ocular science

[JJ]

had a customer tell me that they were sunsoft toric lenses....order them from the internet

my references say these are ocular sciences lenses

i checked online cls companies, and they seem to sell ocular science lenses....ie brandname biomedics = generic ultraflex

my understanding was that os does now allow any online contacts to sell their products......if so how are they companies getting os's lenses???

i thought os has sued a few companies over bate & switch

i know chip will have the answer !!!

thanks guys (and girls)

[chip anderson]

Don't have all the facts, but I think O.C. (back order Charlie's) says they don't sell or allow O.C. labeled products to be marketed on line. The generic and private label products may not enjoy such protection. I seems that O.C.'s main selling point has been over the last 5 years or so: "We don't sell our stuff to Linda Carter." While I despise mail order as much as most. I would rather see a better product, no back orders, and consistant low price. O.C. has increased some of it's $ 15.00 products to $45.00 while the market at the retail level is falling apart. We have patients who wait for long periods of time for replacements (and we are in the business of providing vision for these people?) while we wait for "back orders." Not that O.C. is alone in this.

The damn mail order business will be around forever as long as the rest of the business isn't sqeeky clean. So we might as well resign ourselves to going with the flow. I used to despise people who got $ 90 for a $20 eye exam and forced patients into buying a year's supply of lenses (giving them an Rx that expired in a year only afer) and forced people into service contracts. In today's environment, they must have seen the hand writting on the wall and been a little ahead of the industry.

I am afraid we will never have a captive market or loyal customer base again.

Chip

[Joann Raytar]

JJ,

Did you read the "Did you know? Consumer Alert that 1-800 put up?

https://order.1800contacts.com/Product.csp?itm=000359

AN EYE CARE PROVIDER WHO PRESCRIBES YOU BIOMEDICS 38 LENSES MAY NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS IN MIND

I don't think this is a friendly arrangement.

This is 1-800's statement about the brandname biomedics = generic ultraflex lenses you mention:

https://order.1800contacts.com/picklist.csp?dl=l

All of the contact lenses to the right are private label versions of the Biomedics 55. The only difference is the packaging. The doctor who prescribed them to you probably wanted to make you think you were wearing a specialty lens and therefore could only buy from them. In light of this practice, we only offer these contact lenses in their national brand packaging so you can more fairly comparison shop.

I feel bad for the OD who's statement they used from a Contact Lens Spectrum supplement. And I suppose 1-800 isn't using the same tactics in reverse by slinging all of this mud?

[LENNY]

Hydrogenics 60 is not a bad disposable lens from OS!
I only had one patient who actualy got theese lenses from mail order but paid more than i charged him
DDDDDDDDDDDaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh:hammer:

[Johns]

Read the most recent edition of Vision Monday.

Occular Science talks out of both sides of their mouth! When they approached my office 10 years ago, they offered a respite from the mail orders and chain distributors. We fell for it, but everytime we came up against the chain, the chain won, and seemingly, with OC's blessings.

Now, their company line to their shareholders (yes I am one), is that the small practice is no longer their target; they want more e chains and bigger chains. They used the independent practices to gain a foothold, and then walked right up our backs into the chain stores.

We prescribe them so the chains can sell them.

Is anyone really that surprised???