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Thread: Maui Jim ??????

  1. #1
    OptiBoard Apprentice
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    I have heard rumors that Maui Jim is changing some qualifications for buying!!

    $$$$ to get in and so much a month to keep the line MAJOR $$$$$$

    Anyone else heard anything or is it just rumor!

  2. #2
    sub specie aeternitatis Pete Hanlin's Avatar
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    I don't currently carry Maui Jim's, but I fail to see how requiring a buy in or a certain level of sell through would strike anyone as strange.

    Many vendors of upper-quality frames impose such requirements- because they want to make sure their products are being given proper attention by the dispensing staff. I wish some other companies would refuse to sell me frames if I'm not selling their product well! (Instead of showing up at the door every two months, begging us to take more of their non-performing goods.

    What I know about Maui Jim can be summed up in one experience. Basically Maui Jim replaced a customer's broken temple through our office- free of charge- even though we don't have an account with them, and the patient couldn't remember where he purchased the product.

    Maui Jim is on my short list of "must add lines" in the near future.

    Pete

  3. #3
    Bad address email on file Darris Chambless's Avatar
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    Has anyone heard...,

    That Luxottica (owner of Lenscrafters, Ray Ban, Revo, Avant Gard, Berdel, Byblos, Georgio Armani, etc.) requires that a potential provider for their EyeMed scam buy 150 Luxottica frames to be "included" in the "program" or did I read that number has increased? I know, I know this is old information but it seemed pertinant at this point :-)

    Fact or fiction? You decide. Inquiring minds want to know.

    Darris C.

  4. #4
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    I have a shop in a small town! I sell about 50 pairs of Maui a year! What I heard was that you had to sell thousands of $$ each month! For any small optical shop that is not easy! If it's true it sounds like they only want to deal with big sun shops and retailers!

    Second I am part of that Eyemed scam! I joined the plan 1 1/2 years ago! Had very little patients until this year! Have seen about 20 this year! Made about $2000 in profit on the frame and lenses!
    I have no trouble having 200 Lux frames (They Sell) I have about 500 frames! Out of the 300 others no vendor has ever sent me any business. Granted it is less of a profit than private pay but at the end of the year I will make more money! I have a doctor that works for us 3 times a week. He has VSP and that brings us many customers. If my doctor leaves I need to find a doc that has VSP because I can't get it. I think Eyemed is the only major plan opticians can get on! I don't know what the scam might be!!!!!!





  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder rep's Avatar
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    Dear Darris:

    The requirement for entry into Eye Med is:

    -200 frame board spaces in 4 price categories

    -$7500 net product purchases per year

    - a 20% or less return rate per year.

    This has not changed since the program was introduced in March 1999

  6. #6
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    However, EyeMed can be very flexible in situations where they do not have as many covered lives.

    As for Maui Jim, I am planning on adding them along with Ray-Ban as my main suns. You must buy 12 of their classic lines to start an account, but their sports and titanium sports count as separate accounts and require initial buy-ins of 8 and 6 respectively. Kind of a scam in that way, like the Calvin Klein/Nautica deal with Marchon, but what can you do?

    For the record - EyeMed has been one of the lowest paying plans I am on. They barely give you peanuts for the frames (unless you convince the patient to buy a non-Lux frame) and their structure for other items requires some finagling to get some good numbers. Their government contract is a friggin' joke - they expect you to seriously discount your services (at least 50% in some cases) for the "privilege" of seeing their lives.

    I will put it this way - if Lux gives me a hard time about not having enough frames or buying enough each year, I will gladly let them drop me.

  7. #7
    sub specie aeternitatis Pete Hanlin's Avatar
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    Rep and OptiOpti,

    I'm placing some of the posting guidelines here for your perusal...
    • This Board is here to serve PROFESSIONAL interests, and it is NOT acceptable to use it solely as a Marketing or Sales tool (except as noted below.). Blatant attempts to misuse this resource will be deleted.
    • Please identify all potential conflicts of interest clearly. If you are commenting on an issue or product that you have a financial interest in, you must identify this relationship.
    • It is also all right to mention your product or service in response to another message. All I ask is that you do this without turning it into a major advertisement, and that you follow the previous point and identify your relationship to this product.
    • Personal e-mail should be used for 1:1 sales pitches. Do not use the OptiBoard for these activities.
    • Limit yourself to the facts. Name-calling and innuendo are not appropriate uses of this forum.
    • Abuse of any of these guidelines may result in being banned from the Board.



    Now, I know rep works for Luxottica (in fact, he arranged to have a rep visit me concerning the Sun Center program- in which we have chosen to participate). From the nature of his/her postings, I suspect Optiopti has some interest in Luxottica as well. All I ask is that you make everyone aware of your affiliations when you post. Failing that, I will personally remove any post that poses as an "innocent" inquiry into the greatness of LC/Luxottica or the "shortcomings" of another company.

    If you want to undermine another company, make your conflict of interest known.

    Pete Hanlin
    OptiBoard Moderator

    PS- BTW, I have no problem with rep defending the EyeMed program (although I agree with UtahOD's opinion- its a pretty horrible program), just state that you are associated with Luxottica when doing so. Thanks.

  8. #8
    sub specie aeternitatis Pete Hanlin's Avatar
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    On another note...

    I am willing to listen to the Luxottica / Lenscrafters company line when they say they are "all for" Opticians and private practice Optometry.

    However, when I note that the only lobbyist trying to impede the progress of Florida House Bill HB315 (Senate Bill SB768) is employed by LensCrafters, I have to scratch my head. Thankfully, thus far the lobbyist's efforts to amend and delay the bill have been defeated at every turn (e.g., the Judicial Review Committee passed the bill without amendment).

    If everything the LensCrafters/Luxottica team does is supposedly for the common good of our professions, why would they be adamantly opposing legislation which would strengthen the penalties associated with the unlicensed practice of Opticianry and the illegal dispensing of contact lenses?

    Pete

  9. #9
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    Go to E-bay you have people selling supposedly authentic maui jim sun's for just
    over wholesale. I don't think this is right
    but Maui Jim is going the way Bausch and Lomb
    did with Raybans. They would sell as many units to anybody and usually at a reduced cost. I tried to buy a Wayfarer by B & L,I could get it for less at my local BJ's then through any lab or wholesale lab.

  10. #10
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    Pete: Same thing happened in N.Y. Fighting the big boys against legislation, it seemed like it when on forever. In the end the opticians lost because we did not have the
    money to compete or the will power to take it to the next level.

    [This message has been edited by rfish777 (edited 04-12-2001).]

  11. #11
    Bad address email on file Darris Chambless's Avatar
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    Hello Optiopti and rep,

    I'm not trying to single either one of you out, but I must repeat what Pete said and also ask a couple of questions.

    First to Optiopti, "Second I am part of that Eyemed scam! I joined the plan 1 1/2 years ago! Had very little patients until this year! Have seen about 20 this year! Made about $2000 in profit on the frame and lenses!"

    Let's see, you purchased 200 Luxottica frames (which I will agree are not a bad product for the money but there are other products on the market for the same price or a little more that are even better) at, I'm sure, a discounted price. You maintain a selection of Luxottica frames to maintain your participation in the EyeMed program. You sold 20 pieces in the last three months so you had to buy 20 pieces this quarter?

    Let's do the math: you made the initial purchase at around $7500 (which equates to a middle range wholesale cost) and brought in 20 more this quarter which would estimate out to about $750.00, multiply that times 4 assuming you will see "only" the same amount of patients each quarter, and you'll spend at least another $3000 on Luxottica product over and above the $7500 initial purchase. You are now tied into Luxottica for $10,500.00 over 2.5 years.

    Here's the nitty gritty of the "scam." You have made the guarantee to Luxottica that you will purchase and maintain a certain number of their products, sell their products to EyeMed patients (their own company vision plan/insurance BTW which blocks its own patient base) and that you will do your best to promote their product (which is pretty easy to do when half of your displayed inventory is their product.)

    What does Luxottica guarantee? That your name will go on a list. They make no guarantee to you and you just paid them $7500 +. There is no guarantee that just because your name is on a provider list that these patients will come to you, not to mention the only people that know you're on the list are those on the plan.

    For $10,000 a year you could find better ways to advertise and get more name recognition out to the general public than Luxottica ever will. Plus, if done properly, could get 3 people into your office to Luxottica's one by advertising and networking. By putting that money to better use you could have made $6000.00 profit this year and not had to shell out $7500 on one companies product.

    So in a nutshell you( the shop owner) pay Luxottica for the privilege of discounting, getting your name on a list and promoting their product. The patients pay Luxottica a premium for the privilege to get PART of their costs covered. Luxottica makes money no matter what and you honestly think they are looking out for your best interest or the best interest of the patients? So if I asked you to buy something from me because I'm looking out for you, you'd do it? Now I know in the back of your mind you're thinking, "Luxottica gets patients into my office." You're right, but you know what the patients that came into your office didn't have to. They could have gone anywhere or to anyone else on the list, so why did they come to you? Answer that question and you might figure out who REALLY brought those patients into your office ;-)

    Keep in mind I'm not trying to demean you here. I'm trying to say that people will tell you anything you want to hear in order to get you to buy something. If they say the right things you will believe that they have your best interests at heart when nothing could be farther from the truth. They have THEIR best interests at heart every time.

    I'm rather blunt in my way of writing and speaking mainly because I've seen too many people get sucked into these "scams" and end up taking a bath in a product they can't afford or support. It's more too smack you in the back of the head and say "You're smarter than that!" My advice, for what it's worth, don't get taken for a ride.

    If Luxottica gets you patients and makes you profitable then by all means go for it. But in the long run and even the short run, Luxottica is the only one with the guarantee not to mention the only one without any risk.

    Always remember, "The Casino always takes 18%." :-)

    Darris C.

  12. #12
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    OK I started this thread to find out if anything was changing about Maui Jim !

    Found out nothing!

    As for Eyemed I had to buy very little extra form Lux because I was already buying form them! And did more than $7500 yearly

    I thought this sight was here to trade opinions about the business. I is starting to get personal

    So GOOD BYE (Don't respond to this message I will not be here again)


  13. #13
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    Dear Optiopti: I found the same thing. A lot of people on these forums seem to have personal agendas that seem to cloud there better judgement. One is big into the large chains. Another into thinking that his opinion is the only one out there. Way to go Guys how many more people will you turn off by your smug attitudes and arrogant responses.

  14. #14
    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Optiopti:
    OK I started this thread to find out if anything was changing about Maui Jim !

    Found out nothing!
    You're absolutely right. I've reread this message thread several times and I'm at a loss to explain how or why this turned into another Luxottica/EyeMed thread.

    I thought this sight was here to trade opinions about the business.
    It still is as you can see by the thousands of posts here. Unfortunately sometimes emotions and opinions seem to pop into these discussions. By and large however people have been able to find the information they're looking for on this site.

    I is starting to get personal
    So GOOD BYE (Don't respond to this message I will not be here again)

    Perhaps I'm not very observant, but I didn't see anything that struck me as a personal attack against you or anyone else. Nonetheless I understand your frustration in not getting your original question answered and in seeing this thread go off topic. That really shouldn't have happened.

    [Note to everyone: Please keep on topic when replying to messages. If you want to discuss something else, start a new topic.]

    I do hope you reconsider your choice to leave.

    ------------------

    OptiBoard Administrator

    [This message has been edited by Steve Machol (edited 04-12-2001).]

  15. #15
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    I don't know why your taking pop shots at optiopti. The first mention of eyemed scam came from Darris. An why are you so eyemed crazy? Seems to me your only putting money back into Luxottica Aka (Lenscrafters) pockets. Looks like to me your only supporting your competition, which in the long run will not be good for us independents
    at all.

    [This message has been edited by rfish777 (edited 04-12-2001).]

  16. #16
    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Where exactly am I taking 'pot shots' at Optiopti? I thought I was expressing support and understanding for his/her frustration at not getting an answer to a legitimate question.

    As for being 'eyemed crazy', how did you get that idea? Frankly I have absolutely no opinion on the subject.

    Clearly this thread has nothing to do with the original topic which was Maui Jim. Therefore I'm closing it. If anyone has a problem with that - either email me or start a new thread.

    ------------------

    OptiBoard Administrator

    [This message has been edited by Steve Machol (edited 04-12-2001).]

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