Friday, September 12, 2008

I got a Free Pair of Contact Lenses at LensCrafters Because I Complained

This past month I started wearing contact lenses for the first time after 16 years of wearing glasses. After finishing the LensCrafters eye exam, I was verbally sold a "year supply" of contact lenses. At no time did they say, hey we're advertising the sale of a one year (52 weeks) supply, but you only get 48 weeks worth of lenses. So, it was not a surprise that I got mad and complained to LensCrafters about short changing me the day I picked up my lenses. They quickly acknowledged that it was the norm (selling 48 weeks worth as a one-year supply). But, they then told me that they would give me one free pair in addition to the trial pair that was provided on exam day. Doing this brought my balance of contact lenses up to one full year supply.

After complaining about the original advertising mistake and picking up the free pair of lenses, I discovered that I had paid for 48 weeks worth all along. No big deal, LensCrafters gave me "not for resale" trial versions which they probably got for free, and they make good on their false advertisement.

As an aside, LensCrafters was about 20-30% more expensive than it's closest competitor. I went with them since all of the other optometrists were booked for the week I wanted. At no time did I see Super Walmart advertised in the Optometry section of the phone book. Low and behold, I stumble across an optometry office in the local Super Walmart this past weekend with eye exams cheaper than EVERYBODY else. I never knew we had a Super Walmart nearby. Next time, i'll make the effort to schedule my exam at the Super Walmart Optometrist.

4 comments:

Mrs. Accountability said...

I bought glasses for my son at Walmart, but then I discovered Costco was cheaper still. I wear progressives (invisible trifocals) and they cost me $240 for frames, lenses and magnetic sunglasses and $50 for the exam.

Anonymous said...

Actually, if you were getting contacts, you were not dealing with LensCrafters. LensCrafters does not handle contact sales. That would be the DONL ( Independent Doctor of Optometry). While LensCrafters stores work closely with these doctors, they don't dictate pricing, ect. The doctors are leasing the area next to the stores as a matter of convinience. Sucks that you had a bad experience, but please, try to be angry with the right people.

Finance Junkie said...

Thanks macphersongirl13, but I have to insist that the Independent Doctor of Optometry never handed me the lenses. It was the Lenscrafter sales associate with the Lenscrafter name tag that dealt with me. The Optomotrist never sold me the lenses personally, it was the Lenscrafter sales associate that did they sale. Same one that would have sold me glasses if I wanted them.

Anonymous said...

It is actually the manufacturer of the lenses themselves that dictate what a "year supply" is. Every manufacturer I've come across considers 8 boxes (4 boxes each eye, 6 lenses per box) of bi-weekly contact lens to be a year supply. The person who sold you the contact lenses probably already knew what the manufacturer considered to be a year supply, or looked it up if they didn't. As for the trial pair not costing them anything, that may depend on what contact it is and what you consider to be free. Some manufacturers "bank" the contact lens trials. For example, you get one box of trials for every 8 boxes you sell...If you do not have any trials left in your "bank", they will not give you any more. (I used to work for an independent doctor next to Lenscrafters.) So an extra trial lens for one person now may result in no trial lens for somebody else later. Despite that, most offices will give you an extra pair if you complain because it does not cost them anything monetarily; just the inability to provide the same for future patients. If you really are upset that you only got 50 weeks worth of lenses to last you 52 weeks, write to the manufacturers.