"Glasses must be in resaleable condition"

[uncut]

I don't get to watch mainstream TV much, but happened to have it on the other day and noticed a Lenscrapper ad touting their "don't like em..return em" policy.

At the the end of the ad is the usual paragraph of fuzzy, usually illegible, read-at-5000-wpm legal disclaimers. In large print above it was the thread title. I'v never noticed it before, and a single thought ran through my mind........EEEEEEWWWWWW!. They sell those again, after a person has worn them for almost 30 days? GAG! Any thoughts? :drop:

[MikeAurelius]

Reselling used medical devices, eh? The FDA might frown on that...

[Mizikal]

http://www.kgw.com/news/consumer/Is-...es-as-new.html

Here is the proof of that nastiness

[charan]

i'm sure the online businesses run the same practice

[eyemanflying]

Good thing they don't carry contacts or undergarments!

[Jacqui]

good thing they don't carry contacts or undergarments!

lol :bbg:

[LandLord]

Lenscrafters has now extended the offer to 90 DAYS !!!!!!!

[uncut]

Lenscrafters has now extended the offer to 90 DAYS !!!!!!!

90 Days! Must be a wildly popular feature of their eyewear.....becomes undesireable, but takes longer than 30 days to happen. It sounds like dating.

Oh well, some bobbleheads thought it would be a great idea, since usually Luxschmottica frames are discontinued(ooops sorryy.....SOLD OUT) at the 48 day mark.....

[Ineed Chocolate]

that is just downright disgusting...and, unfortunately, a common practice amongst the chains.

[Johns]

90 Days! Must be a wildly popular feature of their eyewear.....becomes undesireable, but takes longer than 30 days to happen. It sounds like dating.

Is that what they mean by "dated" eyewear?:bbg::hammer:

[Mizikal]

I work for a chain and we don't do that. Well at least I don't do that.

[Mrmessi]

Plus they can afford to do that, god knows where they get their lenses from ghana maybe.....

[edKENdance]

90 days? So that means there's ample time to collect my insurance money before I return the glasses. :)

[Mrmessi]

90 days? So that means there's ample time to collect my insurance money before I return the glasses. :)

I'm sure they notify the insurance company.....

[Johns]

I'm sure they notify the insurance company.....

Yeah...right!

[pseudonym]

Quoted from the article:

“Bacterial agents can survive on surfaces if you’ve got someone with a skin condition or herpetic eye condition or something that’s a transmittable disease it can be transmitted on the frame,” Dr. Forbes said.

Does Dr Forbes have a policy of using using an alcohol pad on every frame that's been tried on? If not, these are just words to gross the public out. His real objection is that the returned frames/lenses aren't getting into the Gift of Sight program. I agree with him on that.

Selling returned items as new is an extension of "discount department store" policy and most people accept that. People buy stuff, wear it, and return it all the time. What does the store do when the stuff comes back? It goes right back on the floor. In some cases, even with sweat rings in it.

[Craig]

Reselling used medical devices, eh? The FDA might frown on that...

If glasses were treated as a medical device that would be true, but when you get them on the internet with no written RX where is the FDA.
They got caught awhile ago doing that and now claim to donate them to their charity so they can write off the ammount now; I wonder what really happens at the strore level?
An Lenscrafters folks want to comment in with no name attached?

[MikeAurelius]

The patient always (or should have) the written Rx. That isn't the issue. It is the resale of a USED medical device period.

But I have a sneaky suspicion that you are correct...especially with the 90 day exchange period.

[DanLiv]

I'm a former LC optician, have plenty of friends still there, and I drop by from time to time to do a little industrial espionage. :bbg:

Prior to 3 years ago at LC, all returned eyewear, even in perfect condition, was given to Gift of Sight. Then LC crunched some numbers and realized how much they were losing on that, and changed the policy to resell them *as new*, without any indication they had been worn or returned. All returns were given to a manager in charge of evaluating the condition of the frames to determine if they would be resold or donated. In practice all employees hated this policy, and most the managers I knew just quietly rejected almost every return and donated them.

Between employee and public uproar, that reselling policy didn't even last a year. Now, and for the last couple years, all passable condition returned frames are resold in their clearance section, and any complete pair purchased with one of those frames is at a flat 50% off. There is still no indication that frames are used, but I'm sure their legal department has concluded they skirt the issue by calling it 'clearance', and therefore not the same product as 'new'.

I'm sure there is no legal problem with anything LC is doing. You can talk ethics, but retail isn't alone in this. My own OD has an "in resaleable condition" clause in his printed return policy and thinks we should resell good condition little-used frames. This idea came at the advice of an optometry practice consultant, and is also employed by other OD peers of his. I told my doc this is a bad idea and we should not do it on professional pride alone, and luckily our returns are infrequent and only amount to a few hundred dollars a year in loss so he is ok with me donating them all. But that's only because the returns are so few. I know he would revisit the issue if it became more money.

[uncut]

@DanLiv:

A "optometry practice consultant" actually gave this advice......that explains where some of the idiotic practices employed in some firms comes from.

[framehustler]

Ever try on pants at Macy's... who knows where those pants have been.. who knows whose boys have been in there:). This is common practice in retail. I don't see it as an issue unless some has lost their integrity in reviewing the product. Have your ever seen a frame rep wear a pair from their kit, you ever think one of those ended up on your customers face because you need the frame/sunglass right away. There are better things to complain about concerning Lenscrafters:)