Unlike the Coffee Wars below, where taste is clearly an issue and ultimately you have to decide for yourself between Nespresso, Keurig, Peet’s, or (gasp) Starbuck’s. Degustibus, after all.
But eyewear, at least by me, is a no-brainer. Here’s my story: Last March I bought an expensive pair of prescription (progressive lens) Ray-ban glasses at Lenscrafters. I didn’t pay too much attention to price because my generous WGA insurance pays $500/yr for what they call “vision care.” The glasses, however, were semi-defective and one of the lenses fell out intermittently. I kept putting it back in myself until, last week, I couldn’t do it anymore. I headed down to Lenscrafters, assuming they could repair. Nope. Their technician said the groove in the lens had worn out. Since it was only seven months, I then assumed they would give me a replacement. No such luck. Their glasses, evidently, are only guaranteed for the first three months, but they would give me a “discount” on new lenses. I waited patiently as they took an inordinate amount of time to compute the price on their computer. Result: $752!
Outrageous,I thought, and decamped immediately for Costco where the polite technician offered to replace my complicated progressive lenses, with UV and, for $25 extra, that tinting that varies with the sunlight (I didn’t have this from Lenscrafters) for a grand total of $178.
Never will I darken the halls of Lenscrafters again. A quick Yelp search indicates that I am not alone. (Yes, this is the same branch I went to. BTW, someone from that store left voicemail on my cell that night asking if I was now ready to order the lenses… sheesh.)
You brushed shoulders with Luxottica, the world’s largest eyewear maker. They are dominant in the global market.
Brands: Arnette, Eye Safety Systems, K&L, Luxottica, Mosley Tribes, Oakley,
Oliver Peoples, Persol, Ray-Ban, Revo, Sferoflex, Vogue.
Designer labels made under license: Anne Klein, Brooks Brothers, Bulgari, Burberry, Chanel, Chaps, Club Monaco, D&G, DKNY, Donna Karan eyewear, Miu Miu,
Polo Ralph Lauren, Prada, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Salvatore Ferragamo,
Stella McCartney, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, Versace, Versus.
Retail divisions: Sunglass Hut International, LensCrafters, OPSM, Laubman & Pank, Budget Eyewear, Bright Eyes, Pearle Opticians, Pearle Vision, Surfeyes, Sears Optical (lisenced), Target Optical (lisenced), BJ’s Optical, Cole Vision Care, ICON, Optical Shop of Aspen and ILORI. They also own EyeMed Vision Care, one of the leading managed vision care organizations in the United States.[17]
Costco has the best guarantee on almost everything. I had an iron that broke after less than a year and Costco found the record of the purchase and gave me full credit. I just bought a bed and the delivery was perfect. Costco is the best.
I stopped going to Lenscrafters several years ago. I had gone to the store to pick up a new pair of glasses, tried them on, couldn’t read the extremely large writing across their back wall (you know, the wall with advertising they use to draw in people who are walking OUTSIDE THE STORE). The person helping me with my purchase tried to tell me that I wasn’t supposed to be able to read the back wall while wearing my new glasses. After I stopped laughing, I asked for a refund, walked out and never looked back.
How about Sam’s Club Optical? Anybody have any experience with them?
Lenscrappers advertises quick service, but only provides it for basic frames (the ones nobody wants). I had a similar experience with them several years ago, when the frame of my new glasses broke less than a year after purchase. They graciously offered to sell me a new set of glasses. Fool me once, shame on you — fool me twice, shame on me. Someday, they may run out of suckers.
Funny how insurance distorts the market negatively.
When I was first getting a handle on my migraine headaches, I got some sunglasses with an extremely dark tint from Lenscrafters, I think back then I paid about $400 for the lenses and another $125 for the frames. They were a great pair of glasses, but the price was exorbitant and I paid cash.
I went to Lenscrafters once. After spending an hour examining me and picking frames, etc they laid the price on me: $800 — but the second pair is half price.
I laughed my ass off and walked out. Who in their right mind wouldf pay $800 for glasses?
Here’s my recommendation: Optical4less dot com. $40 a pair and I have never been disappointed.
Just to say, I’ve had great optical care from Kaiser. I go there because I’m a member but, given how extremely complicated my prescription is, I wouldn’t stay there, membership notwithstanding, if they didn’t do a superb job. For those interested, I’m under the impression that Kaiser will also provide optical care for non-members, and will take their insurance too.
I’ll second that — I’ve had pretty good luck with glasses and prescription sunglasses from Kaiser over the years.
A lot of glasses come from off shore. We traded Lenscrafters for one of the internet marketers: Zenni Optical. However, there are things that they don’t do, for example add prism to my eye script. However, at a cost of 20% of what Lenscrafters charges for an attractive but not branded frame, its worth it. If you have a family, the yearly savings are substantial.
We switched from Lenscrafters to Zenni, too. I went from paying $473 for a pair of progressive-lens glasses to $70something – that was 2 years ago – now Zenni’s prices have come down even further. And the selection is far superior to Lenscrafters, and they will put your progressive prescription into actually *attractive* frames, not the pug-ugly ones Lenscrafters flogs. We’ll never go to paying those highway-robbery prices. Lenscrafters’ days are numbered at this rate.
Also, consider getting your Eye examine at Costco, even if you don’t buy your glasses there.
Insider to the industry suggested this to me.
Costco has very, very close margins on their glasses. To succeed, they simply can not be having to redo glasses for a bad script, period.
Because of this, they are very picky about who they will allow to setup an independent Optometrist shop in their building (and I guess they only have independent operators).
Long story short. Costco is a good bet for your script also, they simply can’t afford to F’them up.
You do not have to be a member to use their optometrist, you can take the script where ever like…
I bought glasses from Lenscrafters once, too.
Once.