Beware of GE "Constant On" lights

Apparently to GE, Constant On only means "sometimes".

This is our "Constant On" tree.  We have the 7.5 foot version with the clear lights.

Here's our tree today:

Sorry the picture isn't great but you'll get the idea.

Look at the right of the tree.  The middle section is OUT.  The entire middle section is out.  What happened to "constant on"???  Well let me tell you...

I have this Light Keeper Pro Gun that we purchased because our last prelit tree wouldn't light up.  So for days now I've been trying to use this gun to get the lights fixed and nothing has been working.  So today I gave up and called the customer service at GE to see if they could help.

First off, GE customer service is not here in the US and the accent of the people was very difficult for me to understand.  And it's not customer services fault (I used to work in customer service so I take great pains not to take my frustrations out on the people at the other end of the line) but the amount of information that they require before they even try to help you is too much.  I had to get the UPC # off the box (what if the box was back up in an attic??), they needed all my personal information, and they needed the receipt or warranty card.  I could not find my receipt (from 2010).  I'm sure I have it, but it's filed away.  So I had to locate the warranty card which of course was in the box, which of course was put away in the basement.

After ripping the basement apart, I found the card.

here's what I had to do to the basement to find the card

Now once I found the card, they needed me to take a picture of it and email it to them.  OOOOKKK....

Then I was put on hold and accidentally disconnected.  Did I mention that the baby started crying 15 minutes before the disconnect?  No... well he did.  And at this point he was screaming.

So I get the baby calmed down enough to call customer service back and a different person answers. I explained that I was speaking to someone about my problem and the call dropped.  "Jason" offered to help me but I really wanted the other person back because I didn't want to have to start from the beginning.  Apparently there is no "Lilly" there (I couldn't understand her name) so I was stuck with Jason and going over everything from the beginning.

Conclusion:  The "fuse bulb" that is permanent on the lights of the tree went bad and there is no way to fix it.  Their solution was to send me another strand of lights so that I could take the lights off of my prelit tree and restring them.  REALLY????  I paid for a prelit tree and you now want me to string it myself?  Unacceptable.  But that's all "Jason" could do.   I snottily thanked "Jason" and told him to keep his lights because apparently they don't work very well anyway.

So I'm giving you all this information so that you are not fooled by the "constant on" name of GE's lights.  They are only "constant on" if the permanent fuse bulb works.  And if that goes bad then you are out of luck.  This tree has only seen 3 Christmas'.  And we payed extra for the "constant on" lights which are misleading at best and false advertising for sure.

I will NEVER buy another prelit tree from GE.  EVER.  They do not stand behind their product and they do not warranty their product, only the strand of lights.  I bought the tree and lights TOGETHER, not separate   But their warranty only covers a cheap strand of shoddy lights.

So Beware!!  Don't get fooled like we did.  I left this message on their Facebook page.  Consider yourself warned:
"Just got off the phone with your customer service. In 2010 we purchased a Santa's Best Constant On Christmas tree for almost $400.00. We bought it because the sales person at Litehouse Pools told us that an entire string of lights would never go out. One whole section of our tree has gone out and I am told that because it is the "fuse bulb" there is no fix for it. Your customer service has offered to send me a new string of lights. This is unacceptable!!!! I bought a prelit tree that is supposed to be "constant on" and it is not. IT'S A PRELIT TREE. If I wanted to add lights to my tree I would have bought an unlit tree. I am very disappointed in this product and GE's response to the problem. I will never buy another prelit GE tree again. "Constant On" is false advertising. I will tell everyone I know about your lack of customer service."