Net Return Pro - net failing and 250K shot gaurantee

[qwiklap]

Hey all,

I have a Net Return Pro that I have had for about four years. I have been using it about 5 days a week in my hitting bay. Up till now - the net has been nothing but amazing, and it is always the net I recommend when people ask me about how to set up a sim or hitting bay.


Anyway, my net has developed holes in it (the netting is frayed and wearing out). I have patched it a few times with rope (knotting it around the areas where the net has failed) - but it just continues to wear and fail more . The good news is that it is failing in the middle -- so at least I am hitting it straight consistently enough to wear it out. The last straw - I put a 140 mph (ball speed) three wood through the net and embedded the ball in my dry wall. LOL The wife was really happy.

Before I plunk down $300 on a new replacement net from Net Return, I wanted to see if they will stand by their “250k ball guarantee”. I did the math -- if I hit 100 balls a day (which I don't) 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year -- that is only 25000 shots. So the net should last 10 years -- but its only lasted four.

Thanks all - and love this forum for help on things like this.

[frodaddy00]

I did the same thing... managed to shoot a ball through the net and into drywall behind. I patched the hole and a few days later hit the exact same hole and through my garage window behind. At that point I contacted Net Return and they sent me a brand new one no questions asked.

Another thing you should consider is getting their net guardian. It is small rectangular piece of extra netting that velcro to your net return. Place it in the middle where your ball strikes and it will more than double your net life.

[qwiklap]

I did the same thing... managed to shoot a ball through the net and into drywall behind. I patched the hole and a few days later hit the exact same hole and through my garage window behind. At that point I contacted Net Return and they sent me a brand new one no questions asked.

Another thing you should consider is getting their net guardian. It is small rectangular piece of extra netting that velcro to your net return. Place it in the middle where your ball strikes and it will more than double your net life.

Well -- it hasn't been a "no questions asked" experience so far. I was at first told my four year old unit was out of warranty, since it was so old. I then noted that "no" - the unit has a one-year warranty, but the net has a 250K shot guarantee. She then said that I need to go to the retailer since they obviously made this 250K shot guarantee. I said "no" -- that the 250K is a staple marketing claim for the Net Return Pro - and is still on the site. She then said she had to speak to her boss.

I then was asked for pictures and a copy of my receipt from the retailer at the time (playbetter.com). I provided both - and noted that the internet archive (Wayback machine) shows the 250K shot guarantee was in place back in 2016. Because the unit was purchased for me by my brother-in-law (it was a gift from my siblings) I fear they may claim that because I am not the original purchaser that I am SOL.

Anyway -- my net is FUBAR in the middle area with big holes and frayed netting. The net in the non-hitting area looks brand new.

Clearly the spinning balls are wearing the net.

Hopefully they come through.

[intrinsic]

That's honestly quite surprising (I know, replying to an older thread). I've not had any issues with my Net Return and I see no signs of fraying. Perhaps you got a bad net

[qwiklap]

Well -- can say this -- my experience with Net Return has been pretty terrible. Don't get me wrong -- the net and design itself is amazing, and I would recommend it -- but the service is not good.

I am not the original owner of the net, and they gave me a run around. I bought this net from a friend -- so he was trying to help me, gave me the receipt, etc. For two or three weeks, no return phone calls or emails (after they asked me for the receipt and photos, which I submitted). The company owner finally contacted me back and told me to go to the original dealer where the purchaser had bought the net. The dealer did try and help me -- asked me to submit a few things - and contacted Net Return to get warranty coverage.

The dealer told me that Net Return denied coverage and said the warranty on nets is "3 years or 250K shots". I have never heard or seen the 3 year part and I looked back in October -- so I swear that was brand new (the FAQs now say 3 years or 250K shots). I checked their site from 2016 and later using the Wayback Machine (Internet Archive). Needless to say -- the 3 year part appears to be new. I have given up on the warranty - I am now just trying to buy a replacement net from Net Return -- but they are back ordered. Sigh -- so as an interim fix I bought some "net repair thread" from Amazon and am going patch it up for the time being.

I will add some pics so you all can see the net.

[petroche]

I had exactly the same ball through the net problem as quiklap after 4 years with almost identical usage as him. Because of my setup I hit well off centre and therefore I was able to reverse the net and use it that way. If quiklap did in fact get a substandard net, he's not the only one. I bought mine from Par2Pro, I think I will ask them if they get many complaints. I have a swing speed with the driver of only 80 mph and when I looked closely at the hole the net was frayed in an area of about 6" square so it was a wear issue similar to what people with impact screens are experiencing.
Good luck with the repair quiklap I tried it and all I can say is I'm not going into the net repair business.

[qwiklap]

That's honestly quite surprising (I know, replying to an older thread). I've not had any issues with my Net Return and I see no signs of fraying. Perhaps you got a bad net

[intrinsic]

Wow. That looks really bad. In fact, the rest of the net looks like crap compared to what I have. I just checked against my Net Return in the garage and none of my netting looks frayed. I would be quite angry if that happened to me. I haven't used any sort of net guardian either.

[qwiklap]

Wow. That looks really bad. In fact, the rest of the net looks like crap compared to what I have. I just checked against my Net Return in the garage and none of my netting looks frayed. I would be quite angry if that happened to me. I haven't used any sort of net guardian either.

The off center areas look new - it’s just the center that is worn out.

[ganders75]

Looking at that picture I’d say you are not changing out your balls anywhere near often enough, or your wedges are cutting up the ball surface and spinning into your net like a little mini buzz saw at 10,000rpm.

I had a similar problem a few years ago with some older vokeys, full wedge shots would cut ever so slightly into the top surface of the ball... I tore through an impact screen really quickly - damage was done before I realised what the cause was... I swapped them out for new Cleveland RTX wedges and have not had issues since.

[qwiklap]

Looking at that picture I’d say you are not changing out your balls anywhere near often enough, or your wedges are cutting up the ball surface and spinning into your net like a little mini buzz saw at 10,000rpm.

I had a similar problem a few years ago with some older vokeys, full wedge shots would cut ever so slightly into the top surface of the ball... I tore through an impact screen really quickly - damage was done before I realised what the cause was... I swapped them out for new Cleveland RTX wedges and have not had issues since.

I guess I never thought about the need to change balls with a particular frequency. I change them when there are cuts or cracks in the cover.

Thanks

[qwiklap]

Just to close this thread out. I purchased a new V2 net from Net Return directly during their Cyber Monday sale. It was delivered just before Xmas (logistics issues) and I installed it. It looks great, and the V2 net does seem to be a nicer version of my prior net (which was a V1). As I said before -- there is no doubt the product is outstanding. Which is why I stuck with it.

That said, my customer experience was pretty darned poor. My takeaway is the 250K shot guarantee is a marketing gimmick. I did buy this net from my friend in 2017, but it was new in 2016 - purchased from a reputable dealer as part of a Skytrak package. I had the original receipt from 2016. I presented everything to Net Return and asked for a warranty replacement - even spoke to the owner -- and he told me that I had to go to the dealer and make the request ( ... and I confirmed, that they will just make a request back to Net Return -- and he said yes). The dealer tried to help and submitted a warranty request, but was denied because the net was outside of the "3 year warranty" period. My response was ... "Wait ... what 3 year warranty period?" But low and behold - there on the website (on the FAQ page) it now says:

Each of our Pro Series nets has a 3 year warranty and 250,000K guarantee.

Curious, believing this was new, I search the internet archives using Wayback Machine. Based on the archived/captured pages, in 2016, the 250K shot guarantee was not accompanied by any terms or conditions - and nothing restricting the warranty to the first/original owner or a 3 year period. The 3 year limitation I believe is new (possibly even inserted after I made my first request). If they wanted to deny coverage because I am not the first owner -- just say that. Don't run me around, and then make up a new 3 year limitation.

Consumer protection laws in most states (including mine) say that a manufacturer's warranty is transferable absent a written term/disclaimer saying otherwise. The company should have covered the net as it clearly failed, and nothing in the literature says that you have to use new balls, that the warranty is limited to original owners, or that there was a 3 year limitation.

In the end -- I love the product (as stated) -- but the warranty and customer handling was garbage in my experience. The 250K shot guarantee was/is a major marketing element for the Net Return Pro net setup, but my experience is that they will work hard to avoid covering.

Here are the caps I took showing the site as it appeared in 2016 per Wayback Machine:

[Liveonce]

I was close to buying a net return several times bc it looks like a good product and has good feedback. I wanted to buy used but was afraid that the warranty wouldn’t transfer. For a $800 net it should, I am staying far away because I can already envision the nightmare and headache when I would need to replace

[qwiklap]

I was close to buying a net return several times bc it looks like a good product and has good feedback. I wanted to buy used but was afraid that the warranty wouldn’t transfer. For a $800 net it should, I am staying far away because I can already envision the nightmare and headache when I would need to replace

I would say this -- it is the best "net" option out there, bar none. I would not let my experience dissuade you from buying the product based on its attributes (the quality and return design). Just don't expect a lot of customer support if something goes wrong after the first year. If the net is in good shape - and doesn't show a lot of wear, I would still buy used with the right discount.

Even after spending $300 on the replacement net -- I am still in good shape in terms of purchase price. And -- now I have a 3 year warranty I guess on the new net.

[grant2145]

It's good enough for Bryson and Kyle. https://youtu.be/pibACnhf1Hc