Bat Warranty

At Prairie Sticks we strongly believe in quality. We use rigorous standards throughout the whole manufacturing and finishing process, including choosing only the best wood and meticulously inspecting each bat throughout the entire process. All wood bats are handcrafted to your exact specifications. With our stains and colors, all of the grain is visible after finishing. You are able to see the grains by holding it up to a light or the sun.

Even with our high standards, there are times when your bat may break for a variety of reasons. We will be happy to provide a one-time replacement, as long as there is no evidence of misuse. All bats will be inspected upon return, and bats deemed unusable will be replaced. If a bat is deemed usable, or abused, we will send the bat back to the customer with a detailed explanation.

All Prime Reserve Series come with a one time 30 Day Warranty (Effective on Purchases March 1, 2024 or later).

All Z-Comp Series bats come with a one time 90 Day Warranty (Effective on Purchases Jan 1, 2016).

All Hand Selected Stock bats, fungos, trainers, souvenir bats, apparel, bat grips, and batting gloves DO NOT come with a warranty

Terms and conditions not covered under warranty include, but are not limited to:

Bats used to hit anything other than baseballs (e.g., (dimple balls, weighted plyos, rocks, cleats, etc.)
Bats that have been slammed down
Bats with caved in or collapsed cups do NOT qualify for a replacement under the warranty program as the wood or z-comp bat is still usable
Bats that are dented that don't affected performance
Clear coat chips, scratches etc. from normal use
Bats purchased from non-authorized Prairie Sticks retailers
Bats not submitted by the original purchaser
Clearance bats where the price is discounted more than 30%
Any bats that have been abused, altered, or mistreated due to improper care, accidents, misuse, overuse or negligence
Handle Grips, decals, or stickers on bats are not covered under warranty and will not be replaced on a new bat. Please remove prior to sending your bat back to us.

Things to Know about our Bat Warranty:

1) The warranty begins on the date of purchase (for bats purchased from an authorized retailer) and on the date of delivery (for orders that are shipped).

2) There is a one time replacement for each bat purchased and the replacement bat is not covered by warranty.

3) If you purchased your bat from an authorized retailer, please follow the directions below and the store will manage the claim directly and arrange for your replacement if warranted.

4) If you purchased your bat online, bats must be sent back to us for inspection and replacement. Note that shipping costs will be covered and prepaid by the customer when returning a bat under warranty to us and we will cover shipping for the replacement bat.

5) If returning your bat to us, your package must be postmarked within three days of receiving your Return Authorization Number and we must receive your bat within 14 days of submitting your Return Authorization Number. Bats that are not shipped and received within this time frame are not eligible for the warranty. Shipments will not be processed without a Return Authorization Number.

6) Custom Cut Prime Reserve bat replacements will be sent out identically to what is being replaced. Prime Reserve Stock bats will be replaced with the identical model/size/weight. All warranty replacement bats are subject to the current manufacturing lead time.

7) We reserve the right to alter, stop or change this program. If we do change the program, your warranty plan at the time you purchased your bat will remain in effect.

8) On all International Claims, the customer will be responsible for all international shipping charges, duties and taxes prior to a replacement bat being offered.

How to Help Keep Your Bat in One Piece

We typically notice 2 things about a broken bat right away:

1) The logo orientation on the swing when the bat breaks is not facing up or down (tests have shown that this will decrease the strength of your bat up to 23%).

2) There are ball mark(s) at the very end of the bat. Most bat breaks occur by hitting a ball or numerous balls off the end of the bat. This can occur on the first swing/contact.

Below are two images that show the area where the ball should be contacted on the barrel. Contacting the ball here will limit the vibrations that happen throughout the bat. Vibrations are what cause bats to break. Hitting the ball where the logo is (getting jammed) or hitting the ball off the end of the bat doesn't feel good on your hands due to the amount of vibration happening throughout the length of the bat. Also constantly rotating the bat when batting loses the logo orientation and increases the chances of the bat breaking.

Properly Storing Your Bat

Remember, a wood bat is a natural product. To help increase the longevity of your bat:

1) Always store your bat standing up. Leaning them against a wall will cause the bat to warp.

2) Be aware of your environment. All of our billets are climate controlled to stay between 7%-9% moisture content. Basements and garages will pull the moisture from your bats, as will leaving them in your vehicle.

How to Send Your Product to Prairie Sticks

Review the above Terms and Conditions.
Complete the online Return Authorization Form (link)
If purchased from an authorized retail location, please return yourWHOLE Prairie Sticks bat, along with proof of purchase and a copy of the Return Authorization Formto the store.
If purchased online, please return yourWHOLE Prairie Sticks bat, along with a copy of the Return Authorization Form by prepaid carrier to the address included on your return form.

*Please note: warranty returns missing an authorization form will not be processed and the warranty will be considered void.

**All return shipping charges on warranty claims for bats being sent back to us will be covered by the customer (prepaid).

Things to Know about our Performance Protection Plan (PPP):

1) We use rigorous standards throughout the whole manufacturing and finishing process. We believe strongly in the quality we send out. Flaws that are visible on the exterior are pulled. With our stains and colors, all of the grain is visible after finishing. You are able to see the grains by holding it up to a light or the sun.

2) This is a one time replacement program (the replacement does not come with the PPP) Any shipping charges on a replacement going back to the customer will be covered by us. Caved in cups are not classified as a broken bat.

You must send the WHOLE bat back to us or bring the WHOLE bat back in to the authorized retailer. Lizard Skins, bat wraps, knob decals etc. applied to the bat are not part of the warranty as they are accessories. Only the bat is under warranty. Please remove anything you wish to keep prior to returning it.

4) If it is necessary to use your PPP, you must request a Return Authorization Number. Your bat must be postmarked within three days of receiving your Return Authorization Number. Bats that are not shipped within this time frame are not eligible for the warranty. That is, the warranty is considered void. Shipments will not be processed without a Return Authorization Number.

5) Custom Cut Series replacements will be sent out identically to what is being replaced. Premium Stock Series will be replaced with the identical model/size/weight. We will do our best to match color, but we can not guarantee what is in stock.

7) Your warranty starts on the date of delivery (for those orders that are shipped) or date of purchase for those who purchase at a retailer.

8) Caved in or collapsed cups do NOT qualify for a replacement under the warranty program as the bat is still usable - Wood or Z-Comp Bats.

9) We reserve the right to alter, stop or change this program. If we do change the program, your warranty will still be in effect the same as when you purchased the plan.

10) Custom Cut Series Bats that have a warranty purchased on them with be engraved with a "W" on the bottom line of the barrel engraving..

Our Z-Comp Series bats come with a one time 90 day warranty from the date of purchase/delivery. Please request a Return Authorization Number if you need a composite bat replaced. Caved in or collapsed cups do not qualify as a broken bat and will not be considered to be replaced under our Z-Comp warranty program.

How to Help Keep you Bat in One Piece - When we receive an email that a bat has broken we typically notice two things right away:

1) The logo orientation on the swing when the bat breaks is not facing up or down (tests have shown that this will decrease the strength of your bat up to 23%)

2) There are ball mark(s) at the very end of the bat. Most bat breaks occur by hitting a ball or numerous balls off the end of the bat. This can occur on the first swing/contact.

Below are two images that show the area where the ball should be contacted on the barrel. Contacting the ball here will limit the vibrations that happen throughout the bat. Vibrations are what cause bats to break. Getting jammed or hitting the ball of the end of the bat doesn't feel good on your hands; because of the amount of vibrations happening throughout the length of the bat.

Other things that can lead to a bat breaking are hitting the ball where the logo is (getting jammed), and constantly rotating the bat during an at-bat or batting practice and losing the logo orientation.

Only use baseballs (dimple balls, weighted plyos etc.) using anything but baseballs will void any kind of warranty/return claim as will any evidence of misuse.

EXAMPLES OF MISUSE

Conditions that will lead the bat to not be covered under warranty include, but are not limited to:

Hitting anything other than baseballs
Hitting dimple balls at batting cages
Slamming the bat down
Collapsed cups that do not affect the bats performance

Using your wood bats in a batting cage with dimple balls is a sure fire way to have your bat break sooner than you would like. Dimple balls are completely different than baseballs and can easily break bats. Any broken bat with evidence of using dimple balls are void of any warranty or return.

Store your bat standing up. All of our billets are climate controlled to say between 7%-9% moisture content. You should be aware of your environment when storing your bats or not using them as they are a natural product. Basements and garages will pull the moisture from your bats, as will leaving them in your vehicle and crack or end checking may occur if out in these environments for too long. Storing them leaning against a wall will cause your bats to warp.

Remember, a wood bat is a natural product and there are several things that will help to increase the longevity of your bat.

Returns - please contact us within 24 hours if you received the wrong item or there was an error in your order. We will promptly look into your situation and rectify it it. If an order was placed in error, the shipping charges both ways will be the responsibility of the purchaser. If you have another issue with your order, please contact us immediately after receiving your order.

Custom Bats - Our Custom Bats are made to your specifications when you design the bat. Custom Bat orders are not able to be cancelled after they go into production. Please check your email for the Order Confirmation. If you notice any errors or need further clarification please reply to that same email with any changes. If there is an issue, please contact us within 24 hours of receiving your shipment. We do make the occasional mistake (we do have humans working for us!) and while we strive for perfection, sometimes we come up short. In these cases, our policy is to have the custom bat with the mistake returned and we will send out a corrected bat ASAP with shipping charges covered by us both ways.

Cosmetic Blemishes - bats with micro cosmetic blemishes that happen during the normal occurrence of manufacturing will not be replaced or refunded. If you believe your bat(s) were damaged during shipping please contact us immediately after receiving them.