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Thread: Warranty

  1. #1
    Bad address email on file Va.LDO's Avatar
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    Question Warranty

    What type of warranty do you offer your patients?

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder Clive Noble's Avatar
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    Quite simply, we offer them our professionalism (and I sometimes feel our souls too).

    If we recommend that they need a new Rx and a pair of spectacles or contacts, we stand by our recommendation which means that if they're not happy, we will turn ourselves upside down and inside out until they are satisfied, and if we can't do that we will offer them their money back.

    Yes, when I talk to other colleagues they say "You're a soft touch for all those that want to take advantage of you" but at the end of the day, the difficult patients are those that always return and bring back with them others.

    On the other side, if the product we have supplied has failed for a manufacturing reason....... and we all know what we're talking about here..... AR failing after a short period, colour peeling on a
    frame after 6 months etc... of course we will replace it, because we know our supplier will also stand by his warranty with us.
    Each case is individual and has to be weighed up in it's own merits, and yes, we have replaced frames and lenses after 2,3 or even 4 years for a good patient

    Sometimes a Pt will return and tell an amazing story, like this one yesterday, he has had his specs for a month.

    "I only sat on my glasses for a second and the temples bent out, when I bent them back, they broke away.... you've sold me rubbish, I want a new frame"

    An approach like this doesn't generate the best relationship between optician and Pt. After much shouting and screaming (by the pt) which did get a little out of hand, for peace, we said we would supply a new pair of temples No Cost.

    "No, I want a different, stronger frame which won't break if I sit on it... this one is rubbish" We held firm on this one, and later in the day he did call back and apologised and accepted our offer of a free pair of temples.

    It's fun isn't it! but that's what happens in a busy practice.
    Let's see what today brings.


    Clive

  3. #3
    Master OptiBoarder
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    I had a lady come in Moday, for the 3rd time, with her lens out of a titaniumm frame, that she purchased last Dec. I had retapped the screw holes several times, she was frustrated and I had no larger self tapping screws to retap with. So, I decided that enough was enough and replaced the complete pair of glasses, PAL, transitions, it was one of those rare ones when nothing goes right!. She picked them up today, her husband came with her and low and behold he whips out his rx and says I need a new pair also! It sure pays to stand behind your product!

  4. #4
    Bad address email on file Va.LDO's Avatar
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    What do you think of the way lenscrafters does their warranty? They say they will replace your frame or lenses within one year of orginal purchase, for a portion of the original price. I don't know how this works but seeing that lenscrafters are going strong people must like it.

  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder Joann Raytar's Avatar
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    We offer a one year eyewear warranty on everything except cases of obvious abuse,theft, loss or lack of proper care. The patient pays the shipping unless it is a true manufacturers defect. By sheer odd coincidence, we had two seperate patients come in with cigarette burns on their lenses last month. We did not make warranty replacement lenses. (I haven't had anyone use their glasses as an ashtray in the 13 years I've been in optics before last month.)

    We will not warranty certain products or lens treatments when a patient insists on something we strongly do not recommend but we let them know that up front. In certain cases we don't sell the product in the first place, for example, if the patient's request involves altering the integrity of a safety frame or any other frame, or an unsafe lens treatment. We would rather let them walk.

    Comparing warranties against a number of other shops wouldn't be a fair playing field for us all of the time. I don't know what everyone's warranty charges are but I am pretty sure the charges for warranty replacement lenses at many shops are what we would charge for a full priced, brand new set of lenses if they are SV PSR. What you charge is going to depend on what your retail and wholesale costs are and how many warranty replacements you find yourself doing. While we try not to abuse manufacturers' return policies, one of our criteria for bringing in frame lines or dealing with labs is how well vendors deal with returns. We drop vendors who give us a hard time on valid defects. As long as we are able to be reimbursed at least partially for defective product, we try to pass that benefit along to our patients.

    If you sell a good quality pair of eyewear, you shouldn't have to sweat the warranty issue so much. Of course, you can't allow your warranties to be abused either because people are people.

  6. #6
    That Boy Ain't Right Blake's Avatar
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    LC recently revised their "breakage protection plan" from a copayment of $50 or $75 to 50% of the retail price. Not sure how well that will sit with the customers who bought glasses during the big 50% off lenses sale.

  7. #7
    Master OptiBoarder BobV's Avatar
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    Lenscrafters warranty...

    I let people know that LC is owned by a frame manufacturer and if we carry their frames, we stand by the MANUFACTURER'S warranty, which is one year, and at no charge to the patient. That usually makes them think of what kind of "deal" they get from LC.

    Bob V.

  8. #8
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    The Optical is Unique ........................

    Look at other trades ..............................

    You buy new tires of the best kind and you get a let's say a 3 year warranty.

    After one year you develop a problem on one or two of the tires.
    The warranty applies on how much thread is left and an adjustment of usage is made.

    The thread is measured and for example you will be told that you have used 50% of the tires total capacity and you will have to pay 50% to get a new tire.

    Why does the optical use different measures and replace frames, lenses, coatings and whatsoever without really checking why and how the patient wants new parts for the ones he or she abused ?

    For example AR coatings can suffer if someone works in an environment where acids and solvents or their fumes are used and so can frames. So why should you as opticians, and behind you the manufacturer replace under warranty when your patient lives or works in an environment that is not compatible with the lenses or frames he bought. And maybe it is your fault for not checking these points when you sold the package

    This whole warranty bit started in the late sixties with AO giving one year full warranty on Kid's frames. Kid's are the original abusers and AO made a killing with this new idea and where way ahead of other brands in childrens frames.

    When you buy a new computer you are asked everywhere today if you want an extended warranty for 50 or 75 Dollars. How about applying this idea to the optical trade. ?

    Just *****ing about it will not help but maybe some brainstorming will.

  9. #9
    OptiBoard Professional Eddie G's's Avatar
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    Frames = 2 years

    ARC = 2 years

    SRC = 1 year

  10. #10
    OptiBoard Professional fletch's Avatar
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    I have a written 6 month!

    If its past that and I feel it's not abuse I will still fix them but charge for postage! Most people don't seem to mind!

    I just started this this year! I had 1 year before that!


    I only fix defective frames> if someone steps on them I will fix them but I charge wholesale plus postage!

    I was tired of people coming in after having a frame for 10 months and it cost me $10 in postage to fix the frame. Then they have a brand new frame that will last 10 months longer!!

    It seems to be working well!
    time will tell!

  11. #11
    Ophthalmic Optician
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    We stand behind all of our frames unconditionally for 2 years; manure spreaders, pick-up truck drive overs, 2 year olds getting a hold of them...it doesn't matter. Why not ? Why should we expect the frame companies to stand behind their products if we don't ?

    More than once I've had a roomfull of browser milling around when some guy comes in with a story about running his glasses over, or finding them in the bottom of his tool box or whatever...broken. Many times we won't even pull the guys file, we just give him a brand new one and tell him to have a nice day. Many times they'll try to pay and we won't let them. It's like a custom made commercial!! The other customers can't believe it, and figure they've come to the right place (and they have).

    Pizza Hut will drive 10 miles to deliver a pizza that they'll make ($10-15) on...I can at least go the extra mile for a heck of a lot more $$ than they make. Postage ? Shipping ? Who cares!! A free frame is worth a lot more than a full page advertisement to me.
    Q. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to hire someone to spend their day saying nice things about your business ?

    A. Not as much as you think-about the cost of a frame (that you'll get credit on anyway.

  12. #12
    Bad address email on file Va.LDO's Avatar
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    I also give patients a 1 year warranty on frames and on lenses. I used to give a 2 year warranty on AR but people would just abuse the warranty so I started only giving a 1 year. With all the buy 1 get 1 free, 50% off frames or 50% off lenses, 2 for $99.00 deals going on, people want the cheapest deal. They don't seem to care that the frame they are getting is a piece of junk or that the lenses they are wearing are an inferior product. I think Chris Ryser is right, maybe LC is on to something. I tell people we offer free replacement for manufacturer's defects and then they get mad if I won't replace their frames after they run over them with the car or after the dog has its way with their glasses. All people want is what they can get for cheap and look at service as a back seat. Think about it, LC pays alot of money to a group of people to think up all of their policies and advertising, more money than most of us have to spend. LC is also one of the biggest optical retailers is the U.S. Just some food for thought.

  13. #13
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Exclamation Quality and or warranty ........................

    Va.LDO said:
    They don't seem to care that the frame they are getting is a piece of junk or that the lenses they are wearing are an inferior product.

    I think Chris Ryser is right, maybe LC is on to something.

    LC is also one of the biggest optical retailers is the U.S. Just some food for thought.
    1)
    LC is owned by a frame manufacturer which most of you people support and who looks like he is going to gobble COLE NATIONAL soon.

    2)
    Most frames on the market are made in the Far East (and so are lenses) even if the are stamped some brand name or origin.

    3)
    Therefore the cost to the manufacturer is a lot lower than it was when they made them at their own plants and produced high quality. We are talking a cost that is a fraction of the original way.
    (can'tgo into more details and figures or will be censured by Optiboard)

    4)
    The optical shop's purchasing prices are higher than ever. Therefore the supplier's warranties have been calculated into the opticians purchase price who might pay double or triple the purchasing price they would if "there would be NO warranty".

    Conclusion:

    There are No freebies in this world. If customers are looking for the cheapest deals they have been conditioned for in daily advertising in newspapers, TV, and internet.

    The optical trade even pays the final buck of advertising to the trade and the public which also calculated into frames.

    Make a calculation on all these extra cost factors and you will come to the conclusion that you are probably paying more on these extras added into the cost of the frame, than the original value was at the point of manufacturing. More food for thought!

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