In our most recent webinar, we sat down with Cameron Darnell, Warranty Manager at Angling Direct, to discuss how the UK's leading fishing tackle retailer is revolutionizing their after-sales experience. With 58 stores across the UK and Europe, and tens of thousands of warranty claims annually, Angling Direct faced significant challenges managing warranties through spreadsheets and emails. Here's what we learned.
About Angling Direct
Angling Direct has come a long way since its incorporation in 2004 by avid angler Martin Page. What started as a single store and website has grown into a major omnichannel retailer with 58 stores and counting. In March 2022, they expanded into Europe with a warehouse in Venlo and a store in Utrecht, Netherlands.
The fishing industry has experienced rapid growth, particularly as people seek ways to reconnect with nature. This growth has brought its own challenges, especially when it comes to managing warranties for complex, high-value fishing equipment.
What Were the Main Challenges Before?
Q: How were warranties handled day-to-day in the old system?
Cameron explained that like many retailers, Angling Direct relied heavily on spreadsheets and emails. "It was all run through Power Automate and things like that to make life a little bit easier, but yeah, it was still so many emails being fired weekly," he shared. Suppliers would email back requesting photos, videos, and proof of purchase, creating a constant back-and-forth that consumed valuable time.
The process was particularly challenging because fishing equipment is complex. Unlike fashion returns, a faulty fishing rod or electrical equipment requires detailed documentation and assessment. Many smaller items were simply refunded without processing warranty claims with suppliers, which meant missed opportunities for credit and supplier accountability.
Understanding the Scale of the Problem
Q: What kind of volumes were you working with?
Angling Direct processes tens of thousands of warranty claims yearly. This massive volume made the manual process unsustainable. As Cameron noted, many smaller products were being sorted out with refunds rather than proper warranty processing, simply because the administrative burden was too high. This represented not just a cost to the business, but also missed opportunities to identify product quality issues.
Starting the Journey to Change
Q: What advice would you give to other retailers looking to fix their warranty process?
Cameron's advice was clear: "Do your research. There's a lot of companies out there that offer warranty systems. Definitely do your research on which ones offer the best packages." But he emphasized that the most important consideration is the customer experience. "Do what's best for the customer. Make it as easy as possible for them."
His research led him to Claimlane, which he found ticked all the boxes compared to competitors, particularly for handling the complexities of fishing equipment warranties.
The Unique Challenge of Large Products
Q: What edge cases are particularly tricky to handle over email and spreadsheets?
One significant challenge Cameron highlighted was the physical size of fishing equipment. "A lot of our products are quite big, so getting stores to take all of the photos when the customer gets into store, space-wise, it's just not ideal," he explained.
With 58 stores, asking staff to photograph large items like fishing rods in cramped retail spaces was impractical. The new system allows customers to take photos at home or even while they're on the riverbank when they first notice a fault, capturing the problem in real-time rather than trying to recreate it later in a store.
Managing the In-Store vs Online Experience
Q: How does the process differ for in-store purchases versus online?
Currently, customers who bought items in-store must return them to a store for warranty processing. But this creates a bottleneck, particularly when online customers can also return items to stores. "All the store essentially is doing is just holding that item until we've taken the photos and sent them to the supplier," Cameron explained.
The new system allows customers to upload documentation directly to a portal, regardless of where they purchased. If a supplier needs the physical item, it can be arranged centrally without involving the store. This immediately reduces pressure on store teams and creates a more consistent customer experience across channels.
The Data Capture Challenge
Q: What information do you need to capture from customers, and how much back-and-forth does that involve?
For the web team using Zendesk, the back-and-forth was particularly frustrating. "There's certainly a lot of emails back and forth trying to get photos and things like that from the customer from the starting point," Cameron said. Sometimes photos weren't clear enough, requiring multiple attempts.
The situation was especially difficult with electrical faults. "We'll ask for photos, and that's about all the customer can give us really, but that is never gonna diagnose a fault fully," he noted. Getting the right information upfront, in a structured format, was critical to solving this problem.
Where the Manual Work Really Hurts
Q: What's more time-consuming, the consumer side or forwarding claims to suppliers?
Interestingly, Cameron revealed that actually sending claims to suppliers was relatively streamlined thanks to Power Automate. The real pain point came after supplier responses.
"The supplier might have 20 warranties on a spreadsheet, so the store has to go in, find their product, their warranty reference, and then work out whether they need to send a photo based on what the supplier has said. Then they need to take the photos, attach them to the email, and send it over to the supplier," he explained. This manual matching and follow-up process consumed enormous amounts of staff time.
Dealing with Different Supplier Requirements
Q: Do different suppliers have different guidelines?
Yes, and this added another layer of complexity. Some suppliers request photos, others want videos. Some have their own portals requiring separate uploads. The requirements vary based on product size, cost, and category. "It all depends," Cameron said, highlighting the need for a flexible system that could accommodate different workflows while maintaining consistency for the internal team.
The Most Important Improvement
Q: If you could improve one part of the supplier relationship and workflow, what would it be?
Cameron's answer was straightforward: "The overall easiness of submitting claims and things like that, providing things straight away, making sure that everyone's got all of the information they need." Getting comprehensive information at the start of the process eliminates delays and reduces frustration for everyone involved: customers, store staff, and suppliers.
The Implementation Experience
Q: How was the process of working with Claimlane?
Cameron praised the speed and support throughout implementation. Within two to three weeks of initial contact, the Claimlane team visited Angling Direct to review their current system and discuss solutions. Two months later, the commercial team had approved the project.
"The IT guys have been doing the main work on our end in terms of the implementation and the actual building of all the portals, super quick, super helpful," Cameron shared. He gave particular credit to Anders from Claimlane for handling complex questions about API integration with their ERP system.
His recommendation? "Would definitely recommend it to anyone who's even thinking about trying Claimlane. 100% so far so good."
Looking Ahead
Cameron's main priority is clear: improving the customer service aspect. "Making sure that customers aren't waiting for a crazy amount of time for warranty resolution is my number one priority."
Beyond customer experience, the new system promises to make life easier for stores, suppliers, and the central team. Suppliers will receive photos immediately rather than requesting them later. Store staff will be freed from administrative burden. And the analytics capabilities will enable Angling Direct to have data-driven conversations with suppliers about product quality.
For retailers and brands facing similar warranty challenges, Cameron's journey offers a clear roadmap: research your options, prioritize customer experience, and don't let complexity prevent you from making necessary changes. The payoff in customer loyalty and operational efficiency makes it worth the effort.
