Although the impending solar eclipse has created a boom for solar eclipse-themed promotional products, the special solar eclipse glasses have faced a more uphill battle. NASA told the public that many of the solar eclipse glasses available for purchase were not safe enough to meet NASA standards.
NASA’s statements led to public confusion, with many consumers unsure which glasses they could trust to keep their eyes out of danger for the cosmic event. Now, Amazon is taking up the task of policing these substandard eclipse glasses, but it looks like its actions created even more of a frenzy, according to KGW Portland.
With one week to go before the solar eclipse, Amazon issued a widespread recall beginning Saturday morning to cease the sale of counterfeit glasses. The problem, however, is that even retailers with verified, NASA and American Astronomical Society-approved glasses are caught in the recall’s wires. As a result, these companies are losing out on peak profits, and as you can imagine, these verified sellers are livid.
Not only that, but those that are still looking to purchase legitimate glasses have been met with inflated prices in the hundreds, and there’s no guarantee that the product will arrive before the solar eclipse.
“Safety is among our highest priorities,” Amazon said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively reached out to customers and provided refunds for eclipse glasses that may not comply with industry standards. We want customers to buy with confidence anytime they make a purchase on Amazon.com and eclipse glasses sold on Amazon.com are required to comply with the relevant ISO standard.”
At least Amazon is issuing full refunds, but for many who just want to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime event, they want more. For instance, instead of issuing a massive recall one week before Aug. 21, the company could have been monitoring and identifying substandard glasses all along. And, now that the recall is in place, Amazon should have done a better job ensuring sellers with verified products were safe to keep selling.
For now, Amazon recommends consumers refer to the NASA and American Astronomical Society websites for more information.
