Recently Matt's glasses cracked and it became apparent that he needed a new pair.
We've had terrible experiences with both LensCrafters and Costco, as well as private optometrists, and so we were on the hunt for a better (ie cheaper) experience. I remembered having seen something on Moneysaving Mom about Zenni Optical, and the possibility of getting a pair of glasses for around $8-12 a pair. I consider that site a very trustworthy site, and her review was positive, so we decided to give it a try.
The nice thing about glasses that range from $8-$20 a pair is that you can afford to have a little fun with them. So while we picked out a pair of basic silver frames, similar to what he had before, we also threw in a clip-on sunglasses option, as well as a pair of heavy black plastic frames, the likes of which he had always wanted to try out but had been afraid to commit to. At these prices, though, we could afford to go a little crazy, and plus it's always nice to have a backup pair.
To be quite honest, one of the other nice things about Zenni Optical is that you fill in your prescription yourself. So not only do you not have to leave your house, you don't have to fax or send in something dated within the past year, which is a requirement for most, uh, more conventional optometrists. The idea that I need to have my eyes examined every year, when my prescription has NEVER changed and the only time I've ever had it changed it was a mistake on their part and they had to change it back (to the tune of several hours spent waiting and a few weeks of headaches--both from the eyestrain and the pain in the butt of it all), I've always resented this little racket. Excuse me--they're my eyes, and I think I'll know when I need to have my prescription changed. Until then, you can spare me your vague, time-consuming eye tests! So needless to say, the ability to just point, click, and order was much more appealing than having to make and wait for an appointment, get through and pay for an appointment, and then still have to wait for glasses.
Our total came to $37.80, shipped, and we began to anxiously await them. While they do come from Hong Kong, shipping is estimated at about two weeks, although they can come faster. Here's where things unraveled a little bit. After two weeks went by, Matt called the company; he had an incredibly hard time getting anybody on the phone. Once he did, they gave him a tracking number for the Hong Kong shipping service, which didn't seem to be working. After sending a strongly worded email last week, he received a reply apologizing for the delay, which was apparently due to the long Chinese New Year. (Was it longer than other years? I don't know.)
And today, the glasses finally arrived--I guess it's only been about a week longer than estimated, so all things considered, the wait wasn't really that bad. Costco was going to take two weeks, and we could just have easily run into a delay there. And for what we paid, and the other benefits listed above, we're still very satisfied overall.
How do they look? See for yourself:
Can you tell which ones he likes the best?
We've had terrible experiences with both LensCrafters and Costco, as well as private optometrists, and so we were on the hunt for a better (ie cheaper) experience. I remembered having seen something on Moneysaving Mom about Zenni Optical, and the possibility of getting a pair of glasses for around $8-12 a pair. I consider that site a very trustworthy site, and her review was positive, so we decided to give it a try.
The nice thing about glasses that range from $8-$20 a pair is that you can afford to have a little fun with them. So while we picked out a pair of basic silver frames, similar to what he had before, we also threw in a clip-on sunglasses option, as well as a pair of heavy black plastic frames, the likes of which he had always wanted to try out but had been afraid to commit to. At these prices, though, we could afford to go a little crazy, and plus it's always nice to have a backup pair.
To be quite honest, one of the other nice things about Zenni Optical is that you fill in your prescription yourself. So not only do you not have to leave your house, you don't have to fax or send in something dated within the past year, which is a requirement for most, uh, more conventional optometrists. The idea that I need to have my eyes examined every year, when my prescription has NEVER changed and the only time I've ever had it changed it was a mistake on their part and they had to change it back (to the tune of several hours spent waiting and a few weeks of headaches--both from the eyestrain and the pain in the butt of it all), I've always resented this little racket. Excuse me--they're my eyes, and I think I'll know when I need to have my prescription changed. Until then, you can spare me your vague, time-consuming eye tests! So needless to say, the ability to just point, click, and order was much more appealing than having to make and wait for an appointment, get through and pay for an appointment, and then still have to wait for glasses.
Our total came to $37.80, shipped, and we began to anxiously await them. While they do come from Hong Kong, shipping is estimated at about two weeks, although they can come faster. Here's where things unraveled a little bit. After two weeks went by, Matt called the company; he had an incredibly hard time getting anybody on the phone. Once he did, they gave him a tracking number for the Hong Kong shipping service, which didn't seem to be working. After sending a strongly worded email last week, he received a reply apologizing for the delay, which was apparently due to the long Chinese New Year. (Was it longer than other years? I don't know.)
And today, the glasses finally arrived--I guess it's only been about a week longer than estimated, so all things considered, the wait wasn't really that bad. Costco was going to take two weeks, and we could just have easily run into a delay there. And for what we paid, and the other benefits listed above, we're still very satisfied overall.
How do they look? See for yourself:
Can you tell which ones he likes the best?
1 comment:
I think he likes the black plastic the best. It's change he can live with.
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