So here's the story, about 2 months ago I bought two CTSMVBs, within 2 days the first one burnt out. No big deal, I wrote to them, sent it in, they sent me a new one. Well about a month after that, the second one (from the original purchase, not the replacement) stopped working (it goes on for a second, then off for a second, then on....). I emailed the company, he said that since I just received a replacement bulb, he didn't think he'd be able to replace another one (at which point he mentioned that the early burn out rate of these bulbs has been less then 1/3 or 1%). He also mentioned that the fact that it's going on and off could be due to the overheat protection switch. I wrote back and told him that the bulb is only on for a second or two at a time, I didn't think it could get hot enough to trip that switch in that amount of time, but when I get home from work I'll try it again. A couple of weeks passed, and I finally remembered to try it again. As soon as I tried it, it did the same thing. I emailed them again and told them that it was still hapening. Here's the email I got back...
It appears from your account we already replaced 1 of the 100 watt bulbs in January. Is this a second bulb that is now having problems? Our current early burnout rate is about 1/3 of 1% so this is quite a bit of very quick problems. I can take the bulb back and exchange it, can you tell me what invoice this was from. The bulbs are coded so I need to match that up with the date purchased.
Thank you.
I wrote back explaining that this is the other bulb, not the replacement and this is what I got back...
The bulb is still available for replacement under our pro-rated warranty so it
will run $12 for the replacement.
Now, I don't know when the started charging for replacements. I get the feeling the guy doesn't trust me. Anyways, I don't feel I should have to pay to get the bulb replaced, I imagine the cost of the warranty is built into the fairly steep price of the bulb. Anyways, my question is, should I take a new Capture The Sun for $12 or should I just switch to Power Suns (or at least find another place to get my CTSs). I was planning to send an email back saying something to the extent of "I'm sorry that's your decesion, unfortuently since you don't stand behind the products you sell, I won't be able to purchase anything from you anymore, nor will I be able to recommend you to fellow hobbyists any more....etc..." Actually that was what I was planning to write when I figured he was just going to say no. I think I'll just send the bulb in and email him saying "I sent the bulb in, but I don't think the 12 dollars is fair, when you receive it try it your self. If you think it's a normal burn out then throw it away and forget about it. If you think it's something different that should not have happened after a few weeks worth of use, then please send me a replacement."
Does that sound fair?
