Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Your Kit => Topic started by: medp on January 01, 2015, 08:09:43 AM
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I recently bought several bats for christmas presents for my children one of which after use in nets would seem to be a complete plank. These are custom bats from a top end maker costing over £200. I would be intrigued to get the forums views: Does a bat have to be 'fit for purpose' and therefore a dud should be replaced or once you pay your money and leave the premises it is down to luck with no come back on the maker?
I realise that the bat may come to life with more use but if it doesn't it would seem to me that it is harder to return once it has had a lot of use.
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B3 has a no quibble guarantee. So you can return them no questions asked...... Other bats not so easily.
I had a gray nics powerbow extreme that was a plank. Complained to gray nics. They said "knock it in" spent about 12hrs on it and had 15 nets with it and it was still a plank.
Gray nics said return it and we'll have a look.
2 weeks later I got an email claiming the bat was fine in there opinion, so they hadnt done anythjng with it and on its way back. .
You could tell they'd re pressed it, used steam to get the edge indents back to shape(inclding a few burnt sections) and all new stickers to replace the old ones that were marked and cracked from nets.
It was still a plank. And still is(sat in our net club bag). I'm more disgusted that gray nics denied touching it than actually them not replacing it to be honest.
Bad service.
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Have you spoken to the bat maker in question?
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I've had this with gray nicholls
Used and knocked it in but still dead basically Middle was size of a golf ball on £300+ bat
But thanks to retailers (forum sponsor) who agreed it was not what it should be the bat was returned and replaced but I didn't get another gn put me right of them
But it's very much about opinions you could get someone who doesn't agree then you would have a problem
Good luck don't take no for an answer if your not happy
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B3 has a no quibble guarantee. So you can return them no questions asked...... Other bats not so easily.
I had a gray nics powerbow extreme that was a plank. Complained to gray nics. They said "knock it in" spent about 12hrs on it and had 15 nets with it and it was still a plank.
Gray nics said return it and we'll have a look.
2 weeks later I got an email claiming the bat was fine in there opinion, so they hadnt done anythjng with it and on its way back. .
You could tell they'd re pressed it, used steam to get the edge indents back to shape(inclding a few burnt sections) and all new stickers to replace the old ones that were marked and cracked from nets.
It was still a plank. And still is(sat in our net club bag). I'm more disgusted that gray nics denied touching it than actually them not replacing it to be honest.
Bad service.
I returned a Gray Nics Millenium due to it being a dead blade, couldn't hit the ball off the wicket never mind square. Sent it back through retailer who loaned me a Slaz V800 which I got my first 50 with and offered me a refund on the GN. I bought a V800 Pro instead and somehow managed to keep the loan bat too.
Get in contact with the bat maker to see what they have to say.
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Re occurring theme with gray nics? Problem i had was the small local retailer wanted nothing to do with it, and told me it was grays problem. And I had to sort it.
I've not bought a bat from there since and so glad to have found the forum and sponsors that have looked after me since.
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Wow I thought mine was an isolated incident with a GN oblivion! It was the first and last gray nics I'll ever have, same story it was just dead, very small Middle and almost felt hollow if that makes sense?
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A brand new bat should be solid as fit for purpose. I would recommend that you take or return the bat to where it was brought from and state why you believe that the bat is dead and ask for a refund or another bat - why because if you accept the bat you may lose the right to a refund at a later date should the bat fail to perform as my understanding of the1979 sale of goods act states that you do not have an automatic right to a refund if you keep the bat for a REASONABLE time.
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The worst thing with mine was that it was a custom made so you would have thought they might have checked it.......
I can understand a little with the ones they don't make but for one at such a cost was really poor
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B3 has a no quibble guarantee. So you can return them no questions asked...... Other bats not so easily.
I had a gray nics powerbow extreme that was a plank. Complained to gray nics. They said "knock it in" spent about 12hrs on it and had 15 nets with it and it was still a plank.
Gray nics said return it and we'll have a look.
2 weeks later I got an email claiming the bat was fine in there opinion, so they hadnt done anythjng with it and on its way back. .
You could tell they'd re pressed it, used steam to get the edge indents back to shape(inclding a few burnt sections) and all new stickers to replace the old ones that were marked and cracked from nets.
It was still a plank. And still is(sat in our net club bag). I'm more disgusted that gray nics denied touching it than actually them not replacing it to be honest.
Bad service.
That's a good service from B3. They must have a lot of confidence in their bats as this is a slightly unusual stance to take, but very good for the consumer!
I know I go on about hand-picking quite a lot on this forum, but this is a major reason why we do it. Sending a customer a "plank" is not in anyone's best interests and they present problems when it comes to returns. It is not covered in the warranties, so ultimately it's at the discretion of the retailer/bat maker if they choose to refund or replace such a bat. My guess would be that most wouldn't do it, which is a shame, especially as it's the kind of thing that can be avoided through hand-picking. You could argue that it's a manufacturing fault, so should be covered, but as it's a subjective thing, and as the bat may well improve and "open up" over time, it's a tough sell to any bat maker/retailer.
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Out of interest Paul how many planks do you come across when you hand pick? Is there a lot or is it mainly separating the great performing ones from the average performing ones?
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Like Paul said performance is subjective.
The GM purist I resued from a skip was apparently a plank, but even after reducing the spine so it weighed the same as a tooth pick its the best performing bat I've ever owned!
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Have you spoken to the bat maker in question?
No not yet as they aren't open until the 4th January. It is a tricky one as it doesn't sound totally dead when knocked up with a mallet and unless I take the maker to the local indoor nets it is impossible to prove it is a plank. i was intrigued to get some views on the subject before I went back but I guess, as with anything subjective, there aren't any rules covering such a situation.
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Such a tough one to prove
But,, that's a lot to pay. Even for a top end bat
Proper gutted for you
If it was me,,I would be on the company's doorstep the minute they opened
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It seems a common theme that GNs haven't been the best performers. I've got 2 customs, an Oblivion LE that is an awesome bat and pings all over and an Omega which strangely pings low down and sounds really tinny where all the meat is.
I bought an E41 in the lords sale last year and passed it on to the seconds captain as I thought it was a plank. He used it through pre season nets and halfway through the season it really started to play well. Just going to give the Omega plenty of use, where it pings is really nice it just isn't a very big area
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I have had a number of GN bats and have. 3 at present they all ping and personally think GN bats perform better than the other big brands that hold most place on the shelves.
As for this "plank" it's almost impossible to say as any other forum member could net with it and think it's a gun.
All you can do is ask and state your case I think.
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That's a good service from B3. They must have a lot of confidence in their bats as this is a slightly unusual stance to take, but very good for the consumer!
I know I go on about hand-picking quite a lot on this forum, but this is a major reason why we do it. Sending a customer a "plank" is not in anyone's best interests and they present problems when it comes to returns. It is not covered in the warranties, so ultimately it's at the discretion of the retailer/bat maker if they choose to refund or replace such a bat. My guess would be that most wouldn't do it, which is a shame, especially as it's the kind of thing that can be avoided through hand-picking. You could argue that it's a manufacturing fault, so should be covered, but as it's a subjective thing, and as the bat may well improve and "open up" over time, it's a tough sell to any bat maker/retailer.
Cheers, I guess it comes to making our own bats 100 per cent unlike many others we know what we are producing through the grades.
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I am very sure there are poor performing bats from lots of brands, not limited to GN!
two of the best looking bats I have owned (one I still have) were terrible. I sent one back but was told it was fine. long time ago now. the other I have lent to a friend to use/knock in... 4 years later I haven't asked for it back.
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Out of interest Paul how many planks do you come across when you hand pick? Is there a lot or is it mainly separating the great performing ones from the average performing ones?
I don't like to refer to them as "planks", as it really is a subjective thing and we can only tell so much by tapping them up and bouncing balls on them, but pretty much every time we visit one of our suppliers I find bats that I really don't like the sound and/or mallet response of. Whether or not such bats end up being "dead bats" is anyone's guess, but I think my point is that they can vary quite a lot - no matter who makes them. I guess on average 4 or 5 bats I see per visit I would put in this category, so it's a small percentage of the whole...
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About 10 years ago i got a GM cant remember what it was about £70 then. It was awful and I returned it, They sent me return post a top of there range players bat. Which is still the best stick i ever had.
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I cannot fault Gray Nics to be honest - I actually won a bat via AOC last year - a Maverick F1 Players, but it was too heavy, so I had the weight reduced - the service and communication was superb and it is a very decent bat indeed. Quite softly pressed. Had the sorbo handle option too - as I find GN handles far too thin and I'm a two and a half grips man - much better.
However, back to the question - contact the retailer / bat maker and express your concerns. All you can do really. It is a difficult one, is it fit for purpose? Or, when does it become fit for purpose? Difficult because a bat has the concept of knocking / playing in. I think any manufacturer would probably be reasonable and if you as the consumer are not satisfied with any product, you are entitled to complain and recieve a refund, replacement or credit note.
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Yes I had the same with a GN 25 ago rang them first sent the bat back after two innings. GN rang me and said it was dead and sent me a no quibble replacement not so sure they would do it now though also on another occasion sent a bat to them for handle reduction when it arrived at Robertsbridge I received a phone call stating the handle was broke in half GN sent me a brand new bat with the handle reduced to the size I had requested and only charged me for the handle reduction not the bat.
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send it back, any bat maker or retailer worth dealing with will change a dead bat. If they argue then ensure everyone you know, knows about it and ensure they get a bad reputation. It's the only way they listen, when you hit their reputation and/or pocket.
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send it back, any bat maker or retailer worth dealing with will change a dead bat. If they argue then ensure everyone you know, knows about it and ensure they get a bad reputation. It's the only way they listen, when you hit their reputation and/or pocket.
So if the bat maker/retailers opinion is that the bats fine? Dead bats are very rare, customers not having much of a clue are not ( not saying this is the case here )
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So if the bat maker/retailers opinion is that the bats fine? Dead bats are very rare, customers not having much of a clue are not ( not saying this is the case here )
In the retail industry, I'd assume a retailer/bat maker relies heavily on reputation and the customers more than customers rely on them.. there are plenty of bat makers and plenty of retailers.. there is not limitless supply of customers. As I say, if they don't want to help the customer then name and shame and it will at least alert others that the retailer isn't as customer focused as they claim.