5/22/09

I heart Oakley

Remember when Oakleys were cool? I do. And I swore I would never buy them, because they were overpriced.
Seriously. Who would spend two hundred bucks on a pair of sunglasses when you could get them at the drug store for 20 bucks?

Well about a year ago I broke down and bought a pair. Actually "broke down" isn't really the word. I wanted a good pair of sunglasses. Once March arrives up here, I really can't handle going outside without a pair plastered to my face. The sun + the snow + 20 hours of daylight is just too much for these little eyeballs. And I was tired of the cheap ones I'd been chronically buying, breaking and losing. 

So I went to good friend eBay and found a nice pair for about 100 bucks. Brown frames. Brown lenses. And I wore them so much last summer I actually ended up with a sunglass tan line on the sides of my face. That was a first.

But then something terrible happened. I was wading through my kitchen, strewn with jackets, splash pants and Muck boots... and I heard "crunch." My heart sank.

I had crunched my beloved sunglasses. I was screwed. Luckily it was the dead of winter, and had little need for sunglasses with just a handful of daylight hours each day.

After a bit of web searching, I found a guy in the states who says he repairs sunglasses "as good as new" for about 30 bucks, including shipping. So I sent them off, and a couple of weeks got them back. Hardly good as new... (he basically just put a piece of black putty on the inside of the bridge to support it) you could still see the crack on the front, and wiggle it around. Not good. But I stood by my glasses. And have been wearing their decrepit-ness with pride...

Until today, when just for shits and giggles, I looked up the Oakley customer service line. I didn't have much hope that they'd help me out. It was my fault that they were broken. I didn't buy them from an authorized dealer. And I'd probably voided any warranty they DID have by sending them to Mr. Fix-it.

Imagine my surprise when they offered to replace the frames FOR FREE, and ship them back to me in Nunavut, also, FOR FREE. And they even apologized for not having the exact same frame anymore (discontinued).

Unreal. I heart Oakley. Best. Customer. Service. EVER.

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