What gives? Buying glasses has become a complete nightmare. From being refused a second pair and having the first pair break within 2 weeks, to having to sit through endless sales pitches for tri-focals when I clearly tell them up front “I DO NOT WANT THEM!” For a basic pair of bi-focals, I’m paying $580. Okay, designer frames, but that’s $200 of it. I’ve been to three shops now and I have to sit through the same crap. When will I ever find a decent eyeglass store?!
Welcome to the boards, GanipGanop. I’ve moved your thread to The BBQ Pit because it’s more of a rant about eyewear stores than a factual question about them. If you’re looking for other posters’ opinions on where to find a good deal, we can move this to the In My Humble Opinion forum.
Did you try haggling? I was absolutely stunned to discover that you can do this. I had a new prescription and they wanted to charge me $180.00 to put them in my “old frames”. I told them that I was going to visit family in Latin America and last time, they charged me $90.00 to do it. The salesguy spoke to the manager and said they could match it. I wasn’t even trying to haggle but my wife and I looked at each other and told them to do it.
They wanted to charge you extra for putting new lenses into old frames? The last time I got glasses I asked if they could do that, since I was trying to save some money, and they didn’t charge me anything but the cost of the lenses (which was high enough already).
Eye glasses are the biggest scam on the planet. My mother worked at an eye clinic that also sold eye glasses. I’d been suffering from eye strain (computer vision syndrome), so I went in to get a pair to help alleviate it. My vision is 20/20, so they gave me just a slight prescription and some type of special tint on the lenses, plus I picked out some designer frames. The price out the door was going to be about $490. But, since my mother worked there, I got them for “their cost.”
My new, discounted price? $90.
I recently tried to do this, and was told they could no longer make lenses for my frames (3 years old), which had been discontinued. I am quite sure that is just bullshit to sell more overpriced frames.
I just heard about this place: Zinni Optical and I’m thinking of trying them out for a back up pair.
Definitely bullshit. Just yesterday, I gave my optometrist my 10 year old glasses and asked him to put new lenses in the frames. $90. According to How Stuff Works, they grind a large lens blank to your prescription first, then cut it to fit the frames.
I’ve found this behavior regrettably common at big chains like LensCrafters and EyeMasters and remarkably absent from most individual optometrists’ offices.
My most recent eye appointment was absolutely wonderful, and I’m happy to recommend them to anyone who lives in and around Austin, TX. I’m very very nearsighted and I have an astigmatism so my prescription is kind of odd, but even with Vogue-branded frames my new glasses would have cost about $350 before insurance and were a paltry $125 after. They have pet birds and an aesthetician or two who will sit down and try different frames on your face over and over till you find something you love. I send everyone I know to them – I have not had such a good experience with purchasing glasses since I was eight years old and my family was personal friends with the optometrist (I went to school with his son and belonged to his D&D group. My dad DM’d. Oh Tommy, what has become of you?).
The place that was willing to use my old frames last year was Eyecare Center; I don’t know if they’re considered a big chain. I initially went to them because they were one of the participants in my optical plan. As it turned out, they withdrew from my plan between the time I made the appointment and the date of the appointment. However, they still gave me a discount on the exam and the lenses, and said they would also give me a deal on frames if I bought them. (They also told me that the reason they had dropped out of my plan as because they weren’t getting paid timely.)
This year I have a different vision plan, which I chose partly because Eyecare Center is one of their providers. IIIRC, my plan includes either free frames or a significant discount towards purchase of frames. I may be getting in touch with them again soon, just to see if my prescription has changed, and I might be ordering new glasses anyway just to have another backup pair.
I’ve gone independent the last two times and have gone through the same BS. Oh, if you want those frames, then you need the extra lightweight lenses for an extra $100. Oh, those frames are only covered up to 30% on your insurance.
So, I haggle the same way I as with a car. Give them a bottom line out the door price. Take it or leave it. Any optometrist in the state can fill the prescription.
Anecdotal Evidence
I purchased a pair of glasses from Zenni, which I assumed to be a gamble based on the literally dozens of user comments I’d seen online about them. Taken as a whole, they seemed to indicate that the glasses were fine but dealing with them was a crapshoot: if you had any kind of problem that meant dealing with customer service directly, you were likely screwed (“uncooperative” was the gentlest euphemism I saw attributed to them).
Figuring I didn’t have much to lose, I gambled, and received a perfectly decent pair of glasses for (total cost, with shipping) around $17. I believe they did send a lens size a couple of millimeters larger than the ones I requested, but both the prescription and quality of the frames are fine (actually, better than some $150+ frames I’ve bought from eyeglass stores).
So, my experience was positive, but be aware that they have a rather sour reputation in the eyes of many who’ve dealt with them.
Adding to Vinyl Turnip’s anecdote, my wife just received a pair from them last weekend. $22 after shipping, and she’s perfectly happy with them. She’s got a really nice pair (and the glasses aren’t bad, either – just so no one else beats me to it).
I’m planning to order a pair of prescription sunglasses from them now that my wife’s had a positive experience. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully, I won’t need to deal with their customer service now that I know what Vinyl’s seen.