OT...feel duped by the eye doctor

[Mom2Ben02]

So, my ten year old managed to lose his glasses, and, after giving them a few days to surface, we went last night to get an exam and glasses. For the glasses, it was a better deal to go out of network with Vision Works (2 for $99). I knew my son had a prescription that would bump the price higher. Apparently, he is kinda off the charts, and I was told they had to special order his lenses.

My options were given as waiting two weeks, or upgrading to the mega ultra premium anti glare lenses they had in the back. I elected to upgrade one pair, and wait for the back up pair, and paid $50 extra... to the tune of $252.

So, went to pick them up today, and - low and behold!! - BOTH pairs were ready!! I was furious. I had been told yesterday that the regular lenses were ok for back up, and a slight (not the mega ultra premium) upgrade was sufficient.

I complained, and, of course, I left there feeling like the worst mother for not wanting him to have the mega ultra premium lenses. I feel duped. If the slight upgrade was ok, I am not happy that they bullied me out of $50.

Should I complain?

 

[bearloch]

YESI woud return the more expensive pair!!! thats not right!

 

[NYCDiane]

I know what you mean. I feel that way every time I go to the eye doctor. What starts out as a "deal" always ends up costing a fortune. I hate that. I also hate that I have to go again soon for both me and my daughter.

 

[angwill]

Being someone who has really bad vision and always having to upgrade my lenses I would keep the good pair with the mark up. I would be aggrevated as well but I think I would negotiate meeting them halfway on the price if that works instead.

I am guessing the upgrade that has to be added is polycarbonate lens which is shatter resistant for kids so they don't loose an eye if the lens breaks. This has to be added by law for children I believe it is under 13. I am wondering what the mega ultra premium anti glare lenses had that was extra? If just anti glare it should cost less than $50 but if it had other added features it might just be worth it. The extras run from tints, UV resistant (this is a must for those who wear their glasses out of the house) and scratch resistance which is most important for kids and all cost additional money. The anti glare will help when your son is playing outside in the sun so it doesn't damage his eyes. The other most costly extra is lighter and thinner lenses. The worse your eyes are the thicker the lenses are and there is nothing worse than wearing coke bottle thick and heavy lenses.

I am lucky to get out of my eye doctors office spending under $500 with the exam and I don't have vision insurance.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

About 15 years ago I worked in optical. Anti-glare lenses are amazing, but they scratch very easily and look dirty all the time. Never did I recommend these for kids since they require constant cleaning and show scratches. I wear them, but I won't even let my husband get them!

Maybe they have improved since I worked in optical, but I would seriously consider returning them!

 

[Marionnette]

So, my ten year old managed to lose his glasses, and, after giving them a few days to surface, we went last night to get an exam and glasses. For the glasses, it was a better deal to go out of network with Vision Works (2 for $99). I knew my son had a prescription that would bump the price higher. Apparently, he is kinda off the charts, and I was told they had to special order his lenses.

My options were given as waiting two weeks, or upgrading to the mega ultra premium anti glare lenses they had in the back. I elected to upgrade one pair, and wait for the back up pair, and paid $50 extra... to the tune of $252.

So, went to pick them up today, and - low and behold!! - BOTH pairs were ready!! I was furious. I had been told yesterday that the regular lenses were ok for back up, and a slight (not the mega ultra premium) upgrade was sufficient.

I complained, and, of course, I left there feeling like the worst mother for not wanting him to have the mega ultra premium lenses. I feel duped. If the slight upgrade was ok, I am not happy that they bullied me out of $50.

Should I complain?

I don't know if they pulled the old bait and switch on you or not. It's possible that their remote lab was just able to deliver the back up pair faster than anticipated by the store. It happens sometimes but I would also be questioning the time difference between what you were told and the speed with which the back up pair was delivered.

Yes, I would complain. I doubt that you would be able to return the "ultra premium" pair. They are custom-made and it's not as if Vision Works can put them back on the shelf for someone else to purchase. They cannot even pop the lenses and re-sell the frame if you already took them out the door. But you might be able to recover part of the extra amount that you paid for the upsell.

ETA: It wasn't the eye doctor who "duped" you. Your eye doctor gave your son an exam wrote the script that you needed. Those people at Vision Works are sales people. In some states, they have to have licensed opticians (no medical degree), but in most states the only training their people get is in how to sell the eyewear.

 

[Marionnette]

I am guessing the upgrade that has to be added is polycarbonate lens which is shatter resistant for kids so they don't loose an eye if the lens breaks. This has to be added by law for children I believe it is under 13. I am wondering what the mega ultra premium anti glare lenses had that was extra? If just anti glare it should cost less than $50 but if it had other added features it might just be worth it. The extras run from tints, UV resistant (this is a must for those who wear their glasses out of the house) and scratch resistance which is most important for kids and all cost additional money. The anti glare will help when your son is playing outside in the sun so it doesn't damage his eyes. The other most costly extra is lighter and thinner lenses. The worse your eyes are the thicker the lenses are and there is nothing worse than wearing coke bottle thick and heavy lenses.

My guess is that the upsell (in addition to the anti-glare coating) is that the lenses were made of high-index plastic. The lenses are appealing to patients with a high Rx because they are lighter in weight and have a thinner appearance. The other upsells would not have to be added in order to get the glasses faster. In fact, they can actually delay the delivery of a completed pair of glasses because after applying coatings, the lenses have to go to a QC part of the lab to ensure that the coatings were applied correctly.

 

[starry_solo]

I'm not sure what you're angry about? That you got the "regular" glasses at a quicker time than you thought you were going to get them? The "upsell" for the "better" glasses?

Does the Vision place have a money-back guarantee? Some places do? BTW, I have horrible vision and got my glasses from Sam's Club. They were in the store in about a week (they send it out to a lab to get done). Both my glasses together (got the least price frames) cost about $250-300 too.

 

[ktlm]

DD(6) has been wearing glasses since she was 2. Last summer for the first time we spent the extra $50 for the anti glare. It was well worth the money for us. She has always complained about seeing "rainbows" or flashes with her old lenses and photos of her were often ruined because of the glare off the old lenses. The anti-glare have made a huge difference. She says she doesn't see rainbows or flashes anymore, and photos of her are so much better. We haven't noticed them scratching any worse than her other glasses, but they do seem to get dirty easier- of course she is 6 and touches them alot so that could explain that.

Did you go to a mall or chain shop, or was it an actual pediatric opthamologist office shop? I wouldn't put it past a mall or chain to try to rip you off, but I will say that DD sees an opthamologist and we get her glasses there because she also has significant eye issues (one eye is substantially more far sighted than the other), and we have to be very careful that the prescriptions are right or else it could set her back (got her to 20/20 with glasses for the first time this summer, before that the best we ever did was 20/30), and there are times that they have told us they believed it would be over a week or possibly two before they would have her lenses in and glasses ready, and there have definitely been times when they have called us 2 or 3 days later and they were ready. I think they aren't always sure how fast the lenses will get shipped to them. If yours were ready overnight though, that certainly sounds suspicious!

 

[ktlm]

Oh- I just realized your post said it was Vision Works. They are notorious for pushing the upsell, and I've heard it is pretty much impossible to actually get the 2 for $99 glasses they advertise. Just look at some of the online reviews. I'm betting they did pull one over on you. I bet they won't take the glasses back, but I sure wouldn't go there again if I were you. Also, I would suggest that you might want to get your son's eye's checked by an eye doctor elsewhere to be sure that the prescription in the glasses are right for him(if you can find someone without a shop you will know they are not just trying to sell more glasses). If they really tricked you on the glasses, I don't think I would even trust that they gave your son the right prescription for his eyes. You don't want to mess around with a kid's vision!

 

[Dizisfun]

I would take the glasses to another optical place and check and make sure you have the correct prescription. My son, who is now 23, has been wearing glasses since he was 10 months old. He is far sighted and his Rx has always been plus5.75. When he was like 6 years old or so I purchased his glasses from Vision Works trying to save money. (of course, he could never get the 2 for $99, his script is to high) He kept saying he wasn't seeing right with them. So about 6 months later I took him to Vision Associates and had them check his glasses. His lenses were not the right RX. Boy did I feel like a bad mom....I could nvr get his glasses for less than $500 and they always had to be sent out. Usually takes 7 to 10 days to get his glasses in.....

 

[ceecee]

I took DD's rx to an Eyemart (2 for $99) for back up glasses since she ordered contacts for the first time and our insurance only covered one or the other. After all the extras it was $140 and the one pair she hated (not much to chose from) the other pair broke all the time, they did fix them free but every month or so we had to take them in. She is still wearing her old pair from our Dr's office 5 years later as a back up pair. Lesson learned.

 

[Ranger111]

FWIW:

Sort of hate to mention this, but nearly ALL eyeglass sales places are quite overpriced. Note, I said nearly all.

My neighbor works for an optical company -- a large international firm -- and he is specifically tasked with providing frames to the market. The mark-up on most frames is beyond belief. What sells for a few $$$ is marked up to hundreds.

He suggested I try online ordering of a pair of glasses from overseas. There are a number of very reputable firms -- and a number of not so reputable. Short story, I ordered a pair for about a third of what I could find locally. Got them in about 12 business days via express shipping. Loved them. Have since, over the last several years, ordered three more pairs. All perfect!

My wife shakes her head and thinks I am crazy. Friends want nothing to do with it. But all admit the glasses look fine. And, no, I never needed the optican to "adjust the fit" -- I think that is another piece of mumbo-jumbo the industry uses to scare you into buying from the high-priced brick-mortar stores.

BTW, I wear a somewhat complicated "progressive prescription" with some challenges. Locally, best I could get price-wise was over $200 at one of the shady "discount" eyewear places, using no-name frames and questionable lenses.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

FWIW:

Sort of hate to mention this, but nearly ALL eyeglass sales places are quite overpriced. Note, I said nearly all.

My neighbor works for an optical company -- a large international firm -- and he is specifically tasked with providing frames to the market. The mark-up on most frames is beyond belief. What sells for a few $$$ is marked up to hundreds.

He suggested I try online ordering of a pair of glasses from overseas. There are a number of very reputable firms -- and a number of not so reputable. Short story, I ordered a pair for about a third of what I could find locally. Got them in about 12 business days via express shipping. Loved them. Have since, over the last several years, ordered three more pairs. All perfect!

My wife shakes her head and thinks I am crazy. Friends want nothing to do with it. But all admit the glasses look fine. And, no, I never needed the optican to "adjust the fit" -- I think that is another piece of mumbo-jumbo the industry uses to scare you into buying from the high-priced brick-mortar stores.

BTW, I wear a somewhat complicated "progressive prescription" with some challenges. Locally, best I could get price-wise was over $200 at one of the shady "discount" eyewear places, using no-name frames and questionable lenses.

This is what we do. 3 out of 4 us wear glasses. My DD has a crazy prescription and I was paying way too much money for her glasses that she constantly broke. I used to joke that I was going to invent disposable glasses for little kids. Then we discovered Zenni Optical and have only been buying our glasses there for much less. DD just ordered a new pair that came in last week for $32 total. They are super cute and she loves them.

 

[angwill]

See now my son who has a light perscription -2.00 can get the 2 for glasses at the advertised price no problem. I have also ordered him several pair of backup glasses online for like $10 with shipping and never had a problem. My perscription that is -5.00 and -6.00 I have to upgrade or the thick lense won't even fit in the frame properly. I have tried ordering online twice and even upgrading the lens and paying more I can not get the prescription right from the online companies.

Neither of us needed any of our glasses adjusted either. They just fit and the one pair that seemed a bit big for DS was from the regular eye doctors office and I just adjusted them myself at home with some steam from water on the stove and bending them till they fit right so it must depend on the frame and person.

 

[kamik86]

My wife shakes her head and thinks I am crazy. Friends want nothing to do with it. But all admit the glasses look fine. And, no, I never needed the optican to "adjust the fit" -- I think that is another piece of mumbo-jumbo the industry uses to scare you into buying from the high-priced brick-mortar stores..

My guess is you are just lucky on not having to have them adjusted, well lucky that you have a normal shaped head. I definitely need mine adjusted every time or they sit kind of crooked on my face.

 

[drcmk]

I've also been very unhappy with the price of our eyeglasses and eye exams for a long time. We go to a local, independent eye doctor and I felt good about giving a local guy our business instead of a chain, but I also worry that I am paying a premium for that.

For people who use online eyeglass sources--how do you make sure the glasses fit? How do you return them if they do not fit? How do you get your glasses "serviced" when there is a problem. The one benefit to using our local doctor is that he is five minutes away and I can always get the glasses fixed or adjusted when someone comes home from school with broken glasses (maybe four or five times per year). I buy my contact lenses online and I am VERY happy with them. But I can't convince one of my kids to go with contact lenses. She prefers glasses.

 

[Ranger111]

My guess is you are just lucky on not having to have them adjusted, well lucky that you have a normal shaped head. I definitely need mine adjusted every time or they sit kind of crooked on my face.

I have done some stupid things with the glasses -- such as rolling a tire over them last winter when changing a flat.

When that happens, I go to the most reputable "glasses store" in town and they have always fixed, adjusted said glasses for no charge, even though I did not buy them there, and even when I insisted I give them something -- In my experience of some 40 years of wearing glasses, most reputable places will do this for the goodwill.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

We love Costco for glasses!!

 

[drcmk]

We love Costco for glasses!!

Really? I just joined Costco. Do you get your prescription elsewhere and take the prescription to Costco? I'm sure my eye doctor would be highly offended and argue with me if I did that. He is always angry when I buy my contact lenses online.