It seems I’m testing all my product warranties here lately.
With Smith being the most recent.
My Guides appeared to have some sorta coating on the inside of the lens. That coating outta nowhere started peeling. It initially looked like water spots, but wouldn’t come off. I lightly ran my fingernail over the area and could distinctly feel an edge. After applying a little more pressure I was able to remove more of the coating with my fingernail.
I contacted Smith via their online Warranty claim form, late Friday evening, Not knowing what to expect as my “proof of purchase” has long been gone.
Monday mid morning I get a response, asking for more pics of the inside of the legs. A few minutes later, I get response saying my claim was approved and after I “destroyed” the glasses, they would issue a credit voucher for the full amount of the cost of a replacement pair of glasses, minus shipping and tax. I broke the legs off and X through the lenses, as requested. Again within minutes I got the reply Email with the code. Placed my order, using the code and now have a replacement pair enroute for $16.00
All in all another great experience on a warranty claim.
Sunglasses are my weakness - I have way too many. Some guys loves watches, but I never got into them and went the sunglass route.
Here’s my experience with numerous warranty claims with both Smith and Costa.
Smith lenses delaminate but their frames hold up. Why? I am not sure, but it is consistent. It looks like peeling from the edges, or small spots where the finish worn off. My theory is exposure to heat.
Costa lenses hold up, but their frames deteriorate - especially ones with rubber on the arms.
Costa was bought by Luxotica several years ago and their support team was drastically reduced. Support went nearly all online, although you do get a phone number to call once you submit a claim. It takes longer and their policy is much more strict now.
With both companies, you are supposed to destroy the glasses. This is a shame - the lenses might need replacing but frames might be a good condition to use as a back up down the road. Arms can be reused. There are some tricks to get around this and keep your “bad” glasses that I won’t go into here that will allow you to repair them.
I check ebay from time to time for damaged glasses and buy them for parts. There is a pair of Costas that I love they no longer will repair and I’ve picked up several of them. I can still get the lenses made from Fuse and they are good quality.
Baijo customer service is supposed to be top notch but I haven’t tried them just yet. But I’ve consistently heard great things about them.
With my glasses, I try to not store them in my truck and when on the boat, I do not wipe off salt water directly from the lenses. I pour a small amount of fresh water on the lenses and then wipe off with a micro fiber cloth. I’ve seen Smith mirrored lenses wear down over time and I believe wiping salt off directly caused the issue. After rinsing first, I have not seen the issue.
@coconutgroves
I only use my Smiths for Fishing. Otherwise they stay in my closet.
I also like you mentioned, don’t clean em dry when they get salt spray on em.
All my day to day glasses are cheapos, Kast king, Calcutta ect. With those I learned the hard way about the heat, the lenses woukd separate in no time flat, if left in the car.
What sucked about destroying these was they were still usable glasses, the coating coming off didn’t affect my sight, it was just unsightly.
That’s the issue I was referring to - I’ve had this happen on numerous Smith’s for about 20 years now. They don’t seem motivated to fix the issue. Never had that happen with Costas.
You guys having the coating de-lam- is this on the glass or the poly lens?? I’ve had smith glass for years and never have had this happen. Extreme hard use-
Well it has been a while,so I wouldn’t bet my paycheck on it. But what I ordered is the Chromopop glass, which is what they gave me the credit amount for.
The other reason I say glass, is these didn’t delam like the cheaper stuff does, Separating around the edges. The issue with these is the coating peeling off. The lens were intact.
Same experience with Smith. I cracked a lens. I called and told them what happened. They said to take a picture of the sunglasses with the cracked lens and scratch the other lens with an X. Great service=repeat sales👍
Agreed. It feels like customer service across the board has gone completely to pot, so when a company steps up a does what they advertise, it’s so refreshing, and keeps me coming back.
For just replacement lenses, I’ve had good results with Fuse:
They aren’t 580 or ChromaPop, but their top of the line polarized lens is great for normal daily use. If somehow you don’t have to break the frame on the glasses and only X the lens for warranty work, this is a great option to have a back up.
