LIFX Warranty Claim

LSamhub on 12/12/2018 - 17:24
Last edited 13/12/2018 - 17:07

Hey Ozbargainers,

Need some opinions on this, if I should persue or not.

22/08/2016 I purchased 4 LIFX bulbs from LIFX themselves with a 2 year warranty.

Since then I have has 2 bulbs no longer work,
one that flashes red and Amber for which there website says to contact them. And another that will not connect to Wifi anymore.

Their response to my warranty claim was they are outside the 2 year warranty period, however it only expired 4 months ago. Under consumer law "reasonable expectation" I would expect them to replace the bulbs that where purchased at $40 each as it is a significant expense for a light bulb .

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks .

Update:

Received an email this morning ( can't fault their response time. )

All it said was this

"Replacements actioned, shipping soon."

Got the result I wanted.

Thanks @hypie

And everyone else who helped .

Electrical & Electronics

Related Stores

LIFX
LIFX

Comments

  • dcep on 12/12/2018 - 17:27
    +1

    bulbs are consumables

    • [Deactivated] on 13/12/2018 - 13:52

      These aren't regular bulbs.

      • whooah1979 on 13/12/2018 - 16:14
        -2

        They're LED with a pcb. That makes them in simple terms a calculator with fairy-light.

        • [Deactivated] on 13/12/2018 - 22:50

          They don't look like a fairly and fairy lights don't cost $40 for each bulb nor do they have wifi connectivity.

          • whooah1979 on 14/12/2018 - 05:56

            @[Deactivated]: We were building something similar using logic gates on DOT PCB back when 802.11 was still in its infancy.

          • whooah1979 on 14/12/2018 - 06:16

            @[Deactivated]: These widgets are basically logic gates, blinking LED, SoC and a 802.11 module all cramped together in a housing.

            • [Deactivated] on 14/12/2018 - 13:33

              @whooah1979: They are environmental night mare. One small part breaks and you throw the whole thing away, that's why I wont buy them (that and I don't understand how using an app on my phone is more convenient than a switch on the wall.

              • whooah1979 on 14/12/2018 - 17:59

                @[Deactivated]:

                They are environmental night mare.

                I totally agree with you on that one. Some people are fascinated with blinking lights.

  • akyeeeahdude on 12/12/2018 - 17:50

    I too, had the same issue (purchased a similar time to you).
    They were still just within warranty and replaced it without much fuss (didn't have to send it back). Surprisingly they did not even ask for proof of it flashing red which made me think that is was a known issue with that generation.

  • spackbace on 12/12/2018 - 17:50
    -2

    $900 phones come with a 2yr warranty, but your $40 bulb should be longer…?

  • whooah1979 on 12/12/2018 - 17:57
    +3

    These widgets are 4 months out of warranty or 16.6% based on the total months. 1 or 2 is understandable, but 4 is too much.

  • Samhub on 12/12/2018 - 18:12

    I was thinking because it is such a small time from the warranty period ending. Would it fall under "reasonable expectation " of a item under consumer right as this can extend up to 5 years .

    • tomlut on 12/12/2018 - 18:16
      +1

      As whooah1979 said, 4 months is not a small time compared to the warranty period.

  • akyeeeahdude on 12/12/2018 - 18:37
    +4

    I disagree - these bulbs cost a small fortune and I would therefore expect them to last longer than a $5-$10 standard bulb. ACL agrees too…

    • spackbace on 12/12/2018 - 18:44
      -5

      ACL agrees too

      Please show me the exact section where it goes into detail about LIFX bulbs.

      It's ok, I'll wait.

      • hypie on 12/12/2018 - 19:05

        What a ridiculous reply…

    • HighAndDry on 13/12/2018 - 11:04
      +1

      "Reasonable time" as a function of price is based on cost relative to features.

      If OP got a normal light bulb for 10x the price - then yes they can expect it to last a damn long time, all things considered. But if they get a lightbulb that's 10x the price but also with 10x the features, then that already cancels out and I wouldn't expect much more longevity.

    • dcep on 13/12/2018 - 12:53

      I disagree - your $5-$10 standard bulb only 1 color/brightness without wifi.

  • hypie on 12/12/2018 - 19:04
    +7

    Just reply to them with the ACL quote and also say that you think it was reasonable that they last more than 2 years based on the marketting on the box that says 22.4 year lifespan etc.

  • JimmyF on 12/12/2018 - 19:38
    -1

    What did they say when you asked?

    • whooah1979 on 12/12/2018 - 20:51

      Their response to my warranty claim was they are outside the 2 year warranty period, however it only expired 4 months ago.

      • JimmyF on 13/12/2018 - 11:33

        Their response to my warranty claim was they are outside the 2 year warranty period, however it only expired 4 months ago.

        Did you then tell them you feel these should have lasted longer than that and under your ACCC rights they should be replaced?

  • mreddie on 12/12/2018 - 19:42

    Pretty sure I've got the first-gen LIFX globes and are still going strong - are these the ones prone to the red flashing? Mine are the non-homekit ones.

    • Samhub on 12/12/2018 - 23:05

      These are non home kit ones and they seem very much to be prone to the red flashing .

      https://support.lifx.com/hc/en-us/articles/202885700-My-LIFX…

    • Forfiet on 13/12/2018 - 08:08

      I've had it…..but I kept flipping the light switch till it reset….. worked for me….

    • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2018 - 16:02

      3/10 of mine failed (one initially with the red flashing until it eventually died completely, the other two didn't power on at all). I lost 2 of them before warrantying (failed within 1-2 years), but just found the third failed one which I bought around 2.5 years ago now. Put in a warranty claim last week and the only response I got was that the replacement has shipped. So it seems like they're having no issues providing warranty into the third year.

      One looked like a capacitor exploded inside (the outer casing was pushed outwards like something blew up inside).

  • Clearance Clarence on 12/12/2018 - 20:48
    +1

    This is from the ACCC website:

    Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), automatic consumer guarantees apply to many products and services you buy regardless of any other warranties suppliers sell or give to you. [Emphasis mine.]

    Have you thought of contacting CHOICE? They often feature stories where they’ve helped someone politely word an email (sometimes mentioning the ombudsman) that gets the desired result.

  • Samhub on 12/12/2018 - 23:12
    +5

    Thanks for the Help everyone .

    I've just sent a professional email to LIFX discussing their original advertising material, the bulb will last 25 years, last 40,000 hours etc. I've also used the above quote from ACL.
    And mentioned if not resolved then I will progress to ombusman .

    Now we await a response, I will update when I know .

  • Samhub on 13/12/2018 - 10:20
    +4

    Update:

    Received an email this morning ( can't fault their response time. )

    All it said was this

    "Replacements actioned, shipping soon."

    Got the result I wanted.

    Thanks @hypie

    And everyone else who helped .

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