Is Redstar Worldwear a scam?!

I got the RedStar Worldwear event card from the Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race this year. I got pretty excited about the prospects of having cheap but good sunglasses.

But first I wanted to see if this is a hoax. So I scoured the web and found some websites stating that people do receive their products, even though there were dissatisfaction at some point. I decided to give it a shot.

I bought 5 pairs of sunglasses and 1 free watch for 72 dollars - average ~14 USD per pair of shades. My conclusion is that it isn't a scam. But it's not an Amazon either. Let me try to break it down:

1) Service
- Took more than 3 weeks to reach my place. Registering my order itself took a week. It makes you wonder how efficient the people are.
- phone customer service was not professional. They were generally nice, but they do not know what happened to my order when I called them.

2) Website
- mediocre interface. Their business heavily relies on this but fails to give a convenient interface. Order is not updated. I initially ordered 7 sunglasses and 3 watches. 2 shades and 2 watches were out of stock, but I only knew this when I received the products. How late is that! Gives a sloppy and unprofessional impression.
- hard to navigate.
- hard to keep track of products on order list by product ID. Pain in the neck because you have to remember which ID corresponds to which sunglasses or watch.


3) Product
- I bought an aviator which I always wanted to try. I would say it feels durable, since it feels heavier. Looks not too bad. But I think the design does not seem to be what I expect from the photo online. It's not different, but the online image glorified the sunglasses many times I would say.
- I tried it outdoors, and I still prefer my own pair of shades in terms of shielding; I still have to squint my eyes when the sun is strong where I did not have to for my own pair.
- It doesn't have a good fit.
- can't try, can't return.

So all in all, I would say, for the price, it's good value for money. IF you have the patience and time, and some extra $15 bucks to spare, just get one of these to try out. Seems durable and aesthetic enough. I don't think it's a scam just because I got my products as promised and in very good condition.

REMEMBER THOUGH: there is a check box when you check out on the website that states that you want to receive shades every time they push out new models. UNCHECK THAT! Because they will charge you for every sunglasses/watch they send. JUST KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR THIS.

I unchecked it and haven't got any calls nor sunglasses nor undesirable deductions from them yet.