Need good web contact lens store

Anyone have a recommendation for a web contact lens store that they
like.

What web stores do you personally use and like?

Thanks much,

-Jim

 

Ahhh...er...gee...thanks Frank (I guess)...

Maybe you want to stop by my house and take charge of other areas of my
life for me. Sounds like you are a gifted decision maker for yourself
and others. Not.

I assume that America is still free and that I can spend my money
wherever I would like. Frank - is that okay?? ; - }

BTW, for those of you that are interested, I have looked at many 1-800
web retail sellers of contacts. Guess no one else has ; - )

I have worn glasses for about 45 years and have worn contacts for about
30 years. So, I'm not a newbee in the corrected vision thing.

Currently, I use Acuvue 1-day lenses. The local place I buy them at
charges $35 a box of 30. Most of the online stores I've investigated
charge about $25 a box. The local place I go (and have gone there for 11
years now) has received probably thousands of mine and my wife's
dollars. They aren't hurting a bit. Now, to order lenses from them, I
have to drive over, place the order, then drive over again to pick them
up. Would be a convenience to have the lenses drop shipped to my door.

Duuuhhhh...anyone else looking for convenient ways to save time (and
money) these days? I'll be you are : )))) And, at a $10 a box savings,
why not do the online thing.

Frank, any thoughts?? : - ))))))
(hey, buddy, just ribbing you a bit)

Guess, I have answered my own question. No more need for this group.....

 

That would be interesting to know.

 

I'm not Frank, but aren't you really spending *more* time? These places
can be half way across the country, and by the time you drive there to
place the order and drive there to pick up the contacts, that $10 saving
is long gone.



My OD is maybe half a mile out of my way going to or from work. Even
then, I don't go there to order contacts. I just call them, and they call
me when they are in. I've never asked them to mail the contacts to me,
but it makes sense to me that they would do that. They can do the mailing
at their convenience, at a time when there are no customers needing
in-person service. If the online place can mail to your door, why can't
the local place?

 

What kind of smug/caustic response is that?? I simply gave an
opinion-
I didn't disparage the 1-800's or web sites. It was just an option.
Was that you or someone else that recently posted a warning not to
visit a specific on-line cl site because the person never received
their contact lenses??

Should have done the Bates thing I guess.

Do the sites also mention membership fees as well as shipping/
handling charges?

Most of my patients use a telephone to order cl's from my office and
many times they are simply mailed out to them. Such a concept.

What's missing from this equation is the service aspect. I can't tell
you the number of times I have given a loaner gas perm lens or a
diagnostic soft lens to a patient because they were in a bind- tore
their last contact lens and needed a lens immed. Or having a staff
member actually deliver a contact lens to a police officer in the
field because of getting pepper spray in their eye. Or immed
replacing a lens from a patients supply because of a defective lens.
And so on.
Tell me- could/would a web site cl seller do any of the above?

That's fine.

frank

 

Kimi, the profit margins really differs from private practice to a big
box (like Costco) to an HMO setting based on buying groups/bulk buying ,
location of the practice (rural/urban), competition, brand of lens
being sold and so on.

In general, profit margins on cl's are less than for glasses.
There's usually a profit from $5.00 to $15.00 on disposable contact
lenses (six packs) for example. Sometimes a big box will use a
brand or type of cl as a loss leader to get people in their store so the
profit obviously would be less. Better money in dentristry. 0

frank

 

That was interesting, thanks! Less profits than glasses, must be why my
doctor is so into glasses, just kidding. Despite it being less than
glasses, I'm glad to hear the doctor is still making something decent on
each box they sell me throughout the year.

Too bad you can't make your patients buy contact lens solution through
you huh? That stuff really adds up, I don't know how I use so much!! I
think there is better business making solution than making lenses!

Best wishes,
Kimi

 

Thanks for the info, how about eye glasses? Say, if you do not cut
your own? Also, I know there is a lot of overhead with bills and
equipment that needs constant replacing.

 

Before when I wore contacts I bought 4 boxes at around $30 or so a
box. I would say $35 is pretty good. Maybe it is cheaper now online
because of membership fees. They have to make up for it somewhere,
eh?
Kory

 

Well, I think $35 is too much for 1-day Acuvues (especially considering
that you need 2 boxes to get through 1 month so that is a lot of boxes
you need). Even drugstore.com has them for $26-27 per box. With
drugstore.com there is definitely no membership fee and if you get a
couple boxes (more than $49 spent) shipping should be free or you can
then upgrade to 3-day for $3. BTW: for anyone that does not know,
drugstore.com is related to Amazon.com, so they can very much be
trusted. You'll probably find the lenses even cheaper at other online
retailers though.

Just read every bit of the websites to find out if they have membership
fees and what their shipping rates are. If you are still not sure,
email and ask them.

I think $20 per month is too much money to throw away, but that is just
my opinion. If I were you, I'd continue to see the people you trust for
your exams at Sears optical and just always have a decent supply of
lenses on hand from whoever you order from.

You'll have to decide what is best for you, but those are my thoughts.

Kimi

 

Everyone talks about the membership fees, but there are plenty of online
contact lens retailers who do not have membership fees. Gotta be
careful though, as everyone says!

 

If you used contacts, then be sure that your recovery will be slow.

Unfortunately, this is the experience I had and most of my clients can
testify this.

If you used contacts, it is hard to get a cure, because your visual
system is terribly destroyed by the great strain contacts provide.

At least glasses you can put of and relax, contacts are a real nuisance.

--
"As surely as any soldier ever died on the field, Dr. Bates gave his
life for a cause, battling against fate, during many years of
magnificent struggle, when the unending disappointment finally broke in
hopeless despair. His torch is still burning. There will come some other
battler, who is fit, and will hold it high until the people who are
sitting in darkness have seen its great light."
William B. MacCracken, M.D.
(1937, Berkeley CA)

 

Are you saying that Sears requires pre-payment but on-line services don't?

Unless you like to purchase one box at a time, I wouldn't suggest either of
the options that you presented above. As Dr. Frank suggested, you're likely
to get better service and maybe even better pricing from a local independent
office. For example, if you purchase 6 boxes of 1-Day Acuvue from our
office, you will be charged $120 (i.e. $20/box) and they will ship directly
to your home or office. If you purchase 12 boxes, you be charged $240 (i.e.
$20/box), receive a mail in rebate for $30 (which brings your cost to $17.50
per box), and they will ship directly to your home or office. (Or if you
want to spend more and have it take longer to get them, we won't hesitate to
give you a copy of your contact lens prescription so you get them at a
different place of your choosing.)

Edward

 

I looked at 1-800-contacts (their web site), and they claim free shipping
and no membership cost. They want 29.50 a box for four boxes, and 24.50
for the next four boxes on the same order.

I couldn't find out how they get the money. Most things on the web are
paid by credit card, though. If you don't like to put these on your
credit card, how do you plan to pay for them?

The $10 seems pretty significant to me, since if you really toss them
every day and wear a new one every day, that means a box is a month's
supply. I pay about 80 a box, but one box will last me a whole year.

 

eyeexcel.com

remove x and following 4

 

I respect your office MT. Nice competative price.

Kimi