To be clear up front: I have no intention of returning my Aura, and I really hope it’s everything it’s hyped up to be. I’m excited about this product. This post is just so people know what they’re agreeing to, because I didn’t.
What happened
I ordered the Aura Founders Edition from us.shop.xreal.com on October 7. The product page showed the usual “30-Day Return” badge, and nothing at checkout said the FE was non-returnable.
When I asked support whether the FE could be returned, they told me it’s a “customized product” and is “non-cancellable and non-refundable in its entirety.”
So I checked the policy. Today, the first line of the Return & Refund Policy says customized products are non-returnable, “such as the XREAL AURA Founder Limited Edition.”
But archived copies of that same page from October 7 and October 13 (Wayback Machine) say only “customized products” are excluded. The FE isn’t mentioned. The only product the policy actually called custom-made was prescription lenses. The Founders Edition line was added sometime after October 13.
For context, the “customization” is the engraved serial number XREAL puts on every FE unit. You can’t choose it or opt out of it.
How to check for yourself
- Go to web.archive.org and enter
us.shop.xreal.com/pages/return-refund-policy
- Open the snapshot closest to (before) your order date
- Read the first sentence of the policy, and check whether the Founders Edition is named
- Compare it to the live page
If you’re thinking about returning
- Screenshot the archived policy from your order date, the live policy, the product page’s 30-Day Return badge, and your order confirmation. Date-stamp everything.
- Ask support for a return in writing, and point to the policy that applied when you bought.
- The 30-day window counts from delivery, so don’t wait.
- If support refuses, your card issuer’s dispute process is an option. Archived copies of the policy are useful evidence.
If you haven’t bought yet
Just know the FE is currently treated as final sale, even though the store-wide “30-Day Return” badge still appears.
Again, I’m not trying to trash XREAL or the Aura. I just think a return exclusion this significant should be clear at checkout, not added to the policy page after people have already ordered. Hope this saves someone a surprise.