Native Eyewear --Beware! Struggles with replacement parts

[RickGrahamLund]

I have purchased three pairs of Native Eyewear sunglasses from REI since 2017. Love them, but tried to order replacement parts and the company is non-responsive. An automated response sends me to a website called "luxotica," but they do not list Native Eyewear as one of their supported companies.

Very frustrating to have $100+ glasses that need parts (notepads, lens....)

Anyone else had this problem?

[Clstallings]

Tried to get nose piece replacements from Native for a week. This is the email sent from Luxottica Warranty & Repair Service Center Oct 15, 2020. 

Response By Email (Kristy K) (10/15/2020 05:26 PM)

Hello Lenny,

Thank you for contacting Luxottica After Sales.

We apologize, Native used to offer some replacement parts. Since April 2020 when we began we have not had Native replacement parts available. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.

We value you as our customer and want to ensure you receive the best possible care.
 
All new warranty evaluation claims must first be submitted online.

At this time receipts are just recommended for Costa and Native customers and are not required for coverage on manufacturing defects under warranty. 
 
Please visit https://www.costadelmar.com/en-us/repair-program, to submit a warranty claim. Once here, you will be asked to register. This is a different registration from your costadelmar.com profile.

For the best experience, please use Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.

Again, thank you for contacting us!  Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WVJ98XX
to complete a brief survey regarding your experience today. Have a great day!

Best Regards,


Luxottica Warranty & Repair Service Center

[Yvonnel]

Thanks so much for your detailed response. I have been a loyal Native customer largely because of the warranty. They were a high quality product with good service. I don't want to buy from a conglomerate, so I look forward to finding the new brand at REI.

[dogbolter]

I've owned 3 pairs of Natives over the last 15 years or so. I'm having the same experience recently with repair, replacement, and parts. They are nothing like what they used to be (quality, selection, function, and support) and in my opinion, not a brand anymore that fits in with REI and should be dropped. We come to REI because of the superior products and support. Native fit this description up until a year or two ago as they were preparing for selling themselves. Selection, innovation, repair, and replacement parts all dropped significantly. 

[pnwguy]

Add me as another long time Native Eyewear user that can't get the "lifetime warranty" honored by Luxotica since their merger.  I've purchased four pairs of Native Eyewear from REI since 2003.  Every single pair has been replaced or repaired by Native at least once under their warranty. 

Originally it was all done for free, then they got bought by Costa and moved from Hood River to Florida and started making you pay $35 "processing fee" on any warranty claim.  This wasn't as good a deal but since they always would just send you a new pair with case and microfiber cloth, it was acceptable.

Now that Luxotica bought Costa, it seems that they will not support the old warranty.  All claims appear to just be rejected unless you can provide a receipt within the last 12 months and they deny most everything as "normal wear and tear".

REI should stop selling this brand immediately.  It is no longer a quality or supported product.

[pamguiding]

I want to chime in.  REI - tell us all the new brand you're replacing Native with.  The lifetime warranty I've used for probably 20 years, and I've paid to replace and have 6 pair as a river guide, traveler, lover of Native Sunglasses.  With "2020", this too seems to simply be another big loss for the year.  I'm so sad, mad, and want the 'next Native' that fits me, and that REI stands behind.  Please advise.

[sunvalley244]

I am in the same boat. Theyve been bought out by luxottica who also owns many other eyewear brands such as oakley and rayban. I cannot get replacement lenses anymore. Sad that such a wonderful company is now part of a multi national conglomerate with service and likely production to be sent over seas. Time to find another USA made brand.

[geeksam]

Has anybody here found a suitable replacement?

I've really appreciated being able to just replace $100 worth of lenses every year, rather than two full pairs of sunglasses for $300+.

[pamguiding]

I agree, what's been the best replacement here?  Agreed and this got me irritated enough to actually login and post up above.  What does the REI GURU of all Sunglasses think here?

[REI-JohnJ]

@Bjoltus @jausema @Clstallings @dogbolter @pnwguy @pamguiding @sunvalley244 @geeksam

Thank you for adding your voices to this discussion. We understand your disappointment and frustration over Native's warranty policy and inability to procure replacement parts for your sunglasses. Rest assured we have heard you and passed your feedback along.

In order to provide clarity for others with similar questions, we are going to include useful information regarding Native sunglasses and some of the other brands currently carried by REI:

• In March of 2020 Luxottica Brands purchased Native Eyewear.
• Native Sunglasses now offers a limited lifetime warranty that is standard for all Luxottica brands. This warranty covers 'manufacturer's defect' for the lifetime of the product. It does not cover normal wear and tear. You can begin to submit a warranty claim here. If your sunglasses are not covered by the limited lifetime warranty, Luxotttica will let you know how much it will cost to replace them.
• Native is no longer offering replacement parts for its sunglasses.
• Sunglasses brands carried by REI at this time that are also owned by Luxottica are Oakley, Native, Ray-Ban, and Costa.
• Most sunglasses brands carried by REI offer a similar limited warranty as Luxottica, that is, warranted against manufacturer's defect but not normal wear and tear or scratched lenses. If you would like to look at the warranty information for some of our other brands you can find them here for Tifosi Optics, Smith Optics, Maui Jim, Shwood Eyewear, Zeal Optics, Julbo Eyewear, goodr Sunglasses, and Suncloud Optics.
• Of the brands carried by REI, Tifosi Optics, Maui Jim, goodr, Julbo and Suncloud all mention offering repair services for their sunglasses. Tifosi, Julbo, and Maui Jim specifically call out having replacement parts, even for some discontinued models, available for purchase.

Again, we thank you for bringing your concerns and frustrations about your sunglasses to us here in the community. We have passed along your feedback to our teams and to Native sunglasses as well. We hope that the information included here will help inform your next buying decision.

Thank you for being customers of REI and members of our community.

[pamguiding]

Thank you for responding and the detail.  Thanks for taking the time.   I appreciate it.   I’ll heed the warnings on next brand buying.