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!