Internet Sales Advertising and Business Ethics
During these challenging economic times...
It seems as though even large reputable companies are now lowering their standards and ethics and accepting revenue on all advertising; even if it's illegal.
Here is an ad I found while on a major Canadian telecommunications/media giant's website. It isn't a pop up and is actually embedded on their web pages.
The funny thing is...when I searched the link to their advertising directory - it didn't exist. Coincidence? I think not.
I just had a client that actually brought me a frame ,she purchased from these people. She paid $38.00 for a CK 690 havana 53/17/145. Not sure if this is a current....disco...or knock-off frame, but it was quite a good one. She put a pair of progressive A/R lens in them (bought from me) amd was very happy. I made a nice profit on the lens and she saved some money on the frame. Win/win.
You can bet the farm this company's initiative is to sell a complete pair of eyewear with prescription lenses. Frame only sales will not keep that division afloat.Originally Posted by coupe
What happens now when the frame breaks? Do you honestly think this customer will remove the lenses and return it to the internet supplier to be repaired or replaced?
Since the customer paid only $38.00 to them and probably $200.00 to you for the lenses, numerically speaking, you are now 85% the full supplier and the onus now falls upon you to fix it or replace it. Not to mention, he/she can easily drive back to see you in person and verbally complain; possibly in front of other shopping customers.
To me, that is a very short term WIN/WIN and a long term LOSE/LOSE.
people are forced to hold on to their cash.............
I do not agree.............this was a 2 purchase deal. Frame from an outsider for cheap, obviously no warranty, and the lenses from the professional.
So, you guy's should take the business as it comes, but make sure that people know what came from you and what not. If you give warranties make sure that your customers know what is under warranty and what is not.
There will be probably more and more of these cases as people are forced to hold on to their cash and go as inexpensive as possible.
ll
Last edited by Refractingoptician.com; 04-02-2009 at 02:15 PM.
The client was made very much aware of the fact that the frames were her responsability and very much aware that I would guarentee the lens. What happens when she has a frame problem is her trouble. I will always do my best to say "I told you so". and sell her a replacement frame.
I am very curious to know which lab is cutting there lens it TO. There are not to many of them that could handle that quantity and the #1 one example would P.
I lost a sale to a shop yesterday due to a free frame offer and $150.00 for st-28 trif in plastic. Can I afford to be picky when a client wants new lens only in her own frame.....NO. So I will take the sale and all others until this whole internet, corporate sell out and recession ends.
Refracting, that P is supposed to be a W. Sorry.
,,
Last edited by Refractingoptician.com; 01-04-2010 at 05:01 AM.
What ethics have got left to lower now that we are in sales?
sales can be ethical
as for buying frames online. I have no problem with putting lenses in them. It is the same with them buying a frame from another store. On the other hand, online frame sales will be minimal. May be profitable enough for a few online retailers, but will never take a significant portion of the retail away. Why? Who wants to buy a frame without wearing, seeing, touching it?
Eyemanflying - i discovered same ad in my phonebill. I sent copy to our association, as i know there is current legal proceedings ongoing with the company in question
Hopefully between the dinner, drinks, schmoozing and unnecessary travel within other associations across North America, they can find some time in their busy schedules to address it.Eyemanflying - i discovered same ad in my phonebill. I sent copy to our association, as i know there is current legal proceedings ongoing with the company in question
Let's not hold our breath though, otherwise we will all look like this...
I found a link on clearlycontacts.ca................
I found a link on clearlycontacts.ca to who we are (Media Kit) and the following came up in PDF:
Coastal Contacts Inc., suite 320, 2985 Virtual Way, Vanvouver, BC, V5M 4x&
The Man behind the lens is a Roger Hardy
Well, isn't that an ironic, fictitious sounding address.
No peanuts.................
http://investors.coastalcontacts.com...p?ticker=t.coa
They are reporting $ 31.3 million of sales in the first quarter 2009, qn increase of 24% from last year.
The Toronto stock exchange symbol is: COA
This is no peanuts and worth looking at a bit closer
ll
Last edited by Refractingoptician.com; 04-02-2009 at 02:13 PM.
Here is the Toronto Stock exchange result:
Impressing......................
Here is the Toronto Stock exchange result:
http://infoventure.tsx.com/TSXVentur..._FLAG2=checked
From PROFIT magazine, May 2008...................
In January, we built a state-of-the-art lab and launched our eyeglasses business. We now ship 4,500 orders of contacts and eyeglasses per day, and open 1,400 new customer accounts per day. That volume allows us to offer more styles at less than half the price of a retail store.
Outcome: we have been blown away. Customers had told us they wanted this, but we hadn’t known just how badly. Already we’ve had days in which more than 10% of our total shipments are eyeglasses. Shipping 500 pairs of eyeglasses or more per day has opened our eyes to the size and possibility of this market. We never had 500 sales a day in our third month of selling contact lenses.
It’s a very exciting time for us. We now have a huge sandbox and phenomenal opportunities — and we are just getting started. Along the way, we have learned a valuable lesson: the crown jewel of our company is our 1.5 million existing customers. All of the excitement for the year ahead is the result of listening to them. And that’s something we plan to do more of — with a shovel and pail in hand.
source: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/colu..._198714_198714
Wow, retailers should be concerned. That's quite a nice chunk of market share.
Considering the RHPA , The Optometry Act and the Optician's Act and the source of where this is coming from ... yes they should be very concerned . Concerned enough to raise h _ _ l with their respective licensing boards .
Wow, retailers should be concerned...............
I think we have opened a very large can of worms here, just by checking a bit into the background. There is an ex-MP on the board of directors, is he or has he pulled some strings ?
Who is supplying the majority of the lenses and the frames ?
How can you get at them ?
Surely you Cannadians don't have corruption in politics like us Yanks?
We don't have politics we only have corruption.
I do say Sherlock...I mean Chris lol. This certainly gets more interesting by each post. I would say anytime a politician is involved in any business dealings, there is certainly cause for suspicion, or at least skepticism.
I was always told as a young lad...anytime you finish shaking hands with a politician or lawyer, count the fingers on your right hand to make sure they are all still there.
Didn't they recently get sued by the BCAO for illegal dispensing and actually win? Hmmmmm.
Read the court transcripts on that one , in my opinion, I would rather say that the BC College messed up big time . It is not so much that the defendant won as it is that BC College lost and flubbed it . IMHO, I know a paralegal that could have done a better job . It is hard to believe.
Read what the judge said . In my opinion, he tells them what they were doing wrong and why they lost .
I wonder if the BC COllege even considered taking the judge's advice about the wording of their act as compared to Alberta's . I wonder if the BC College even read the court transcripts .
In my humble opinion , they failed the simplest and most basic thing , that might have won .
Last edited by Refractingoptician.com; 04-02-2009 at 07:51 PM.
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