Because not all 'bendable titanium' is the same. Not all 'high index' lenses are the same. Not all 'Merino' wool is the same. Not all 'Granny Smith' apples are the same. There are differences between things with the same name.
Price is the most important determinate when comparing products. When you buy a 'steak' from the super saver market for $9.99 a pound, is it exactly the same as the 'organic, grass-fed, hormone-free, dry-aged' steak you get from a specialty shop for $28.99 a pound? One can rationalize that they don't need a $30 piece of beef but they know very well there is a difference. Now, that doesn't mean that the $9.99 steak should be poison, or even that the company selling the $9.99 steak should not stand behind it's product - we can all agree that it should - but, when eyeglass makers are working off such a thin profit margin, there is much less room to support quality problems. Take Goggles4U for example. Their frames are so worthless that they won't even accept you shipping them back them. Instead they ask you to donate them to your local eyeglass charity. You know a product is virtually worthless when the manufacturer thinks the cost of shipping is more than the value of the item. That's not to say that the frames are not good enough for many customers - they might be very happy with the quality of the product - they can wear them while they're chowing down on their $9.99 super saver steak... J. Evan On Jul 11, 6:26 pm, TujuMaster <[email protected]> wrote: > I have never ordered from Zenni, but I've ordered from Coastal > Contacts, Goggles4u, Eyebuydirect, Globaleyeglasses, and a chain, and > I have come to the conclusion that frames are frames. It seems to me > that just because a frame is sold in an online store, doesn't mean the > quality is bad. In fact, I have never found a noticeable quality in > the frames; only the lenses. With that being said, I have never tried > bendable titanium. It is my opinion that, after 9 pairs of online > glasses, that the frames online are comparable to what is in retail > stores. In fact, two of my frames I bought at CC for $6.95 were in my > America's Best for $69.95. I'll even go so far as to say that I > expect better quality from these online sites than in my store. So to > answer your question, J. Evan, I think that you should expect the same > quality. Why should price be a reason for poor quality when the > frames clearly state bendable titanium? > > On Jul 10, 11:05 am, "J. Evan" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > This is what happens when we put expensive lenses in cheap frames. > > This story appears to be happening more and more and Zenni is being > > mentioned, perhaps more than the others. Although you're still far > > more likely to be satisfied with your glasses then not, negative press > > always is bigger then positive. > > > Some of the frames on the Big 5's websites seem too gimmicky - > > "flexible titanium bridge" should have been a warning from the > > beginning, we must choose our frames with more care. In addition, I > > wonder if we're asking too much from what we pay for frames from > > Zenni, G4U and the others? What really do we expect from an $8.00 > > frame, or even a $20 frame? If we could buy a new car for $1,500 when > > all others cars cost $15,000, what really would we expect. That's not > > to say there isn't huge markup in brand name frames, there certainly > > is. But, those $200 frames still cost at least $30 when you total > > materials, manufacture and labor, probably more. What can we expect > > for $8? > > > Perhaps we're applying our first world standard of customer service to > > the third world? Perhaps we should if they're selling like hotcakes? > > It's hard to barter on something that costs more to ship than the item > > itself. Although I've only ordered one pair (two more on the way) from > > Coastal Contacts, they seem to offer much higher quality frames and > > customer service than Zenni and some of the other Big 5. Perhaps we're > > seeing a separation within the online industry - that is a few at the > > bottom like Zenni, which seem to make the cheapest product they can > > get away with - and others like CC, which although relatively new, > > seem to want to offer something really close to the real thing except > > on a much lower margin. > > > ??? > > > J. Evan > > > On Jul 10, 12:58 pm, frespkr <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I have purchased several pairs of glasses from Zenni and until now was > > > satisfied, especially with the accuracy of the prescriptions. The most > > > expensive pair was a pair of glasses with progressive lenses and a > > > frame with "bendable" titanium bridge. After about three months, I > > > removed the glasses a few days ago perfectly normally and the frame > > > broke in half in the middle of the "bendable" titanium bridge. > > > > I wrote to Zenni and they replied that I could order a new frame at > > > 1/2 off if they are still sold and get $2.00 back on the shipping. No > > > comment was made on the fact that the frame broke after 3 months > > > precisely where it was supposed to be most flexible. As far as I am > > > concerned, this is a "hidden cost" of the glasses as this has never > > > happened to me with any glasses let alone a frame with a special > > > bridge. No apology was made either. > > > If the frame was not still made, I would have been out the cost of the > > > progressive lenses and the "non-glare" coating as well. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Check us out at the oft-updated http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com! 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