Rayban Aviator Sunglasses bought from Lenskart.com. Fake or Real? Genuine or Scam?

Hello everybody, recently I purchased 2 pairs of RayBan Aviator sunglasses from the website Lenskart.com

The models were RB3025 W3277 58 14 (Silver / Mirror) and RB3025 001/41 58 14 (Arista / Photo Chromic Brown)

Prior to buying online, I have been going to the local optical shops in Malaysia to try them on. I had examined each one of them closely to observe all the fine details before finalizing on my decision.

Previously, I own 2 pairs of Original RayBan Aviators similar to the ones I bought on Lenskart.com but I have lost them. That is why I am buying these again...

Initially, I was attracted to the low pricing offered on Lenskart.com. They also had a good store front and prompt customer support. They were very helpful in answering most of the questions I had. They assured me that the sunglasses were Original and Genuine obtained directly from their respective manufacturers and/or authorized dealers. They even assured me that after my first purchase, I would return to buy more from them in the future...

About Lenskart.com

This website is operated from India. Their prices are all quoted in Rs. They own several other websites including Watchkart.com , BagsKart.com , and JewelsKart.com

The domain name LensKart.com was registered on the 4th October 2010 to the following registrant:

Valyoo Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
    Peyush Bansal        (@valyoo.in)
    W-123, Greater Kailash Part-2
    New Delhi
    Delhi,110048
    IN
    Tel. +91.9910020313

2 days ago, I received the sunglasses via DHL. The sunglasses were properly packed in bubble wraps and placed in their custom Lenskart.com shipping box.

At first glance, everything seemed to be in order and I was actually starting feel quite content at having saved some money buying genuine and original RayBan sunglasses over the Internet.

Closer inspection would tell me otherwise... First of all, all original RayBan Aviators are Made in Italy NOT in INDIA (WTF?!?!) or any other countries for that matter, as the staff at Lenskart.com so-called claimed.

The glasses itself had a different feel to it compared with the original. The folding lens were very tight and not smooth at all. The metal quality feels cheap. The lens are poor quality as well.

I must say that this company has gone through great lengths to try to produce identical replicas as they have taken some of the important points into consideration during their production.

Contacting LensKart.com

I went on to their website to voice my dissatisfaction via their Live Chat function. They asked me to email them on support@lenskart.com to lodge a formal complaint and that somebody from the relevant department will contact me.

I did that, but there were no replies from them. I then called them up on the telephone number that was supplied on the shipping documents. A lady by the name of Amrita answered the phone and said that she would call me back in half an hour. Nor surprisingly, I didn't receive any calls from them after several hours.

So I rang again and this time a man picked up the phone, noted down my order number and asked me to call them back in half an hour so that they could check on my order details.

Several minutes later, another man rang me back and told me that they had located my order details and asked me what the problem was. I told them that I didn't think that the RayBan sunglasses I received were genuine and that I wanted to return them for a full refund.

He acknowledged that I had paid original prices for the sunglasses and they assured me that the sunglasses were Original and Genuine from their respective manufacturer or authorized distributor. I told him that the original RayBan Aviator was Made in Italy. He replied that RayBans are not necessarily Made in Italy and that they had several major manufacturing plants around the world that produced them, one of them being in India.

He challenged me to email them at support@lenskart.com with images of the sunglasses I received and the reasons why I think they are not Real, Original, or Genuine. (They must think I am some kind of RayBan specialist, or they probably expect everyone to be one in order to challenge them...)

This is the sole reason why I have created this blog... (Lenskart.com support staff, if you are reading this, I want you to know that I feel very insulted that you even attempt to have me waste my time further by going through this process when you already know that you are selling Fake, Cheap, Knock-Offs!)

OK, let's get started with the first pair RB3025 W3277 58 14  RayBan Aviator Large Metal Silver Frames with Mirrored Lenses

 

What's in the box?  RayBan box, black leather case, cleaning cloth, advertisement and a warranty booklet

 

 They had the signature RayBan marking in White on the right lens.

 

 The Fake RayBan also had the "RB" etching on the left lens.

 Comparatively, the Genuine RayBan etching "R" is not joined onto "B"

 

The Fake RayBan even had the carving RAY-BAN 58 14 underneath the bridge solder.

The Genuine RayBan carving is more aligned.

The Fake left temple have the markings: "RB 3025 AVIATORL W3277 58-14"

The Genuine left temple marking should read:  "RB 3025 AVIATOR LARGE METAL W3277 58-14"

The Fake right temple marking reads RayBan

The Genuine right temple marking should read: "RayBan MADE IN ITALY CE"

OK, now let's take a look at the second pair, supposively RB3025 001/4I 58 14 Arista / PhotoChromic Brown Lens

Again, the package comes with the RayBan cardboard box, brown leather case, glasses, cleaning cloth and warranty booklet (Luxottica India Eyewear Pvt. Ltd.)

 The Fake RayBan Aviator has the correct marking on the right lens "RayBan L.A." but sadly the lens they use are not Light Adaptive at all.

The Fake RayBan 001/WI has black color ear rest.

Comparatively, the Original RayBan 001/WI has clear transparent ear rest and can see the gold metal frame through it.

 A little more about L.A (Light Adaptive)

Intro to Ray-Ban Light Adaptive

Ray-Ban Light Adaptive lenses adapts to different light conditions and adjusts accordingly. Chameleon-like technology allows these lenses to turn dark when in direct sunlight and turn clear when in low light condition.

Benefits of Ray-Ban Light Adaptive

Ray-Ban Light Adaptive lenses controls the right amount of blue light through for accurate perception of colour, this improve sharpness and contrast, limits red-orange light, enhance brightness and clarity of vision in all lighting conditions. Ray-Ban further enhances this ability with 100% Ultraviolet (UV) protection.

Ray-ban Light Adaptive material

Material of Light Adaptive – impact resistant optical glass, scratch resistant provides stability with virtually no fading or alteration of the tint over time.

Lenskart.com uses normal cheap lens with no Light Adaptive qualities at all.

The Fake RayBan left temple has the markings: "RB 3025 001/4I 58-14"

The Real RayBan left temple markings should read:
"RB 3025 AVIATOR LARGE METAL 001/4I 58-14 3F"

The Fake RayBan only has the marking "RayBan" on the right temple.

The Original RayBan should have the markings: "RayBan MADE IN ITALY CE Light Adaptive"

The Genuine frame on the RayBan Aviator 001/4I is not exactly gold color as what Lenskart.com had sent me. It is in the color of Arista which is close to gold color but more towards the color of Rose Gold.

Summary

All in all, I can say that Lenskart.com has paid meticulate attention to the tiny details that differentiate an Authentic pair from a Fake. 

However, they have failed miserably in most areas, particularly the quality of its frames and lens.

To an inexperienced user who have not owned a pair of Rayban Aviator before, they may easily be deceived by Lenskart.com

However, an experienced user will be able to tell the difference as soon as he holds it in his/her hands

So I would like to warn people to be extra cautious when buying branded sunglasses online. You can never really judge a book by its cover. 

I did a search on Google on Lenskart.com for user reviews and comments. There seem to be many victims of this website that have bad experiences with them. 

Seemingly, there are also many users that have given positive comments about this company. However, I doubt these feedbacks are Genuine. They are probably all creations of their company personnel. All of them are FAKE just like the branded glasses that they sell.

My advise to anyone that wants to buy a Real, Genuine and Authentic pair of Rayban Sunglasses or any other branded sunglasses for that matter, "Go to a Reputable Brick and Mortar Store that you can see, touch and feel. It's worth paying the extra money for the quality and more importantly, for the peace of mind..."

I tried on the Fake pair of glasses and the cheap lens that Lenskart.com use on their RayBans will fucking blind me!