I'm an Ontario OD considering selling/merging my practice with IRIS. Would appreciate any input from anyone who has considered this and whether or not you decided to go ahead with it.
I'm an Ontario OD considering selling/merging my practice with IRIS. Would appreciate any input from anyone who has considered this and whether or not you decided to go ahead with it.
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...highlight=iris
As a Quebecer myself, I strongly agree with the comments made by Optiq11, which is also a Quebecer. BTW Iris is born in our province.
Don't believe the crap made by IrisMan, who is obviously one of their spokeperson.
May I add that they sell crizal Alizé SV for $300.00 ?
Mostly fitted illegaly by incompetent sellers ?
Less than 1/3 of their stores have opticians ?
Or their cheapest frames are about $150.00 (kids), same models sold elsewhere at less than $50.00 ?
Eye exams are 50% more expensive than anywhere else ? For nothing more.
Sellers aren't allowed to sell anything but High-end Essilor only products ?
There is a rumor here that Iris is really owned by Essilor...
Most people come at Iris first for the look and for the style of these stores, it gives a impression of professionnalism. Until they pay the bill, be fitted by incompetent or have any kind of problems following, so they find it's all about the look and nothing else. Most never come back. That why Iris have a major tendancy to create stores in little isolated cities, with captive clients.
Other Iris stores don't survive more than ten years in general. If so, it's mostly based on revenues made by eye exams. Or ignorant patients.
Their "unique" niche isn't "unique" no more...
Too much competition now.
High-end products are available almost everywhere now, at lower price, and better service. It was another story ten years ago.
I had a friend worked at one Iris , long time back I was at his work talking about the patternless edger then was new thing, he said " this is good because we can hire people for $8 to do the jobs, why pay $25" , the girls were at front I hope they didn't hear that. The company kept doing that and later on let him go.
Anothe friend opened new store close to one of Iris, he is doing very well it drives the Dr. crazy.
I wish that Iris would open across the street from me.Originally Posted by jameselex
Regards,
Golfnorth
Say what you will about Iris. The business works. If you want a business that works and makes a good profit margin, buy an Iris.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
TRUE but it depends on your capacity of matching High-end products and higher prices with High-end services and professionnalism, which most Iris didn't succeed to do here.
So it's mostly up to you, not the franchise by itself.
I was speaking from a optician and a customer point of view.
Not as a business person.
As far as I know, first rule being in businees is to satisfy your customers, just give them what they expect for the price they pay. That's all.
If you can, go for it !
I can't not comment on this thread ...
First ... I must declare that I own 2 IRIS franchises in Quebec for more then 15 years, and I own about 0.5 % of the IRIS shares.
So lets see what you said as an optician point of view !!
"May I add that they sell crizal Alizé SV for $300.00 ?"
You should be very carefull when you make affirmation that can be verifiy ... first Alize is replace by Forte ... the IRIS price is 252.00 ... if you downgrade to a Alize ... the price is 212.00 ... I hope you are more precise as an optician ... 2,12 2,50 and 3,00 diopter are not really the same !!
" Mostly fitted illegaly by incompetent sellers ? "
ILLEGAL !!! .. I hope you have make a complaint to the Optician College about those illegal activities that you are witness ... and in the recent 2 years .. the optician college have start around 20 to 25 cases in court .... number against IRIS ... ZERO .. NIL ... NONE !!! This kind of statement .... in a public writting ... you are really near a diffamation cases my friend .... or maybe you wll tell me you are hidding yourself on the ? marks ???
"Less than 1/3 of their stores have opticians ?"
Wow .. another ? marks ... there is more then 160 IRIS in Canada ... this would means that less then 50 have an optician ... please tell me how did you make the count ??? Can you give us numbers ?? I will tell you that you ae fare away from the count ... my guess is around 25 % don't have an optician .... mostly in Quebec.
"Or their cheapest frames are about $150.00 (kids), same models sold elsewhere at less than $50.00 ? "
Give me frames description ... or at least a collection or a supplier that meet this criteria ... 50 $ vs 150 $ ... I can't proove you are wrong ... but you have to proove this to the board members ... good luck !!!
"Eye exams are 50% more expensive than anywhere else ? For nothing more. "
First ... the fees is 75 $ ... 50 % more means other are 50 $ ... strange ... many of my competitor are over 60 .. even 65 $ .... but you worst affirmation in this one is .... NOTHING MORE .... who are you to evaluate the quality of an eyes exams ??? Maybe for you an eyes exams means a refraction .... FDT, pachymetry, Fondus camera .. etc etc ... sorry you seems to don't really know what you are talking about.
"Sellers aren't allowed to sell anything but High-end Essilor only products ? "
How can you be wrong again !!! IRIS have agreements with Essilor, Nikon .. and now ZEISS .... I personally sells the first two and will add Zeiss in the next few weeks ...
"There is a rumor here that Iris is really owned by Essilor..."
This one is maybe not from you .... but you should make some verification before repeating those lies .... I AM a shareholders of IRIS ... and I receive the annual report ... hoo by the way ... IRIS is showing is financial statement to every of their associate at the annual convention ... more then 500 peoples see them ... are you that open with your own employee ??? Essilor is a public trade company ... when they buy something they have to declare it to the stock market ... find me the IRIS one please.
"Most never come back. That why Iris have a major tendancy to create stores in little isolated cities, with captive clients."
More then half of IRIS in Quebec province are in the great Montreal and Quebec city. MOST NEVER COME BACK ... wow ... if you where right .. IRIS would be close many years ago ... how can you do such an affirmation .... MOST ... this means more then 50% of my patients neevr come back ... you can'T realy beleive what you said do you ??
"Other Iris stores don't survive more than ten years in general."
Once again ... give us a list of IRIS stores who have close .... since half of the stores are in big cities .. and you said they don't survive more then 10 years ... you must be able to give us at least 30 to 40 closed stores ... please give us only 10 ... should be easy .... I will help you on this one ... closed stores in IRIS history that I personnaly remember ... St Rose in 1990 ... yes 1990 .. 19 years ago ... at the very beginning of IRIS, and Riviere du Loup somewhere in the 90s ... you just need another 8 ... hummmm Riviere du Loup is not really what you call a big city ...
Well .... EVERY STATEMENTS YOU POST ON IRIS is either false .. or not proove ... as an optician .. a professional ... credibilty should be one of your most valuable asset .... you must admit that on this particular subject .. you are flying so low that you can see ants on the ground without a binocular !!
I must add you CAN'T comment IRIS as a customers point of view ... because you are not one ... and the only way to really comments the customers point of view is by making a survey ... a thing you must have not spend 50 000 $ to do so.
I hope you don't take my reply on a personnal level, this is not my intention, but I wish you be more careful when you talk about an organisation that you seems not to really know well.
Can you succeed without IRIS ... absolutely !!
Would IRIS guaranty you success ... absolutely NOT !!
You are right on one thing .... you can do almost everything IRIS stores do ... with your patients, good luck my friend .... LUXO has not finish their expension ... and the most frighting is now the INTERNET SALES ... I prefere to be in a major group, with the advantages AND THE INCOVENIENTS .... the road ahead will be at least bumpy ....
Regards
Well I just got a $50 off coupon for Iris in the mail. Even when applied to the SV Crizal Forte example above ($252) my price is still lower.
Regards,
Golfnorth
Hi,
Did you calm down ?
I'll reply to your post, don't worry.
But I have decided to take my time.
I'm also a prompt person and I should have been more patient in my first reply. It had many points that were not enough elaborated and some I did some extrapolations or used my own experience. Like you said, it's a public forum and I owe you to be more precise.
It will come soon.
There was nothing false, I assure you.
Language barrier !
It's sometimes hard to be understood correctly when you have to write in another language. I'm sure you see it also.
Don't you find it odd that two "frenchies" argue in an English forum ?
What takes five minutes to everyone else to post takes me 20 minutes ?
Not forgetting about the fact we could easily misinterpret something in a wrongly matter ? So you did.
You interpreted many things I said the way you wanted.
My bad also about some points I wrote.
So let's get back on real things.
I'm willing to do it as long as you keep yourself of insulting me, as you almost did. Will you ?
Like Arnold said : "I'll be back !"
Dear Comma
I am on the beach in Wildwood ... don't worry I am very calm. :)
And I never wanted to insult you .... and I will always be open to debate opinions.
Hope to read you soon !!
Blah, blah, blah. I once attended a meeting at Iris's corporate office in Montreal. Extremely lavish and borderline intimidating.
In my opinion and experience, the simple facts are...
- Iris is about as arrogant as you can get in an optical chain
- They do tend to bully and dictate to their suppliers
- They bragged to me how big and rich they were and would be the first chain to open 500 stores in Canada
- Is simply a high end franchise catering to the high end market
- An independant OD can make the same money and be as successful without the headaches of investing and belonging to a franchise that calls the majority of the shots
Needless to say, my meeting was short and nothing ever developed.
;)
To the OD who was considering merging with IRIS, the latter is an innovator in incorporating technology to better benefit its clientele across Canada.
Being a vendor to IRIS, I have nothing but good to say about them.
Optikam Tech Inc. has supplied IRIS with its Dispensing system for the past 3 years.
The management team has always received us warmly and has worked with us closely in order for Optikam to help them increase their sales in the frame and lenses department.
Dr. Francis Jean, the founder of IRIS, is revered by his franchisees and managers for his vision and role in leading Canada's largest Optical Chain. IRIS is always at the forefront of introducing new technologies.
In addition, IRIS is very socially active in under developed countries with its program of providing free frames and lenses to the underprivileged.
Thanks for posting me.
Best regards,
Jonathan Sabbah
VP, Business Development
Optikam Tech Inc.
Tel:1-888.356.3311 exr:102
Email: www.optikam.com
Web: Optikam.com
Dear Jonathan:
Sounds like you have a vested interest in making sure Iris expands so you can sell more equipment.
As an optometrist who has been involved in both dispensing and nondispensing practices, I don't understand why an optometrist would give up his independance and join Iris or any other third party retailer.
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