Lilly Investigates: Lelo’s Flaky Insignia Line
A few years ago, Lelo decided to cash in on the wave of “luxury” sex toys and kick things up a notch. A fancy new name for a fancier-looking line: Insignia. These first three new uber-luxury sex toys – the Isla, Alia and Soraya – certainly looked posh. Lelo’s previous line had been a signature look at the time: a white, shiny plastic handle with 4 buttons set in a unique configuration and standard colors. The Insignia line completely changed the look. No more white plastic! No obvious handle or buttons! HOW FANCY! Well, in theory. They were certainly pretty to look at, but I found with the Isla that the inner core of metallic-painted plastic caused major headaches when it came tine for clean-up. And even though that metallic-painted plastic inset looked like metal, it was not. Yet, we didn’t question it at first.
Recently, a reader emailed me:
Just wondering if you know anything about the gold foil flaking off the pointy end of the Soraya? I love my black friend but I’m a bit wary of using it when I can’t find the paint flakes after toy time. I haven’t had it all that long either. I’m not rough cleaning it, no scrubbing or harsh chemicals.
This gave me pause. Yes, I too would be a bit concerned if I knew that there were flakes of paint hanging out in my vagina. Since the onus is on the manufacturer to be truthful (and thus far, Lelo always has told the truth when they’ve described their materials) about the product, what with there being no regulations on sex toys, we must assume that the metallic paint is body safe should it flake off. Nothing about the composition of the paint is ever mentioned on the site.
But even beyond just the safety concern is suddenly the fact that your once-posh-looking nearly-$200 vibrator suddenly looks like the sex toy equivalent of a New Years Day hangover – still wearing last night’s fancy dress and makeup, but everything is faded and a bit scuffed from the enthusiastic partying, with missing spangles and sequins and shiny skin. Seriously. I expect a lot from a company who charges almost $200 for a dual-stimulator vibrator that has no bells and whistles like rotating shafts and independently controlled internal and external portions. I expect a lot from Lelo, period. I started looking into things more online, specifically the EdenFantasys forums. I tend to avoid them with a 10-foot-pole, but they do sometimes have their uses.
I found a lengthy post from a Soraya owner who still views the Soraya as her all-time favorite vibrator, despite all of the issues. And the issues don’t stop at cosmetic. At 6 months in, paint flaked off for her. After about 12-15 charges, the unique charging port changed from a pinpoint hole to a larger hole with tiny bits of silicone breaking off. When we first received the Insignia line, reviewers were baffled as to where to put the charging pin – the silicone skin was completely healed, there was no port cap! We were told that it wasn’t necessary, that it would break through and be so tiny that water wouldn’t get in during use. And it didn’t. But if that pinpoint hole should enlarge? I don’t know. After 8 months of use, the owner had a motor malfunction. What I find important to note is that she said that if the motor had not malfunctioned at 8 months in, she would not have been able to get a warranty replacement. I was shocked. Paint is flaking off, yet that is considered a cosmetic issue and is not covered under their 1 year warranty?!? And, good thing the malfunction happened at 8 months in. Past the year mark, one would only get a 50% off credit towards a new Lelo. Now, this doesn’t mean that you would have these issues with the motor. You may never. But chances of the paint flaking off? I’m saying it’s pretty likely:
Despite the reader who emailed me saying that she treats her toy well, it seems that even those who are careful can suffer a surface scratch to the painted plastic portion and not even realize it – until it later starts flaking. Since the painted portion is concave, it’s less likely that it is a rubbing-off issue. When I used to use silver-toned corded bullet vibrators, after a few months of heavy use the paint would start wearing. I didn’t use them internally so I wasn’t as concerned. But these were cheap, $10 bullets. Not $200 rabbits or $150 lackluster straight vibes or $115 clitoral vibes.
I contacted Lelo to ask if my reader’s Soraya is covered under warranty, just in case. In reading the warranty terms on the Lelo site, it says:
This pleasure object is intended for adults only. LELO warrants this pleasure object for a period of ONE (1) YEAR, after the date of original purchase, against defects due to faulty workmanship or materials. If you discover a defect and notify LELO during the warranty period, LELO will, at its discretion, replace the pleasure object free of charge.
The warranty covers working parts that affect the function of the pleasure object. It does NOT cover cosmetic deterioration caused by fair wear and tear or damage caused by accident, misuse or neglect. Any attempt to open or take apart the pleasure object (or its accessories) will void the warranty.
Now….I take issue with this. I feel that the paint flaking off of a portion you use internally is a result of faulty workmanship or materials. I don’t view that as a mere cosmetic issue.
I can see the paint flaking off of the battery covers to the Insignia SenseMotion remotes, as well, in fact much more easily. I’ve already scratched the surface of mine just by trying to get the damn battery cover off, even using their plastic key. A lot of handling of that remote would cause paint to flake off. Now that I would not take as big of an issue with since it would not be on the internally used portion, but again for the price of these toys…..I would feel cheated to have to look at an ugly, expensive toy.
Thankfully, Lelo responded the way I had hoped they would:
So it seems that the problematic owner from the forums took the warranty to heart and never asked. She didn’t outright say that she tried to return it under warranty and was denied. She assumed she was, and her assumptions made it sound like fact in her reporting.
Always ask. Especially when it comes to higher end companies like Lelo.
I really love the sculptural design of the whole Insignia range; I think they look exceptionally beautiful for sex toys, possibly even unrivalled in this regard.
I feel that Lelo have let themselves down a bit by going the metallic paint route, because it’s a cheap technique not befitting such a high-end product.
One of my pet peeves is things which try to pretend to be something they’re not. If you want a shiny metal part on a toy then make it from metal. If you start coating plastic in metal foil then it seems a little dishonest to me, even if you don’t try to hide that fact.
I can understand it with cheaper toys. If you’re paying $10 for a vibe then you can’t expect to actually be getting metal. In that circumstance it really is more about form over function, and companies are purposely trying to dress up inexpensive products as much as possible, in order to shift large quantities quickly and make a decent profit.
With an expensive product I just expect more. I want to see quality through and through, not corners cut. Design it to be the best that it can be, and manufacture it to live up to that.
I still admire Lelo though, especially how they’re handling the warranty situation. If they didn’t foresee this issue and are willing to remedy it when it occurs, then that’s the right sort of reaction to have.
I’m glad that her toy was covered under the warranty. I’ve got a few LELO products myself and love them to death.
It’s good to know that even though the luxury line has its issues, LELO is being fair and responsible about it. I have a lot of respect for them as a company and I would hate to be disappointed.
The gold paint on my lelo Soraya started flaking, I did a google search and I found your investigation
My product is over two years old, so according to their warranty system that means its covered by the 10 year warranty: “receive a 50% discount on your next purchase of a LELO product”
I contacted customer care – I thought you might be interested in their response: free replacement! – see their email below
Thanks for sleuthing!
Disappointed that Lelo put out something with faulty materials and haven’t done a product recall on it—I paid a lot, but happy with customer service.
cheers
/ursula
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LELO reply to your inquiry:
Thank you for your email.
I am sorry hear that.
We would like to offer you a free replacement, would you pase provide us with following information ?
1, Full Name:
2, Full Address:
3, Phone number:
4, Color of replacement:
5, serial number (to be found the back of the warranty booklet):
6, Picture of the problem :
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards
Hiba Khatbane
Customer Care Supervisor
LELO
We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please reply directly to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your inquiries and responses.
my Alia has started flaking, really glad to read this and find I am not alone with this problem. I suppose it is less of a safety concern/more cosmetic than with a Soraya but I am still pretty disappointed. I’ve been really careful with it but perhaps this is the inevitable result of having to clean the awkward edges of the gold bit? My Alia is about 1 1/2. The other Lelo products I was interested in buying seem to have these gold bits too, but I feel pretty disillusioned about them now. I have written to Lelo however and am waiting for a response.
Received the same response as Ursula, hooray! Still, I do wonder if the same thing is going to happen again, and also if the handle of the Smart Wand (which I’m presently daydreaming about)could potentially suffer the same fate…although those seem to look silver.
~ Yay, glad to hear it! Smart Wand handle to me is a lot less worrisome since it’s only the handle. Unlike the insignia line. I’ve not yet had a problem, but we’ll see. Paint is paint, though, and it’s still a metallic painted plastic.
I never had an issue with the plating flaking. The LELO Isla was my first ‘power’ vibe, back then. Looking at it now, it is one of the lesser power vibes. I do like the Alia, I am a clit person and it rocks my boat but I am still trying to come to terms with what’s what with LELO, every couple of years, it seems like they come out with a brilliant product and then they dull down again. But I have talked to a few people that have had issues with the flaking parts, LELO should really stick by their warranty on that and replace them, as they are counted as faulty
Having issues with a replacement Soraya, it quit and was showing signs of the metal plating coming off, and it was replaced. This issue has continued, and the $240 retail price my partner paid is supposed to have been a bit of a policy of protection, they company touts it’s products are safe, and non-toxic. My partner uses the device far less this time round, and it’s still shedding it’s metallic plated paint, and now she’s got an auto immune issue, in the very area one wouldn’t want anything problematic, much less medically, and it’s become a huge problem. Upon contacting Lelo, and asking about the metallic paint, they replied with an offer of another replacement, after making a statement of their products being safe and non-toxic.
My email to Lelo:
This is our 2nd Lelo Soraya, and it was purchased because of its high quality, and supposedly made out of safe materials.
The chrome plated surfaces on both sides of the device are failing, apparently flaking off and I believe this to be extremely unsafe, and I’ve asked my partner to stop using it.
She has been having some issues that are of a personal nature, and is seeking medical care for this, and we are very concerned about the possibility that the surface of this device that is flaking off might have something to do with it.
I have enclosed photos of the device and will be sharing them with her physician. In the mean time, the expense of this device has certainly not been worth the discomfort and pain that may be a result of this failed surface flaking off and if not, it’s still unusable in its condition, and we are very concerned, and ultimately disappointed in Lelo.
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Lelo replies:
We are really sorry for that.
Our products are made by 100% body safe materials and also certified by FDA, have passed all necessary tests and fall under all obligatory standards in order to be imported and used all over the world.
Please do not worry about it.
For your defective Soraya, we are now pleased to provide you with a free replacement of Soraya directly.
Can you please provide us with following information?
1, Full Name:
2, Full Address (no po.box):
3, Phone number:
4, the color of your Soraya
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards
Sally
Customer Care Assistant
LELO
——————–
Our response:
Hello,
We have discussed this, and believe the Soraya and it’s metallic finish is just not right for us. Is there any chance something without any metallic surfaces is available, as an alternative? This is the second Soraya we’ve had, and the finish on it was also failing, as per my partner. She has suggested the INA Wave, and I see it’s less than what the Soraya does.
We do appreciate the assistance, and thank you for taking good care of us. It’s why we made the choice in the first place.
———————–
Lelo reply:
As per our warranty procedure, we can only issue the same item of the replacement to customer.
Since you have been long term supporting lelo, we are pleased to make an exception for you and we can provide you with a free replacement of Ina Wave which has less value than Soraya.
Can you please let us know your preference color of Ina Wave ?
By the way, please also provide us with the serial number of your Soraya.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards
Sally
Customer Care Assistant
————–
I’ve given them the info requested, every LELO product we’ve owned has been registered with their company, and I’m still very unsure, worried that this issue has become a saftey concern, and not a consumer issue. Do you have any updated information from anyone OTHER than Lelo? Is there another avenue we can turn to for answers?
“Our products are made by 100% body safe materials and also certified by
FDA, have passed all necessary tests and fall under all obligatory
standards in order to be imported and used all over the world.”
Umm…that bit sounds suspicious to me. Why would the Food and Drug Administration certify non-food, non-drug materials used in a sex toy? Also, as far as I’m aware, there ARE no “necessary tests” or “obligatory standards” for sex toys in the U.S.
We did accept a replacement, with a completely different model, and they shipped it next day air. That is excellent customer service, but I still question the validity of the testing claims, and have looked into what could be their source of the product, AliBaba.com, and found several that were too close to exact copy of the Soraya, and everything on that huge website has the same “tested and fully compliant” claims in all their offerings, from adult toys, to military tanks. It also makes sense that they would swiftly and quietly exchange a possibly toxic or unsafe item, because it’s proper, but it still should be investigated, as the numbers sold would carry a frightening liability, not to mention the potential for personal harm.
http://m.alibaba.com/product/60332126394/Brand-New-Leloes-Insignia-Soraya-Waterproof.html?spm=a2706.7843299.1998817009.9.g5BYOU
(the replacement device, Ina Wave, is too loud, too big, for us, and too much trouble to return)
They’re not testing the SEX TOY, just the materials. They can acquire materials that already have an FDA certification. We run into this at my work – some materials already have been tested and meet medical requirements which is the way we prefer to go (otherwise, we have to pay to get it tested).
The motor itself also has to go through testing, but ALL motors in ALL products that get imported into Europe need to have that testing/certification, so it doesn’t really speak to much.
My not even 8 month old soraya has got paint chipping along the seam, gutted to say the least, just noticed it today. Really worried about it, I got it as a gift so don’t have the recipt, I could cry!
Worst thing is I had just used it and was cleaning it when I noticed the damage, its a pity I cannot post pics on here, I have just sent some to Lelo. It’s only been used around ten times, fifteen at the very most. I feel great having pieces of gold paint in my internal privates :-(