Very Old Post - Issue Resolved

Triathlon Forum
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UPDATE: This is an ancient thread that somehow got resurrected. As noted in the followup, Rudy did resolve the issue eventually.

I was liking the Rudy Project Sportsmask glasses pretty well until the lens broke off after only a few rides. Then I checked my spare lens and noticed it was cracking in the same place after only a couple of rides. I wrote to Rudy Project and the customer support agent admitted

We have had some issues with that model.

At first, he offered to replace the glasses, but needed a receipt. Since I ordered these directly from Rudy Project over the web, I don’t have a receipt, but I did give them the full details from my credit card statement, including date, amount, merchant reference number, AMEX reference number, etc. Their lame excuse:

I forwarded the info to credits and collections, and unfortunately we can not look up your order with that info.

They even had the temerity to lie:

I would be more than happy to process your warranty for $19.95 (with out a receipt) which is something we normally do not do.

In fact. they offer $19.95 lens replacement to anyone, regardless of warranty. From the web site:

The RLG covers all lens damage (e.g., scratching) from use or activity on all RP Optic Lenses made by Rudy Project and on products that are in the current year’s Product Catalog. RX or Prescription lenses are not covered. Through Rudy Project® North America’s Replacement Lens Guarantee (RLG), consumers can opt to replace scratched lenses for a nominal processing fee directly through Rudy Project® North America.

To have your lenses replaced under our replacement lens guarantee, please send your lenses and a check for $19.95

In the future, I’ll stick with companies that stand behind their products.

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or you might as well stick with the 19.95 drugstore special glasses, which work just as well as the $$$ ones at keeping the wind out of your eyes and you from being blinded by the sun, and if anything happens to them (stolen in transition, left on the bus, stepped on, scratched, …) it wouldn’t really matter…

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Call USAT, their (Rudy Project) one the major sponsors. Bet you’ll get a whole lot of runaround from them. Make sure you tell them Rudy Project is sunglasses.

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I’ve been dealing with Rudy Project since 2001 and have never had any problems with their products or difficulties their warranty, so I’m surprised at what you encountered. The SportMask sunglasses I’ve been using for close to two years have had no issues due to manufacturer defects; the only pair of lenses (of the four that I own) to break was the pair I dropped and stepped on. With my receipt, I even wasn’t docked the $19.95 RLG exchange.

Bummer things didn’t go so smoothly for you. Regardless of the company from which you purchase your goods, or the dollar amount of said goods, hold onto your receipts. Even Wal-Mart requires customers to produce a receipt for exchanges & such.

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Did you get the confirmation of the order in your email? Can you look up your order online? Did you create an account to track the order?

These may all be ways to find what he wants.

Or, call back and talk to someone else. Sounds like you got the wrong CS guy.

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http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=2439472.

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Dude, that’s real easy. Dispute it on your AMEX and move on.

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Dude, take responsibility for your actions, i.e. hold onto YOUR receipts.

Or as the above said, present your proof of purchase with your AMEX bank statement.

No need to slag out the company for your error.

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I had the same exact problem,and I started this thread in June.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2361566;search_string=rudy%20project;#2361566

Called Rudy and explained the situation to them and was told I would need to pay $19.95 for the replacement lenses.
I ended up going with Oakleys.
I know one of the Rudy reps posts here when someone has good things to say about there glasses,but I doubt very much he will chime in now.

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This all sounds like they gave you guys some pretty lame responses. I hope you can straighten it out.

I will say though while the situation sucks $19.95 for replacements is a whole lot better deal than Oakley, where once the warranty is up (2 years?? I dont recall) youre paying $60+ for lenses…

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Thanks for the heads up about the product but…
http://www.slowtwitch.com/retailers/index.php
(just trying to save Dan the trouble)

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Man - I thought my noggin was too big for awhile there! I have been through two pairs and am not on my third pair. they replaced the first pair for free (I had the same issues you are having), replaced the second pair for the warranty cost.

My third pair broke after only 2-3 times of use. I am extremely careful with them as they are expensive and i really like them (minus the obvious major defect). How they broke is what’s hard to believe - literally after a bike ride, I took them off and they broke in my hands - didn’t drop them, no abuse or anything. The first pair broke at an awards ceremony - I was holding them in my hand and the lens just fell off.

The fix (albiet a lame one) is to super glue them on - works like a charm. They are still fragile and you have to be careful, but it works a lot better than the state they were in when you purchased them. I bought a new aero helmet and have not worn them with it yet - I’m pretty sure they will break during a race as they don’t slide out easily from underneath the helmet, so I’ll probably wear an old pair of Smiths.

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If you read a little more carefully you will see that they do lense replacement at $19.xx. They warrany the glasses for three years for the same $19.xx with a receipt. Two different options. My Rudy’s are were two years old when I broke them. Dug out the receipt, and for less than $20 I’ve got a new pair of great glasses. Great product, great service, IMHO.

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that’s why Smith Optics is amazing! you call and tell them the issues, they give you an RA number, you send the glasses to them and they send new ones to you, and if they don’t have the particular model, you have a credit for the same price.

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I broke my Sportmasks as well - they fell off my head onto the carpet and busted - but Rudy replaced for the $20 bucks as promised. I would just pay the $20 bucks and get a new pair - they are still the best glasses out there, I have been using them for years and years.

Good luck

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I had the same exact problem,and I started this thread in June.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...y%20project;#2361566

Called Rudy and explained the situation to them and was told I would need to pay $19.95 for the replacement lenses.
I ended up going with Oakleys.
I know one of the Rudy reps posts here when someone has good things to say about there glasses,but I doubt very much he will chime in now.
Actually, I typically “chime in” for misinformation damage control and to help out with questions. If someone on the forum does a great job defending our brand against some BS or adequately answers an RP product question, then I leave it alone.

That said…

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First off, I am very sorry that you have had a bad experience. After you have read my response, please PM me and I will see what I can do to remedy your rage.

I really do not see the issue people have with replacing their broken or scratched lenses for $20. Its really the best “no fault” warranty any company could ever offer. You must keep in mind that all of our glasses and lenses are made in Italy. That ain’t cheap! Now, we could go the way of many our competitors and manufacture in 3rd-world countries for pennies on the dollar to keep our prices low and have a warranty like Smith, but that is not what we’re about. We aim to make the best technical product possible and that requires a high-dollar design team, a tight-knit R&D crew and production workers that have been with our company since the beginning and, in some instances, run up to 3 generations deep.

So, if you had a receipt we could not just replace your cracked lenses, but just send you a brand new pair. Since you do not have your receipt, we must resort to the flat-rate $20 fee to replace. Its better than the $65-$105 price to buy new lenses, right? As a company, we must protect our interests and have sensible protocols in place to combat fraud. Otherwise we would bleed money uncontrollably and cease to be.

As I’ve said here before, the Sportmask is inherently fragile. Most people never have an issue with them while some do. If a customer comes to us with a broken pair, we replace at no-cost and encourage them to select a different, more sturdy model. Those that wish to try again with the Sportmask and break a 2nd, 3rd…time end up being charged the $20 fee to cover costs. Really, is there another company willing to work with its customers in this way?

So, I ask, what more should we do?

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Really, is there another company willing to work with its customers in this way?

There are many that are way better. To cite one example that happened to me at the same time: h2oaudio. My Interval (waterproof iPod case) went mute in the left earphone last week. I went to their web site, which had a form to report defective products. After filling out the form, you’re given a return authorization number. Not knowing any better, I slapped the RA number on a package and mailed the package to them. An hour after I got back from the post office, their customer service rep called me to “help troubleshoot the problem.” When I explained that, oops, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t supposed to return it right away, he said no problem. They FedEx’d me a replacement that day. Absolutely no questions asked. And I mean no questions. They didn’t ask when or where I had purchased the case; they didn’t ask for a receipt; they didn’t even wait until they had received the defective unit.

That’s a definition of excellent customer service.

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Really, is there another company willing to work with its customers in this way?

There are many that are way better. To cite one example that happened to me at the same time: h2oaudio. My Interval (waterproof iPod case) went mute in the left earphone last week. I went to their web site, which had a form to report defective products. After filling out the form, you’re given a return authorization number. Not knowing any better, I slapped the RA number on a package and mailed the package to them. An hour after I got back from the post office, their customer service rep called me to “help troubleshoot the problem.” When I explained that, oops, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t supposed to return it right away, he said no problem. They FedEx’d me a replacement that day. Absolutely no questions asked. And I mean no questions. They didn’t ask when or where I had purchased the case; they didn’t ask for a receipt; they didn’t even wait until they had received the defective unit.

That’s a definition of excellent customer service.
As with anything, sometimes things don’t work out smoothly. Unfortunately, your experience was a bad one and, on behalf of the company, I really do apologize. We have recently doubled our customer service department and some of the new folks are not as experienced in these situations. This situation has been reported to the customer service manager and the company’s ownership and, as always, we will learn from this mistake.

So, again I will offer my assistance. I must say, you seem so unwilling to accept it and continue to speak ill of my company. Regardless, I can assure you that I do have the power to remedy this situation and have a replacement at your door tomorrow morning.

PM me if you would like my help.

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“You must keep in mind that all of our glasses and lenses are made in Italy. That ain’t cheap! Now, we could go the way of many our competitors and manufacture in 3rd-world countries for pennies on the dollar…”

You do realize that there are parts of Italy that rival the sweatshop industry in China, and compete head to head with third-world countries for cheap labor.* Not all of Italy resembles Milan *and Venice.

Love your glasses though.