"limited" lifetime warranty

So what exactly does this statement mean, when attached to a consumer good or appliance? In some cases, they go into details in super-fine text beneath this statement, but in other cases they leave it vague. Isn't this a little like making blanketed statements like, "voted best in our class by consumers". Which of your consumers would those be exactly? The ones getting employee discounts, or their relatives?

The event that triggered this little mental anecdote was when my bedroom ceiling fan quit working. Realizing that it was a Hunter fan, and that all Hunter fans come with a "limited" lifetime warranty, I have contacted Hunter via their website to find out if it is covered by their warranty or not. Unfortunately, it has been a week now and still no response. I'm a little disappointed, but I am guessing that Hunter may be one of those companies that has yet to step up to internet customer service standards. In fact, I didn't even receive an auto-response to indicate that they received my support request. I was impressed, however, with the fact that they have downloadable PDF files for the installation manuals and parts lists for their different fan models online. Now if they would just respond to me. It is shame because we have bought numerous Hunter fans over the years, but had never had a problem with any of them until now.