Lifetime typically does not mean the person’s lifetime or the length of the time they own a product. Instead it usually means expected life of a product. In testing, manufacturers may determine how long something will last and then give it a true lifetime age. That would mean people getting a lifetime warranty should ask what the life of the product is, as defined by the manufacturer or business offering the warranty. The exact meaning must be defined in the actual warranty documentation but is common to be extraordinarily vague.
If the manufacturer expects the product to last 5 years and it lasts 5 years, then it has made it the duration of its lifetime. If the product were to fail after 6 years, the manufacturer is not to blame and no claim can be made. The same thing goes if the product was expected to last 5 minutes off the shelf. While this may not necessarily be fair from a consumer standpoint, it is strategic marketing trick and, unfortunately, the most common type of warranty that is out there.
If a product has been discontinued and is no longer available, the warranty typically lasts a limited period longer.
You should never assume that a warranty means your lifetime, because it never does. The term, which once stood for something, has become nothing more than a casual marketing tool. And, while the Federal Trade Commission does offer suggestions as to how the guarantee of a lifetime warranty should be used, there are no laws or penalties for misuse of the term. Therefore, if you misunderstand the implications of a warranty, you may have no recourse that will allow you to recoup any losses you may have suffered.
