[deleted information on prices since it's not allowed on this board]
[deleted information on prices since it's not allowed on this board]
Last edited by jkane1979; 06-03-2006 at 11:33 PM.
It is not appropriate to discuss prices on this board, but I do have one thing to say to you.
If you can't afford a mercedes benz, buy the hyundai. You are talking about a top quality lens and a top quality Anti Reflective coating if price was a concern ask your optician for a more affordable solution. Maybe a stock polycarbonate lens with a stock AR coating on it, put into a lower cost frame. It is not the opticians problem that you have a champagne taste with a malt liquor walet.
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Sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't discuss prices on this forum.
Although, I think your comment was a bit unfair. With the exception of the nice frame, we didn't do much in choosing the lenses other than accepting what they recommended. We were caught off guard by the price, but also didn't want to argue at that point. We're not complaining, as much as we are wondering whether that is normal these days. From your post, it sounds like it is normal, since you seem to imply that we got very nice lenses. That's actually the type of feedback we were wondering, since we haven't seen such prices before.
Edit: I should add that this optometrist was very good, and I certainly felt they had good service. We're not complaining about the price of the glasses as we are concerned about the price of my father's glasses that he wants to get (being progressive and higher prescription, and possibly needing super high index). We just wanted to get a better idea of whether we can likely get high quality eyewear for cheaper if we shop around, or whether this is simply what to expect. As a consumer, I think it's reasonable to be a bit price-conscious.
Last edited by jkane1979; 06-03-2006 at 11:36 PM.
I agree and think Chiling should chill out. No one was discussing wholesale prices, which vendors require us to keep confidential. The person was asking about the retail value of crizal alize, nice frames, and high index lenses.Originally Posted by jkane1979
If you are experiencing buyers remorse, then call around and make sure you compare apples to apples.
Don't ask what you can do. DO what you can do. -My Paternal Grandpa
90% of my patients are shocked with the price of their eyewear...you can buy a running car for the price you can expect to pay for any complete pair of high quality glasses....think of it this way if you wear your glasses everyday for 2 yrs and spend $800 on them that equals out to roughly $1.20 or so a day..And what would life be without sight????????
n711 If you ask, at many places you can get a used frame or one that has been discontinued (comprable to comparing a "running" (translation: used) car, for free even (with no warranty) your pay only for the lenses. If you don't want all the bells and whistles (thin materials, coatings, etc.) the lenses can be very inexpensive.
Now if you want a new Ferrari you gonna pay a lot, if you want a '54 Ford who's only notable quality is "it runs." You can find one very inexpensively.
Chip
At my shop I have a number of unworn discontinued frames that for one reason or another, I have gotten stuck with. I often furnish these free (with purchase of any quality or design lenses) as second pairs for work, play or special activities. No warranty, but if it breaks I will try to fix it, if not the customer is stuck (And yes, they are told this up front).
Yea, we expect these glasses to be worth the price. If we didn't, we would have gone to a discount place :)
But we used to think that the price would be mostly in the frames (assuming we picked fancy ones), and that high index and great AR coatings (alize's), could be gotten for maybe around $250 or so for a pair of lenses. We were pretty shocked to see the lenses + AR go for over $400.
If someone goes higher index (1.70), progressive lenses, and alize's, would we be seeing the price of the lens be much greater than that at most local optometrists?
Again, best thing for you to do is call around and find out. You will need to compare apples to apples (crizal alize to crizal alize, etc, etc) in order to get a proper quote. This will help you (give you an idea) on what the prices are for your area.
Do yourself a favor, like in my post above it's about living within your means. Don't even consider a 1.67 or 1.7 lens with a premium AR if price is a concern. I say this because what is going to happen is you are going to one resent the optician that sold you these glasses because you will always feel as though you payed too much for them. Keep in mind that the value of these lenses are equal to the price and quality of the lenses. What you need to determine is what value you place on them. If your father throws his glasses around all the time or keeps them in his pocket whenever he is not wearing them. I would recommend you worry about something in a durable frame with low cost lenses. If your father demands the best vision and wears his glasses like jewelry. Then I would recommend a better pair with premium lenses. You should discuss what you father expects from his glasses as well as his lifestyle with your optician and come to a choice you are comfortable with.
As a note to you yes I wear premium lenses and at my cost they still cost a pretty penny and yes to me they are worth it, because I expect the best.
I am very chilled out, and my patients often appreciate my candor. After all the last thing I want is a patient leaving my office feeling that I fleeced her/him for a pair of glasses. In a case where they are asking for a premium product, yes you will pay a premium price.
On the side you may consider paying for your hosting or getting the advertisements off, I saw a few ads for buying glasses online wich is a no no in my book. Other than that I like it and have bookmarked it for future reference.
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First of all, I would never resent my optometrist. I think his service was excellent.
However, why is it so bad that I am surprised at the price and just wondering whether a consumer can shop around for better prices?
Being price-conscious means I shouldn't even consider 1.67 and AR coating? I'm sorry, but that is preposterous. Buying high quality and being price CONSCIOUS is not mutually exclusive. As a consumer for other products, don't you like to understand things better before you pay out your hard-earned money? I think it's a natural instinct! I often buy very high quality electronics. I pay a lot for them and expect the best, but i'm still price conscious in that I want to know what kind of deals I can get and know exactly what i'm paying for.
It's not about "living within my means". I'm just wondering whether that is the price we should expect from all optometrists. From your posts, it sounds like it is, and hence, a simple "yes" would have sufficed. Then I won't waste my time, and I'll go ahead and pay the same prices in the future. No big deal.
In any case, I do agree with most of your comments. That's why i want to take my father to a nice optometrist, instead of Costco. I just don't agree with your sentiment that my interest in high-index/AR coats means that I can't even consider prices.
Last edited by jkane1979; 06-04-2006 at 07:53 PM.
Again, best thing for you to do is call around and find out. You will need to compare apples to apples (crizal alize to crizal alize, etc, etc) in order to get a proper quote. This will help you (give you an idea) on what the prices are for your area.
yea, we will probably look around at frames at other places as well, when my father decides to start looking around. We'll be sure to get better idea at prices. Thanks for the response!
Just dont look in TOO many places, more choices = more confusion.
You can shop around all you want, you may knock down the price $50-100 max. Again you are asking asking about premium products. Anyone in the field will want to make a good $ with a product like this because they know what it is worth. I am not big on shopping personally. If I have a great product at a fair price and I know I can TRUST the after sales service, it is not worth the extra shopping and the possible 50-100$ savings. And another point, if ever there are issues with the product, you only have one location to return to. If you get your eyes examined in one place and get glasses somewhere else, you have 2 places to go. Just my thoughts of course.
First of all, as a businessman in the USA your optician or optometrist can charge whatever he wishes for his products and services. During my career in the optical business I have seen both high and low price positions used. Without any doubt, the most financially successful pricing strategy is found on the high end of the scale.
It is better to have the reputation as the most expensive in town than the most inexpensive. The rewards of winning the battle as the most expensive far exceed the rewards of being the cheapest. Particularly today, as an independent, you really cant compete on a price basis. I guess that if I were to invest in a retail optical business today (which is highly unlikely) I would prefer to cater to the ”carriage trade” and most definitely no children and no insurance. I would much rather sell one pair of glasses at $1000.00 than 10 pairs at $100.00.
I couldn't agree with you more
BINGO, I don't have fancy electronics and high end stuff. I would much rather shop at a location that I like and trust than one that is cheaper. Consequently I don't get as much stuff and I am behind in the materialistic rat race, but every establishment that I walk into I expect to get treated like a good customer and because of the premium I pay, I do. I don't shop around because I know wher I shop and it's the service that to me is the most important.
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However, we opticians employed at independant dispensaries may say otherwise:)
You can say otherwise but it still does not change the facts. I have had bad glasses come back where the fault was clearly on the opticians side but they told the patient to return to OD for recheck. The patient had to go to 2 different locations to get the problem solved...
Well, ok, that is fine. But it doesn't make it illegitimate for a consumer to at least have some consciousness of the price and QUESTION it (not complain). Just because i've never paid this much for just "lenses", I think it's a legitimate question. Unfortunately there is not much information out there on what to expect for prices, which is why I wanted to ask. I'm not on a materialistic rat race trying to accumulate a bagful of premium AR-coated lenses!
Honestly, I think that you are mistaking me for some bad customer that is complaining about the prices of my glasses. I've never seen lenses so expensive, and just wanted to get a little feedback.
Like I was unaware that high-index (1.67) could cost $400 BEFORE the AR coating. I always thought it would take a higher index to reach that kind of price. I'm just surprised, and I don't think it should be taken like I have champagne taste, or that I shouldn't even consider high-index if i am concerned about the price, or that I'm on a materialistic rat race.
Anyway, I understand this is probably a sensitive topic, so I will let this rest. I think I got a rough idea of what I wanted to know, anyway. FYI, I will most likely go back to the same optometrist for my father.
Ohboy...
I will not open a Pandora's Box here HOWEVER, as I have said before:
There are different qualities of INDEPENDANT DISPENSARIES just as there are different qualities of OPTOMETRIC DISPENSARIES. At these dispensaries there are different qualities of OPTICIANS. Each kind of dispensary, whether it be independant or optometric, have different levels of INTEGRITY and WORKMANSHIP. I can think of innumerable Optometric dispensaries AND otherwise at which I would not even consider working, as I have seen the product that is dispensed and the manner in which it is dispensed, and, in a nutshell, I would probably be fired in short order for rejecting too many jobs, spending too much time explaining things, or taking too much time exacting the fit. I am not in any way saying that all OD's dispensaries are inferrior, just as I am not saying that all opticians working outside of the OD's dispensaries are inferrior. Just that there are different levels of skill.
Another way to look at it, albeit a non-medical one, is auto mechanics. Believe you me, there are mechanics working for dealerships that shouldn't have their licenses, and dealerships that shouldn't have repair facilities. Conversely, there are independant repair facilities that should not be in business. That is not to say that ALL mechanics and technicians at ALL dealership repair shops are poor, nor that ALL independant repair facilities are not quality shops with integrity, employing experienced and skilled technicians.
Whew!!! ok, I'm finished.
:cheers:
Interesting. . .
We had a lady in saturday with an outside Rx. She was told we had made the glasses wrong. The kicker was that she was given a new Rx that was different than the one we had on file.
I guess that wouldn't have happened if she had the original Rx filled at the Dr's office.
:hammer:
Days where my gratitude exceed my expectations are very good days!
My only point in making that comment was there exist a possibility the patient will have to deal with 2 different venues if there is a problem. I never professed one is better than the other...as you say there are good and bad on both sides of the fence...If I offended you please accept my apologies...:o
You are absolutely right to be conscious of the price and to question it. Heck, if you are so inclined, shop around till you drop! I encourage this to prospective clients who come to the dispensary where I work, should they have any reservations about the price. There are so many options, brands, coatings, indices available today I imagine the stress level of many eyewear consumers goes through the roof when presented with all these choices and corresponding prices.You will know the right dispensary to give your hard earned cash to in exchange for eyewear, whether it be at an OD's office or at an outside dispensary, when you feel comfortable with the optician you are dealing with. Hopefully you will be able to recognise this person by the level of knowledge they have, the confidence they exhibit in the products they are offering, the questions they ask you (and their responses to questions you ask them!) and I believe the confidence they have in their workplace.
I've had many clients who in their past had only purchased their eyewear from discount dispensaries, where one complete pair, lenses and frames, would cost the equivalent of a fraction of the price of one premium product lens from us. They'd just never been exposed to other product before.The shocked looks I've received whilst someone is reviewing what I've written down for product and price options have said it all. BUT I always explain the differences between the products in a way that is easily understood as to the benefits/shortcomings of all choices. I did not feel that you are in any way potentially a bad customer, nor complaining. You're just exerting your consumer savvy and not assuming that the price is the price is the price wherever you go.
Not long ago I ordered myself up a pair of very inexpensive progressives with a very inexpensive AR coating, in regular index, from a lab offering incredible prices. I did this ONLY to demo a product which could conceivable be offered to our clients at a far, far, lesser price that what is typically required. Well, for the average Joesephine, who doesn't use a computer, nor read very much, they would be wearable, as long as certain factors are taken into account due to the lens design, and though I've worn these lenses VERY infrequently, and usually only in the office, the AR is already scratched. So as far as I'm concerned, it is available as a product only to be suggested to very limited budgets, and the shortcomings of the lenses will be thoroughly discussed. But here is a product that would cost almost half of what the typical set of progressives with a better quality and more costly AR coating would. Now, there are dispensaries out there who would mark these lenses up far more, and you can see what their margin of profit would be. So therefore, check into the integrity of the dispensary, and what their product choices are and how the prices compare to other shops.
I've had patients come back and the error was definately mine. I've had patients come back and the error was definately not mine. Either way the optician told the patient that it was my fault.
I really don't know how often it happens that the patient returns to the optician and the optician decides it was their error and fixes things, as I'm not there and no one tells me. I just see my side where things that are obviously mistakes (incorrect seg height, axis off, etc) get blamed on me.
CindyK and francisOD both have good points. A lot of patients will go to the optometrist due to the convenience, and that's fine assuming they get good service. Others will take their Rx and go to the optician and that's fine too, assuming they get good service.
The only time I suggest my patients get their glasses specifically from our dispensary is when I have a young child who may need several lens changes in the next couple of months, as I often want to see the child at dispensing.
On the other hand, I've had more than one patient say "I'm not getting my glasses from you. Where would you suggest I go?":hammer:
Thank you very much for the great response and also for your encouragement.
In general, we'll pay what is asked for glasses after we've already made the appointment, since we would hate to take our business elsewhere after getting great service from an optometrist. But for future glasses, and because we have so many glasses to buy in our family, it is simply difficult NOT to see if we can save a little money and still get high quality glasses. The high quality is something we believe in, so if there are no alternatives, then we'll pay what we have to!
Thanks again for your thoughts.
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