Can anyone tell me what they are like?
Can anyone tell me what they are like?
They have their ups and downs just like other labs. Consistantly I find their pricing aggressive, but they will nickle and dime you to death. You have to really pay attention to every invoice when the job comes in. The lens quality is good about 80% of the time. I find them to be too centralized. They have many labs, but most aren't really running anything that most Opticians order. They funnel the work to their labs up in Wisconsin I believe. I have chosen to stop using them at every office I consult at. The headaches are worth the $1 saved at the end of the month.
Don't let a billy goat guard your cabbage patch.
I worked for them at one time at the Sioux City office. Their central office is in Minneapolis. They recently merged with Solderberg Optical. I always had good luck with them, but I always ordered from Minneapolis.
They are an INDEPENDENT lab :) :)
+1 ...just like Luzerne!Originally Posted by Jacqui
( I can't help myself.)
Yeah, we've noticed...+1 ...just like Luzerne!
-Tony
Run far far away. I tried them once sent three jobs in, all three came back off power, or without having completed the fine in surfacing. Never again. Today I use Laramy-K. Never a problem.
- Optician
- Frame Maker/Designer
- Teacher of the art of crafting handmade eyewear.
Had a visit from a Walman rep today (good friend actually - old frame guy). Pricing sounds good, but wondering if anyone's opinions have shifted much about Walman over the past few years since this thread was born?
Independent ESOP company. Big.
I'm using a satellite branch of Soderberg in Oak Creek Wi. Norbert Tausch is knowledgable and conscientious. Surfacing and coating is all performed at Minneapolis. The quality and service that I'm receiving is very good. Range of products is good to very good. Not inexpensive, but very good warranties. Recommended.
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. - Richard P. Feynman
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test before the lesson.
Thanks Robert, Sounds a good deal better than some of the earlier experiences. Anyone els currently using them have a thought up or down? Appreciate the feedback.
I was told yesterday by someone at eyemed that Walman in York, PA was in the process of being an essilor lab and will be official by the end of the year. Has anyone else heard that?
We have had pretty good luck with them. We use Expert Optics in Chicago for a majority of our progressive work. We have weaned off the "partner" labs and the full buyout labs if you know what I mean. In our territory, our lab is based in Milan, IL, but since the only work that goes to them is full backside, it makes no sense to have the "middleman" of a lab closest to us. They have to be done in Minn.
Very aggressive pricing on progressives with AR....
was told by our local lab the other day (expert) that eyemed will probably be going to require essilor labs now. have used walman in the past at the last place I was at and seemed to be a good over all experience, but havent tried them since 09. we currently dont have an "essilor lab" expert and zeiss is our only two now.
I used to send some work to their Milan, IL office. I quit using them entirely because the quality was Godawful. They ruined more than a few of my frames and probably 20% of jobs had some kind of error. Not even worth the inconvenience. They would also "forget" to give their second pair discount no matter what notes I made on the order until I personally called. And their phone staff tends to be rude to boot.
Seem to be having good luck with work coming out of Minneapolis. I'm ordering through a satellite lab who is in turn ordering from them. FAST turn times, good work, billing is a little problematic from time to time with the 2nd pair discounts, lack of personal relationships with the billing department, etc., but no headaches from it.
Yes we where told the same thing from are ( Expert Rep ) we have used Expert for a long time and now it looks like if we want to keep seeing eyemed pt we will have to have a lab just for those jobs .
I have an idea that I got from a guy last year at vision west in vagas he is from Minneapolis and what he was telling me that he does not take any Ins. that he has his pt pay him a sum each month and that it goes to your services and glasses
witch if you think about it is that not what all ins. does . Any in put on this would be great.
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