Busted M7598 - need opinions/advice

[Warlock78]

Hey fellers! Missed me? Yeah, I know, most are saying "who are you?!"

Well, need some help deciding what to do. I sold a NIW M7598 NR bat. 3 weeks after the bat was received, the buyer sends me the following email
"I hit it for the first time tonight and it busted on the worth emblem".

Well, If the bat did break within a few few hits and IF the bat has not been altered, I feel the right thing to do would be to give some money back. I asked for the bat to be sent back to me so I could look it over. I specifically asked if he had rolled or shaved the bat and he said he had not. Once received, 1st observation is it appears to have been used more than just "tonight only". and there are some other peculiarities.. Take a look and let me know what you think:

I've been told that a crack running length-ways the barrel is a sign the bat has been rolled or viced too hard. A friend had a bat he tried to "break in" by banging it on a light pole (didn't say he was a smart friend!) and it immediately formed a crack running down the barrel. After 20-30 hits more, it finally shark-toothed around the barrel looking just like this:

Note, in the next 2 pics, the two pairs of scratches that are on almost opposite sides of the barrel and run exactly parallel to the end of the barrel as if the bat was being held in some sort of fixture and it slipped as rotational torque was applied to the bat.

Although I do not beleive the endcap has been off the bat, note what appears to be a pry mark:

From hitting the bat "tonight only" note all the dings around the edge of the endcap. And, these are around the side or edge, not on the end like you would expect if the bat were thrown. I have bats used as team bats that don't have dings like that.

Note the strange paint chips that look like they start in the middle of the barrel and go outward toward the knob and toward the endcap

Knob wear looks like more than "tonight only" usage:

EDIT: Close-ups of the crack added per request:
Most obvious is right on the "O" in "Worth"

You can see the mesh/basket-weave pattern of the cloth between the "Worth" and the M75 logo and there is where the crack running "\" (bottom-right to upper-left) turns and starts running "/" (upper-right) in this pic:

Crack continues to just shy of the bottom of the "h" "Mayhem" running thru the strange pair of parallel scratches :

The bat was sold with no warranty or promise of one, but IF the bat busted first time used and IF the bat hasn't been monkeyed with, I want to do the right thing.
Should I:
1) Refund all money, less PayPal fees and keep bat
2) Give partial refund and keep bat
3) The bat was viced and I owe him nothing

All opinions/observations/snide remarks are welcomed and will be much appreciated!

 

[kja]

yikes.................

 

[Joker]

well look who's back from the grave

i find it very hard to believe that an M7598 would break like that in under 10 swings unless its been altered. the 2nd pics looks like lines from a roller and that endcap looks a little fishy too. i say you owe him nothing

 

[hotcorner42]

definitely more than one night's use. if it's truly unaltered and only used once, the guy should be able to get it replaced from Worth. if you buy a bat from Sports Authority and it breaks, they'll tell you to go to the manufacturer. i don't see why it should be different here.

edit: missed the NR part...that makes it hairy. still not your problem, i say.

 

[Camnew]

It's a NR and it's cracked anyway. If you're curious about it being altered internally cut it open (though the visual evidence on the outside leans towards rolling/vicing). Agree with above, if it is truly broken after 10 swings tell the buyer to contact Worth and send it in.

 

[socalguy]

if it was a NIW wrapper bat, then it was used more than "just tonight" I would not refund any money

 

[Fury Fighter]

i call bullsh*t on his part... not a damn chance that was used one night. and if so, did he chop down a tree with it? i feel like he got his buddy to roll the **** outta it, then proceeded to hit it for 3 weeks til it busted. honestly, i think you owe him nothing.. jmo

 

[Benched02]

Id say the bats toast anyways finish it off and crack it in half and look inside. But either way Id say it doesnt look like a one night of use bat.

 

[nmls]

I don't think you owe the owner anything.

 

[kornphed]

I would say you owe the man nothing.

 

[Im Gloving It]

its been used more that 1 night.

Cant be returned, hence the NR.

 

[AdamHad'em]

A) Since it's a NR, pop that endcap off and make sure it hasn't been shaved.
B) Them parallell marks in the 2nd and 3rd pic are REALLY suspiscious. Not sure what would cause those, but to have them on opposite sides of the same part of the barrel is REALLY out of the ordinary. Could those be marks from the clamping jaws of a lathe (I don't have access to a lathe, so I'm just throwing out a thought)??
C) Are the dents in the endcap above and below the Worth logo directly across from one another (ie- 180 degrees apart)? Could be from a tool used to press the endcap back in place.
D) Yah, those parallel "chips" on the Mayhem logo are REALLY ODD too.

I'm not saying it's been altered. I am saying it doesn't look right. And I would take a good hard look at it before I sent any money anywhere. There are lots of odd looking marks on the bat don't look like they are from one night's normal use.

 

[Fury Fighter]

i think youve got your answer

 

[hedge]

You owe him nothing, and he probably needs to be called out.

 

[ancientways.sbc]

you don't owe anything..

 

[GA_BOY_N_AZ]

that is definately not a 1 night stand! That was a girl he was smashing for the past month, caught herpes, and now we wants you to refund the money since she burned him.

 

[utcw201]

That is far more than 1 night of use. What does the owner of the bat want from you?

 

[Warlock78]

Joker - sometimes I feel I SHOULD be in the grave. Sucks getting OLD!
A little more info:
I'm a bat nut and several years ago I started weighing bats to see how accurate knob stickers are and measureing balance points. I have a fairly large spread sheet and this bat happens to be on it. It weighs within 0.10 oz now as it did before I shipped it, which could be scale error margin, and the balance point is exactly the same. I've been told that shaving a bat will reduce weight significantly and the weight would have to be added back in the form of endload. SO, from this, I really don't believe the endcap has been off or that the bat has been shaved.

 

[Fury Fighter]

that is definately not a 1 night stand! That was a girl he was smashing for the past month, caught herpes, and now we wants you to refund the money since she burned him.

wow

 

[Fury Fighter]

Joker - sometimes I feel I SHOULD be in the grave. Sucks getting OLD!
A little more info:
I'm a bat nut and several years ago I started weighing bats to see how accurate knob stickers are and measureing balance points. I have a fairly large spread sheet and this bat happens to be on it. It weighs within 0.10 oz now as it did before I shipped it, which could be scale error margin, and the balance point is exactly the same. I've been told that shaving a bat will reduce weight significantly and the weight would have to be added back in the form of endload. SO, from this, I really don't believe the endcap has been off or that the bat has been shaved.

doesnt mean he didnt roll it, literally, to death

 

[Joker]

getting old is the one thing you can't prevent

can you snap some up close pics of the crack?

 

[Gennaro23]

you owe him nothing sir...

 

[SacBunt]

I don't understand why you're even thinking about giving him a refund. He bought it, used it and it broke. It's his problem not yours.

 

[jbo911]

I would refund him the money he paid to ship the cracked bat back to you unless he wants it back. If he does then I'd ship it back to him and call it even.

He bought a NIW bat, and hit it. You owe him nothing. On top of that, it looks like it was abused.

 

[Warlock78]

What does the owner of the bat want from you?

All communications have been congenial and he hasn't demanded anything. He simply asked if "anything could be done". He did ask if I had another Mayhem and then asked if I had ANY other bat, ASA or U-trip, I'd be willing to send.
I called Worth since I had the origianl RA# the bat was received against, but that was 2 years ago. That was BEFORE the bat was in my hands and I saw the condition. No way I would send that bat back to them and risk getting black-balled.

can you snap some up close pics of the crack?

Be right back

 

[kja]

Joker - sometimes I feel I SHOULD be in the grave. Sucks getting OLD!
A little more info:
I'm a bat nut and several years ago I started weighing bats to see how accurate knob stickers are and measureing balance points. I have a fairly large spread sheet and this bat happens to be on it. It weighs within 0.10 oz now as it did before I shipped it, which could be scale error margin, and the balance point is exactly the same. I've been told that shaving a bat will reduce weight significantly and the weight would have to be added back in the form of endload. SO, from this, I really don't believe the endcap has been off or that the bat has been shaved.

Only sure way is to pop the end off and inspect the inside. Weight means nothing.
I still think you owe him a facepalm for asking for $$ back..

 

[BAMBAMBAMBAMBAM]

Even if the bat did look like it was hit one night and hadn't been rolled, you would still owe him nothing. Once you swing a bat you bought off the board it's yours.

 

[Martell]

you owe the man nothing and I applaud you for making an attempt to fix what he surely screwed up....

 

[Julio19]

Looks like it was just rolled to Hell and back

 

[Warlock78]

can you snap some up close pics of the crack?

3 close-up pics of the crack have been added to post #1.

And, for ref and clarity, the bat was sold on a well known auction website and not here. Positive feedback was received from the buyer within hours of when the bat was received.

...... I applaud you for making an attempt to fix what he surely screwed up....

Thank you. I like to believe everyone is honest until proven otherwise & I try to treat folks as I would want to be treated.
I really expected to receive the bat and it weigh significantly less than when shipped, but it doesn't. I've done search after search and can find no posts indicating M7598's were fragile. Did find some posts stating certain Mayhems were prone to crack on the handle right above the grip, but that doesn't apply here. By all accounts, it seems an M7598 is a fairly durable bat.