What's wrong with this picture?

[icmor]

The other day, I had a customer come in to have her new glasses adjusted that her daughter had purchased for her while she was in China. (The daughter is a United Airlines stewardess, and she took her mom's Rx with her when she flew to China.) The progressive height and pd's, of course, were incorrect, but, what got my attention was the FRAME. The country of origin stamp on the frame was NOT "Made in China", it was Italy! Since it's getting harder every year to find ANY frame mfg not outsourcing to China, I find this very ironic that the Chinese themselves aren't using their own products! What's wrong with this picture??!!

[rdcoach5]

The other day, I had a customer come in to have her new glasses adjusted that her daughter had purchased for her while she was in China. (The daughter is a United Airlines stewardess, and she took her mom's Rx with her when she flew to China.) The progressive height and pd's, of course, were incorrect, but, what got my attention was the FRAME. The country of origin stamp on the frame was NOT "Made in China", it was Italy! Since it's getting harder every year to find ANY frame mfg not outsourcing to China, I find this very ironic that the Chinese themselves aren't using their own products! What's wrong with this picture??!!

What's wrong is you probably did it for free.

[harry888]

If you can have fake "chanel" when in china, why not fake "italy".

Probably was product for the native chinese market meant to trick them into thinking they had an import.

Harry

[MarySue]

The other day, I had a customer come in to have her new glasses adjusted that her daughter had purchased for her while she was in China. (The daughter is a United Airlines stewardess, and she took her mom's Rx with her when she flew to China.) The progressive height and pd's, of course, were incorrect, but, what got my attention was the FRAME. The country of origin stamp on the frame was NOT "Made in China", it was Italy! Since it's getting harder every year to find ANY frame mfg not outsourcing to China, I find this very ironic that the Chinese themselves aren't using their own products! What's wrong with this picture??!!

China manufacture most of the frame parts world wide - with the exception of some beautifully hand made or boutique product lines. These parts are then "shipped" to Italy where they are assembled "hence the made in Italy stamp." It is legal in Italy to assemble a product and claim it is "made" there. Although we don't understand that concept in most countries - it's true of the optical products sold as Italian made (well often true at least).

[Chris Ryser]

The country of origin stamp on the frame was NOT "Made in China", it was Italy! Since it's getting harder every year to find ANY frame mfg not outsourcing to China, I find this very ironic that the Chinese themselves aren't using their own products! What's wrong with this picture??!!

The 1950's, the time the Japanese flooded the market with optics from binoculars to cameras they renamed towns with German names and the product was suddenly made in Wetzlar the ex german optical center.

It is easy to assume that the Chinese already put the made in Italy on ion China to save time and transport cost or to sell them to snobby chinese consumers.

[rbaker]

The 1950's, the time the Japanese flooded the market with optics from binoculars to cameras they renamed towns with German names and the product was suddenly made in Wetzlar the ex german optical center.

It is easy to assume that the Chinese already put the made in Italy on ion China to save time and transport cost or to sell them to snobby chinese consumers.

Ahhh . . . but by the mid fifties the Japanese cameras were arguably as good or better than anything else on the market.You might want to check out the work of William Edwards Deming in post war Japan. His teachings led to the rise of Japan as a manufacturing country second to none.

[PAkev]

The 1950's, the time the Japanese flooded the market with optics from binoculars to cameras they renamed towns with German names and the product was suddenly made in Wetzlar the ex german optical center.

They also named a town USA which exports flew under the radar for a while.

[Chris Ryser]

Also in the mid fifties the well known brands of binoculars as Zeiss, Leitz and Kern had the prisms attached and suspended by metal springs and screws.

Whenever a binocular was dropped on the floor or any other hard surface the prisms would shift and when looking through the binoculars. you would experience double vision.
T reset the prisms you had to open the casing adjust and re-close the whole instrument in order to check the alignment. Sometimes this could take a half hour and at other times nearly the whole day.

The first few years the Japanese would glue the prisms into the casings and any good opticians that then sold these instruments would refuse to sell and touch them out of this reason.

[Happylady]

The progressive height and pd's, of course, were incorrect,

So tell us more. Did you check them because she was having problems or were you just curious? How off were they?

[NeGlassesGirl27]

So tell us more. Did you check them because she was having problems or were you just curious? How off were they?

I'd be interested in knowing what Icmor did to fix the issue..

[DragonLensmanWV]

China manufacture most of the frame parts world wide - with the exception of some beautifully hand made or boutique product lines. These parts are then "shipped" to Italy where they are assembled "hence the made in Italy stamp." It is legal in Italy to assemble a product and claim it is "made" there. Although we don't understand that concept in most countries - it's true of the optical products sold as Italian made (well often true at least).

Ah, but Italy noticed this was being done, and recently upped the ante. Now to have the "Made In Italy" stamp it MUST be 80% content of Italian origin.

[DragonLensmanWV]

They also named a town USA which exports flew under the radar for a while.

Sorry, but that's just been a long-standing urban legend. Interestingly enough, it was originally said that Japan had a town named USA to do this.

[DragonLensmanWV]

Also in the mid fifties the well known brands of binoculars as Zeiss, Leitz and Kern had the prisms attached and suspended by metal springs and screws.

Whenever a binocular was dropped on the floor or any other hard surface the prisms would shift and when looking through the binoculars. you would experience double vision.
T reset the prisms you had to open the casing adjust and re-close the whole instrument in order to check the alignment. Sometimes this could take a half hour and at other times nearly the whole day.

The first few years the Japanese would glue the prisms into the casings and any good opticians that then sold these instruments would refuse to sell and touch them out of this reason.

I quit selling the Bushnell binoculars because of this. One small drop - BOOM! - Instant diplopia!

[FVCCHRIS]

The other day, I had a customer come in to have her new glasses adjusted that her daughter had purchased for her while she was in China. (The daughter is a United Airlines stewardess, and she took her mom's Rx with her when she flew to China.) The progressive height and pd's, of course, were incorrect, but, what got my attention was the FRAME. The country of origin stamp on the frame was NOT "Made in China", it was Italy! Since it's getting harder every year to find ANY frame mfg not outsourcing to China, I find this very ironic that the Chinese themselves aren't using their own products! What's wrong with this picture??!!

I would not have touched them myself. Not for any fee whatsoever. We recommend(and insist) that everyone have their INITIAL fit and adjustments done where the glasses are made/sold. My question for the patient/customer would have been something like: Do you function well with those new glasses? Maybe, maybe not?? Our own patients/customers never have to wonder about that question. There is a reason for doing business a certain way. I've been away from the board for a couple months till today. I've read about 3 threads, all about things like this and On-line retailers and I'm already getting cranky.

But I did miss you guys/gals!