I've been really grateful to read other experiences here, so I thought I'd share my own with three companies: Coastal Contacts, Zenni, and bringing up the rear - Lensway.
Let me say that I hate glasses. Hate, hate, hate. I've worn contacts since I was fourteen, which is....a long time ago. Hah. But a recent eye infection made me realize how old my glasses are, and how heavy. I decided to try online since I'm self-employed, and my insurance covers nothing when it comes to fancy pants eye gear. Lenscrafters quoted me $450 for progressives that were literally the ugliest frames in her-story. Uh, uh. There must be a better way! First at bat: Zenni Opticals. I decided to go rock bottom, just to try them out. My progressives prescription is only +1.25, so it isn't absolutely essential to have progressives [I have reading glasses from Target, after all], so I ordered single vision 1.57 lenses with 9.95 frames and anti-glare coating - a grand total of $19.57. [My prescription is a little strong and warranted the super light lenses at -4 and -5.25 with a slight astigmatism, but I didn't want to spend too much since Zenni doesn't do full refunds]. I mean for less than $20? I wouldn't care if they were scotch-taped. As it turns out, they were pretty great for three times that amount. They came within the promised two weeks, perhaps a day or two sooner. The frames are very light, and , the lenses were fine at 1.57. The full rims hid any 'jutting' - I don't think the super light is really necessary at all. Zenni also has the best 'try on' mirror of all of them. My only quibble is that they were a little smaller than I had imagined, but my husband loves them on me - and the lenses were perfect. Had I got them at Lenscrafters for $400, I don't think I'd see much difference. Next: I 'liked' Coastal Contacts on Facebook and got in on their 'free glasses' promotion. After Zenni they seemed almost overpriced, but I ordered the lowest end with them too - and paid $22.32, requesting only the antiglare and not the scratch-resistant and UV that Zenni adds for free. Unfortunately, a crazed woman who looked at too many frames took over my computer and managed to order GIANT PURPLE CLOWN GLASSES. Seriously, I don't know who would look good in these - a big headed guy with a passion for purple? Anyway, the good news is that these were the crispest lens I had ever looked through. At only 1.50, they were even better than the Zenni! I hated to send them back, but if my husband saw me in the clown glasses, he'd be teasing me till our golden anniversary. ;) The exchange process is pretty easy - you send them back in the box they come in. I told them the smaller frame I wanted, they took my credit card number, and my new ones are on order. Unfortunately, they take a looooong time to re- credit your account once they receive the old glasses. This is complete BS, once they have the glasses it should NOT take weeks. But other than that, they were very nice and patient. The downside to Coastal Contacts is that their Virtual Mirror is terrible and only features a Finally: Lensway. The caboose of the online glasses industry. I really needed to get progressives, and I fell in love with a pair of Joseph Marc frames that they offered for $30 less than Coastal Contacts. From what I can tell, the companies are separate but equal - everything looks the same, but the pricing is different. Since they have a good return policy [although once again it takes a ridiculous amount of time to credit your account], I paid $111 [with various discounts] for them. Once again, they arrived fairly quickly, but these - were not good. While the Zenni frames fit perfectly, these were not just in need of adjustment - they seemed sort of twisted. Worse, the right lens was a little loose in the frame. Even worse, the lens had a stamp near the nose piece and what appeared to be tiny drips of coatings. I did LOVE the frames in person, and the prescription seemed okay, but the workmanship was a little shoddy. Not impressed. Returned. So there you have it. I went back on the Coastal Contacts site, and found the frames that I loved from Lensway and re-ordered the "free" glasses with the awesome frames. While I really liked the vision quality of Coastal Contacts, I think I would go with Zenni for prescription sunglasses [my next buy]. It's hard to beat their prices and selection, and being able to virtually try them on is really a big plus. I "might" buy from Coastal Contacts agan if there was a sale, but we'll see how my new glasses look when I get them. I did consider that perhaps the optical quality is enhanced by the fact that there were no coatings except anti-glare? Maybe this diffuses the lens a bit? I have no idea, but they were CRYSTAL clear. -- Check us out at the oft-updated http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GlassyEyes" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/glassyeyes?hl=en
