A piece is missing from my kit — how do I get a replacement?

It happens — a kit arrives and one piece isn't in the box, or a long white rail from your Smart Farming Kit has gone walkabout. Here's how to confirm what's missing and get a replacement on its way.

1. Do a quick two-minute check first

Small and long flat pieces love to hide, so before you file anything:

1. Lift out the foam trays and cardboard inserts — pieces often sit underneath or slide down the side of the box.
2. Check the other kits if you received a class pack. A piece is sometimes packed in a neighbouring box.
3. Check student bins, desks and any partly-built projects from an earlier class.
4. Compare your kit against the packing list in Contents of the Climate Action Kit so you know exactly which item and how many are short.

2. Name the piece as precisely as you can

Our support team can ship the right part much faster when you name it.

The long white pieces in the Climate Action Kit are building blocks — the plastic structural parts (frames, connectors and base plate) that students snap together to build their projects. Retailer packing lists for the Climate Action Kit describe these as items such as a base plate, long frames, medium frames, small frames, thin frames and various connectors, so a "long white rail" is most likely a long frame.

The Smart Hydroponics unit also includes its own structural parts — a tank, cover, support posts and plant support rods — according to the Smart Hydroponics Kit product page.

If you're not sure which it is, that's fine: send a photo instead (see below).

3. Submit a replacement request

The fastest route is a support ticket, because it goes straight to the team that ships parts.

1. Go to Create Support Ticket in the Knowledge Base.
2. Say clearly that a part is missing from the kit, not broken.
3. Include these details so no one has to email you back for them:
   • Your school or district name, and the name on the original order
   • Order number or PO number, and roughly when the kits arrived
   • Which kit it is (for example, Smart Farming Kit) and how many kits are affected
   • The part name or description, and how many you need
   • A photo of the parts you do have laid out, plus a photo of the assembly step you're stuck on
   • The shipping address the replacement should go to, and a contact name
4. Send it, and keep the ticket email so you can reply with anything else we ask for.

You can also use the Contact Us form for general enquiries, but a ticket is better for anything that needs a part shipped.

4. What to expect

According to the Forward Education Refund and Returns Policy:

• The Climate Action Kit carries a two-year warranty starting from the date you receive the product.
• Replacement parts for manufacturing defects are shipped to you at no additional cost.
• Clear photos or a short video speed up the process.
• Please keep the original packaging for at least 30 days in case anything needs to be returned.
• Replacement parts are provided for manufacturing defects, not for damage from misuse, neglect or modification.

5. Keep your class moving today

A missing structural piece rarely stops a lesson:

• Share between groups. One group builds and tests while another codes in the MakeCode simulator, then swap. See I don't have enough Climate Action Kits for the whole class for rotation ideas.
• Substitute a similar frame. Two shorter frames joined with a connector will often stand in for one long frame. The build doesn't have to match the tutorial photo exactly for the code to work.
• Buy a spare now if you need one urgently. Replacement building blocks and robotic parts are sold individually in the Climate Action Kit Building Blocks collection. Still open a ticket first, though — if the part is covered, you shouldn't have to pay for it.

6. Avoiding it next term

• Do a quick parts count with students at the end of each build, using the kit contents list as a checklist.
• Give each kit a number and keep its pieces in one labelled container or a slot in the Storage Cart.
• Store the water pump and tubing as described in the Walkthrough - How to store the water pump article so nothing gets tangled or lost.