Recent 1-800contacts tv ad

[eyedude]

If you haven't seen their TV ad it says, "your contact lens prescription is on the box". Doesn't that **** off anyone else besides me. Obviously that's not a prescription. What can we do about it?
:hammer:

[Crazy-bout-Optics]

If you haven't seen their TV ad it says, "your contact lens prescription is on the box". Doesn't that **** off anyone else besides me. Obviously that's not a prescription. What can we do about it?
:hammer:

Honestly, not much. The only thing you can control is what you do in office, and by that I mean to make sure that your CL patients purchase from you and don't resort to purchasing their CL's online.

[cocoisland58]

The ads also say that the prescription will be verified by the doctor before it can be filled. The customer uses the numbers on the box to fill in the blanks on their site. I don't know how many fall through the cracks but we get the dreaded verification phone call at least once a week.

[Wes]

Duplicate post?

[Wes]

The way the law is written its essentially "silence means consent". If the online company tries to verify and the fax is out of ink, broken, disconnected, or the office doesn't respond for any other reason, like, they're busy, then the pt gets the contacts. Expired or not. Correct or not. About to expire? Get a year supply. This does no good for the pt, even if they think it does. It doesn't help a busy office to spend loads on toner and have the phone lines tied up so another company can steal your customers. I don't see how this law helps anyone but the marketer. Oh wait, they're the ones who paid for the lobbyist who wrote it, aren't they.

Hmmmmmm

[350gt]

The ads also say that the prescription will be verified by the doctor before it can be filled. The customer uses the numbers on the box to fill in the blanks on their site. I don't know how many fall through the cracks but we get the dreaded verification phone call at least once a week.

Ditto, the "This is a prescription verification request, if you hang up the automated system will call you back in 5 minutes till the message has been completely delivered :angry:

[Giorio]

I wonder if this will work:

The following procedure should work with the majority of phone companies.

Go to your landline phone and dial *60.

[rbaker]

If you haven't seen their TV ad it says, "your contact lens prescription is on the box". Doesn't that **** off anyone else besides me. Obviously that's not a prescription. What can we do about it?
:hammer:

I believe the intent of the FDA Eyeglass I and II legislation was to enable the consumer to purchase eye wear wherever he/she wished and not be forced to purchase from the prescriber. It requires that the prescriber furnish that data necessary to accomplish that goal. That's the law!

I really don't think that you want the FDA to revisit this area as the most probable outcome would be an Eyeglass III specifically mandating the release of all CL parameters and perhaps a fresh round of enforcement action against eye care providers who fail to follow the spirit and letter of the law.

Legislation is greatly influenced by money and the internet marketers of eyeglasses and contact lenses have such a large pecuniary interest in the mandatory release of prescriptions that they can amass a war-chest that will dwarf whatever chump change any state or national organization can muster.

So what are you to do to counter this loss of sales?

Sell at a lower price and provide better service.
.

[Chris Ryser]

So what are you to do to counter this loss of sales?

Sell at a lower price and provide better service.

Do you all agree with this ???????????????

[Giorio]

Do you all agree with this ???????????????

Yes

[Fezz]

Contacts are a losing game.

Period.

Go sell some glasses, spend a a little extra time educating your patients about the lens and frame options available today and stop fretting about the money and time wasting contact lens situation!

[cocoisland58]

Contacts are a losing game. Period.

Yep. We set our prices the same as 800-Cts. If the patient still for some odd reason wants to order from them then whatever. There is no money in contact lenses. Give it up and use your energy to sell what makes you a living.

[kcount]

I believe the intent of the FDA Eyeglass I and II legislation was to enable the consumer to purchase eye wear wherever he/she wished and not be forced to purchase from the prescriber. It requires that the prescriber furnish that data necessary to accomplish that goal. That's the law!

I really don't think that you want the FDA to revisit this area as the most probable outcome would be an Eyeglass III specifically mandating the release of all CL parameters and perhaps a fresh round of enforcement action against eye care providers who fail to follow the spirit and letter of the law.

Legislation is greatly influenced by money and the internet marketers of eyeglasses and contact lenses have such a large pecuniary interest in the mandatory release of prescriptions that they can amass a war-chest that will dwarf whatever chump change any state or national organization can muster.

So what are you to do to counter this loss of sales?

Sell at a lower price and provide better service.
.

Seeing as I have no doctor in my office, I am not entirely against the release of CL's or eyeglass Rx's. Do I like 1800 contacts? Not really, but as I have said before, the patient that wants to buy online, really isn't my patient/customer. The same goes for someone that wants to buy at Costco, et al. I have products they don't have, I have services they cant offer.