241]

Just my 2 cents (not sure what the Canadian conversion is there) on Rough Country.

Dealt with RC in the past, cheap price but cheap quality as well. I've never been a fan and won't buy anything else from them. If you're just using thier stuff to go to the mall and back, you might be ok.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

Thanks for the insight on your company's policy.

Going back to my case on RoughCountry, I guess you missed the part I said: “Show the unit cost as $0 (or nominal $1–5 if needed)” in my original post.

Different companies may have different policies, but if freight is not covered, that should be made explicitly clear on the website to avoid misleading customers. In this case, Rough Country’s warranty policy explicitly states there will be absolutely ‘no cost to the customer.’ They either need to revise/elaborate on that statement or honor it.

For the record, I never asked Rough Country to misrepresent the origin of their product. Their website states their products, including lights, are designed and assembled in Dyersburg, Tennessee, USA. All I asked was that they fill out the form with the correct country of origin. If that is the U.S., as they claim, then under CUSMA/USMCA there should be no duties or fees. And even if there were, Rough Country should stand by their warranty promise of ‘no cost to you.’ Otherwise, they should clarify their policy so future customers don’t face the same situation.

Made in China is different then "Designed and Assembled" in the USA. A lot of companies will play marketing tricks and say "designed" in the USA or "assembled" and for all that means is somebody DESIGNED a logo on a box. OR someone placed the box IN another box to ship it (assembled). It's marketing trickery.

I'm just explaining what we do, AND most companies do. When it comes to customers outside of the companies home base... shipping and fees are usually not included. Even if they ship it free they are not paying the duty fees. I don't know any company that would honestly. And I explained how it works with UPS/FedEx where they can't take a "$0" item listed. They must have a value assigned to every item on the CI (customs invoice).

That's most likely what is happening in your case. THEY must put the monetary value of the replacement item, but you'd prefer they list it at $0 or close to $0, which may get them in trouble as it DOES have a value.

They cracked down on this... A LOT. Because a lot of places were shipping things as GIFTS or of NO value, so now all these couriers are being forced to actually make sure shipments have some type of value assigned to them.

 

[cmtaz]

Yeah,

I have no issue at all paying good money for good quality. Other than the obvious, my budget doesn't always allow for it.

But there's been a lot of times where I've paid good money and got crap - so cost definitely is not an indicator of quality. And there's times where I've cheeped out and won the lottery (although I admit, I lose that bet more than I win).

A matter of how critical an item is to me - if it's a huge pain to install, or safety critical or something - I will not cheap out on. But if it's something just for show or easy to replace or non-essential... I may roll the dice. I take great pleasure in using an item that is well made and built to last.

THIS !!! A door pocket, console organizer, (even a fog light), I can replace fairly quickly and ARE NOT SAFETY or performance related. RC for "bolt on trash" might be fine. My fog lights are "offroadtown" (free from Amazon Vines), I almost never use them, and if I used the more the 2 - 4 times a year, I'd probably want a "name brand".

Now if the part is SAFETY or performance related, that's a whole other story. I may not need the "BEST" but i want it to be GOOD and DAMN SAFE!.

 

[Brian_B]

My fog lights I leave on with my regular lights and I’m really glad I got the DDs that I did. They make driving a lot better at night, and were a lot cheaper than total headlamp replacement

The two other lights in the pocket that are off road only… they are nice, no doubt, but yeah I could have saved some money there. I’ve used them legitimately once or twice

 

[Broncolander]

Made in China is different then "Designed and Assembled" in the USA. A lot of companies will play marketing tricks and say "designed" in the USA or "assembled" and for all that means is somebody DESIGNED a logo on a box. OR someone placed the box IN another box to ship it (assembled). It's marketing trickery.

I'm just explaining what we do, AND most companies do. When it comes to customers outside of the companies home base... shipping and fees are usually not included. Even if they ship it free they are not paying the duty fees. I don't know any company that would honestly. And I explained how it works with UPS/FedEx where they can't take a "$0" item listed. They must have a value assigned to every item on the CI (customs invoice).

That's most likely what is happening in your case. THEY must put the monetary value of the replacement item, but you'd prefer they list it at $0 or close to $0, which may get them in trouble as it DOES have a value.

They cracked down on this... A LOT. Because a lot of places were shipping things as GIFTS or of NO value, so now all these couriers are being forced to actually make sure shipments have some type of value assigned to them.

No worries, I understand. We are basically saying the same thing in different words haha

 

[23OBX2.7]

I have some comments but I'm JUST going to comment on the whole trade thing and border/customs thing.

So we're a re-seller and a manufacturer. We CANNOT ship things to Canda with a "$0" invoice. BELIEVE ME. We've tried. They ALWAYS yell at us and tell us "We need some type of price, you can't put $0" - It happens weekly for us when we ship orders to Canada and we have a FREE GIFT on there. They HATE IT and yell at us every single time. It's really annoying because it REALLY IS a FREE GIFT. So we have to put like $1 for the price or something to get UPS to leave us alone.

Also, we do handle warranties to Canada but we don't cover freight. We're a United States company so we only handle outgoing replacements to USA addresses. We can't cover that for Canada since it costs too much to ship to Canada. It would be like me ordering something from a German company and it fails. They may replace it but I'd be expected to cover freight from Germany to Canada on the replacement OR any customs fees that come up even if they did cover the freight.

Also, manufactures cannot lie about the ORIGIN of products. When we ship internationally we have to put the country of origin on each line item for each product. I can't put USA on something that was made in China. I'll get in trouble and could face penalties. So since the Rough Country products are made in china... well customs LOVES seeing that and hates seeing it. HATES it because it's not a USA or Canadian product (Canada even taxes USA made products). They love seeing it because BOOM, huge fees get added.

So when they send you a replacement they have to put some dollar amount (that makes sense) and the actual country of origin (china) so boom, taxes added.

Now on replacement parts, we usually put $1 but they may have a policy where they can't put $1 and they are forced to put the actual value of the product. I dunno how their company operates, just how we do things at our company.

Canada dropped all reciprocal duties excusma after the economy collapsed GDP crash and Foreign. Trade surplus crashed from $800BN to 18BN now pumping tax dollars into economy like Soviet Union 1985 no reason for $0 invoices.

 

[23OBX2.7]

IAG customer service is great. They're also a member on this forum. That liftgate thing is one of their products, made in MD, and they will stand by it. Maybe there is a defect, or install needs adjustment. If you haven't already reached out to IAG, you should. They would certainly appreciate the opportunity to make it right or help troubleshoot before being bashed on the forum.

That tailgate lift is cool. I don't have it but have considered. Hopefully yours gets sorted.

Well I did reach out and response is in summary that it's is EZ Lift performance is very inconsistent varies greatly from vehicle to vehicle and no roof adjustment can cure it contact customer service....so I just removed it solved three problems ( impossible window snapping, hard closing and hard stage 2 top retracting engagement.....prop rod seems like a joy now haha.

Listed it locally will junk it if not sold in couple weeks if I can't think of another use for hardware.

 

[RoseLane4]

Not trying to badmouth anybody unnecessarily, but RC is, well..

I have had a negative experience with their products; I would not recommend! And trying to get $$ back, when returning (even) never-used products was difficult AND they assessed me an exorbitant “restocking fee”!

No thanks! Stay away!

 

[NC_Oak]

Not trying to badmouth anybody unnecessarily, but RC is, well..

I have had a negative experience with their products; I would not recommend! And trying to get $$ back, when returning (even) never-used products was difficult AND they assessed me an exorbitant “restocking fee”!

No thanks! Stay away!

I love my RC rock rails. However, it is the only RC product I own or have every owned. Anything electric, safety-critical, or frankly that moves I would avoid RC.

 

[RoseLane4]

I love my RC rock rails. However, it is the only RC product I own or have every owned. Anything electric, safety-critical, or frankly that moves I would avoid RC.

I like the design of their rock rails.. I’m curious if they’re stout or similar to the factory setup, which are more aesthetic, not really “robust”.. ?

Thank you!

 

[NC_Oak]

I like the design of their rock rails.. I’m curious if they’re stout or similar to the factory setup, which are more aesthetic, not really “robust”.. ?

Thank you!

They are built solidly - I've pivoted about 60 degrees on one, and it held up very well. they do not bolt to frame. they bolt to the body, but use an angled (90 degree) bracket which has several bolts in it. They way the load is distributed, it's solid.

I liked the looks of the RC and they match the fender line well.

 

[Broncolander]

UPDATE:

I’ve specifically asked rough country to add to their invoice:

• Add to invoice “Warranty Replacement – No Charge / NOT A SALE”
• Show the unit cost as $0 (or nominal $1 if needed)
• Add a note to package “Warranty Replacement - No Charge / Not a Sale"

Here’s what they wrote:
“u brkt from 70903BL broken. knows may be charged brokerage”

What type of writing is that in a professional invoice? It’s not like you are sending socks to your cousin two blocks down the road, this thing will cross the border. Couldn’t they be more professional?

And to confirm, they are sending just the u bracket that shattered and it is coming from US. So if they write the invoice properly I shouldn’t be charged under CUSMA/USMCA. But with that half ass note who knows?

With 6 lights in total and a crappy quality. Let’s see how long it takes until another bracket breaks. All I know is that this company most definitely does NOT deserve my hard earned money.

Whatever happened to customer service? At work I often have to request and issue warranty/RMAs claims. I would never do something like that with my clients… my fault for expecting the same level of service. oh well.. lesson learned

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