Sunglasses Warranty 101

When buying sunglasses, we never think about what happens when something inevitably goes wrong. Whether it’s a scratch or a broken lens, we don’t prepare ourselves for this situation. Luckily, we’re here to help you bring your lenses and frames back to life when accidents happen. We know that scratching a lens is never a fun time, especially when your sunglasses are a name brand pair that you spent hundreds on. Keep reading to find out how to bring those lenses back to life!

Types Of Warranties

Limited Warranties

Most brand name sunglasses offer a 1-year limited warranty which covers against defects in materials or workmanship, but doesn’t cover things like wear and tear. Even brands like Chanel, which is considered a “premium luxury” brand, only has a 2 year warranty. It’s hard to imagine a brand that expensive having a warranty that short. While there are brands, like Costa Del Mar, that offer lifetime warranties, these are few and far between.

Unlimited Warranties

Unlimited warranties include frame replacements if there is a defect. Also, they’ll usually offer lens replacements if their brand claims to have scratch-resistant or unbreakable lenses and don’t live up to the claims. However, it is more likely that these brands will do repairs before replacements. Unfortunately, when it comes to this warranty, there are some restrictions involved most times. One example is most brands won’t honor their warranty policy if you bought your shades from an unauthorized retailer, so that is something to keep in mind when shopping.

It is also important to read further into what this warranty offers because often an unlimited or “lifetime” warranty generally means “market lifetime”, meaning until it is discontinued.  Additionally, some brands will offer lifetime warranties on frames but only a one year warranty on lenses, or vice versa. It is important to note that unlimited warranties often never come without conditions, so always read the fine print!

Finding And Understanding Your Warranty Coverage

While you’ll most likely have a 1-2 year limited warranty, it is always recommended to check the exact coverage you have. To do this, you should check on the box or online. Once you have done this, locate your proof of purchase and make sure you fall within the warranty window. If you have unlimited warranty, contact their support team on how to activate your warranty. If you have limited warranty, which is more than likely the case, you will need to determine whether the damage is a manufacturer’s defect or typical wear and tear for sunglasses.

Manufacturer’s Defects vs. Normal Wear and Tear

Manufacturer’s defects are any sort of damage that occurs before the product hits the hands of the consumer. This could include things like defective hinges and mounts, or a missing piece of the sunglasses. Manufacturer’s defects are almost always covered by both types of warranties but will often go back to the manufacturer for repair, rather than a replacement. 

Normal wear and tear includes scratching or breaking of the lenses or bending of the frames. The reason this is considered wear and tear is because the damage occurred while in the consumer’s possession. Unfortunately, under most limited warranties, replacing your lenses due to scratches is not usually covered. This is because scratching of the lenses is considered neglect by the company and they were not responsible for this damage. If you received your glasses with a mark or scratch on them, then this would be considered a manufacturer’s defect and you could have this replaced by the company.

Something else to note, is that most warranties will not cover lost sunglasses or damages caused by general neglect such as a pet chewing on them or dropping them on the ground. So keep those sunglasses safe with a case or sunglasses carrier!

No Warranty? No Problem!

If you want to skip the hassle of going through your brand warranty because they likely won’t cover your lenses anyway, you can always count on Fuse Lenses. We provide optical grade polycarbonate replacement lenses for any brand at a fraction of the cost of brand name retailers. Plus, if we don’t carry your brand, we can do custom replacements too!

All you have to do is select your brand and model, customize your lenses with polarization and choose from our 20+ color and finish options, and then we ship the lenses to you for you to easily replace them at home, all within two weeks. 

Not only is it easy, but it’s also super affordable, starting at just $19.99!

If you don’t feel like replacing your lenses yourself, we can do that for you! You can send us your frames through our custom concierge program for a little extra and we’ll ship them back like they’re a brand new pair of shades. 

Fuse Lenses Warranty Policy

While we’re on the topic of warranties, Fuse Lenses and our sunglasses actually come with a no-questions-asked one-time replacement warranty! Additionally, if you purchase from our Fuse +Plus line or any sunglasses, you’ll get a lifetime warranty. You’ll also get a one-year warranty for our tinted and polarized lenses. For prescription, we cover manufacturer defects within one year.

Summary

Warranties can be tricky. It’s hard to know what is covered under your warranty, but, as always, we’re here to help! Knowing what your warranty covers is important, and could also be a factor in where you purchase your sunglasses in the future. Scratching or breaking your lenses is never fun, but knowing which warranty you have could make all the difference when it comes to wear and tear on your lenses and frames. 

If you want frames and lenses that have a no-questions-asked replacement policy or you’re just looking for an easy way to have fully customizable and high quality replacement lenses, Fuse Lenses is the place for you.