Why will my dealer not exchange faulty lights after a few months?
You cannot blame the dealer. Under German and European jurisdiction, lights count as consumable, not durable, goods and thus are not subject to any warranty. We offer dealers handy light testing devices so they can guarantee to end users that the lights are working at the time of purchase. Exchanging lights is a matter of sheer goodwill on the part of the dealer, and the period of time after purchase during which an exchange can still be made is a matter of personal discretion for him. We are prepared to replace lights that are returned as defective for dealers, where these are returned with a proof of purchase within two weeks. It is not possible for our company to deliver replacements directly to end customers. The end customer's contractual partner is always the dealer from whom the purchase was made.
How long should terrarium lights work for and what does 'average operating life' mean?
Lights with a coiled filament (HOBBY Sunlight, HOBBY Neodymium Basking Spot Daylight, HOBBY Thermo Basking Spot, HOBBY Infraredlight and HOBBY Moonlight) are technically regarded as bulb lights regardless of the gas they are filled with, or the colour and shape of the glass. As all major manufacturers such as Osram, Phillips, Sylvania, etc. will confirm, the operating life from a technical manufacturing perspective is 2,500 hours on average. At 10-14 hours' use in the terrarium, this equates to a time span of 2-3 months. Many consumers subjectively consider this to be too short. Indeed the lights they have in the kitchen, in the hall, on the desk and in the bathroom can last for years. While this may be true, it must be noted that these are only switched on for a few minutes a day and the 2,500 hour operating life is reached correspondingly later.
Halogen lamps (HOBBY Diamond Halogen Spotlight and HOBBY Diamond Halogen Floodlight) have an average operating life of 3,000 hours. As they emit more light and heat for the same power consumption, they are often more economical alternatives to coil filament lights.
Metal halide lamps and blended lamps (a special type of metal halide lamp) are more expensive to buy, but also last longer. Their average operating life is around 6,000 hours. Dohse Aquaristik gives these lamps (HOBBY UV Reptile vital and HOBBY UV Star) an operating warranty of 6 months. This is calculated from the date of purchase. In the rare event of a complaint, the dealer from whom the lamp was purchased is the contractual partner and point of contact.
Compact lamps, also known as energy-saving lamps (HOBBY UV Compact) have an average operating life of 8,000 hours.
Average operating life is a calculated amount. 'Average' means 50% reach the stated time (e.g. 1000 hours for filament lights), 25% last longer and 25% do not last that long. The average operating lifetime is achieved at a standard current strength of 230 volts. In some countries such as Great Britain and southern Europe, but unfortunately also in isolated regions within Germany, peak values in excess of 230 volts are reached by the local power supplier, substantially reducing the operating life.
How can I complain about a product?
In Germany, consumer goods carry a 24-month warranty period. Please return the product to us at your expense with the respective receipt. We shall not accept deliveries if the carriage has not been paid. The statutory warranty period does not apply to all consumer goods, e.g. light bulbs. However, we may replace light bulbs on a good-will basis if there is proof that they only operated for a few days.
Who is Dohse Aquaristik KG?
Dohse Aquaristik is a pioneering company in the aquarium supplies branch. The story began with a retail store which quickly became known beyond the Bonn city limits. And as early as the mid-fifties, Dohse Aquaristik started developing into a provider of solutions for aquarium related problems. Today, the highly export-orientated family business is managed by the third generation. The product groups for aquariums, terrariums and garden ponds are all successfully marketed under the HOBBY brand name.
Who pays for the return postage?
If the purchase price of the product specified on the receipt is € 40 or more, we shall reimburse the return postage when replacing the product. If the purchase price is less than € 40, you must return the product to us at your expense.
Do HOBBY Sunlight lamps emit UV-B light?
In the past these lamps stated "With UV-B portion" on the package. Unfortunately this has led to the assumption that they were UV-B lamps and could be used for the prophylactic synthesis of vitamin D3 to prevent rachitic disease. UV-B lamps that truly meet this requirement have a completely different design and for production-related reasons belong to a different price category altogether. The HOBBY Sunlight is technically speaking a bulb-type lamp and the minimal portion of UV-B radiation is only produced because a special quartz glass is used. The UV-B radiation emitted by the HOBBY Sunlight is, at 5 cm from the glass, around 10% of the value, considered to be the minimum required as prophylaxis for rachitic disease, achieved by UV-B emitters at 30 cm. Without changing production, the package nor longer advertises the low UV-B portion as a measure to prevent further misunderstandings. The lamp, imitating natural sunlight with the full spectrum of 4 colours, is still to be recommended as a basic light for all types of terraria of course.
