Lenscrafters impressed me so much today

[LoveBWVVBR]

Lenscrafters is where I always go to get my 9 year-old's glasses made. I've gone there since she got glasses at 7, so almost 3 years now. Her prescription changes frequently, so I spend a good bit of money there. I'm well aware that I could go to Wal-Mart and save some $$, but I just hate the idea of waiting a week to get her new prescription when I know she's not seeing well.

Anyways, twice in the past 4 months we've had an issue with DD's glasses, and twice Lenscrafters has absolutely gone above and beyond to get them replaced immediately. Last night the arm actually fell off DD's glasses. It broke internally. We had to send her to school in her "backup" pair which wasn't the most recent prescription I was at Lenscrafters when they opened. They were able to get the identical frame and hand me a replacement pair really quickly and I had the new pair to DD at school by 10am. The best part...they only charged me $25 even though this pair was NOT under warranty as it was already a replacement pair. I was really impressed by that. They might not be the most "budget" place to go at the outset, but the service level is worth paying for at least for us.

 

[marthachick]

I had gone in to get some sunglasses and my mom was with me. Her glasses are from Walmart. Her glasses weren't fitting right from being accidentally bumped by grandkids. The lady who was helping me got Mom's glasses, adjusted them until they felt right, and cleaned them for her. No charge. I was so impressed with the amount of time and effort the lady put into Mom's glasses and so was she. She will probably go there for her next pair.

 

[tvguy]

Glad to hear something about Lenscrafters. They get blasted for frequently. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/eyeglasses/lenscrafters.html

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I thinks Lenscrafters charges far too much. I get my glasses at my local Costco where I get great service and a very good selection. You have to wait about a week for your glasses, but it's worth the savings.

 

[angierae]

The one time I took DD to Lenscrafters because she needed new glasses before our WDW trip and our regular place would take a couple weeks (and her two year waiting period didn't run out until right before our trip) they tried to upsell us EVERYTHING by just adding it on and then announcing her glasses would cost $450. I had to go back through everything and go "No, don't want that special thing" to about five different things they just added on without asking me.

No thanks.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

The one time I took DD to Lenscrafters because she needed new glasses before our WDW trip and our regular place would take a couple weeks (and her two year waiting period didn't run out until right before our trip) they tried to upsell us EVERYTHING by just adding it on and then announcing her glasses would cost $450. I had to go back through everything and go "No, don't want that special thing" to about five different things they just added on without asking me.

No thanks.

This may vary by store because ours hasn't ever done that to me. If I want anything added on (glare resistance for example), I have to remember to ask for it. The only time I've ever spent $400 at Lenscrafters was when I bought DD 2 pairs at once.

 

[dhardawa]

We were there Monday. Emily got an eye exam and they tried to sell me their special $100 package for glasses and frames. I came home and ordered from Zenni Optical online. I got her two pairs and Max one pair (and we got the more expensive frames on all three) and my total was $71 shipped.

 

[wilkeliza]

Love LensCrafters. After years of headaches from using online places that got my PD or rotation wrong I finally went back to doing it stateside. The glasses are more expensive but I have a 2 year replacement plan and they were expertly measured for my face and pupils right there. I need to actually get my lenses replaced since my dog has roughed them up (yay puppy phase) but I've been lazy.

 

[Mrs.Milo]

I'm just wondering how to order online......when in person they check your pupil "alignment" ? I would love a deal as I have thick lenses?

 

[elaine amj]

Most optical places will adjust glasses (purchased anywhere) for free. Also, even my "2 for $99" place was happy to fix/replace my DS' glasses for free when he broke them.

All that said, so glad you have had service you are so pleased with at Lenscrafters. I went for a quote and overall was pleased with the professional way I was treated. She took the time to heat up and bend the glasses when I had trouble finding a pair that fit comfortably. I ended up at Costco due to price but I have a very positive impression of Lenscrafters.

 

[wilkeliza]

I'm just wondering how to order online......when in person they check your pupil "alignment" ? I would love a deal as I have thick lenses?

People either measure themselves which is not accurate or ask their optometrist to measure and put it on their prescription.

 

[MomToOne]

I bought my last pair at LensCrafters. They seemed the same as all other places to me as far as trying to upsell. They all do it, I just say "no" over and over.

I liked getting my glasses same day vs. waiting weeks to get them, and I prefer their flavor of progressive lenses compared to the ones I got at the last place I went. But I didn't like that it took them 3 tries to get my lenses made correctly and it took all afternoon, not 1 hour - although they tried to fix that in the end by giving me a $50 discount. I'll probably give them a shot again next time, because they are convenient and take my vision insurance.

I personally cannot imagine buying a pair of frames without trying them on first. I can just never predict which ones I'll like the look of on me, and which ones I won't.

 

[tvguy]

One thing that amuses me. For years I paid $400 out of pocket for glasses. Then I got vision insurance. $75 frames are now $200. $125 lenses are now $300. By the time I get done with all the special plastic lens fees, coatings, UV protection, my $400 glasses are now $900. My insurance pays $500, and my out of pocket is....drum roll.,........ $400.
Vision insurance to me is a scam.

 

[RitaE]

I bought my last pair at LensCrafters. They seemed the same as all other places to me as far as trying to upsell. They all do it, I just say "no" over and over.

I liked getting my glasses same day vs. waiting weeks to get them, and I prefer their flavor of progressive lenses compared to the ones I got at the last place I went. But I didn't like that it took them 3 tries to get my lenses made correctly and it took all afternoon, not 1 hour - although they tried to fix that in the end by giving me a $50 discount. I'll probably give them a shot again next time, because they are convenient and take my vision insurance.

I personally cannot imagine buying a pair of frames without trying them on first. I can just never predict which ones I'll like the look of on me, and which ones I won't.

I now have so many pairs of old glasses that I just note the ones I think look best, and when I look online I look for ones that are similar in shape and size to those pairs.
The online places list all the height and width type measurements of the frames and the lenses. You can even take a picture of yourself, load it online and the virtually try on the frames. At this point I have back-up cheapie glasses stashed all over the place. In my car's glove box, in my work bag, in my nightstand. But my prescription doesn't really change much. With the OP's daughter I would think she might actually prefer spending $20 or so every year to get a cheap extra pair of glasses from Zenni or wherever so that when they break (as kids often do with their glasses), she's not so freaked out about the instant need to fix and replace at 9am the very next day.

As for the PD number, I measured mine at home and used that for awhile. Then last time I had a fitting at Lenscrafters, I simply looked at the PD number on the computer screen and pulled out my phone and sent it to myself in an email so now I have a professionally measured PD number to use. My home measurement was within 1mm of the Lenscrafters measurement, so I don't think it was wildly off. But again, I'm an adult and done growing. My PD number isn't going to change from last year at this point. A child will of course still be growing.

This was kind of our last funny Lenscrafters story. The last time we were in there and my son needed new glasses because his prescription changed, but he really liked his old frames (purchased at Lenscrafters) and wanted to know if he could keep the frames and just get new lenses. The saleslady claimed to "look it up" and then swore up and down that they couldn't fit new lenses in there because they didn't have lenses to fit those frames any longer because the frames were old and no longer sold. We go browsing and find his exact frames out on the rack. He took them over to a different sales lady and said "Can I have these made up today" Sure! Oh okay. Then take this exactly the same frame from my face and put new lenses in them please. We were getting quite a few glares from that other girl when we went back in to pick them up. He used his insurance frame allowance then to buy prescription sunglasses later on.

 

[Best Aunt]

My Walmart will cut the lenses (is that the right term?) on site, but they don't carry the cheapest lenses on site.

 

[missnic]

One thing that amuses me. For years I paid $400 out of pocket for glasses. Then I got vision insurance. $75 frames are now $200. $125 lenses are now $300. By the time I get done with all the special plastic lens fees, coatings, UV protection, my $400 glasses are now $900. My insurance pays $500, and my out of pocket is....drum roll.,........ $400.
Vision insurance to me is a scam.

Yes! My work finally started offering vision insurance a few years ago. I priced it out, and I would only be saving a few dollars by signing up for the insurance rather than paying out of pocket. I wear fairly expensive contacts ($60/box of 6) which I can find cheaper online with a coupon code, get a contact exam 1x per year, and then buy backup glasses from Zenni. I'm okay with Zenni glasses because I don't wear them other than at night, and they're REALLY thick. After a nasty round of pink eye a few months ago, I did swear I was going to get a "good" pair though. lol

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I now have so many pairs of old glasses that I just note the ones I think look best, and when I look online I look for ones that are similar in shape and size to those pairs.
The online places list all the height and width type measurements of the frames and the lenses. You can even take a picture of yourself, load it online and the virtually try on the frames. At this point I have back-up cheapie glasses stashed all over the place. In my car's glove box, in my work bag, in my nightstand. But my prescription doesn't really change much. With the OP's daughter I would think she might actually prefer spending $20 or so every year to get a cheap extra pair of glasses from Zenni or wherever so that when they break (as kids often do with their glasses), she's not so freaked out about the instant need to fix and replace at 9am the very next day.

As for the PD number, I measured mine at home and used that for awhile. Then last time I had a fitting at Lenscrafters, I simply looked at the PD number on the computer screen and pulled out my phone and sent it to myself in an email so now I have a professionally measured PD number to use. My home measurement was within 1mm of the Lenscrafters measurement, so I don't think it was wildly off. But again, I'm an adult and done growing. My PD number isn't going to change from last year at this point. A child will of course still be growing.

This was kind of our last funny Lenscrafters story. The last time we were in there and my son needed new glasses because his prescription changed, but he really liked his old frames (purchased at Lenscrafters) and wanted to know if he could keep the frames and just get new lenses. The saleslady claimed to "look it up" and then swore up and down that they couldn't fit new lenses in there because they didn't have lenses to fit those frames any longer because the frames were old and no longer sold. We go browsing and find his exact frames out on the rack. He took them over to a different sales lady and said "Can I have these made up today" Sure! Oh okay. Then take this exactly the same frame from my face and put new lenses in them please. We were getting quite a few glares from that other girl when we went back in to pick them up. He used his insurance frame allowance then to buy prescription sunglasses later on.

No, I won't take a chance that an online place will get my DD's prescription, alignment, etc. correct. She has astigmatism and a prescription that changes multiple times a year at this point, so taking the chance that 1) they'd get it correct and 2) the prescription would still be good when/if she damages her real glasses isn't worth it to me. If I get a backup pair made, I'd probably do it somewhere like a cheap 2/$99 place locally so at least I know that she was measured correctly. I will probably do that, but again, I have to do it 3-4 times a year to keep up with the correct prescription. If she were an adult with a stable prescription it would be a different story.

 

[gwb]

From my experience Lenscraters can't handle prescriptions that are of high indexes, high astigmatism and other non standard issues. They can't get them right and take forever to get them ground. If they don't have them in their standard stock they have to send them out and it takes up to 4 weeks to get them. And then they almost always have to be resent back to get them right and the staf tries to put the blame on you. And their prices aren't that good when you shop around.

 

[Best Aunt]

From my experience Lenscraters can't handle prescriptions that are of high indexes, high astigmatism and other non standard issues. They can't get them right and take forever to get them ground. If they don't have them in their standard stock they have to send them out and it takes up to 4 weeks to get them. And then they almost always have to be resent back to get them right and the staf tries to put the blame on you.

Before I had cataract surgery, I had a very strong prescription. I had a terrible time getting new lenses for my glasses at some places - and great luck at a chain. Eventually I discovered that I had to tell them to (a) match the base curve of my old lenses, (b) use the focal point as measured, and (c) do not use ultra thin plastic. They would change any of the above, thinking they were doing me a favor because it would make the lenses thinner. When I said it wasn't right, they would say that I would get used to it. They were wrong. An ophthalmologist specialist told me that people who are very near sighted are very sensitive to the slightest change in their vision. Too bad the opticians don't all know that (or if they do, they don't admit it to the patients).