Beware all medium priced eyeglass retailers. The internet will erode your marketshare first.
Ultra High End -- customers care most about luxury and status.
High End -- customers more concerned with brand than price.
Mid Range -- customers can easily switch to high or low end.
Low End -- customers buy from you out of habit and are not likely to switch (unless your prices are too high, which means you are actually Mid-Range.)
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At 600 pairs of glasses a day........................
At 600 pairs of glasses a day I don't think it is minimal, as well as the few thousand p of contacts a day is also not minimal.Originally Posted by cityconnection
I would suggest you look at the details on their website.
Also your friends at the big corporations are selling them the frames and lenses for real cheap.
The lens, frame, edging equipment, service technicians , industry regulators , politicians , etc that you support are all undercutting and undermining the existing industry as we know it.
Chris, I did my masters thesis on online buying. It has a strong literature review that covers the whole online buying process. If you would like a copy, hit me up
Can I hit you up for a copy as well ?
yes. PM me your email addy
The most value is in the literature review. When you get into the primary research, it focuses more on eBay.
Is there not another issue applicable here. That would be the right to "Privacy". To the best of my knowledge an optician is not allowed to release any information about his client/patient to anybody without the clients/patients written permission. In that case when someone on the end of a telephone (irregardless of whom/what/where/insurance company/medical plan/on line seller etc.) calls for details of a file we request the that it be made in writing, so that we may submit it to our client/patient for his approval. Once we submit it to the client/patient we require that he authorize (in writing) his permission to devulge the detailed contents of his file to this one company and for this one and only time. Copies are made of all documents and then the paperwork is forwarded to the requsting party.Any further requests require the procedure all over again. This is done in order to protect us from any possible problems regarding privacy issues.
If you read the privacy law, I would be willing to bet the greater portion of the people on this board are in viloation of some part of it right now.
How much do you charge for the administration of this ?
Refracting Optician:
We won't discuss what you are in violation of.
You know very well: There are no Hippa Police. Eyeglass and CL Rx's have been given an exemption from Hippa. No one including the govenment really gives a da*mn about the information being released on spectacle Rx's. (Records reguarding social disease, or similar things are a different matter). And you are required to give the patient a copy of his Rx at the time of exam, if you did you wouldn't be gettign these calls to begin with.
You and the people you work for know you are not "protecting privacy" or even defending your office from anything. You are just trying to make it as difficult as possible for patients use the vendor of thier choice and make it as difficult as possible for whatever independents out there to make a living and survive.
If your services were all that nice, your product that good the patient wouldn't be going elsewhere for eyewear anyway.
Chip
(Boy, I can hardly wait for the feed back on this one!)
Does this hold up for PIPEDA?
Chip
(Boy, I can hardly wait for the feed back on this one!)[/QUOTE]
Who is the "you" in your rant Chip ?
Chip I think you response should be addressed to me and not refracting optician. In my office it is extremely rare the a client will ask for a copy of his Rx. When he does we gladly supply it immediately. I am referring to that unkown person (non-licensed) on the end of a telephone asking me for personal details about my client. Granted he may have placed an order with them but what guarantee do I have that a verbal Rx given over the phone will end up being properly made. If I have written consent and documented paperwork ,then when something goes wrong I have proof of my actions. Remember the last medical person to see the client is the responsable one.
Yes it does slow things down. GOOD. Do I charge for this NO.
BTW: If your patient calls you on the phone and asks for a verbal copy of his Rx, will you give it to him? If a client brings you a written Rx on a piece of regular paper ,will you fill the Rx ? If an online seller has no solid paper copy of the clients Rx is it legal?
ClearlyContacts is on msn too, if you use msn messenger you will see their ads all the time. I've seen their headquarters myself, there is nothing illegal about running their business online, as they are regulated by both College of Opticians and also Internet Privacy Act (something like that). they are in toronto stock exchange market too that's why they are highly reputable to other suppliers as well. the coastalcontacts.com is in US and they are even bigger. You guys are crazy still thinking selling eyeglasses online is illegal ... it is the great trend!
Last edited by Val_Kings; 04-08-2009 at 11:02 AM.
Sorry Fellas I didn't recognise this was a Cannadian post. Here in the US all prescribers are required by law to give the patient a copy of thier Rx at the time of examination. One of the few actual laws our government passed to actually enforce something that ethics seem to no longer dictate.
Don't guess Canadians are concerned about this.
Chip
Chip, we are concerned but why give away the Rx if the client does not ask for it. Would you price a set of eyeglasses in your store and then suggest that the client go check out the competition. I don't think so. So if they ask we give ....if they don't..well.
You will never surpress on line selling, people want it ....they like it...and the corps are pushing everything under the sun on line. It will be the future and we the small guys will not be bale to stop it.
If I have to explain the ethics and honor of the concept you would never be capable of comprehending it. So I won't bother.
Chip
We have to too. But PD and seg heights are not considered part of the RX
There are many reasons. First, you give the RX out, because it is right. Second, because it is right. Third, because it is right. If that is not reason enough, you give it out, because if you ever go to court, they cannot say that you refused to give it out.
Thread has gone on side tracks...............
I see that this thread has side tracked like they all do. This in my humble opinion is an issue that should be of general optical interest when a large part of the optical retail business has left the professional and purchases their needs on line.
What's to stop a layperson from ordering every combination of power from under the sun and then placing a kiosk or even a vending machine in a mall or grocery store to dispense the glasses?
The reason professionals exist is because the general public cannot possibly understand all of the intricacies of the profession. So professionals are entrusted with the duty to guide them toward a good decision with knowledge of the clients needs and knowledge of the products and options. The online vendors are not only taking advantage of unsuspecting clients but many of their sites do their best to try and make the client believe that it is the professionals who are the crooks and deceiving them. I am not a Canadian optician but no matter where the online purchasing of eyewear occurs the practice is wrong.
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