1.

bluntmoney
October 26th, 2006 at 4:35 pm

I love the smash-and-send return method you’re planning on! I suspect the 5 yr guarantee is just supposed to make you feel ‘confident’ in buying the bulbs, but I agree with you that it’s pretty much worthless. I bought some bulbs the other day with a 9 year guarantee. I thought, hm, I’ve never even heard of this company, and how do I know they’ll be around in 9 years anyway? But, they were what I needed that fit (4 watt candelabras) so I gave them a try. And we’re saving the receipt just in case.

2.

John Wilks
October 26th, 2006 at 6:39 pm

Punny- I use 150 watt bulbs. Still cant see anything.

Bluntmoney- Does receipt paper last 9 years?

3.

David B.
October 26th, 2006 at 9:32 pm

I saw these bulbs at walmart the other week. I actually picked them up and thought to myself, “Whoa, that’s a pretty good guarantee…I wonder if they actually last 5 years…Well, they have to since it’s a guarantee…No, there has to be a catch.” Good article.

4.

Lazy Man and Money
October 27th, 2006 at 1:37 am

I’ve been using them for years, but I end up having to buy some new ones every year. I’m sure that some haven’t lasted a year, much less 5 years. However, when I bought the bulbs, I laughed at the guarentee. They are still good energy savers, even if the guarentee isn’t useful.

5.

Jen @ Frugal Upstate
October 27th, 2006 at 8:27 am

You just crack me up. I love your writing style!!

6.

Jay Bryner
November 7th, 2006 at 2:21 pm

I’ve actually been to this park in Cleveland OH. It’s the only time I’ve been to Cleveland. And don’t believe the TV show. Cleveland does not rock.

I went to the GE lighting institute as a guest from Grainger – a vendor. It was two days of pure pleasure.

The rationale for CFL’s is this. Whenver you buy a light bulb, you buy access to a certain amount of light, and basically a subscription to buy a ceratain amount of electricity over the life of the bulb. This electricity cost is greater than the bulb cost by a long mile. Seriously, do the math. You’ll see that if the CFL light bulbs cost $5, and somebody even paid you $1 to take their crappy conventional bulbs, you would still come out ahead to pay the $5 for the light bulb. A side benefit, in my opinion is that they last longer. I hate changing light bulbs.

7.

Stephanie
December 18th, 2006 at 11:04 am

I don’t have a Walmart near me (believe it or not), so can someone tell me how much their CFL light bulbs are? More specifically, the 15 Watts which is equivalent to the 60 watt standard bulb. Thanks!

8.

SuperJason
January 19th, 2007 at 11:16 am

I buy mine at Home Depot. If they burn out within the warranty, take them into the store and they’ll replace them. I just did it for 4 bulbs, and they gave me a new receipt! That means the new ones are guaranteed again! I can also send in the rebate again if I like.

I specifically bought them there because of the warranty policy, and because I know the vanity lights seem to burn out quickly.

The new ones also have a longer warranty.

9.

Plus6
June 16th, 2007 at 6:37 pm

SuperJason:

Great tip on taking the bulbs back to Home Depot. I am definitely going to do that next time I need bulbs. Home Depot is the best, they will pretty much take anything back it seems.

10.

Andrew
October 7th, 2007 at 7:34 pm

I sent my UPC and receipt back to GE without the bulb. 2 weeks later, I received an apology letter for the bulb burning out prematurarly and a $10 off coupon on GE bulbs.

Let’s see… 1 bulb burned out and I almost got a 6 pack as a replacement. Go GE!

11.

bob
October 10th, 2007 at 10:25 pm

How can you prove to GE that the bulb was used only 4 hours a day/7 days a week? Show them a recent utility bill?

12.

Nick
October 10th, 2007 at 10:39 pm

bob, I suspect GE has tiny cameras in each bulb that’ll let them know the answer to that question. Oh, and it might be a good idea to keep the CFLs out of the bathroom.

13.

James
March 24th, 2008 at 6:45 pm

I had a 5 year cabinet light bulb that was finished in just over a year. I called GE and after some talk they sent me two coupons at $10 maximum each. I went to LOWE’S with those GE coupons and took two bulbs at around $5-$6 each and presenteed the GE coupons to the cashier. She ran the bar code scanner and it did not accept the coupons, then she asked Cust. Svc. and they said GE coupons are NOT accepted at LOWE’S. I tried Home Depot and Walmart – same story. Now why would GE send me worthless coupons? WARNING to GE investors and stockholders! Your GE stock is worth nothing!

14.

Joshua
April 1st, 2008 at 4:40 am

You will not be able to get anything for the GE coupons. No store accepts them. GE coupons are worthless, their stocks as well.

15.

Brent
April 19th, 2008 at 9:56 am

I did the same routine of replacing every bulb in the house with these CFL things. Now, about 9 months later, I’m replacing them one by one with the remainder of the 8-packs. I though perhaps I had a bad batch, but from your posts, it looks like this is par for the course.

I’m not bothering to take them back (it would cost me more in time than the stupid things are worth), but a 5 year guarantee…not a chance. I will be (pleasantly) surprised if I haven’t replaced every last one of these things before a year is out. Bottom line, if you like changing bulbs at least once a year, and you don’t mind paying (up front) six times what a regular bulb costs, buy them. Factoring in the higher cost of the bulb and the lower energy consumption, each bulb could save you a whole dollar in the long run each year, but you’ll have worked hard to earn it by climbing up and down a ladder and cursing under your breath every time you switch one out.

16.

A1 Medical Supplies
May 15th, 2008 at 11:27 am

That was an interesting post. I had always seen the 5-year guarantee, but never read the fine print. Thanks.

17.

Rita
August 13th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

I just bought some of those CFL light bulbs and they work great. They are really saving me a lot of money and they last so long. I like how small they are too.

18.

Mike
August 16th, 2008 at 7:58 pm

When I first moved into my house in 2003, I replaced most of the existing lights with Commercial Electric CFLs from Home Depot. They are only starting to burn out after nearly 5 years of running >>4h avg / day.

I bought a pack of GE CFL bulbs from Wal-mart to start replacing the CFLs, and I must admit that I took note of the “5 year” guarantee. They’re starting to burn out after only two months in the same fixtures as the HD bulbs!

I wonder if GE makes these CFLs special (=cheaper) for Wal-mart. Kind of like their tubesocks that are 1/2 the thickness they used to be. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

19.

Chris
September 12th, 2008 at 8:12 pm

I have 6 reflector-type indoor GE CFL floods. In the less than 2 yrs I have had them, 4 have quit working. I bought them from Sam’s online, so I have only my order email as a receipt, and I have the barcode that came with each one. In each case, GE has sent me replacement bulbs. My fifth just burned out too, so I will be sending another warranty claim to them.

20.

Jon
September 30th, 2008 at 4:38 pm

I bought GE CFL bulbs at Sam’s Club about 2 weeks ago. One of the 6 bulbs I installed failed 1 week later. I had already thrown away the receipt and proof of purchase. I called Sam’s. They had my receipt in the computer. They exchanged the bad bulb for a new 3-pack. No complaints here!

21.

Earth4Energy
October 8th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Okay, so I told my cousin, who happens to live about 30mins outside of the GE address in Ohio about this light bulb BS, and he thought maybe he’d try and go there for himself and take them up on there little guarantee. When he got there with his bulbs and receipt, he made a fairly logical argument I presume, because after about an hour, they sent him on his way with 10 cases of light bulbs and a $20 check for the gas he used to get there!
Not bad if you ask me.

Cheers

22.

Greg
October 25th, 2008 at 8:08 am

It seems all CFLs are junk. They never last for me longer than 2 months with not much usage. My latest is a brnad new GE CFL 60 equiv. that goes on for 2 minutes then goes out. If I turn the switch off and let it sit a minute it will go back on for 2 minutes. This bulb is not enclosed so it can’t overheat.

23.

frd1963
November 10th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

I think I have it figured out. The CFL’s are environmental hazards as they contain mercury. They manufacturers probably can not get the bulbs approved for general consumption unless they can give a realistic estimate of how much mercury they would be putting into the landfills on a yearly basis. By gaurateeing the bulbs for 5 years, they can reduce the amount five-fold because of course all bulbs that fail sooner would be returned for repair, with any that are irrepairable being safely disposed of, and replaced.
…and if you get wise to this environmental fraud, the Men in Black erase your memory with a little flashing light.
What was I typing?

-Frd

24.

Bonnie
January 18th, 2009 at 1:44 pm

I bought a 4 pack of the 15 watt CFL bulbs this past Friday at Sam’s Club, replaced all 4 incandescent bulbs in my ceiling fan yesterday with the CFL’s and used it last night. I woke up this morning, Sunday, flipped on the ceiling fan light and one of the 3 bulbs had failed. This bulb hadn’t lasted even 5 hours!!! Some savings, NOT!!!. I looked on the package for the warranty information, and was disappointed to find out that: 1) I would have to pay for the shipping to return the bulb and get a replacement. 2) I would have to surrender my sales receipt, which I need for proof of purchases for tax purposes. 3) That I would also have to send the proof of purchase UPC for this single bulb, and thus have no proof of purchase or receipt if the other three failed. At $2.71 per bulb, I could have bought 9 regular incandescent bulbs. I also will spend approximately $2.75 to ship the bulb to GE for a replacement. Making the total cost for 1 CFL bulb = $5.46!!! GE’s warranty is worthless. They have not convinced me that converting to CFL’s is worth my time and money, and the fact that these bulbs contain mercury and cannot be disposed of in my regular garbage…I have to find somewhere I can dispose of these bulbs…which means wasting my money on gas to drive there. Not to mention the health risks if these bulbs get broken! I was hesitant to buy CFL’s when they first hit the shelves at Sam’s & other retailers because of expense upfront and the disposal issues. I gave the energy cost savings a second thought and figured it would be worth a try. Boy, was I wrong to second guess myself. Should have stuck to my gut feelings, they are usually right.

25.

Kurt
June 28th, 2009 at 3:09 am

I bought a dimmable CFL at Home depot for about 6 bucks. Hated how long it took to get bright since I put it over my kitchen sink. Moved is to the family room where I mixed it in with some overhead incandescents and it was OK – for about 6 months. Last night, it flickered for a minute and burned out. Went to the store today and bought a boatload of incandescents. Should last me years, I paid WAY less then the cost of CFLs and frankly, the savings in electricity is minimal if you actually turn the lights off when you leave the room. This whole CFL for the environment thing is a load of bunk too considering that they have mercury in them and nobody will bother to dispose of them “properly.”

Government needs to get out of private industry. The market will drive the manufacturers to build things right but if government mandates the changes then the manufacturers get lazy and sell junk because they know we will soon have no choice in what type of bulb we buy.

26.

Mike-HID
October 14th, 2009 at 2:32 pm

It seems all CFLs are junk. They never last for me longer than 2 months with not much usage. My latest is a brnad new GE CFL 60 equiv. that goes on for 2 minutes then goes out. If I turn the switch off and let it sit a minute it will go back on for 2 minutes. This bulb is not enclosed so it can’t overheat.

27.

HealthyNut
March 29th, 2010 at 12:07 am

There are now companies out there who will recycle these types of lightglobes as well, so it’s becomming an even greener option.

Good post!

28.

Mr Part Series
April 18th, 2010 at 7:38 pm

You just crack me up. I love your writing style!!

29.

Body Parts
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:29 am

I have 6 reflector-type indoor GE CFL floods. In the less than 2 yrs I have had them, 4 have quit working. I bought them from Sam’s online, so I have only my order email as a receipt, and I have the barcode that came with each one. In each case, GE has sent me replacement bulbs. My fifth just burned out too, so I will be sending another warranty claim to them.

30.

Joe-Chip
May 7th, 2010 at 9:56 am

I bought GE CFL bulbs at Sam’s Club about 2 weeks ago. One of the 6 bulbs I installed failed 1 week later. I had already thrown away the receipt and proof of purchase. I called Sam’s. They had my receipt in the computer. They exchanged the bad bulb for a new 3-pack. No complaints here!

31.

Ram Ramirez
June 6th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

It seems all CFLs are junk. They never last for me longer than 2 months with not much usage. My latest is a brnad new GE CFL 60 equiv. that goes on for 2 minutes then goes out. If I turn the switch off and let it sit a minute it will go back on for 2 minutes. This bulb is not enclosed so it can’t overheat.

32.

Tony The Alarm Guy
June 8th, 2010 at 11:17 am

I have 6 reflector-type indoor GE CFL floods. In the less than 2 yrs I have had them, 4 have quit working. I bought them from Sam’s online, so I have only my order email as a receipt, and I have the barcode that came with each one. In each case, GE has sent me replacement bulbs. My fifth just burned out too, so I will be sending another warranty claim to them.

33.

Sam
June 30th, 2010 at 7:28 am

Well, I call the number on the package, talk to a nice young man or woman (apparently from the U.S. – surprise, surprise! and they take my address, then I receive a $10.00 coupon in the mail and go and buy more bulbs.

I am not smart, but I can spell PUNY

34.

Utility Warehouse
July 13th, 2010 at 8:30 am

Great article, generally I ignore all such guarantees because of the clauses and difficulty in actually getting a replacement which will cost you more than just buying another bulb! John

35.

EDLoan
July 26th, 2010 at 4:51 am

recenlt a market leader in LED lighting, announces it is extending the warranty on its entire family of fixture products to five years.

36.

Mike Hunt
August 2nd, 2010 at 8:52 pm

Thanks for the info about GE’s warranty. I had a bulb sitting on my desk for months, and now I’ll be able to finally toss it out (I guess I have to find where to toss it first–if it’s too inconvenient, it’s going in the regular trash though).

One thing people need to understand is that CFLs can’t be used the same way that incandescents are used. The bulb I have that burned out was because I made the mistake of using it on a dimmer switch. Actually, I wanted to see if it would work.

There are 3 things that cause CFLs to last for far shorter than they would otherwise. If you avoid these things, they will probably last years:
1. You have to keep them on for at least 15 minutes at a time. It takes a while for them to warm up, and if you turn them off prior to 15 minutes, it greatly decreases their life. Before I learned this, I had bulbs go out in 3 months, whereas now I’ve had some bulbs for 2 years and still going strong.

2. You can’t use them on a dimmer unless they’re designed for one. This killed my aforementioned bulb in only a few days.

3. You can’t use them in cold weather unless they’re designated “outdoor” bulbs. I live in the South, so I have one I put outside.

The biggest issue that most people don’t realize is that CFLs must be kept on for at least 15 min. Thus, they aren’t good for closets, sheds, bathrooms, etc, where you’re likely to turn it off and on several times a day. We only use them in our dining room, office, and bedroom.

For more info and proof on this, read the Wikipedia article on CFLs.

37.

thecyberfleamarket
August 26th, 2010 at 10:32 pm

I bought several packs of CFL (complete friggin loss) and they have not lasted 2 years. Most of them were replaced again in less than a year. I also read the 15 minute warm up time, but what a crock!! Theyre supposed to save energy, but if you only need 3 minutes of light, you have to leave it on for 15 and come back later to turn it out?? I have about 14 bulbs to take back to Lowes.. and who has a reciept that survives more than 2 years?? Best suggestion, buy another brand and try that.

38.

Mr. Clean Teeth
August 30th, 2010 at 3:34 pm

That was an interesting post. I had always seen the 5-year guarantee, but never read the fine print. Thanks.