The frame was cheaply made and bifocal was not at the correct height. I had to tilt my head way back to see the newspaper.

I am just not happy with my purchase and the company will not return my money. Their policy is to return half the money within 30 days and the glasses have to be in the exact same bag it was shipped to me which I threw away when I opened it. I guess you get what you pay for.

Looking back now as a business owner, I think some of the reason for the steep mark-up is the fact that once the office buys they frames, they are stuck with them (whether a customer purchases them or not) so they can end up with a lot of inventory that becomes quickly dated (in the back of a drawer I found some vintage Ray Bans that were 30 years old and had never been sold.)

The online stores must be getting around this by moving enough product to secure preferred pricing from the manufacturers and limiting their mark-up.

I have been buying my glasses from Costco for the past few years and have been happy with the quality and the savings. When you pay less for glasses, you feel like you can afford more than one pair. I currently have four pair (and 2 pair of sunglasses!)

Certainly will give the online a try for comparison, although I do like the people at my Costco Optical department and might keep going there for that reason, even if they are a few dollars more.

My initial experience was with 39dollarglasses.com, and it was very positive. The glasses I bought for less than $75 were virtually indistinguishable from glasses I had bought from my eye doctor for hundreds of dollars more.

Unfortunately, the second time I used 39dollarglasses, the experience wasn’t so great. The earpieces were made of cheap, brittle plastic that snapped the first time I tried to adjust the fit. I asked 39dollarglasses to make another set in the style I had bought the first time I ordered from them, and they refused! I pointed out that they claimed to offer a “complete satisfaction guarantee” statement, but they said they’d only remake the glasses using the same cheap frames again. I had to go to a local vision center to get them repaired. Meanwhile, I also lodged a complaint through the BBB. After some negotiation, 39dollarglasses eventually agreed to make a free set of glasses in a different style…which they should have done from the beginning.

In May 2008, I purchased glasses from eyebuydirect.com. I’ve been very pleased with them. I ordered two frames for a total $78…one for distance and one for reading. That included their “thin and light” 1.57 lenses on the distance glasses, anti-scratch, glare, and UV protection.

I just had an eye exam this morning, and I placed my second order with eyebuydirect just a few minutes ago. I’m getting to that age where I have to switch from distance to reading glasses all the time, so this time I opted for progressive lenses…again with anti-scratch, glare, and UV protection. Since they are currently running a promotion on frames (second set free with single vision lenses included…extra for progressive), I ordered a single vision pair of distance glasses with 80% brown tint to use whenever I’m driving. Total cost for both pairs: $130.

… I had really hoped *one* of my kids would get my vision – heck, I see better than any of them even with their glasses …

I’ll let you know how they are when I get them, but I can tell you that so far their customer service has been very helpful.

http://www.framesdirect.com/framesfc/RayBan-lalhpi-slb-l.html

or here?

http://www.framesrx.com/eyeglasses/5801.htm

I’d just like to know what you would have saved versus what you just paid, as it’s kind of turning into a game for me…

Thanks Joe. )

But I’m going to save this article and my next pair will definitely be ordered online!