ZEALOTS Cricket Bat Warranty – Terms & Conditions

1. Overview

Every Zealots cricket bat is covered against manufacturing and material defects for [6 / 12] months from the date of purchase.

This warranty applies to the original purchaser only and requires proof of purchase. It is given in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law (see section 9).

Cricket bats are made from willow, a soft natural timber that repeatedly strikes a hard leather ball. Marks, dents, surface cracks and gradual deterioration are a normal part of a bat's life and are not defects. This warranty covers faults in how the bat was made. It does not cover damage from how the bat was used, prepared or stored.

2. What is covered

The warranty covers faults in materials or workmanship that appear under normal play with a properly prepared bat. Examples include:

A handle that breaks or comes loose from the splice, where there is no sign of impact damage or misuse.
A major split through the core of the blade under normal playing conditions.
Delamination of the blade or handle.
Deep structural cracking at the shoulder or splice where there is no sign of ball or object impact in that area.

Where a handle fault is confirmed, the usual remedy is a replacement handle fitted to the original blade. Original stickers cannot always be kept during a handle replacement.

3. What is not covered

The following are caused by use, preparation or storage and are not manufacturing defects. They are not covered by this warranty, although most can be repaired (see section 6).

Damage	Usual cause
Shoulder cracks	A mis-hit, or the ball striking the shoulder or top of the edge on the full. This is the thinnest, least supported part of the blade.
Edge cracks and dents	Mistimed shots taken on the edge.
Toe cracks, splits and dents	Digging out yorkers, striking the ground, or tapping the bat at the crease.
Surface and face cracks	Normal wear, or match use before the bat was fully knocked in.
Swollen or split toe, water marks	Moisture from damp pitches, wet balls or wet storage.
Dry, brittle or over-oiled willow	Storage near heat or in a car, no oiling, or too much oil.
Damage from non-match balls	Bowling machine balls, composite, synthetic or poor-quality balls.
Knocking-in damage	Mechanical knocking-in machines or a hard mallet used with too much force.
Accident or misuse	Striking stumps, the ground, boots or any object other than the ball. Deliberate damage.
Handle damage linked to impact	Shoulder or splice damage from a mis-hit that runs into the handle.

Also not covered: grips, stickers, toe guards and protective facing, which are consumable parts. Bats that have seen a full season of regular use are generally treated as having reached fair wear and tear.

Small surface cracks do not affect performance. They can usually be sanded, glued or taped, and the bat kept in play.

4. Bat preparation and care

A bat must be properly prepared before match use. We may ask how your bat was prepared when assessing a claim, and damage caused by poor preparation is not covered.

Before first use:

Lightly oil the face, edges, toe and back with raw linseed oil, avoiding the splice and stickers. Leave it flat overnight. Skip the face if the bat has a protective sheet fitted.
Knock in the face, edges and toe with a bat mallet for [4 to 6] hours, building up force gradually. Round the edges; never strike them square-on.
Play in with an old, good-quality leather ball: throw-downs and light net sessions before facing a new ball.
Fit a protective facing, edge tape and a toe guard. We strongly recommend all three.

Some Zealots bats are supplied pre-knocked-in, and the product page says so where this applies. Pre-knocked-in is a head start, not match-ready. You must still oil the bat if it has no facing, complete at least [1 to 2] further hours of hand knocking-in with extra attention to the edges and toe, and play it in with an old ball (step 3) before match use.

All other bats need the full preparation above. The preparation requirements in this warranty apply to every bat, including pre-knocked-in ones.

Ongoing care:

Use quality leather balls only. Avoid bowling machine and synthetic balls.
Keep the bat dry. Do not stand it on wet ground, and wipe it down after damp sessions.
Store it in a cool, dry place. Never leave it in a car, in direct sun or near a heater.
Lightly re-oil exposed willow once or twice a season.
Get cracks looked at early. Continuing to play with a damaged bat until it is beyond repair may be treated as neglect.

5. How to make a claim

Stop using the bat and email [support@zealots.com.au] within [14] days of noticing the problem. Include:

Your name, order number and date of purchase.
Clear, well-lit photos of the damage up close, plus the full face, both edges, the back, the toe, and the shoulder and splice area.
A short description of how and when the damage happened, including the shot or delivery if you remember it.
How the bat was prepared: oiling, hours of knocking in, who did it, and any facing, edge tape or toe guard fitted.
How much the bat has been used (net sessions and matches) and the type of balls used.

We reply within [2 to 3] business days. If photos are not enough, we will ask you to send the bat to us for a hands-on inspection. Do not attempt a repair or send the bat to a third party before we have assessed it.

6. Assessment and outcomes

Every claim is assessed individually by our bat maker, who looks at the type, location and pattern of the damage, the condition of the willow, and how the bat was prepared and used. We will explain the reason for our decision in writing.

Finding	Outcome
Manufacturing or material defect, repairable	Repaired at no charge, including return shipping.
Manufacturing or material defect, not repairable	Replaced with the same or an equivalent bat, or refunded.
Impact, preparation, moisture or wear-related damage	Not covered. We offer a repair at [a fixed fee of $X / cost price], quoted before any work starts.
Minor cracking that does not affect performance	Not covered. We will advise how to treat it, or repair it for the fee above.

We may, at our discretion, offer a goodwill repair or a discount on a replacement bat where a claim is not covered. A goodwill offer on one claim does not create an entitlement on any other.

Repaired and replacement bats are covered for the remainder of the original warranty period.

If you disagree with an assessment, reply to our decision email and we will have the claim reviewed by a second person.

7. Costs and shipping

You pay the cost of sending the bat to us for inspection. If we confirm a manufacturing or material defect, we reimburse your reasonable postage and pay for return shipping.

If the damage is not covered, you pay return shipping, or you can choose a paid repair first. Bats not collected or paid for within [60] days of our decision may be disposed of after written notice.

Pack the bat securely and use a tracked service. We are not responsible for bats lost or damaged on the way to us.

8. General conditions

Proof of purchase from Zealots or an authorised Zealots stockist is required for every claim.
The warranty is not transferable and does not apply to bats bought second-hand.
Repairs or modifications by anyone else before our assessment void this warranty. This includes binding, re-handling, shaving, pressing and weight removal.
Removing or replacing the original Zealots stickers before assessment voids this warranty, as we can no longer identify the bat.
Natural variations in willow are not defects. These include grain count, blemishes, knots, specks, colour and minor weight differences from the listed weight.
Payment method does not affect your warranty. If you paid with Afterpay or another instalment provider, your payment schedule continues while a claim is assessed. Any refund we approve is processed back through that provider.
Change-of-mind returns are handled under our [Returns Policy], not this warranty. A bat that has been oiled, knocked in or used cannot be returned for change of mind.
We may update these terms. The version published on the date of your purchase applies to your bat.

9. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

The benefits of this warranty are in addition to other rights and remedies you have under a law in relation to our goods.

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes those rights. Consumer guarantees do not apply where a problem was caused by misuse or abnormal use of the product after it left our control.

This warranty is provided by:

[ZEALOTS], ABN [53655857042]