PRINCESS PROMISE
Many retailers and hockey brands specifically sell hockey sticks with the clause “due to the nature of the game, this product cannot be guaranteed”. PRINCESS sticks do not carry this clause but do include the PRINCESS PROMISE!
The PRINCESS PROMISE outlines a replacement guarantee of a PRINCESS hockey stick for any manufacturing defect within a reasonable time frame of purchasing the stick from a valid PRINCESS retailer.
The PRINCESS sticks are HIGH QUALITY. The very hockey sticks you buy in the store are the exact same hockey sticks that are given to our international ambassador players. Players like SA men’s hockey captain and 3 time SA player of the year Austin Smith plays with the exact same Princess A5 that is sold in store. Your stick could have come out of the exact same box as his stick did! You can be assured Austin wouldn’t play international test matches or in the Olympics with anything less than the best.
FACT: On average 1% of hockey sticks do break early on in their lifespan due to either a manufacturing defect or due to the contact nature of the sport. If you smack two sticks together, one of them is going to break sooner or later! If your PRINCESS hockey stick has broken it SUCKS! But it’s just a bit of bad luck and hopefully we will have you back on the hockey field in no time!
Please note the information contained in this document does not constitute any kind of product warranty and is NOT legally binding on PRINCESS Hockey SA and / or its retailers / representatives. This is merely an information guide used to assist customers and retailers. The final decision to replace a hockey stick always lies with PRINCESS Hockey SA and can ultimately be a matter of opinion.
Guidelines below to assess DEFECT vs WEAR AND TEAR
Graphics / Paint issues
Any graphics or paint issues are not ideal but are not a manufacturing defect affecting the playability of the hockey stick. Hence a stick will not be replaced for any paint / graphics issues. You are welcome to feedback to us any issues in this regard.
Rattles / Noises
Hockey sticks are hollow tubes of material (carbon, Kevlar and glassfibre). So it’s common for a stick to have a piece of material chip off inside due to any contact. The piece of material runs up and down the inside of the hockey stick causing a rattle or noise. It sounds like the stick is broken but normally it’s not.
Most of the time this can be fixed by removing the end cap of the stick and shaking out any loose pieces of material and replacing the end cap again. Sticks generally will not be replaced due to any rattles / noises as they are not broken.
If the power / playability of the stick is genuinely impaired, then this may be a case for a replacement or you may receive a discount on a new stick. An assessment would need to be made.
Cracks
If a stick has cracked it will most likely break at some stage. If the crack is small, we recommend continuing to play with the stick to get maximum use out of it. If the crack is large and has affected the power or playability of the stick, then bring it into the retail store to be assessed.
A crack can be caused by a manufacturing defect or by wear and tear / contact during play. If caused by a manufacturing defect (limited play and early on in the stick’s life) then this stick will most likely be replaced or you may receive a discount on a new stick.
If the crack has been caused by wear and tear and / or contact (lots of play or later on in the stick’s life) then this stick has been through the wars and will most likely not be replaced.
Structural damage / Sink holes
Sometimes hockey sticks start to disintegrate along the shaft (reverse stick hitting) or head or a part of the stick which is crucial for the stick to operate effectively. If the stick is fairly new and hasn’t been subjected to heavy wear and tear and / or normal game play contact which has caused impact damage then the stick will most likely be replaced or you may receive a discount on a new stick. This is the most common reason for replacing sticks.
A sink hole is most likely a manufacturing defect and the stick will most likely be replaced or you may receive a discount on a new stick.
Loss of power
If the hockey stick has lost hitting power then this could be a sign of a manufacturing defect and the stick could be replaced or you may receive a discount on a new stick. This depends on the assessment of the hockey sticks hitting power and then also wear and tear, contact and time period from purchase.
Time period
If the stick is less than 3months old and hasn’t been subjected to any major contact during play or significant wear and tear then we would say the stick is fairly new and should not be experiencing any issues.
If the stick is close to one year old then it has had a chance to be subjected to a lot more standard wear and tear as well as contact during normal game and practice play. So the stick is more likely to experience issues “due to the nature of the game” which is to be expected.