#VibeTips: What’s in a warranty?
Customers (often young women, but not always or exclusively) walk into Katz Boutique in the Galleria to buy their first-ever vibrator on a near-daily basis. They often have a lot of similar questions, so we’re bringing you our #VibeTips features for insight into why one vibrator is better than another, or which is right for you!
Ordinarily, having a wide selection or a variety is great! But when buying a first vibe (or your next first vibe — every new vibrator is an opportunity to start anew!), the sea of bullets and rabbits and beads and batteries and plugs… it can be too much.
That’s why it’s important to narrow down the things that really matter to you. They won’t be the same for everyone (nor should they!), but there are some generally good rules of thumb.
Vibrators that come with a warranty are more expensive than those without — especially since you guys test everything out at Katz before it goes out the door, is it really worth it?
First, it’s important that you know: no one at Katz Boutique is on commission of any kind. We don’t make a dime more, no matter what you wind up spending. And that’s definitely good! It means we’re free to be honest, give real advice/perspective and be 100% on your side when it comes to choosing the right vibe.
So, is the warranty really worth it?
That’s a hard question to answer! Are you worth it?
I have my favorite brands that I tend to point vibe-seekers towards: Evolved tops the list, and somewhere right behind, there’s Adam & Eve, The Rabbit Co. and Nü Sensuelle.
That’s right — all four of those brands offer extended warranties on every vibrating product they produce. Check it out! Here’s the warranty for all Evolved products, many Adam & Eve products, all Nü Sensuelle products and all The Rabbit Company products.
The Evolved and Rabbit Co. warranties are of the 5-year, global variety. What does that mean? That means that if, due to a ‘defect in workmanship or materials’ (i.e. anything that’s even kinda-sorta their fault), your vibrator — say, the Pretty in Pink, one of my personal favs — ceases operating, they will replace it. You are guaranteed a working vibrator for 5 years, less whatever time a broken vibe spends in transit to them (probably none time — they’re extremely well-made products… but just in case!).
A common job interview question is, ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’ The answer could be: still enjoying the heck out of your favorite vibe.
Or, it could be: on vibe number three, maybe four, and not super psyched about vibrators at all anymore.
We’ve seen it happen! Way too many times.
The higher-quality products have no problem issuing a manufacturer’s warranty — even a 5-year one — while the vibes you’d need to worry about? No warranty.
Now, again — we’ll test anything you buy to make sure it works before we send you out the door (because at Katz Boutique, All Sales Are Final… and I promise you, that’s exactly how you’d want it), but if it malfunctions on your way to your car, even, there is literally nothing in the world that I, or anyone at Katz, can do for you. And I assure you that that manufacturer, which did not issue a warranty on that product, won’t be blowing your phone up trying to make you happy again.
So how much of a difference is it, really? [DISCLAIMER: I’m about to pull numbers out of thin air, but I promise, they’re pretty accurate]
The ‘standard’ battery-operated, no-warranty, no-frills vibe will run anywhere from about $18 to $25 before tax. Pretty affordable, and trust me, if that’s your budget, we’re happy to have something that’ll make YOU happy.
But the Pretty in Pink (which is comparable to the most affordable rechargeable vibes with warranties) is $38 and change — about $42 in total, after tax, if memory serves.
So, up front, the difference is about $20–25. That’s the same price as another ‘standard’ vibe. So if your non-warrantied vibe breaks or malfunctions in a 5-year span and you have to replace it (even once!), then you’re already looking at having spent more on two okay-ish vibes instead of the one, perfect vibe.
I wouldn’t ever try to push anyone to spend beyond their means or take food out of their kids’ mouths, but frugality in this situation actually means spending wisely, not necessarily spending less (in one go).
It’s similar to how Rechargeables vs. Battery-Operated Vibes stack up, actually! I tell most of my customers the same thing: it’s an investment. The savings in the long run from not having to buy AAA or AA batteries (or constantly have to steal them from the remote) is substantial. Ditto the savings for investing in a product with a good warranty.
If you’ve made the decision to buy a vibrator, then your pleasure and sexual well-being is important to you! And we applaud that one thousand percent.
But if your pleasure and sexual well-being are important to you, then the advantages of investing in a vibe with a multi-year warranty are probably pretty obvious! Probably, the only thing standing between you and being staunchly pro-warranty is a bad experience with a non-warranty item.
Be proactive! You don’t have to have that bad experience to know better (thanks to this blog! I’m such a hero…).
And come by Katz Boutique in the Galleria if you’re nearby — we’ll happily pull some vibes off the shelf, plug them in and detail the warranties for any and all products you’re curious about. Chat with any of our sales associates, and we’ll ensure you get the best possible ROI on your vibe purchase.
