Inova + Nite Ize = No Warranty

The Shadow said:

Had to jump back in this almost 2 year old thread today to see if anything changed. Still no nice comments about Nite Ize / Inova... Too bad - I was hoping they had a change of heart.
:shakehead

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The current "No Worries Warranty" is a gem of doublespeak. The lifetime warranty covers everything but "LEDs and switches" which are covered for 3 years " ... and we got your back on everything else for as long as you own the flashlight, no worries". Well, that gives me huge comfort but, perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I can tell me what's left to cover after 3 years.

I really like. The design of the lights but as far as I'm concerned they are just for people who shop at target that "think" they are buying something better than what the neighbor has.

I've been an Inova/Emissive Energy customer for years and have bought probably dozens of their lights, from the original spotlight X1 through T0n and X0n series lithium-battery lights, to the 24-7, X5, Bolt and Radiant series, etc.

I called up Nite Ize today to have fairly new (about a year old) Radiant warranted. Of course, like all Inovas, the Radiant has a "lifetime warranty".

I was informed by Nite Ize that this product was no longer covered by warranty since it was no longer manufactured (even though they acknowledged that the product is still sold new!). Their only offer was to give a 40% discount off of MSRP of another Inova product.

I find this to be really ridiculous, and something that Emissive Energy would never have done when they still owned the Inova line- I've had absolutely great results with EE customer service and they've gone out of their way to keep me a satisfied customer, warranting even their oldest lights without a single question.

I figured that when A) Company X is bought out, and B) New owner Company Y won't honor warranties, that inevitably C) will follow; moving production to China. I did inquire about that and was told that yes, in fact, production of light parts would be moving to China. Sounds almost like Novatac ;-)

At any rate, be Very Very careful if you're thinking about any Inova lights- the "lifetime warranty" isn't worth the paper it's printed on- and they're about to become yet another Chinese brand, except probably without the innovation seen from Fenix or 4-7s, etc.

Typically when one company purchases another the buyer assumes the liabilities of the seller, particularly customer liabilities such as warranties (keeping clients happy is viewed as an important part of the value of a brand).

I looked online and found the press release describing the transaction... It says that Nite Ize bought the Innova 'brand' which is likely saying that this was an 'asset' transaction with the buyer only purchasing certain assets and leaving behind certain liabilities, such as the warranties. (This is in contrast to an 'equity' transaction which would mean the buyer bought the corporate entity including assets and liabilities and would be required to keep the company's obligations).

If this is the case the liabilities would have been retained by Emissive Energy, the former owner. You should call back Innova and ask them how to make a claim against Emissive if Nite Ize/inova won't stand behind the warranties.

It's possible that the Emissive shut down the remaining company after taking out any remainng cash, which would be a crummy thing to do to customers.

Nite Ize claims they will still warrant lights in current production (but that's obviously not much of a warranty, since many lights of a particular model will be sold new at retail after the production of that SKU has ceased in the factory)

I did call Emissive Energy to see if they had any recommendations. I will update this thread if I get any additional information.

rider said:

Nite Ize claims they will still warrant lights in current production (but that's obviously not much of a warranty, since many lights of a particular model will be sold new at retail after the production of that SKU has ceased in the factory)

I did call Emissive Energy to see if they had any recommendations. I will update this thread if I get any additional information.

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not sure what you mean by current production. Is it same model as those they are currently making, or items produced and shipped out of the factory after the acquisition? The packagina and/or waranty cards should state who is providing the warranty, though I'd be surprised if they updated all of the materials fast enough, so as a courtesy they may stand by items rgardless of the language.

Will be interesting to hear EE's response.

I was planning on calling about the made in china thing too.
Depending on what exactly is being sent to China I was going to explain to the customer service person that the Inova line has a strong customer base who buys the lights specifically because they are affordable, reliable, and made in America and to let them know they would likely lose customers, including me, if they moved everything to china.

If the only thing they were sending to China was the computer board or the switch or just some single part I dont think I would object, though I deffinately dont want to see most of the light being made in china.

As regular readers of CandlePowerForums, the team at Nite Ize was interested to follow the conversation this week about our warranty program and feel like we'd like to chime in to respond on this topic. To clarify - we do not still manufacture or sell the "Radiant" light. Of course, it is possible that a retailer somewhere still has a few in stock, but the light has never been manufactured by Nite Ize, and hasn't been manufactured by Emissive in three years. As the new owner of the Inova brand, Nite Ize can only offer warranties on items that are currently produced and that we have inventory available to fulfill the warranty.

Nite Ize stands by our company's outstanding customer service record and do, indeed, offer a 40% discount on a different Inova flashlight if a customer is asking for a warranty on a product that is no longer manufactured. Specific information on Nite Ize warranties can be found at http://niteize.myshopify.com/pages/warranty. Please also feel free to call our customer service department at 303-449-2576. Shawn or Diana will be able to answer and specific questions you may have about Nite Ize's warranty policies. If you have questions that they can't answer, they will find the best person here at Nite Ize to assist you and address any questions or concerns you may have.

In terms of innovation, Nite Ize has proven our ability to do just that over the last 20+ years. It is our steadfast commitment to continue offering the new and exciting products our customers have come to expect as we continue to grow and develop both our Nite Ize and Inova brands. It is our hope that the CandlePowerForums community will give us the opportunity to show the continued commitment to innovation and quality that we have worked so hard to develop over the years.

Thanks!

Nite Ize said:

As regular readers of CandlePowerForums, the team at Nite Ize was interested to follow the conversation this week about our warranty program and feel like we'd like to chime in to respond on this topic. To clarify - we do not still manufacture or sell the "Radiant" light. Of course, it is possible that a retailer somewhere still has a few in stock, but the light has never been manufactured by Nite Ize, and hasn't been manufactured by Emissive in three years. As the new owner of the Inova brand, Nite Ize can only offer warranties on items that are currently produced and that we have inventory available to fulfill the warranty.

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I did talk to Emissive Energy and told me that their understanding was that with the purchase of Inova, Nite Ize would continue to honor the LIFETIME warranty on all Inova products. Emissive Energy also stated that at the time they stopped manufacture of the Radiant, the Bolt was the intended replacement and they had used the Bolt as a warranty replacement for the Radiant. They were surprised that Nite Ize wouldn't do a similar thing.

I was also curious about the fact that on Nite Ize' site, they claim "Emissive Energy will continue to provide technology and product support to Nite Ize and together they will develop the INOVA products of the future." However, the people I spoke with at Emissive Energy claim that is not the case; Nite Ize bought the Inova line wholesale and EE will not be collaborating on any future products with Nite Ize.

Emissive Energy did apologize profusely for the situation and said they they as a company would continue to stand behind the light line they continue to hold and manufacture, which is the Inforce line.

rider,

Like you, I have bought many Inova lights. The "Made in USA" and lifetime warranty were overriding factors in my purchase decisions.

You deserve an equivalent replacement for the defective Radiant, i.e., a Bolt. An offer of 40% discount from an inflated MSRP is not a good substitute.

Please let us know what happens.

This is extremely disappointing! :thumbsdow Guess what kind of light I will no longer buy.

Disappointing. I was going to buy one of their Bolts, but if they don't honor the Inova's lifetime guaranty because the light is not produced anymore, will they honor their own warranty when they stop producing Bolts? Hmmm... :shakehead

Nite Ize - that's just wrong! I own many Inova lights and have used their (old) warranty to get a new replacement. 40% off MSRP is a joke!

If I bought a new light knowing I'd get the "40% off" warranty, that's one thing. When I bought my many lights with the LIFETIME WARRANTY, that's what I expect (and PAID FOR in the price of the light).

Add me to the growing CPF list of FORMER Inova and Nite Ize customers...

Way to ruin a reputation! :thumbsdow

I don't own any Inova lights and after hearing the Nite-Eyez rep don't think I will.

Just to play "Devil's advocate:" How is Nite Ize supposed to warrant a light that hasn't been made since 2007, with no replacement parts or units available to complete the warranty process?

I know of no company that has a "Lifetime warranty" which also includes discontinued products (i.e., there's no way Surefire could warranty my Surefire 6C or 12P, etc). Normally, a comparative product is offered.

With Nite Ize's 40% retail offer, it's probably their version of offering a comparable product.

dano said:

Just to play "Devil's advocate:" How is Nite Ize supposed to warrant a light that hasn't been made since 2007, with no replacement parts or units available to complete the warranty process?

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They could at last attempt to repair the light. I am sure that OP would be more willing to accept their 40% discount offer after seing some efforts to make the lifetime warranty thing done first.

I just saw this thread and I wanted to put my sad story with Nite-Ize/Emmisive Enegy/Inova whatever company you wish to call it. I have bought a couple of Inovas from Target and got the Inova Inforce 6V new from Ebay. I dont want to get into a long post but I had to send in my Inforce to Emmisive Enegy 2 times. They always sent me a replacement but the last time I was hung out to dry. The last time was around when Nite-Ize bought or merged with Inova. I had emailed a rep. from Nite-Ize/Inova that promised me a pre-paid shipping package, since I was tired of paying for shipping and it never arrived. I emailed him again and never received a follow up.

[private correspondence deleted - please read Rule 12. - DM51]

I had the same problem with a Radiant. I thought a lifetime warranty was something reliable it appears its just false advertising.

This is the email I recieved that really irritated me.

"Thank you for taking time to contact Nite Ize and your input regarding your Inova Flashlight. I wanted to let you know that Nite Ize, Inc. has recently acquired the INOVA brand of performance LED flashlights. We look forward to servicing INOVA's customers with the same high level of customer service that you received from Emissive Energy Corp.

In regards to your email, unfortunately your flashlight is a discontinued model and not covered under warranty.
However, Nite Ize has a strong commitment to customer service and in that spirit we would like to offer you a 40% discount toward the Inova Flashlight of your choice.

If you are interested simply call me back (800-678-6481) with the item you would like to purchase and we will be happy to assist you.

Please let me know if you need any further assistance. Your support of Nite Ize is greatly appreciated.
- Show quoted text -"

Here's my response.


I appreciate the discount but, I have already purchased an Inova product that failed on me. Just because you discontinued that model and no longer support it doesn't mean I should have to buy a product that you do support. You should send me a product comperable to the one I previously purchased that you will support. A lifetime warranty is LIFETIME. What good is a lifetime warranty to a consumer if products only have to be discontued to not be covered by your "so called LIFETIME WARRANTY"?
- Show quoted text -


Inova will not see any more of my business and will deffinately never be a light I recomend anymore.

Can someone post the text of the warranty statement that came with their Inova light (preferably one that the new Inova will no longer cover).

These statements are generally legal agreements that cannot be canceled at whim.

It is certaily possible that Night Ize did not agree to accept this liability. If that is the case Emissive Energy or the subsidiary they owned that held the Inova line should still be responsible. However, as rider noted above Emissive Energy told him that Night Ize did in fact assume all warranty claims in the acquisition.

One of those two parties is mistaken, and as a result previously loyal customers are being left in the lurch and the once good name is being tarnished.