I bought a Brookstone umbrella in 1995. It was very nifty for its time because not only was it automatic open, it was also automatic close (common today, but not so common back then). Yesterday, my trusty 11-year-old $30 umbrella finally gave up the ghost (as Murphy would have it, in the middle of the Harvard bridge, during drizzling rain, on my walk to work). Some spring must have broken or something, because the umbrella would no longer extend or open.

Their 100% satisfaction guarantee is also a product guarantee for “normal life of the product, under standard use”. I knew the umbrella had seen nothing but “standard use”, but I had no idea what the “normal life of the [umbrella]” was supposed to be. There was only one way to find out: I retrieved my 1995 receipt from my trusty envelope of “things with lifetime warranties” and went to the store to determine whether or not my umbrella was still covered under warranty.

The exchange went without a hitch, no questions asked, and not even a request for the original receipt! Of course, they don’t carry my model of broken umbrella anymore. The equivalent model that I received in exchange (“Super Size Family Umbrella”) is actually an upgrade; the new umbrella is lighter, and its canopy includes ventilation for graceful resistance to high-speed winds.

I am a happy Brookstone customer.