Mine were 18 months old, although I explained that I only use them over the summer (have big warm boots in winter
). Its def worth an email to them in the first instance, so many people were saying in the original post that they had the same problem that it must have been a faulty batch or a design flaw. Good luck!
Thanks... I'll have to go and have a look at the condition of them I think (it's been so long since I have used them!), mine are the crown pro ones, are yours the same?