Online Contact Lenses

**tconrad** · 05-13-2008, 07:52 PM

I had a patient today who finished their c.l. rx and found a web site where they sold a frequently dispensed brand of contacts and got it for less than I could from my supplier. What are we to do now that hundreds of sites can sell contacts and I buy from a buying group and can't even come close to competing. I know that we can make money in fees but why sell or try to sell a product that we can't compete with in price. I don't want to sell selective brands I want what the doctor thinks is best for the patient. These sites have the perfect creation, they get to sell a product and if there is a problem who does the patient go to. They certainly don't call contactsforless.com or whatever the site is, they call us. Now with 1-800 and Wal Mart doing business together my real question is where do we go from here? I might start buying from one of these sites for my own contacts.

**chip anderson** · 05-13-2008, 08:17 PM

Charge fees, refuse to see patients that buy lenses anywhere else.
Concentrate on other optical lines. Fit only difficult, rigid, high cyl, cones, bifocals, trifocals, consmetics, etc. Sell glasses, Sell sunglasses. Try to sell your skills, there will always be people that can do it faster, cheaper and with less hassle.
Concentrate on patients that want personal attention, let the rest go to wally and when they have problems, tell them to ask wally, or Linda Carter or whatever.
Especially make sure that you can do custom edging, and peripheral curves. They will beg (with thier pocktbooks) to come back.
Otherwise sell glasses, there's a lot more money and a lot less work in them now. Used to be the other way around but not now.

Shure took you a long time to figure this out, been this way 15 years or so.
Chip

**Johns** · 05-13-2008, 09:01 PM

I gave up fighting with them.

Last month, we gave an rx to a lady,and she went to 1-800, and
ordered a year supply (ended up paying $3 more:hammer:). When the contacts came in, she finds out that all 8 boxes are due to expire in July of 2008!

I did my best not to laugh in her face. She called 1-800, and they told her, "They're not expired yet, but if you want, as a courtesy, we'll exchange them for a newer set. Oh, and they said to make sure she uses UPS to ship them (at her cost) and to make sure she insures them.

So much for a bargain!:cheers:
I also had another lady call Monday that has never worn contacts, but when we do the exam, she wants the prescription because she can get them for $25 online. I asked her, "You can get what for $25" she replied, "My contacts, I know what kind I want." I told her that if she already knows what kind of contacts she wants, she shouldn't go through the "hassle" of an exam. Just go ahead and order them! She thanked me, wished me a good day, and hung up

**cocoisland58** · 05-13-2008, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by Johns

I gave up fighting with them.

Ditto! We still have lots of patients who buy from us. Those who don't. Big deal. Let me ask any of you. If you were not in this business and money was tight what would you do? I saw colored contacts for sale at the dollar store a few weeks ago. Twenty bucks a pair. The clerk said "the kids buy them like crazy". I'll bet. I told her they might be a lawsuit waiting to happen. She gave me a dull stare.

**Happylady** · 05-13-2008, 11:05 PM

We get a lot of people walking with their contact rx, but we still sell a fair amount of contacts. We have raised our contact lens fees and tried to keep our contact lens prices reasonable.

**Diane** · 05-14-2008, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by cocoisland58

Ditto! We still have lots of patients who buy from us. Those who don't. Big deal. Let me ask any of you. If you were not in this business and money was tight what would you do? I saw colored contacts for sale at the dollar store a few weeks ago. Twenty bucks a pair. The clerk said "the kids buy them like crazy". I'll bet. I told her they might be a lawsuit waiting to happen. She gave me a dull stare.

I know that Michegan isn't a licensed state for Opticians, but they are for Optometry and Ophthalmology, etc. This store is breaking the law and as an Eye Care Professional, it is your moral and ethical obligation to see that it stops. Turn them in to the Optometry board for investigation. In addition, find out which brand of contacct lenses they are selling and turn them in to the manufacturer. The manufacturers don't want this happening any more than we do.

Do your part to stop this from happening and injuring patients. Each of us has to do it.

Diane

**optical24/7** · 05-14-2008, 09:30 AM

[quote=cocoisland58;242665]Ditto! We still have lots of patients who buy from us. Those who don't. Big deal. quote]

Exactly. CL's have not been a profit center for a long time. You are still gonna have a percentage of patients that will buy from you. Make the price fair to you and the patient. There's nothing wrong with charging more than 1-800. Have you not bought a loaf of bread from the corner Stop N Go for convienience sake and paid more that at the supermarket?

**HarryChiling** · 05-14-2008, 10:22 AM

Start your own online site. Quote the patient your in store price and if they tell you they can get them online cheaper you say is it that 1800-FezzJohns again they have some of the best prices in our industry, then write it down on the back of a business card and send them out the door. Sell only year supplies from the site and ship direct from your vendors and whalla your done, sure their will be some that see the price is higher than 1800contacts, but the majority won't.

**cocoisland58** · 05-14-2008, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by Diane

I know that Michegan isn't a licensed state for Opticians, but they are for Optometry and Ophthalmology, etc. This store is breaking the law and as an Eye Care Professional, it is your moral and ethical obligation to see that it stops. Turn them in to the Optometry board for investigation. In addition, find out which brand of contacct lenses they are selling and turn them in to the manufacturer. The manufacturers don't want this happening any more than we do.

Do your part to stop this from happening and injuring patients. Each of us has to do it.

Diane

I did that the next day. Consumer complaint to the Michigan Attorney General. Emailed the Optometry board too. As far as the manufacturer, it wasn't any I had ever heard of. It's a dollar store. Everything come from China.

**Diane** · 05-14-2008, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by cocoisland58

I did that the next day. Consumer complaint to the Michigan Attorney General. Emailed the Optometry board too. As far as the manufacturer, it wasn't any I had ever heard of. It's a dollar store. Everything come from China.

:bbg:Everyone has a part of stopping things like this.

Diane

**tconrad** · 05-19-2008, 05:29 PM

Thanks for the sarcastic comment, I don't know what I would do without people like you. I realize it has been going on and raising fees etc, I have heard it all, I was just venting. Also, it "sure" took me a long time.

**CuriousCat** · 05-19-2008, 07:42 PM

GASP! I agree with Chip on this one. Specialize in the lenses that are not available online...the difficult fits...the special orders, etc.

Promote your skills in this area with every doc in town. Most of them don't want or cannot afford the time it takes per patient.