The FDA has stopped shipments of glasses from coastal.com according to their facebook page. Can't seem to find any info on the FDA or coastals site. I looks to be pertaining to lenses failing . Can anyone better versed in the ways of the internet find some information.
I predict as you read this a legion of K street lobbyists is descending on congress.
So, from what I read, the issue is that the lenses weren't up to safety standards (38% of adult RX lenses broke completely when tested). Not very reassuring for patients that order online. Do you think the majority of websites where you can order glasses are imported or are there some that get their product from US only?
Is this as big as it appears? Many of those listed are also frame manufacturers.
Hmm...
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
The link is not working.
Not a big deal for coastal.com This kind of thing happens to a lot of manufacturers and the product sits at FDA from 3 days to 2 weeks and than company resolves the issue with FDA resulting the product to be released. Happened to us when i used to work for a frame manufacturer as a department manager. We got the product out of hold in 4 days.
Watch the fun at...https://www.facebook.com/Coastal?sk=app_159563267433134
Coastal says they don't buy Rx lenses from China..http://www.facebook.com/Coastal/posts/373179852768094
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. - Richard P. Feynman
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test before the lesson.
Total pairs of glasses shipped were 706,000 ........................................
Some highlights of the quarter:
Record third quarter sales of $50.3 million Total order volume was approximately 584,000 Total glasses shipped was approximately 248,000 units Glasses shipped into U.S. market increased 77% to 126,000 units, representing 51% of total glasses units shipped in the quarter Total glasses sales in the quarter were $11.5 million with gross profit margins of 48% Total contact lens sales increased 3% to $38.8 million with gross profit margins of 41% Coastal grew its base of vision corrected customers by 27% to approximately 4.1 million compared to 3.3 million, year over year Coastal's in-house designer brands of eyewear comprised 70% of total glasses units shipped Initiated investment in a second production line to manufacture free form progressive lenses in-house to address growing demand and market opportunity Year to date highlights include:
Total pairs of glasses shipped were 706,000, an increase of 27 % Overall revenues increased 8 % to $145 million Glasses revenues grew 20 % to $34 million Contact lens revenues grew 5 % to $111 million Adjusted EBITDA was $1.8 million compared to $0.9 million
see more --------------------------------> http://investors.coastalcontacts.com...1/default.aspx
Double post delete
Last edited by uncut; 10-31-2012 at 07:51 AM. Reason: double post delete
Eyes wide open
Originally Posted by Chris Ryser
Now, for the rest of the story.....the above represents a loss for the period of only 1.9 million, or $00.07 per share, compared to a loss last year(same quarter, adjusted) of 1.5 million, or $00.06 a share.
Chris, if you're going to post highlites, make sure they are about both sides of the coin!
Eyes wide open
1-800-PIRATES. Free patch with every children's eyeglass order. No extra charge for amblyopia.
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. - Richard P. Feynman
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test before the lesson.
Dear Uncut................................
They have not made any money as far as we all know and their books are open.
However if they sold 706,000 pairs of glasses, they are all glasses that you did not sell..........at a profit or not !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They're paying their clients to buy their products? Would that make them a nonprofit organazation, exempt from taxes?
Regardless, their end-run around professional opticianry isn't "cutting out the middleman", it's fraud.
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. - Richard P. Feynman
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test before the lesson.
Ouch that facebook page is getting nasty right now. So many angry customers. Wow.
....breaks my heart....
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
I'm glad that I got my free pair before "The Man" came down on Coastal!
When are they going after Firmoooooooo?"
My Coastal Specs were actually not too bad. The Firmoooooooooos.................PURE JUNK!!!*
*Junk is too kind of a word to describe them, but I am trying to not be a potty mouth today!
So I'm taking it that no one here has ever had a pair of lenses fail inspection and need to be remade? Right?
Edited to Add: The issue for me here isn't the failure of the lenses, it's the issue of whether Coastal gets their lenses from China and, if so, why they feel compelled to try and cover this up. That's a much more damning issue than something that's known to happen to even the best of indy opticians.
Brow, you did read that it was breakage failure rate, (38%)? I know of no lab or indy shop with that kind of failure rate.
Reading the report, Coastal DOES get their lenses made in China. All infracting companies save one (in Taiwan) are in China.
The issue also appears to be a massive failure of lenses that meet Z80.1 impact standards. Either ground too thin -or- bad plastic. I'm guessing the latter, knowing China's penchant for cutting corners, not using quality control, and then falsifying mandated certifications when push comes to shove.
38% drop ball test failure in one batch, 100% in another. That's bad plastic.
I read a bunch of the Facebook comments.
What I find very disturbing, that more and more, as long as it is CHEAP, people don't give a damn!
We, as the professionals, are made out to be money grubbing thieves.
I didn't really get that impression. People there seem genuinely upset with the situation. They still want inexpensive glasses, but I don't get the "we're willing to sacrifice our safety" vibe from them. The majority of posters seem righteously angry. In a way, it's a shame, because Costal was shaping up to be one of the more responsible online retailers. I've only gotten to handle some of their house frames (no lenses), and was genuinely impressed with their quality.
Was this an issue with CR-39 or across-the-board materials?
I totally agree Fezz, It's very unfortunate, but you can't argue with idiots, as you start to sound even worse than they do. I guess I'm a money grubbing thief to want to feed my family and keep a roof over our heads, oh well.
Good job on your posts over on the Coastal FB page, Mike!
B
Here's the lesson: It doesn't matter how inexpensive a product is, they expect a good product, fast service, blah, blah, blah.
The lesson is, charge what you need to charge, because they'll try to get it out of you anyway. Like the old saying goes:
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten."
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
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