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Comment by nate_meurer | Hacker News Reader

I have two pairs of glasses, one bought from Lens Crafters years ago for over $200, and another that I bought online for less than $20 from Zenni Optical. The glasses are nearly identical in every way, the biggest difference being a slightly sturdier frame in the less expensive pair.

When I bought the first pair years ago, there were no online alternatives, and I remain convinced that the brick-and-mortar spectacle vendors, along with the drive-in optometry practices with which they are often conjoined, are racketeers.

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Ok, here's a slightly different story with an online vendor. I bought a pair of prescription sunglasses online. I paid extra to have a thin lens. $250 order from a reputable merchant.

I received a pair of glasses with the lens half an inch thick. This is not an exaggeration. It was literally that thick. Return and refund? Sorry, no, when you place the order you agree that you are NOT entitled to a refund under any circumstances, merely a replacement.

After a bit of back and forth, I sent the pair back and they blamed it on the design of the frame. Ok. I told them to pick a frame where I would get a normal sized lens. So they sent me the new pair, this time it was slightly thinner, but not by much. Now there's a racket. Wasted $250 on a pair of clown glasses with no recourse.

I got a pair at my local Pearle Vision for the same price and the lens was perfectly normal and thin. Never again.

Do you mind if I ask where you spent $250 online for prescription sunglasses? Did that price include designer frames?

I got two pairs of prescription sunglasses from firmoo [1] for about $25 during a promotion. I am currently considering buying a new pair from a different merchant at a regular price of $30-$40 depending on frames, perhaps double that if I spring for polarizing lenses.

Dropping $250 for prescription sunglasses seems extremely expensive, unless you chose and value branded designer frames.

[1] http://firmoo.com/

I just tried ordering a pair of eyeglasses from Firmoo myself. The pair of frames (with the default 1.50-index lenses) was $39. Adding on the Ultra Thin (1.67), UV and fingerprint-resistant coatings brought it up to a whopping $106.90 (better lenses cost an additional $67.90).

A comparable pair at SelectSpecs [1] cost $54.33, of which $40.75 was for the 1.67 index option.

Seems like eyeglass stores make the bulk of their revenues (unsurprisingly) from lens customisations these days.

[1] http://selectspecs.com

> Do you mind if I ask where you spent $250 online for prescription sunglasses?

OpticsPlanet.com

> Did that price include designer frames?

Yes. Ray-ban.

> unless you chose and value branded designer frames.

Bingo.

You ordered online and that means you probably paid with a credit card. That means you always have recourse. You could have disputed the charges. Even before you dispute, you could tell the merchant you are likely to dispute. The merchant might refund the money if you'd likely win so they don't get hit with the ramifications of a dispute.

> You ordered online and that means you probably paid with a credit card. That means you always have recourse.

No, you don't always have recourse. If you entered into an agreement with the merchant that the transaction is non-refundable, then no, you don't.

And you can't order glasses with them unless you do.

I'm not claiming that I didn't get anything. Just that I didn't like what I got. And they, of course, will claim that they can't resell what they made for me since it has my prescription in it.

> You could have disputed the charges.

I did.

> Even before you dispute, you could tell the merchant you are likely to dispute.

I did. I didn't go into the details, but there was a bit of drama before they even agreed to a second pair.

That's surprising. I wonder if certain cards are more consumer friendly than others because I've had a positive response when I needed to dispute charges. I've heard that debit adds don't give the same protection as credit cards. Maybe protection is different from card to card too.

edit: typo

I think the issue was the lens and not the frame.

You could have taken that frame that you liked and went to a local merchant to purchase new lenses for. That's what I would do even if I purchased the frames online, I'd get the prescription lens done elsewhere.

Another vote of confidence for Zenni. Insurance is a massive distort for the glasses market. While my glasses would have been covered upto $250 under insurance the local retailers have everything priced that I'd still end up paying more. For $39 from Zenni I got an untinted pair with the same frame as my brand name glasses. As a bonus this new pair does not have an unsightly "designer" logo.

The pricing for extras is also much better. The brand name dynamic tinting cost one third at Zenni what the local glasses shop wanted.

I had pretty much the same experience. The $27 glasses from Zenni are a tiny bit sharper than the $200 pair from the big-name store at the mall, though the frames from the mall are Armani. I don't care much about labels, and I have to say the Zenni frames look better to me.

That's actually the biggest reason I prefer to buy online, it's nearly impossible to get glasses locally without a huge brand name plastered on the side.

If I may ask, where did you get your vision checked for the prescription? I think I'm going your cheap route, however, my vision insurance has long been cancelled since I turned into a contractor..

In the absence of insurance, you might try a large retailer like Target or Walmart. The Target store nearest me charges $65 for a complete eye exam, which includes an un-dilated retinal exam and vision test.

I have insurance with a vision plan, however when I bought glasses from Zenni I used an old prescription from 8 years ago. My vision hasn't changed significantly in my adult life. I do still go for an eye exam every couple of years, mainly to keep an eye out for glaucoma, which may run in my family a bit.

I don't have vision insurance, but my health insurance will cover the eye exam.

Some Costco stores have an on-site optometrist that will do a vision check for ~$50.

The last time I got my eyes checked, I went to a Lens Crafters type store that was having a special for an eye exam and 2 pairs of glasses for $99. Of course they tried to upsell me on the lenses and frames, which got expensive quickly, but I declined and just got the bare minimum. Then I bought a pair of glasses with a nicer lens material online at Zenni. So now I have a few pairs of backup glasses, which is very nice.

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