Essilor lab in mexico called me today

[opticaldiva]

Got a call from Essilor XYZ lab in Mexico today from a very south-of-the-border sounding gentleman. Asked me why we opened an account 2 yrs ago but have not used it. Asked me why we aren't taking advantage of their very low digital progressive and AR prices. Very simply I told him that once we found out who they were, and where they were located, and who was doing the labor, we wanted no part of doing business that way regardless of the price or cash back incentives etc.... I asked him "Am I wrong about any of that? Are you using cheap foreign labor? Are you who I think you are? SILENCE for a bit......
Then he asked me, "What's wrong with foreign labor?" "We are all human beings who have to make money too and support our families." You really don't want to open that door, do you? I thought to myself. Needless to say, a lively discussion ensued. Then, he said to me and I quote, "Pretty soon you won't have a choice because we are taking over everything. We are everywhere. And you won't have a choice." At the end, after I blew a gasket talking to this guy, I politely said to please close our account. If anyone wants to explain what's wrong with foreign lab labor please chime in. Im sure some ECP's could give a hoot if their lenses come from Mexico, China etc..... But I would bet there's a fair number of American independent labs and ECP's that would love 5 minutes with this guy!

[OIC]

But I would bet there's a fair number of American independent labs and ECP's that would love 5 minutes with this guy!

Instead, spend those 5 minutes talking with your local independent laboratory to see what they have to offer. When you hit the "Submit" button on your computer for those managed care jobs, this is exactly the place (and China) that many of them are directed to, and you'll never know. Local independent labs will support you, provide jobs in your locality, and provide dollars to your locality's tax base.
Thank you "diva", for the post.

[braheem24]

If they were paying him fair wages, there's nothing wrong with foreign labor, we are all humans and trying to achieve the same objective in supporting our families.

If the company is using him as a pawn to further lower prices to become more profitable in order to buy the competition and cut his wages again when he himself no longer has a choice in his field, I would say I'm doing you a favor by promoting your competition so you can feed your family.

[HindSight2020]

Instead, spend those 5 minutes talking with your local independent laboratory to see what they have to offer. When you hit the "Submit" button on your computer for those managed care jobs, this is exactly the place (and China) that many of them are directed to, and you'll never know. Local independent labs will support you, provide jobs in your locality, and provide dollars to your locality's tax base.
Thank you "diva", for the post.

+1.

[drk]

Tell him that you do believe in the free market, but all parties have to play by the same rules, and there's no way that you know if Mexico or China or whomever is using substandard materials or oversight, are using unfair/unethical labor practices or monetary practices.

Or, tell them that you have protectionist beliefs, and don't want to see North America "average out" with the rest of the world, bringing down our standard of living to somewhere like Argentina or Portugal.

Question for Essilor Lab dude: Should I, as an optician, bypass Mexico and get lenses from Cambodia that were made with child slaves for 1/20th of the price, if I could? Because that's the same argument he's using on you.

Our economic activities are NOT DETACHED FROM ETHICS, nor should they be. (The biggest problem is just knowing the right thing to do, however...)

[EyeManDan]

I bet that that goes along way with your patients to having them kept in the USA

[colleen26]

Is that an EM approved lab?

[Dave E]

"Pretty soon you won't have a choice because we are taking over everything. We are everywhere. And you won't have a choice."
The ? is what can we do about this we need to put a stop to this.

[Judy Canty]

"Pretty soon you won't have a choice because we are taking over everything. We are everywhere. And you won't have a choice."
The ? is what can we do about this we need to put a stop to this.

Yeah, yeah...how many years have we been saying that?

[optimensch]

Well fwiw I've been doing my part for over 3 months now. I encourage anyone who is able to , to spread the business around to as many non-cartel suppliers as possible. Even if you like the cartel's products, and believe in them, it is crucial to support other suppliers with equally good products.

[HindSight2020]

They are also now calling Canadian ECP's with low sales or dormant accounts and blatantly asking them why they are not ordering more products from them. Then saying if they come back, they have many 'specials' and 'incentives' for them. It's always funny how they only give a hoot after the client is gone!

ECP's are finally starting to get the message and moving their monthly spend to other supply companies that don't compete against them.

[Chris Ryser]

"Pretty soon you won't have a choice because we are taking over everything. We are everywhere. And you won't have a choice."
The ? is what can we do about this we need to put a stop to this.

It is too late to put a stop to it. They will go away when their time is up like the Roman Empire did a two thousand years ago. ( The Romans called the people who lived outside the Roman Empire barbarians. In the 4th century AD the Roman Army had considerable difficulty in stopping these Barbarians from entering the Roman Empire.)

Only it will be too late for you and me because we will be in optical heaven by then.

However if you want to make them feel something, stop using products with their name attached to them and let everybody know about it..

[HindSight2020]

It is too late to put a stop to it. They will go away when their time is up like the Roman Empire did a two thousand years ago. ( The Romans called the people who lived outside the Roman Empire barbarians. In the 4th century AD the Roman Army had considerable difficulty in stopping these Barbarians from entering the Roman Empire.)

Only it will be too late for you and me because we will be in optical heaven by then.

However if you want to make them feel something, stop using products with their name attached to them and let everybody know about it..

+1, however it's never too late to make that switch.

[hyperoptic]

Folks, its not to late, but the readers of this thread know what needs to be done, and have done it, you've moved beyond conforming with that system. The real question is how do we as an industry reach those who are following along, and try and help save them.

[m0002a]

For my personal lenses, I would not chose Essilor because I think their lenses are generally inferior to Zeiss and Hoya and their advertising is extremely misleading and condescending. However, I once had Zeiss Individual lenses that were made in Germany, and obviously Zeiss is a German company. Hoya is a Japanese company. When doing business with these companies, there is always some foreign content involved, "if" you define foreign as outside the USA (maybe a little ethnocentric IMO). I doubt that the Essilor workers in Mexico are exploited, and they probably are very happy to have those jobs. But Essilor lenses are still mediocre, regardless of where they are made.

[Grossman86]

I don't think its ethnocentric to care more about your neighbors than someone in another country I call it being neighborly. I mean I know Im new here, but why would I order a pair of lenses from Mexico or Asia, let it take 2 weeks to get them, and let them as someone said be mediocre. The other aspect of this is that Essilor wants to compete with Opticians, they have bought Coastal, frames direct, and eyebuydirect and infact they even boasted about it in a magazine article. They are buying our locally owned labs and shutting them down, look at what they did to Balester Optical, they used to be good, now they aren't. The change was in ownership and management. Don't we have enough competition amongst ourselves without having to deal with our supplier trying to cut us out?

[optimensch]

"but why would I order a pair of lenses from Mexico or Asia, let it take 2 weeks to get them,"

I have been receiving lenses from Asia in 4 days. Surfaced , AR coated progressives. 4 days. Door to door. Jus' sayin'. :)
Very good quality.
F the Cartel.
Stop believing their BS.

[m0002a]

I don't think its ethnocentric to care more about your neighbors than someone in another country I call it being neighborly. I mean I know Im new here, but why would I order a pair of lenses from Mexico or Asia, let it take 2 weeks to get them, and let them as someone said be mediocre. The other aspect of this is that Essilor wants to compete with Opticians, they have bought Coastal, frames direct, and eyebuydirect and infact they even boasted about it in a magazine article. They are buying our locally owned labs and shutting them down, look at what they did to Balester Optical, they used to be good, now they aren't. The change was in ownership and management. Don't we have enough competition amongst ourselves without having to deal with our supplier trying to cut us out?

When I read the original post, and "foreign labor" was mentioned, I didn't know what was meant by that. since obviously the lab was in Mexico. At first I thought the complaint was that workers from outside of Mexico were being brought in to staff the lab. What if the goods were manufactured in the USA by non-USA citizens (illegal or legal)? Is that foreign labor? I know for a fact that Pearle Vision (prior to being purchased by Luxottica) has for many years employed illegal aliens in their Dallas lab. What if the lenses were made in Canada? Is that foreign?

It just seemed that the use of the word "foreign" was ethnocentric. If someone in the USA says they don't want to do business with companies or products made outside the USA, that would have been less confusing than the word "foreign."

But consider some the major players in the eye car products field and the "nationality" of the company:

• Luxottica - Italy
• Essilor - France
• Hoya - Japan
• Zeiss - Germany
• Shamir - Israel
• IOT - Spain

It seems like it is pretty hard to get away from non-USA content in the field of optical products.