Warning: That 'lifetime warranty' on my vacuum turned out to be a joke

I bought a upright vacuum from a big box store 3 years ago because it had a 'lifetime warranty' on the belt and motor. After 2 years, the belt snapped and I called them up. They said the warranty only covers the original owner and I needed a receipt from 2019, which I lost. Now I'm out $80 for a repair that cost more than a new vacuum. Has anyone else dealt with a warranty that sounded great but had tons of fine print?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencerm4623d agoMost Upvoted

Man that sucks, I feel you. My buddy bought a "lifetime" air purifier filter that was supposed to last forever. After about 18 months it started smelling weird and when he called they said the warranty only covers manufacturing defects, not normal wear. They wanted $45 for a replacement filter that you can buy online for $12. The whole thing felt like a scam from the start. I've started taking photos of receipts and warranty cards the second I get home now, just so I have a backup if they pull that crap. It's ridiculous that they can just hide behind "original owner" stuff like that's not super easy to argue about.

the_logan23d agoMost Upvoted

Is it just me or do 'lifetime warranties' actually mean 'lifetime of the receipt' instead? I had a similar thing happen with a blender where the motor died and they said I needed the original box too, which was laughable. Now I just assume any warranty is basically a friendly suggestion until something breaks.

sagep1923d ago

Lmao right?? I bought this "lifetime" coffee maker once and when the carafe cracked they said the warranty was only for the machine itself not the glass. Like what even is the point then. My buddy had a similar thing with a backpack where the zipper broke and they told him the lifetime warranty only covered the fabric and not the zippers or straps. It's like these companies think we're all gonna just give up and buy a new one. I've honestly started treating warranties like those fake coupons you get in the mail they look good but mean nothing.