Amazon, don't refund my money, send me the right eclipse viewing glasses! You have 1 week to do it.

[Towlie]

I received my special eclipse viewing glasses from Amazon over a month ago and I've been reading that they've recently gotten expensive and hard to find, as one might expect. My flight to Nashville leaves one week from today, and yesterday I received this from Amazon:

To: [my email address]
Subject: Important Product Safety Notification Regarding Your Amazon.com
Order #[redacted]
From: "Amazon.com" <[e-mail]>
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2017 08:54:25 +0000

Hello,

We’re writing to provide you with important safety information about the eclipse products you purchased on Amazon (order #[redacted] for Solar Eclipse Glasses CE and ISO Certified 10 Pack by WEBSUN for Direct Sun Viewing Safety Eye Protection Glasses).

To protect your eyes when viewing the sun or an eclipse, NASA and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) advise you to use solar eclipse glasses or other solar filters from recommended manufacturers. Viewing the sun or an eclipse using any other glasses or filters could result in loss of vision or permanent blindness.

Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier of your order that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer. We recommend that you DO NOT use this product to view the sun or the eclipse.

Amazon is applying a balance for the purchase price to Your Account (please allow 7-10 days for this to appear on Your Account). There is no need for you to return the product. You can view your available balance and activity here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/css/gc/balance/

For more information about safely viewing a solar eclipse please see the NASA and AAS websites.

If you purchased this item for someone else, please pass along this information to the recipient.

We hope to see you again soon.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
Amazon.com

[Ron Obvious]

1. Yeah, I got the same mail.

Fortunately, we don't have reservations, as we where just going to drive down to Salem (from Seattle), and I had reservations anyway

I posted a thread about this in the lounge yesterday which has some useful suggestions in the responses.

[Loryn]

2. I have the same glasses.

Same email.


Grrrrrr.

[hlthe2b]

3. I just sent my sister my spare pair after hearing she too had purchased fake ones on Amazon

She had no idea that companies were faking the ISO certifications and frankly, I'm not sure she believed me when I told her she couldn't take the chance... She has since received notification from Amazon and a refund and I'm glad I had the extra pair to send her.

Your best bet may be to see if your library is one giving out free glasses (mine wasn't), or ordering directly from one of the approved companies that NASA has recommended. Mine are American Paper Optics, though I bought the plastic Bill Nye one with the two extra paper ones. You may want to call to ensure that you can get what you want in time--with expedited shipping, if necessary.

https://www.eclipseglasses.com/

[greeny2323]

4. FYI, B&H

I ordered from B&H Photo and they came in a few days. They are appropriately marked as ISO 12312-2

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1353642-REG/lunt_solar_systems_lseglasses5_solar_eclipse_viewing_glasses.html

[greeny2323]

5. Also

The American Astronomical Society mentions reputable dealers, including B&H and others:

https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters

[hlthe2b]

18. It isn't the dealer you have to worry about, but the manufacturer.. Amazon sold real ones too, but

NASA let them know about the fake ones (all which had fraudulently claimed the ISO certifications that you mention). My sister thought she was safe because she looked for the ISO certification. She wasn't


Your safest bet is to find the manufacturer of your particular glasses and make sure they are one recognized by NASA or the extended list by the American Astronomical Society. https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters

[yellowdogintexas]

6. got a text from my sister in North Carolina for same reason

I will be mailing 2 of our Lowe's Eclipse glasses to her tomorrow.

Since their view is completely of partial phases, they really need them.

Also heading to Nashville (actually points north) from Ft Worth for eclipse watching, family fun, visiting lots of old friends and even a Democratic Women of Simpson County (KY) fundraiser.

[krispos42]

7. I bought 2 pairs back in the spring...

Cool-looking steampunk-type ones. The lenses have the correct CE numbers and stuff on them, but I got a similar email from Amazon in the middle of last week.

I wound up going onto the MSC website yesterday and ordering a half-dozen shade-12 replacement welding filters for welding helmets.

"5–1/4 Inch Wide x 4–1/2 Inch High Window, Lens Shade 12, Fixed Shade Welding Lens, Item #62674379"

https://www.mscdirect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/details/62674379

I'll just tape them to a cardboard frame and call it done. $5.68 each, plus shipping and tax. My total was under $49 for six of them.

[SouthernIrish]

8. I ordered the ones recommended by NASA

Supposed to get them from Amazon Wednesday. I paid 29.00 for 5 pairs. The same order is now listed for 59.00. Wow. Price gouging.

[krispos42]

9. Yeah, that's why i just bought the damn welding filters.

I also bought a pair of lenses for my binoculars, but that was from a legit company that I had bought from previously maybe 6 years ago. The Rainbow Company, or whatever.

I had to replace the binoculars and the lenses... I've somehow misplaced them. Maybe I'll find them this week when I clean, but I doubt it.

[SouthernIrish]

44. i bought the same ones

Check your messages on Amazon. I got a message today that said that the supplier is out of the glasses and they are refunding my money. What? They raised the price and then sold out and now telling customers that bought them at a cheaper price that they are out of them. This is illegal. Damn

[LeftInTX]

28. Good to know. Had no idea where to buy welding films

There also is #14. Some people can't see the sun with #14, but I probably can because I'm fairly photosensitive.

[krispos42]

33. There are several on-line places that carry them

MSC Direct is one, Grainger is another, and McMaster-Carr is a third.

They supply manufacturing companies, and they have a LOT of stuff. I mean, catalogues 5 inches thick! Thousands of pages!

I was thinking of getting a couple of the cheapest welding helmets I could get, but those run $20 at least, plus they only come with shade-9 filters... I'd have to buy darker ones anyway.

I figure with shade-12 and a pair of sunglasses I'll be good. Plus I have solar filters for my binoculars.

[aikoaiko]

10. I ordered mine from Rainbow Symphony, but they look sold old.

https://www.rainbowsymphony.com/eclipse-glasses/

[Blue_true]

11. Just buy a good pair of tinted polarized sunglasses.

The best thing is you can use them afterwards when you drive or are in the sun. Eclipse sunglasses is a money making racket.

[Towlie]

13. It's not turning out to be much of a money-making racket for Amazon!

But the best thing about using ordinary sunglasses to view the sun is that you'll keep on seeing it long after you've stopped looking.

[Blue_true]

15. Actually, you won't keep seeing the sun if you buy the right glasses.

Cheap is not right. Don't buy your sunglasses where you buy your slurpee, just won't work. Deal with Specialists that know sunglasses and which work best. You pay more, but you have something that you can use for years, not just for one day.

[Towlie]

16. Mine cost me $400 but I sure as hell wouldn't stare at the sun with them.

[Blue_true]

20. Ask for a refund. Glasses at that price should be better, even if prescription,

which yours sound like they are. One of the unfortunate things is that Doctors and health plans have turned eyeglasses into a profit center, they were never intended to be that.

[marzipanni]

40. I've read that you shouldn't be able to see anything EXCEPT the sun

with whatever eye protection you will use for viewing the eclipse. Sunglasses are not going fit that criterion.

[B2G]

17. This is possibly the worst advice I've ever read. nt

[Salviati]

29. Agreed. Take NASA's advice. Follow their reccomendations

Follow the advice of experts, not some guy you read on the internet. That's how we've gotten into too many messes recently.

[hlthe2b]

19. and a seeing eye dog if you do. Simple polarized sunglasses are NOT sufficiently protective

You need to go to NASA's sight and educate yourself. Even standard welding glasses are not sufficient--you have to go with grade 14--the darkest they make.

[krispos42]

34. That's crazy.

Are you trolling?

You can't stare at the sun for several minutes with regular sunglasses, not if you ever want to see again.

I have solar filters for my binoculars. I can stare at the sun with them for many minutes at a time without any problems whatsoever aside from tired arms.

But you cannot see a damn thing through them otherwise. Not a car, not a sign, NOTHING. Total blackness.

ANYTHING strong enough to reduce the sun's direct light to a safe level will make seeing the sun's reflected light impossible.

Your post should be deleted in the interests of public health and safety.

[Blue_true]

35. My sun glasses are very dark, I have looked directly at the Sun with them on.

When I have them on, everything is dark. Sunglasses do exist that work, I have a pair. I was born with sensitive eyes, so I always buy dark sunglasses, not the mirror type, very dark lenses that keep my eyes feeling cool.

BUT. I stand corrected. What you and other people have said is the wisest route to take for most people. People should go to the NASA site to buy glasses from certified suppliers listed there, or follow the indirect viewing technique that NASA details on the site if they can not get the correct eclipse glasses.

[SouthernIrish]

45. No no no

I am an Optician and you can do irreparable damage to your eyes just using sunglasses during an eclipse.

[MiniMe]

12. I got mine at the library, they were giving them away for free

They say NASA on them

[tblue37]

14. I am getting a pair for $2 from my optometrist. nt

[LeftInTX]

21. Go to Lowe's

They are selling approved lenses. They are well stocked here in Texas. Their displays are right at the checkout.

(I can't speak other areas of the country, but my local Lowe's had more than enough. I bought a bunch of them to share with family members and friends)

[Justice]

27. We got same email. Spouse at Lowe's now.

It's a bummer but honestly glad Amazon told us

[AngryAmish]

22. Buy welding goggles from a welding supply store.

[Blue_true]

36. I wear extremely dark sunglasses. I have looked at the Sun

without issues, but some people told me that was wrong. Guess my eyes lied. But they are right, people should use the approved glasses because most of them will be looking upward for something like 30 minutes.

[Ms. Toad]

41. Please stop implying the very dangerous practice you have apparently been engaging in

is safe ("my eyes lied&quot .

Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun; they transmit thousands of times too much sunlight. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

Why is it so dangerous to look at the eclipse without glasses?

Van Gelder notes that anyone who's taken a magnifying glass out on a sunny day to burn holes in leaves has seen how powerful the sun's rays are. When we look directly at the sun, the part of our eye that is in danger is the retina, a light-sensitive layer that can easily be damaged by high levels of light.

"There are not pain fibers in the back of the eye, unlike our skin. We have a natural aversion to staring at the sun, but it's possible to overcome that by force of will," Van Gelder said.

Looking directly at the sun can cause temporary or permanent damage to the retinas. The most dangerous time during an eclipse is when the sun is not fully blocked by the moon, during what's known as a partial solar eclipse. Many parts of the country will only see a partial solar eclipse, and even the parts that will see a total solar eclipse will see a partial eclipse before and after totality. Anyone viewing a partial solar eclipse should use protective eyewear the entire time they're watching.

http://time.com/4878020/solar-eclipse-glasses-2017/

If you have, indeed, viewed the sun directly with your dark sunglasses, and not damaged your eyes you are very lucky. Don't count on that luck continuint.

[Blue_true]

42. A person would have to be an idiot to stare at the Sun for more than about 10 seconds.

For anyone doing that longer, the glasses NASA suggests are a must.

For some reason I always look at the sun for a few seconds every so often. I don't know why, I just do. But never for more than 10-15 seconds, shorter when I don't have on my very dark sunglasses.

ANYONE PLANNING ON WATCHING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE SHOULD GO TO THE NASA SITE FIRST AND READ UP THERE.

Is that good enough? I don't plan to watch the eclipse, didn't watch the last one that caused a big stir.

[Skittles]

23. am I the only one who doesn't care about the eclipse?

I will be sleeping

[Towlie]

25. You might be the only one who posts in threads about things he doesn't care about.

[Salviati]

30. Nah, the internet is full of people who do that...

[Skittles]

38. it was an honest question, not a judgment

sheesh

[Skittles]

39. I am not a HE

and it was JUST A QUESTION

[Blue_true]

37. I won't be watching it.

I have that day free and will be writing part of another novel.

[Warren DeMontague]

46. I've already made my plans for what I'll be doing during the next total eclipse visible from here

2169.

I intend to be fully and enthusiastically dead.

With that in mind, I'm gonna try to check this one out.

[displacedtexan]

24. I got that email, too.

And I had purchased and mailed some of them to relatives in three states, damn it.

[Throck]

26. Know any welders?

Borrow an arc welders helmet.

[central scrutinizer]

31. The Eugene public library is giving them away free

Not sure how many they have (or had)

[eppur_se_muova]

32. Contact astronomy clubs and societies to find safe glasses ...

https://myasp.astrosociety.org/products/eclipse

https://store.astroleague.org/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=96&zenid=uh5jnnqd4hd1bqgt50m2cip131

[ecstatic]

43. I like that they let you know

Nice touch. Hopefully you'll get them in time.