It's possible they both burned out at the same time. It's also possible something went awry in the wiring. Nothing is made to last anymore. I had a desk model Ott light, and I thought the light bulb burned out so I bought a new one. It wasn't the light bulb. No way to fix the base so I just thew it away and got a new one. Luckily I kept my receipt and returned the bulb. I say buy the new bulbs, keep your receipt and if it's not the bulbs then it's something else within the lamp. Does it have a warranty?