I have worn Costas Del Mar sunglasses for probably close to 20 years ( I have 4 pairs, 2 of which I wear daily). Over the years things happen, whether its the products fault or mine. I have always had a great experience when I have had to have any service or warranty work done to them, until now.

I was at a friend's daughters birthday party and one of the kids knocked them off of me on accident (my fault). One of the lens cracked (580G) so I needed to send them in and have new lenses put in, which cost me $80 when I broke a lens one other time. Also, the finish was coming off the frames, which is a product defect and Costa has always replaced the frames under warranty and did not cost me anything (I have had to send in Costas several times over the years for warranty work).

So I filled out the info through www.costadelmar.com and sent them pics of the frame defect and of the cracked lens. Their response was that my sunglasses were out of warranty, but they would sell me a new pair for $196.26.

They did the exact same thing to one of my friends.

I am done with Costa.

Everyone be very careful with your Costa because if something happens to your sunglasses this will probably happen to you.

If that’s their response I’ll be done with them, I have 7 pairs and their my go to sunglasses but I won’t tolerate not living up to your own warranty. They’ve always been great in the past but it sounds like greed might have blinded them. Purely speculation on my part but if their shafting people on the warranty then that simply sucks. I’ve been using them for roughly 25 years and I’ve used the warranty several times without incident.

Yes I have used their warrany and service several times over the years and they have always been super easy to deal with. Now when you fill out the info online to send them in, it redirects you to a company who either has bought out Costa or is doing their repair and service.. Below is the company.

http://www.luxottica.com/en/customer-care

I am confused, were the glasses out of warranty date or do you have a lifetime warranty when you buy them. When I purchased mine it was 2 years.

I think they just got tired of people filing warranty claims when they stepped on their glasses or dropped them.

Still Better than Maui Jim’s warranty...

What’s up with Maui Jim’s warranty?

Just get a pair of Maui Jim's much better glass. We have already had this discussion.

Interesting. I’m a long time Costa fan myself. They have a lifetime warranty that covers material defects, but my understanding is they won’t fully cover if you step on them etc. I’m about to find out, I have two pair to send in. One is a material defect (nose pads fell off), and the other got broken in half after getting rolled over and laid on by my Nephew (my favorite fishing glasses - Pescador’s ). Will see what happens.

Costa was acquired by another company, EssilorLuxottica, in 2013. They have been making changes since, shutting down alot of the Florida manufacturing and changing up the warranty service.

Agree with the OP. I used to get great service. The last time was not, just Big Corporate BS. Eventually they will run off the loyal customers that made the brand so successful in the first place.

I'll never buy another pair of Costa after my recent experience with their "customer service"

Is their warranty for defects or accidents?

Costa is owned by Essilor which owns a ton of brands including ray ban, Oakley etc.

Costa is the still best outdoor active lens on market. IMO

You can't expect a company to cover non factory defects. It's a hell of a deal when they do but costa’s warranty is upfront about what a factory defect is

And you’re still holding in to the wrong opinion

Maui has better frames but not better optics

I buy the $5 gulp ones from walmart. They help a lot for sight fishing and I dont give a carp about them. I cant wrap my head around what people pay for some stuff for "quality" when the vast majority of it is keeping up with the joneses.

The problem with lifetime warranties are that people take advantage of them when it's something they did to break/damage them. When too many people break them on their own and Costa has to keep replacing the original pair over and over again, they lose a lot of money. Companies aren't in the business of losing money.

OP admitted it was his fault about the breaking the lens. As for the finish wearing off, depending on the age of the frames, that probably falls under normal wear and tear and not a product defect. Normal wear and tear is NOT covered by the limited lifetime warranty.

I tried to file a warranty claim on a Sage fly rod last summer. My son insists the tip broke while reeling in a fish, but they weren't buying it after they received it for inspection. It fell under "Repair" and not "Warranty, so after shipping, it cost me about $200 to get it fixed. I would have rather had it fixed for free, but I'm not going to stop buying Sage products just because my son broke the rod and they wouldn't fix it for free.

Maui frames are light as hell but their poly lenses suck the bag.

Terrible lenses

I used to have that same line of thinking.....then I bought a pair of costas.


Worth every penny.

Ok also stopped losing them like I did with gas station shades.


If you haven’t worn them it’s hard to pass judgement on them as being over priced

I used to be the same way until I put on a pair of Pescadors from Costa, HUGE different on the water. Seriously.
I had mine for I don't know how many years, but took good care of them because they were $200. Always kept them clean & in the case when not in use.
I put my Nephew to work on the weedeater, told him to go to my closet and look on the shelf, there is a big bag full of dark/clear/amber safety glasses. Grab a pair, a couple of lens cleaners, and some ear plugs and get after it.

Later, I had a lawn mower jacked up & was working on it. I needed a back up so he came to help. We're rolling around in the dirt grunting on some wrenches and got it done. Then I looked on the ground where he was laying, and saw my beloved fishing glasses broke in two. Apparently, he was confused between the big bag of safety glasses I was talking about,....and the hard Costa case that was hanging there off to the side. LOL.

X2

EXCLUDING coffee, bourbon and beer I would hope.

I just replaced the Prizm lenses in a couple of oakleys that are hunting glasses. I haven't found a better polarized set of glasses than those and I've tried Mauis and Costas

I hate to admit but On the water you can’t beat Costa. I’ve tried Oakley, Maui, rayban, smith, and a couple others and when to comes to on the water there lenses can’t be beat. I’m cheap too but there is a difference. I buy them on eBay and save quite a bit usually.

I agree 1000% with this. I'm a cheap-a$$ myself but Costa is #1 on the water and there is a difference.

Please read again I said glass.

Optics=glass, and Maui is still behind costa

I know quite a few millionaires who drink old forester whiskey and keystone light.

As a former Hater, I was quick to pass judgment. I thought big diesel trucks were dumb, expensive sunglasses were a waste and technical hunting clothes were for posers. And then I got educated.

Do you need a pair of costas to drive back and forth to work? No, but if you spend a lot of time outdoors then you will certainly see their value.

They Costa lot

They don’t make new eyes, so treat them right and put them as a high priority, that is My opinion

I still have and wear my Ray Bans that I bought way back in 1969 and I recently got another pair just because I liked them.

CAG and Oakley for the win.

I have been wearing Costa for over 20 years and have never had a problem with their warranty service. I don't mind spending the money for quality gear such as sunglasses but I have also been fortunate enough to have not had a bad experience with their customer service. I am sure my day will come but unitl then. It is Costa for me!

Luxottica accounts for over 80% of the market, encompassing the eyeglass operations of a multitude of household names including Versace, Stella McCartney, Burberry, Chanel and Armani, to name but a few. Ray-Ban in the 21st century.
It acquired shares in a number of optical companies and bought out other eyeglass providers, including OPSM and Pearl Vision. It went on to buy Erroca for €20 million and Oakley for US$2.1 billion, making it by far the largest eyeglass company on the world.

Your prior thoughts may not be dumb for everyone but are for some. For me a big diesel truck $200 sunglasses a Rolex and technical hunting clothing are all a complete waste.

I have worn costas for a weekend fishing. A buddy pretty much made me wear a pair of his while traveling on plane in the boat they flew off and sank lol they were far better than no sunglasses but I’ll take my cheaply every time if I have to pay for them.

Cannot agree with the OP, I have received great Customer Service several times from Costa.

Dropped them and broke an arm off the frame, $50 repair, no receipt of original purchase needed. ~ 7 years old at this point

Rubber around the ears began to come off, brand new frames, no cost, no receipt of original purchase needed. ~ 10 years old at this point

The only issues I have ever had with my Costa's is the rubber coming off, send them off and get a new pair.

I always laugh at these posts.
A person buys a pair of 200.00 sunglasses and expects the company to warranty them for dirt cheap or free forever.
Buys a 75,000.00 truck with a 4 year or 48k warranty and knows that after that is out they happily will pay out the arse to get anything done to it.
Companies like Costa that had those deals are quickly abandoning those policies because people took advantage of them.
If someone goes and buys a pair of 300.00 prescription glasses and pays for scratch and damage warranty up front it is 1 year only.

Life is short and you can’t take it with you. Spoil yourself every now and then.

Buy the costas, order the custom rifle, book the elk hunt, get the Kuiu. You will be happy you did.

Be responsible of course, but I have never once regretted a quality purchase, I only regretted the time it took to get me to come around to it

Oh I do blow money don’t worry

Never even heard of Costas - can't imagine paying that for sunglasses but to each their own.

I own a big diesel but drive it 60,000 miles per year towing an 8 ton mini-ex.

Don't use technical clothes either just good quality wool and down.

Coffee i buy whatever is on sale at Walmart. Always make my own in a big ole stainless thermos.

Guns, bows, corssbows, and optics though i tend to spend way more than necessary.

Bourbon i am a fan of Maker's Mark.

Also never heard of Yeti until i joined this forum - not for me but i can see the potential need given the right circumstances.

Toys in general i am guilty of spending too much on snowmobiles, sxs, boats, kayaks, canoes etc.. Hell my 2 canoes are worth 4K each and my kayak is worth 3K - as long as your not living outside your means anybody that wants to spend whatever on sunglasses is good in my books.

That’s pretty much my philosophy. What have I worked so hard for if not to enjoy the fruits of my labor?

It would be nice to have a really nice pair of sunglasses, I cannot justify spending that kind of money ($100+) because I know I will either lose them or scratch them up.

Thinking about buying a pair of Shady Rays that are under $50.00, anybody familiar with them?

Sounds like he is trying to do it right plus made in the USA and fighting hunger.

https://shadyrays.com/pages/mission

I like costas but nearly all their stuff is polarized. I hate polarized glasses. I had to switch brands for that reason.

I bought my first pair of Costa's for fishing. For many years all I ever used were Strike King's or any other cheap polarized glasses from China Mart. What a difference the Costa's made seeing fish.

Are you a pilot?

It costs a couple of dollars more, but I go to my local optometrist. Mine is an authorized dealer for most every brand and can get me any pair I want. Warranty is no hassle, just take them in and they fix them. Also they can get them custom made with my prescription.

After the hinge fell off a pair of Oakley's I tried to get them replaced under warranty and they refused, so I vowed to never use them again and have been looking for a different brand ever since. I was all set to get some Costa's and after reading several bad reviews about their quality going down hill the last couple of years I did a little research and figured out that they were bought by the same company that owns Oakley. So I'm now on the hunt again. It is a shame because I really like the Oakley Prizm lenses. Maybe I'll give them another chance, but don't really want to.

Guessing that means the white ones don't hold up very well

Lots of white framed sunglass manufacturers out there...good luck with your quest.

FU



FU

Not sure why you think I wear white shades? Because my truck is white LOL?

Maui is still privately held, but lens are second to Costa IMO

I'm pretty disappointed Hud beat me on that one.

I figured it was a Sherman/Pottsboro thing...bedazzled jeans your brother wears made me assume you had white frames

No bedazzled jeans in my house, not even my wifes jeans. That is just a Joshy thing

Thanks, I've looked at them. Haven't really found any that would fit my face very well. I have a wide face and the Asian fit from Oakley fits it pretty well, but most sunglasses are tight and squeeze my huge brain.

Bobo are you comparing glass to glass when you say Maui lenses are not as clear? Just curious, I’ve worn Maui’s for years because of the clarity and compared them extensively to Costas when I purchased them. Of course upon reflection, I can’t remember if I was comparing glass to glass.

No, over all optical experience. I can snow ski on a bright day with costa but cant with same tiny level Maui’s, I get headaches with Maui.

Taking shading options out, All sunglasses have filters in them that essentially limits different spectrum of light.

In the upper end sun glasses like costa or Maui it’s sandwiched between poly or glass. Glass quality among the two is probably the exact same supplier. The biggest difference is the filter. Where costa excels with their 580 lens over Maui’s polarized plus. In my personal opinion. With that said I found Maui frames retain shape better and are hardier.

I found a hard case in the road with a pair of brand new mauis, so I'm partial to them. Never tried Costas tho.

Maui lenses scratch terribly. My eyelash brushing against them will leave a scratch

Those fake eyelashes are pretty abrasive.

Those MJ lenses do scratch easy!

I have worn Costas for maybe 25 years. First pair I had were in lost and found at my work for months because they had these huge black frames with kind of rose colored lenses. I thought they looked terrible. The brand wasn’t that well know then and I didn’t know it either. They had those chums glasses cords so I figured they may be fishing glasses and into my truck they went for months until I couldn’t find my normal shades on a trip to Rockport. I almost freaked out when I wore them walking down the pier. I could see everything like never before and didn’t realize the lenses could make that huge of a difference. Back then ray bans lenses couldn’t hold a candle to Costas!
I have had a sunglass problem ever since. I have owned 2 to 5 pairs of Costas everyday for the last 25 years. I’ve lost at least 6 or 8 pair and sent in at least 8 or pairs for repair (I like to drink). They always use to have great customer service and prices on repairs. Lots of misguided stuff in this thread, I doubt anyone crushed their frame or cracked their lenses and expected or got a new pair for free. In my experience they use to replace broken or scratched lenses for $30-$45 each. If you cracked the frame or ripped an arm off it was $40-$80. Never had a factory defect just varying degrees of abuse from me. Sent in old styles they no longer had parts or lenses to repair and they would offer a new similar style pair for $75 to $90. Times have changed with their service for sure since luxotica bought the company. I have Maui’s that I like but IMHO the lenses aren’t as good but the frame fit is better. Randolph makes damn good aviators I like for driving but Costas are still my favorite. I currently have two pair with broken frames that I’ll eventually send in, maybe.

Most of the avionics coming out now can be seen with polarized lenses..... or simply tilt your head left or right and you can see the old avionics just fine.

Pilots who complain about polarized lenses should STFUIMHO.

I am not sure how long you owned the current pair.

I tend to think of consumable products as having a usable life.

I have two or three pairs of presription Oakley sunglasses. By the time I get my presicription in them they are about $350. I rarely ever use the same frames 1-2 years later when my eyes change or I scratch a lens.

How long do you expect them to continue to replace your glasses?

When I lived near LL Bean they had a forever warranty on everything. People abused it, they finally got rid of it.

If you wore out your truck, Ford or Toyota or whatever you have will not give you a new one. You pay $50,000 for a new truck like everyone else.

I don't get it the problem.

Looks like they cost about $200, how many years do you expect them to give you new glasses?

I am a cheap bastard, I won't buy something at full price. But I don't expect it to be something I own for more than a year or two.

Have to buy work boots twice a year at $350 a pair because of what I need here in New Mexico (snake proof, metatarsal, hot weather). 6 months of working hard and they need to be replaced.

Have owned several pairs of sunglasses from a variety of companies. I kind of expect them to eventually wear out.

Thought it was policy for most carriers. Like you I cant see any down sized to polarized other then I'm overall dependent now on them.

Walked 1 1/2 miles for my annual creek white bass run. I caught six before my buddy caught one. He's like WTF! I walked down to where he was fishing and after looking over his spot, told him no fish here. He asked how do you know that? I handed him my Costas and said look...

Two beers later for me, and 12 white bass later for him, got my sunglasses back. Pretty sure several different brands would have done the job, but I've had this pair for over 10 years and they do what they're supposed to.

This is the only pair I ever owned and they were only $1.00

I wear their Saltbreaks, and broke a lens each on 4 separate pairs. I bought new lenses from Costa and took them to LensCrafters who installed them for free. 4 pairs replaced and out the door in 20 minutes. Costa had the lenses to my door in 3 days.

I just submitted mine for warranty repair which by how claims are done now they won't warranty them. There was a portion that asked to show my proof of purchase, which they were given to me 7 years ago as a gift. Then naturally under that it said if you don't have the receipt then they are probably out of warranty. So, I took the pictures it asked to and we will see in a couple of days here.

I remember you used to just send them off and their people would inspect the sunglasses then let you know if they will warranty the ware/tear on them. I have a very strong feeling this will be my last pair of costas.

Lemme know when you find a different brand which will hold up for SEVEN years.

I have sent them in for repair a hand full of times, the rubber comes off from the frame do to my lets call it round face...

I’ve got a pair older then 7, actually had two. I sent one in to get frames fixed. They don’t offer them any more, so they told me to pick out a different style. New ones where to small so gave them to my mom.

I will say I’m shocked I kept up with the receipt. Now I have all receipts emailed. It’s nice to be able to do an email search and find a receipt from 4 years ago.

Tell them to check their repair records.

I will depending on their response, when I typed my name in for the repairs I was shocked a bit that it “wasn’t found” in their system.

Congratulations redchevy you just read my mind.

It’s night and day between a $5 pair of cheap sunglasses and a quality pair of polarized glass lenses pair.

Very very much so.

These are what I wear. I shoot a lot and I like the UV resistance and impact resistance. Not 5 dollars but close lol. I spend the money saved on Costas on ammo.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...ted-Fog-Free-Lenses-48-73-2025/310389358

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I have never owned a pair sunglasses so I would not know the difference between cheap or expensive. Never needed them.

Well, looks like I will be getting a new pair.

Got 'em for free, had them fixed for free several times and now getting a new pair after seven years. Guess your feelings led you wrong.

Good stuff Herbie

I was hoping I was going to have pick of the litter...boy was I wrong, they gave me really just one style to pick from. Beggar's can't be choosers.

I like Costa lenses, but their frames suck. Whatever rubber-like material they use on the grippy part of the frame comes apart. Has happened on every Costa I’ve had over the years (7-8 at this point). Just glued a piece back on yesterday. I probably won’t buy another pair.

Shady Rays............been using them for a few yrs. Lost 2 pair in Baffin Bay. Called them up and paid my $8.89 replacement fee and recieved new ones a few days later..

If you lose, damage, or break your shades, visit warranty.shadyrays.com to request a new, free pair through our warranty program. There is a processing fee of $8.89 for US replacements and $17.99 for International for each replacement. Purchased pairs may be replaced up to twice under the Lost/Broken Replacement Warranty. Original purchase must be verified by a team member for all manual replacement requests.

What kind of glue did you use?

Trying to figure out why anybody would get the ones with the rubber-like material on it.

Because they grip your nose really well, especially when you're sweating or face is oily. I need to send mine in too, rubber nose piece fell off of mine as well. Will rub a sore spot on your nose without it.

I have had the exact same thing happen to me several times while out fishing in the bay or flats. Someone on the boat that can't seem to catch anything and is casting into 2" of water are amazed as soon as they put them on. I had a guide in Alaska try to buy my Costas once. I almost gave them to him but had already tipped him pretty well for the trip. The general take you can get from this thread is if you haven't tried them then you just don't know. However, if your eyesight isn't that good no glass other than prescription lenses are going to make a difference. I have owned a hundred pairs of Gas station shades over the years and owned Maui Jims, Ray Bans and a couple others and there is a difference. MJ's are good but the lens scratched to easy for me and side by side the Costa's work better for the fishing I do.

New Costa's are being shipped today, so I guess mine passed their in person inspection.