I just got a catalog from sunoptic.com. Does anyone have any knowledge of the company and the quality of the acetate frames ?
I just got a catalog from sunoptic.com. Does anyone have any knowledge of the company and the quality of the acetate frames ?
Everybody got one. They are registered under the parent company (Sunoptic) out of Europe and have some strange, problems IE: (registration, taxes etc.). The person in Canada is from Spain.. Maarten Kooiman and purchasing rules are...GST/PST OR HST on all sales (including Rx optical frames ????)....3% sur charge for credit card orders.....no company checks unless made out Kooiman's personal name....all orders shipped Purulator (with shipping cost) or COD.......or direct bank money transfer to a specific account.......or CASH. As per the quality you are welcome to visit his office to see the models.
Great info coupe!.....charging GST/PST may be in violation of taxation laws...curious to know if they even have a GST reg number printed on any invoice? Surcharging 3% on credit card transaction is usually a violation of agreement with the credit card company/processing firm, as well. Revenue Canada might be interested in cheques deposited into personal accounts for business purchases, as well.
I too, received a catalog, which is well designed, and informative. I was thinking that it was better than some that we get from large, well established companies??????
From their website:
Since Sunoptic supplies direct without any intermediaries, we can supply you with our high quality products for a competitive price.
Go on their Contact page, http://www.sunoptic.com/index.php?ro...mation/contact and you will find that there is NO Canadian representative. However is selling the products has no official status, so he covers his xxss.
Chris,
I must object. My accountant looked up Sunoptic and there was no Canadian registration, but when he looked up Kooiman, there is a registered company under his name in Canada. Being from Spain, and apprantly connected to the European home company, he is probably ....testing the waters for his company here. I DO NOT believe that he is trying to cheat or fraud anybody but just unaware of how things work over here. You will appreciate this one, as when I spoke to him he told me that his french lawyers(here in quebec), were the only ones ,in Quebec that represented french speaking people and they told him he had to charge the taxes.
I personally would like to buy from him ,when he has sorted out the company accounting procedures. I do see a problem thought, and that being, if his produce is as good as he says (for the prices he is charging) then the ECP's are going to flock to buy from him, and as a result the retail pricing of frames might crash. Certainly a good source of frames ,if you want to start a small online website.
I would say more of a trend....however as most people get a crappy pair of unadjusted poorly made glasses, they will not likely do it a second time.This happened much the same when the lenscrafters came to town with one hour service...many people tried it and have returned to their best previous optician for a more personable experience that hinges on excellent fitting skills, and higher quality products.
Last edited by mike.elmes; 06-10-2011 at 05:18 PM.
We are loosing track here. The question was ,Who is Sunoptic. They are a legitamate company in Europe and have a person ,in Canada,trying to setup the Canadian side but without knowing the proper way to go about it. Are they good,.... I don't know because I have not seen their product. Will ECP's buy from them...I think many allready have......will they become a "player" in the Candaian market...quite possibly...but until they get their accounting arranged I will wait and see.
Mike,
Did you receive your frames??? How is the quality???
They seem to be having problems with everything.
i just ordered from these guys, & they faxed the order back wanting my credit card number,....i think i'm going to wait & see how this thread unfolds before giving it to them.
AH good old Quebec.
Well I finally have my order. It took (19) days of telephone calls, a dozen faxed messages and contadictions to finally receive the frames. GST & PST was charged on the order and a $5.95 Purulator delivery charge included. I did recieve my 6 free frames with my first order. Will I re-order from them? Time will tell. What does one do for parts and pieces...well at their price I will simply just re-order a complete frame , if I ever have a breakage issue. They obviously need to work out their understanding of how the Canadian optical business functions and show a little more faith in the honesty and reputation of the ECP' her in Canada.
QUALITY.... Well IMHO the frames are varied. Some are rather good quality while others are mediocor. Remember what you are paying for them. Some are the equivalent to the quality of what ECP's are paying much more for from the BIG GUYS but in general look at the complete line as a above mid-range price to lower . I am not dissapointed.
Doglas, Any luck?
Good luck with ordering replacements. In the UK there is a minimum order value each time, so ordering a single frame is out of the question. They have been here for about 10 years, but you don't see a lot of their product.... When you do they are usually being used as BOGOF frames.
Hi All, My name is Maarten Kooijman (Dutch) and I am the sales - and marketing director of Sunoptic International. After having opened our 1st European branche 17 years ago, and with 5 hubs in Europe, we have decided to set up in Canada. Although having professional 3rd party advisors assisting us locally to set up the business in a 100% correct way, it unfortunately does have some start-up issues. Based upon the feedback on this forum, we have consulted our accountant and lawyer to double check all runs as should be.
Pitty to read that it took 19 days for 1 of you to get the order delivered with a lot of hassle. Plenty of room for improvement.
I will be in Canada early August and should 1 of you wish to meet with me face to face to give a more indpeth explanation of who we are and what we do, please let me know. You can email me at maarten@sunoptic.com
Best regards
Maarten
We received more catalogues today. Did anyone meet with Maarten? Has anyone more feedback?
Dear all, We just launched our new summer acetate frame collection: over 100 new sku's in seasonal colours. Hope you will enjoy them. In case of any questions/doubts, I remain at your disposal at maarten@sunoptic.com. Kind regards/Maarten
Hello all
So far my experience with Sunoptic frames has been positive. We brought in about 50 last year (sold 30 so far) and so far havent had any broken hinges or chipped paint etc...yet.
Pricepoint is great and lots of different models so its a decent product.
BTW the latest catalogs have some newer models with a carbon fiber, look so we ordered a few to assess. The hinges look really weak also the the screws attaching the endpieces to the eyewire are loose so...at this pricepoint there are bound to be some issues..
That's our experience so far
AA
Dear Gibby, Please let me know which styles your refer to as we don't offer any carbon fiber styles. Please bear in mind that we have a standard 24 month full replacement guarantuee in case of any problem. We don't supply parts, we just prefer to give you a free new product instead. Kind regards, Maarten Kooijman
Hello Maarten
Just providing constructive criticism. Like I said I'm very happy with the vast majority of the frames I've ordered. I've almost sold them all and they have been an asset in a tough retail environment. I will be ordering again!
The models in question are A141, A144, A145 cool carbon fiber looking temples, acetate fronts with adj nosepads. These are great looking frames but the attachment of the temples to end-pieces could be beefed up. Also the metal nosepad guard-arms are visible to the observer in the lighter colored frame models.
Lots of styles and colors and great price!
AA
Anybody else with recent experience with the company and product. That's right... I just received a catalog in the mail.
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