The ball models mentioned in the official USBC Press Release remain USBC approved.
For those participating in the national events listed we will offer you an exchange. For those who are unaffected by the national tournament exclusion rule, you can continue to use these products in league and approved tournament play.
The models affected by the national tournament exclusion rule include:
– Storm Phaze 4
– Storm Electrify Solid
– Storm Trend 2
– 900 Global Altered Reality
– 900 Global Wolverine
– Roto Grip UFO Alert
Information about the exchange program will be published later this week on stormbowling.com.
Read the full release here: https://bowl.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?id=23622337509
About Storm Products, Inc.
Storm Products Inc. continues to lead the bowling industry in innovation through our high-performance bowling equipment, accessories, and shoes featuring the Storm, Roto Grip, 900 Global, Master, and 3G Brands. In addition to creating the highest quality of products that the top athletes choose for PBA and PWBA Tour competitions, Storm strives to inspire existing bowlers, foster and develop new bowlers, and educate those in our industry to provide exemplary service to all bowlers.
132 Comments
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For those of us who’s leagues or tournaments decide to adopt the USBC ruling, will we be able to exchange as well? How is the determination going to be made as to who gets an exchange and who doesn’t? Consistency and transparency through situations like this are key and should be at the forefront of thought.
We will be offering a voluntary exchange for all affected customers. Thanks for your patience.
Hi Blair, my wife and I have removed our affected balls from our arsenals and will no longer use them. I understand taking care of those currently in national tournaments first but I do expect our balls to be replaced as soon as practical. We will continue to use storm products exclusively. Love the performance and the smell
Hi Blair, my wife and I have removed our affected balls from our arsenals and will no longer use them,what good are they if we cannot use them wherever we want. I understand taking care of those currently in national tournaments first but I do expect our balls to be replaced as soon as practical. We will continue to use storm products exclusively. Love the performance and the smell
I have a spectre and am waiting on my wolverine for the exchange that I did through the portal. Will I still receive a Wolverine since the latest news or no? Please help
When will the offer come to the people wanting to exchange its sad I love my phaze 4 but i will always throw roto grip or storm just any eta on when they will be offering the volunteer exchange
Hi Blair,
I literally just purchased my Electrify Solid last week. When will I be able to see what possible bowling balls I could exchange it to, along with instructions to do so?
Thank You,
Robert
What website do u use for a exchange the trent 2 exchange by June 1st
I just returned both the Altered Reality and Wolverine that I bought a little over a month ago. I purchased these to get ready for tournament play, not to use them as league and open bowl then have to change to a different ball for tournament play. My concern is after purchase, drilling and inserts I have about $500 wrapped up in these, then there is the return cost of $78. Why do we as customers get ripped off with only a $50 voucher for drilling, and have to pay for return shipping? I have heard rumors of a class action suit but I don’t like that route. Can you shed some light on this please. Thank you.
Blair, I understand that there could be a delay in returns however how can we find out a time frame to receive our replacement? One of my friends sent two different balls a week after I did and he has already received his.
My ball got banned
I have a Storm Electrify (not sure of solid or pearl). How can I determine what type of ball I have.
Here’s a link to the Solid: https://www.stormbowling.com/electrify-solid-bbmves10
From the USBC press release, “These ball models remain USBC approved. Each USBC competition, whether tournament or league, has the option to adopt USBC’s national tournament rule prohibiting use of these balls or to continue to allow their use.”
Will you be providing exchanges in the event Sanctioned leagues or other tournaments decide to adopt the national tournament rule prohibiting the use of these bowling balls? I own many of these bowling balls, the many leagues and tournaments I bowl prohibiting the use of these bowling balls would limit my selection to a plastic ball. I would prefer to have these exchanged so I am not blindsided by a sudden ruling by an event I am attending. Will you please clarify this?
Thank you!
Hello Eddie! We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
Thank you for the update Blair!
Is there a way to check on the status of a return?
Thank you storm for so many great ball over the years . Several of the USBC excluded balls are in my bag and will be staying there .
Congrats to Anthony Simonsen can’t be stoped even with half his bag tied behind his back
I heard that we can exchange 1 ball at the Storm booth in Vegas. If I have my ball shipped how do I go about this. Thanks
Will there be an Expedited exchange for those who are going to the tournament that plan on using one of the effected balls?
So my husband and I both have the UFO Alert and are bowling state in a few weeks and other tournaments this year and the open in reno next year. Would we be able to get the trade in or are you only helping your customers who are bowling this year.
Hi Brianna! We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
My ball got banned
I believe that ALL bowlers who have these products should get a chance to exchange for a USBC approved ball. There is no reason to exclude league and tournament players because there is always a chance that tournaments or leagues will not approve these balls. Also, there are regular competition bowlers who want to compete in national events, but they will not be able to use their preferred equipment.
Hi Tyler. We never said we weren’t offering an exchange program for all customers. We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
So when the exchange program comes out how long does it usually take to get the new ball because I have nationals end of April so I was wondering if they would even come in time to take to national
Hi Blair.
I literally bought the phase 4 just to go to nationals. It’ll be my first time participating in this event.
How or what should i do in this situation?
Hello Ms. Blair Blumenscheid
Would you mind sending me the process to exchange my ROTO GRIP UFO ALERT. It would be greatly appreciated.
I bowl with storm products only and have for several years. My only concern is I just received the Global 900 Wolverine to replace the Spectre and I bowl the Trend 2 alot. These 2 balls were going the nationals’ with me and now I am out 2 balls to use and I only have 3 plus a spare ball. So will it be 1 ball and hope for the best?
Hello Steve! We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
I have already received the Wolverine(to replace the Spectre) and it is not drilled, will there be a different exchange process for that ball?
Per the tracking information my exchange ball was delivered to SPI, how will we be notified when the replacement has been shipped so we can track it and make sure to avoid any porch pirates for stealing the replacement?
I purchased a 900 Global Wolverine from a pro-shop. How do you get the exchange, through the pro-shop I purchased it from or I have to mail it?
We ordered my son a replacement ball for his now-illegal Storm Spectre on 3/22/22 and chose the 900 Global Wolverine. He bowls Junior Gold, which is an affected tournament by this new ruling by the USBC. My question is what do we do now? None of the other replacement offerings fit my son’s placement of the Spectre in his arsenal. Would it be possible to get a 900 Global Zen (Pearl) as a replacement and pay the difference in price, as this is the only ball currently in production that has a similar motion to the Spectre. Because of my son’s relatively slow ball speed (approx. 15 mph) and low rev rate (approx. 300 rpm), he needs a stronger symmetrical pearl to place between his Roto Grip Rubicon UC2 and his burn ball than the Storm Hy-Road Pearl can provide. Thank you for your consideration. We are loyal customers to the Storm family of products and hope you will consider our dilemma so that my son can develop and grow in youth bowling to transition into collegiate competition. Also, we all know it’s just a matter of time before the USBC extends this rule to the local level as well.
Hi Staci! We will be contacting all customers who ordered a Wolverine! Thanks for your patience.
”
These ball models remain USBC approved. Each USBC competition, whether tournament or league, has the option to adopt USBC’s national tournament rule prohibiting use of these balls or to continue to allow their use.”
Will you honor the exchange if a league bans them?
Hi Edric! We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
My local bowling alley announced that they have banned the use of all the above balls. I have 2….. I mainly use the Wolverine and the Phase 4… is there any word on when we may be able to exchange these balls. It is putting a hole in my arsenal
I have filled out the return info for 2 balls. Its been weeks with no reply
What if my league does not approve these?
Hi Michael! We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
Thank you ! You guys are awesome !
The full release stated that Storm will stop making the five balls. I purchased both the Phaze 4 and Altered Reality just one month ago. Your communication states you will only give exchanges to those in competition. Well, I feel since you no longer make these balls and they have been banned, you should still take care of ALL your customers. I invested in Storm when I purchased these balls with my hard earned money. You need to do what is right for your customers.
Hi Scott. We never stated we wouldn’t replace the balls. We simply stated they are still USBC approved. We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
Thank you Blair for your response. I spent $515.00 for the Phaze 4, Altered Reality and having a pro shop drill them. Since the ban I feel like I am cheating when I am using them. This is why I feel they should be exchanged. Thank you again.
I am very disappointed in the “customer service” response to this ball exchange. While it sounds good in the beginning, you must pay shipping to return your defective ball. I had two that I put in the mail today, and it cost me $80.00 for shipping from Florida to Utah. Then the drilling voucher is for only $50.00 per ball. Bowlero pro shop charges $65-75 per ball. Bottom line is it cost me $110.00 to exchange my defective bowling balls that I bought one month ago at a cost of $515.00. I have never experienced such poor customer service such as this. No more Storm for me.
Whats the real reason behind all this? Let’s cut thru the chase and know the real reason. USBC approves balls then discredit them, why?
Is there a deadline for this voluntary exchange ? Some of the youth tournaments have decided to follow suit and ban the use but league hasn’t yet. Wanted to see if there is a deadline for exchanging
So the wolverine is the ball I chose to replace my spectre if my local usbc bans my replacement and by the way I don’t even have it yet will another replacement be offered
Hi William! We will be contacting all customers who ordered a Wolverine.
Crazy stuff. Just got back in the game after chasing kid for years. Had the spectre. Loved it. Storm quickly replaced it with the wolverine…..lol. just had drilled and rolled 4 games with the wolverine when found out about the new ban. Wow. Hopefully will be able to exchange. 3rd time is a charm I guess. I do appreciate storms prompt easy exchange process for the spectre.
Hi Justin! We will be contacting all customers who ordered a Wolverine.
Seen somebody post a form for exchange of the balls that are effected. Was wondering if the process has started for these products and if it was a legit form.
Hi. I have a Trend 2 and am concerned about this ball being banned in certain competitions. Do you know the time frame on when Storm will be offering exchanges for this ball?
The wording above sounds like they are going to limit replacements to those participating in National events. Hope that is not the case. You should not have to worry about whether a ball is legal for a tournament. We pay good money for them to ensure quality and meet standards.
Hi Brett. We will be offering a voluntary exchange process for all customers who have been affected. More information will be released later this week.
So I bought a Spectre a month ago, and selected the Wolverine as my replacement. What do I do now?
Hi Matt! We will be contacting all customers who ordered a Wolverine.
I have not been contacted about this. Can someone please let me know what is happening? I did the Spectre recall and requested the Wolverine too. It’s been over 5 weeks and I have not heard anything.
I submitted for a Wolverine over 5 weeks ago and have not heard anything from Storm. I actually sent 2 follow up emails too.
Can someone let me know what is going on?
Storm’s position on this is BS. The balls still CAN BE BANNED by local association rule. Which means that those customers lose money and Storm doesn’t give a Sh$&. Not to mention that just because I am not participating this year doesn’t mean I won’t next, but “Oh Yeah, I can’t use my equipment.” Thanks Storm. If these balls were pre approved for competition, f$&@ing fight the USBC. If they weren’t, that’s on you Storm.
Hello Joe! Thanks for your message. We understand your frustration. The official release states: These ball models remain USBC approved. Each USBC competition, whether tournament or league, has the option to adopt USBC’s national tournament rule prohibiting use of these balls or to continue to allow their use.
USBC has shared this national tournament rule with Storm and has Storm’s support. Storm will offer owners of the affected balls the option to exchange their balls for a new product. Information about the exchange program will be published later this week on stormbowling.com.
Storm is an American Company and this says something! Problems in the manufacturing process happens in various companies. Will continue to be loyal to the brand. This too will pass!
What balls can we exchange for , I just got the altered Reality, heading to Vegas in 5 weeks
Man I just got my ufo alert going good when this drop how do I go about getting a replacement for it and where can I find my choices for exchange?
We will be publishing more details later this week.
What if our league bans these balls, then what?!? I just had my altered reality delivered last week, I’m just out $250?!?
Hi Justin! We will be offering a voluntary exchange. More details will be shared later this week.
Thanks for responding, I know this is very stressful for all Storm employees, and understand the frustration and mental overload. Obviously the situation is fluid and changes and errors should be understood by your customers, however, you can see our confusion given the initial communication we received:
“For those participating in the national events listed we will offer you an exchange. For those who are unaffected by the national tournament exclusion rule, you can continue to use these products in league and approved tournament play.”
“For those participating in the national events listed we will offer you an exchange. For those who are unaffected by the national tournament exclusion rule, you can continue to use these products in league and approved tournament play.”
Has any info on the exchange been posted yet? I have the trend 2, altered reality and phaze 4.
So, I have a 900 Global Altered Reality, but my real question is WHAT is wrong with the USBC, who did Storm piss off there? How can the USBC take a Storm product, put it through THEIR testing, give it approval to Storm for manufacturing and marketing, and THEN pull the approval? Is the USBC trying to put Storm out of business?
Justin, I completely agree as i have had the same experience. I have a Spectre and already got my Wolverine and have 3 games on it. Surely Storm will exchange the Wolverine’s they sent out in the Spectre exchange. I hope anyway.
We will be contacting all customers who ordered a Wolverine! Thanks for your patience!
Is there a timetable as to when? Cause the stopped the shipment of my Wolverine
So now just in limbo.
is the first trend ball one of these balls??
I have not been contacted.
I submitted my paperwork for the exchange for a Wolverine over 5 weeks ago.
Can someone please let me know what is going on?
I bought a ufo alert last week to take to the open championship in Vegas next week first new ball I have gotten in 20 years can I exchange it next week at the storm booth at south point bowling center
What if we just filled out the Specter replacement aand chose the Wolverine ? Which is now also banned .. We are going to Jr Gold and Youth Open
I had bought the Spectre in January, ordered the Wolverine day after exchange program started, Wolverine was my choice and it got shipped FedEx and nearly arrived. Then notification from Fedex said it was delayed. This morning FedEx notified me that seller requested the package be returned to seller. I understand this is not Storms fault, but it’d be nice to finally get something I can put on the lanes. Hope this process gets resolved soon!
Hi , Blair most of my balls are effected. I also had a exchanged spectra for wolvern through the pro shop !
Hi Blair, one item that l have not seen addressed is the drilling cost. Most shops cost $50-$80 for ball drilling. Many balls are purchased through online vendors. So, the price of the ball does not include drilling costs. I hope Storm is also thinking about this aspect.
Straight up if a ball is banned I don’t want to use it even if it’s okay for league play
I just hope you guys follow through and take the phaze 4 and all balls back that are on the list as I personally feel using a “banned” ball doesn’t feel right and I won’t use it
I just purchased a used Storm Phase 4 from my local pro shop that’s being plugged and redrilled for me. If my local USBC association bans this ball in accordance with the national tournament ban, am I still eligible for a replacement since I purchased it used ??
I love Storm products and have been an exclusive customer of all the brands of the Storm family to the point, I have 5 of the no banned balls. My question is since we do not have like replacements for some of the balls such as the Altered Reality and the UFO Alert in the current catalog, will a future offering be part of the exchange program?…Thank You.
When will the exchange portal open? I have the Phaze 4, Trend 2, and the UFO Alert. Will I be able to exchange for 3 new balls?
I had my Spectre replaced with the Wolverine and it was supposed to arrive today. Is Storm updating Fed Ex to cancel delivery and send them back?
My Fed Account is now showing returning Package to shipper…
I went through the exchange portal and requested the Wolverine as my replacement ball. Will I be contacted with a different option, before it is sent? I plan to use whatever ball I receive for the open championships.
So I have had my Altered Reality for a couple of months now, what would be offered up to replace that, and is there a time frame for when Storm will reach out to us.
I have emailed 2 times. The exchange portal is slow. We leave in 3 weeks and I am out 2 of my 4 ball arsenal. So I will most likely be out an additional $400 to get the balls I need in time to go. Thanks!
Does these rules apply to road to golds?
Storm is and always will be the Bowler’s Company.
Watch the video.
They will show you why they are great people who care about bowling and their customers.
An American success story.
My question is, after this season is over, will the balls on the exclusion list still be legal in league next year and the subsequent years? Or is the agreement only for the remainder of this year. It wasn’t specified in the statement of the exclusions.
I had a Spectre, bought near the release date, and had ordered a Wolverine to replace it. It nearly got to me when FedEx sent me a message this morning that the “shipper requested it be returned to shipper”. So I am still without a ball after buying one in January. I am not blaming Storm, just hoping to get a ball I can throw down the lanes soon.
I have a phaze 4 and one of the leagues I bowl in looking to adapt to the usbc rulings will I be able to get an replacement ball
Question? I had the Storm Spectre and it’s in it’s box not getting used. I filled out the form for a replacement and chose the Wolverine because specs were similar. Now the USBC is picking on that ball also and it’s in process, I believe for refund. I bowl in a couple of semi-classic/ classic leagues and thus far we’re not changing rules because of USBC, mainly because most of us have your products! Problem is, I have an UFO Alert also and have been using most of year. What do I do with that because I’m bowling in nationals? I’m not worried about the Wolverine that’s probably coming, but I am worried about the UFO that I can’t use in any big tournaments. What to do? I have the pictures of the ball drilled and serial number. Do I submit the same way as the Spectre? Thanks.—–Mike. Really don’t know what to do here and hope the USBC is checking others like Storm, RotoGrip and now 900 Global.
How log does it take to receive the two balls I sent in because of the rule
Hi Blair,
First let me say I know this must be a nightmare situation for you guys. Still waiting for the UC2 to replace my wife’s Spectre. We appreciate the speed at which Storm resolved that situation. I still stand by SPI. Just ordered a Dark Code this morning while I await exchanging my Altered Reality. That being said, here’s the point of the message. I’m hoping the exchange program in this situation takes into account that the Altered Reality is from the High Performance/High Dollar line. I certainly hope that the options won’t be as severely limited as the Spectre replacement options. No offense but that looked like an overstock inventory dump. I’m sure you’d agree that a HyRoad, UC2, or UC3 would in no way be an even exchange for an Altered or even a Phaze 4. Just my two cents worth but I think you might have alot of loyal SPI customers jump ship if this isn’t basically a pick your ball situation.
Anyone looking into company emails, access to materials, etc ?? This whole thing doesn’t smell right.
We have been hearing later this week and today is now the end of the week and we still do not see anything. I am bowling the Open Championship the first week of May. I suspect that consumers will not get the balls in time for them to use them.
I have a 900 global Wolverine and it got banned so I can’t throw it for state bowling? If you guys are doing exchanges are you gonna pay for the drilling and everything as well?
Can I use the Spectra return form for the return of the Electricity Solid?
Hi, a couple of questions. I have two UFO Alerts. Half of the catalogue has just vanished on the upper end products. What if there is nothing else Storm has in their line we care to exchange for?
If a car company advertised you could buy a new car and drive it for a month and if something went wrong you could come back and exchange it, upon returning the car to the lot all that were left you find out are models that aren’t even close to anything you wanted…what would you do? Wouldn’t you expect the car company to give you a car you wanted not just something they had?
I hope there is a customer oriented plan here and not a ‘take this and like it’ idea to clear out the production you do have as opposed to something the customer wants. Why not $250 vouchers for high end balls to cover a future ball and drilling?
Also, why is it taking so long? A little more than the standard ‘Don’t worry an exchange is coming soon.’ would be great. Thanks.
This whole ball issue is screwy, I now own two balls that can be deemed illegal anytime someone adopts the National ruling. The exchange balls available aren’t that great of choice either, on top of that I have to pay shipping to send back a ball for a problem not of my doing??? I have three balls that failed USBC testing, makes it tough to want to continue with Storm.
Is it just these 6 balls?
Is there anyway I could keep my bowling balls and get new ones because I shot my first 300 game with the ufo alert and my first 800 series with the altered reality
If im reading this right I will be able to exchange my equipment that was affected at the Open championships?
Time quit bowling. Technology has ruined the game.
My local bowling alley announced that they have banned the use of all the above balls. I have 2….. I mainly use the Wolverine and the Phase 4… is there any word on when we may be able to exchange these balls. It is putting a hole in my arsenal.
Hey Blair, I was told that the instructions on how to exchange balls was on the storm website, but I can’t find it…..can you help me out with that please? My son is doing Jr Gold, and also bowls a youth tour that will not allow the affected balls for our next tourney, so we need to get the exchange going asap………thanks for all you do.
What is the chance the USBC is going to permanently banned any of the bowling balls a have a Phaze 4 and not sure what to do also if we do exchange it can we drop it off at Storm
What is the chance the USBC is going to permanently banned any of the bowling balls a have a Phaze 4 and not sure what to do and if we do exchange it can we drop it off at Storm instead of mailing it
The exchange process seems to be lacking in forethought, after having bought, drilled and practiced continually with my new ball I now have to shell out additional funds to send it back if I want to have a ball that I can use at nationals, which was the idea for buying my first brand new ball in many years. There is no way to recoup the time invested in practice that has been wasted on equipment that is now useless for the reason it was primarily purchased. I hope STORM will rethink the exchange program immediately and require only a photo of the drilling and serial number to save any additional undo expenses to the consumers, similar to what other ball manufacturers have done.
Hello my son has the phaze4 bowling ball and is affected because he’s in the junior usbc how do I return his phaze 4 for a legal ball thank u so much
WTF !! PHAZE 4. We use are hard earned money to buy these balls. Now with the exchange program you want us to pay for shipping ? This is not right and you should not be able to get away with this!! The exchange program should be eye for an eye this is NOT ,when we have to pay shipping cost’s .And for the drilling coupon ,COME ON MAN !!! Since when can you get a balled drilled for $ 50.00 . Please tell me why I cant take a picture of serial number, and drilled finger holes like storm is doing for the Spectra ? Storm needs to be fair across the board !
any info on the trend 2 exchange yet? its been over a week…
I have the wolverine, and I recently decided to change my span on it. Will I be able to qualify for the exchange program.
After SPI receive the returned balls when can we expect to receive our replacement. I plan to bowl National at South Point in late May
How long will it take to receive my replacement balls once you receive the illegal balls?
why should we have to pay for shipping the balls back to you ? and the vouchers for drilling are not fair either– the it thumb cost more than the voucher so what is the reason?
i have 2 of the balls mentioned and i cannot believe the way storm is handling this– absolutely horrible
I have completed two exchange applications, and I have not got a e-mail response nor a confirmation. Please respond.
So I have to pay the shipping cost in this program? That’s a rip off. I paid enough money for the ball to begin with and now because it was poorly manufactured I have to pay even more for a defective item? This is absurd!!
How can so many balls be deemed illegal? How can I purchase a Storm product, in the future, with the thought, they might be ruled illegal, later?
Where is the link for the Electrify exchange?? I can’t find it.
So I sent my UFO Alert back to Storm with a copy of the paperwork as required. The UPS tracking shows the ball was received two weeks ago. How will I know when Storm sends my new ball out to me for delivery?
How long does it take to get my bowl balls I sent in for extange
I appreciate Storm and all they do for their customers. I did send a ball back that was on the exchange program. Is there a way to find out information on when I will be receiving
my exchange back?
I appreciate Storm and all they do for their customers. I did send a ball back that was on the exchange program. Is there a way to find out information on when I will be receiving
my exchange back?
I have filled out the form to exchange 3 balls, the Wolverine, the Trend II and the UFO Alert. I entered all serial numbers and I have yet to receive an email so I can move forward with the process. I have also checked my junk mail. (501) 680-0806
What is the LINK for Trade since I have the (Roto Grip UFO Alert)? I want to make sure I get to see ALL the balls offered for my Exchange… I want to study them and see which one I would like to get, thanks..
I have both the altered reality and the ufo alert. Is storm going to replace both of these balls as they are my main bowling balls that I use.
I filled out the information online for two bowling balls have yet to get any reply from Storm how do I check my progress.
My serial number is not working Please help i have a phase 4
I send in a 15# Storm Trend II in today to your head office, and I forgot to put the paperwork in the box, it was submitted through the program, can I mail or email the paperwork to you direct. Thank You Ronald De Maio at Corky’s Pro Shop
Any estimate on return times? I sent my ball in a couple weeks ago and have not even received any communication that the ball was received. I’m in no rush at all, but I am starting to get nervous that I just lost the ball. I reached out on social media, but no response, despite showing that the messages was read.