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pylon · 02-25-2012, 01:13 AM

I have been buying my glasses from the regular places for years. Lenscrafters, Crown, bought a pair from Hakim Optical about a year and a half ago. EVERY SINGLE TIME, they screw up the adjustment for my stigmatism, and I end up with everything tilted to the left, like I am having an LSD trip, and need to spend a week with headaches adapting. And I always was buying the top end pentax lenses.

So the last time I had my prescription done, I had my optometrist measure my pupil distance, and I ordered from clearly contacts. I checked off every box on the option list, and got a complete pair for $92. They showed up in the mail, and it was the clearest, sharpest, most accurate pair of glasses I have ever owned. Went back online and ordered 3 more pairs, and every single pair was flawless in the prescription execution. The total for 4 brand name pairs, was around $380. The cost for 1 pair, from Lenscrafters with same ultra thin lenses, was $650, with the identical frame.

I understand there may be some risks ordering online, but when you are paying 7 X more in the retail, brick and mortar location, I am willing to take the risk on getting a couple dud pairs. At first I was happy with how much money I saved, but after thinking about it, I was so frikkin po'd that I had been ripped off so bad by the eye wear industry over the years.

Frame retailers have a criminal markup. $3-400 is what you pay for a pair of decent frames. A chunk of moulded plastic worth $2. $400 buys you any of the following:

- A laptop
- A smart Phone
- An 18" Alloy wheel for a car
- A hydroformed Aircraft grade aluminum bicycle frame....and about a million other things that require infinitely more engineering precision and material costs. It is such a scam it is disgusting. They could sell titanium frames, for $20 and still be making a 500% markup.

Also, I see no difference when I order online and punch in my prescription and measurements provided by my optometrist, or have some Devry grad, punch it in at the store and walk it to the lens lab at the back. Either way, the person making the glasses aren't seeing me. And I trust my optometrists measurements any day of the week, over the Eyewear store person.

02-25-2012, 01:13 AM	#167
pylon Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Jul 2007 Exp:	I have been buying my glasses from the regular places for years. Lenscrafters, Crown, bought a pair from Hakim Optical about a year and a half ago. EVERY SINGLE TIME, they screw up the adjustment for my stigmatism, and I end up with everything tilted to the left, like I am having an LSD trip, and need to spend a week with headaches adapting. And I always was buying the top end pentax lenses. So the last time I had my prescription done, I had my optometrist measure my pupil distance, and I ordered from clearly contacts. I checked off every box on the option list, and got a complete pair for $92. They showed up in the mail, and it was the clearest, sharpest, most accurate pair of glasses I have ever owned. Went back online and ordered 3 more pairs, and every single pair was flawless in the prescription execution. The total for 4 brand name pairs, was around $380. The cost for 1 pair, from Lenscrafters with same ultra thin lenses, was $650, with the identical frame. I understand there may be some risks ordering online, but when you are paying 7 X more in the retail, brick and mortar location, I am willing to take the risk on getting a couple dud pairs. At first I was happy with how much money I saved, but after thinking about it, I was so frikkin po'd that I had been ripped off so bad by the eye wear industry over the years. Frame retailers have a criminal markup. $3-400 is what you pay for a pair of decent frames. A chunk of moulded plastic worth $2. $400 buys you any of the following: - A laptop - A smart Phone - An 18" Alloy wheel for a car - A hydroformed Aircraft grade aluminum bicycle frame....and about a million other things that require infinitely more engineering precision and material costs. It is such a scam it is disgusting. They could sell titanium frames, for $20 and still be making a 500% markup. Also, I see no difference when I order online and punch in my prescription and measurements provided by my optometrist, or have some Devry grad, punch it in at the store and walk it to the lens lab at the back. Either way, the person making the glasses aren't seeing me. And I trust my optometrists measurements any day of the week, over the Eyewear store person.