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In my last entry I had a pair of glasses I wore everyday for about 5 or 6 years break. I attempted to show how I went about fixing them temporarily. Turns out the method I used worked perfect for about 2 - 3 weeks. I did re-break them near the end of this time frame stumbling around half asleep after lazily trying to adjust my fan in my room, quickly toppling the fan on my already fragile glasses. Which was fine because I really had not expected them to last as long as they did anyways.
In actuality, the extent they were broken (both arms completely broken off) I would figure is unusual and probably not salvageable in most cases and a perfect example to show what may work to fix them. Since I wear glasses from the time I wake up until I go to sleep I had no other option than to make them work until I could get new ones, as they were my only pair I had.
Going and getting glasses typically isn't like pulling teeth. It is expensive though. My last pair (RIP) were in the $400 - 500 range after everything. And paying that much was not an option for me this time around. I beat around the idea of ordering them online. Usually when you go to the optometrist they charge quite a bit for the frames and lenses and your exam. After I saw how much it was to get them online I was pretty much sold. The prices they have in store are so inflated, it infuriates me. Glasses bought in store should come with a large bottle of lube, because LensCrafters is going in dry.
TL;DR
After much time invested in which companies were reputable I decided to try two different companies and see how they both compared. The companies I researched the most were EyeBuyDirect and ZenniOptical.
For the sake of this entry I will be focusing on two things. How to order glasses online from either company, and which company is the better option and why. The processes for ordering on both sites are nearly identical. As part of the "How To" section, I will go over important key bits on how to go about ordering your first pair of glasses online.
Exam
So, you are like me and you need glasses but do not want to buy them in store. Well its pretty simple. You need to get an exam. Most people can use their family optometrist for this, although they may not be too happy if you do mention you planned on getting your glasses ordered over the Internet. They may try to push a sale or whatever they got going on at the time. Just get the exam. They will give you the prescription info and you can easily put the info in yourself to order online. If you were like me and you had not been to your optometrist in a long time and figured the price to have them do it was too much you can always get it done cheaply at any big box type store if you have that option. My exam was $57 and some change. They handed me my script for my new glasses and I was off. Easy as that. If you had an exam done in the last year you may be able to use the script from the last visit, but I would recommend just getting one done for the new ones. Its not that expensive and they may last for a very long time if maintained.
And really there is no point in paying for the expensive extra tests they try to sell either. That is unless you have a history of eye related problems or your immediate family does. If they do however see something strange during your exam and suggest an extra test to check it, take their advice. But if you have no problems then don't waste the cash.
However, one thing to keep in mind is if you have a strong Rx your prices will be higher in order to allow the lenses to be fitted properly to the frames you choose. Another important field is something called Pupillary Distance or PD. This measurement will be important for the correct fit. Make sure you know beforehand that you may need to filter your results based on this if your PD rating is a strange number.
Ordering
The ordering is much easier than I had anticipated. I thought that it was going to be a real pain to enter the info from the prescription for each pair of glasses. Truth be told its actually stupid simple. Both sites allowed for the Rx to be saved so all you have to do is pick your frames and then essentially tell it you wanted your new prescription for them. Its a simple couple clicks after you choose the frames. Its really that easy.
Shipping and Handling
Both companies offered similar rates. I used promotional codes for both (Free UV protection, % off total order, or Free Shipping) and did whatever was the cheapest. If you place a larger order from either it is going to take a bit of time for the entire order to be processed. Remember it isn't like they got your glasses sitting in a box ready to be shipped. Each pair must be made and QC checked before sent to you. Be patient!
This was hard for me because I knew I had limited time to use the pair that I had fixed. My orders took about 2 weeks to get. Maybe a bit longer. But the size of the order will change this. If you order 1 pair of glasses, then it may take less time. Both companies were comparable in the time it took from clicking purchase, and to having them on my doorstep.
If you have managed to enter everything right, and paid for your order, followed tracking, and were somewhat patient congrats. You successfully ordered your glasses online and saved hundreds of dollars. Some people are reading this and thinking "Isn't this supposed to be comparing EyeBuyDirect and ZenniOptical?"
Overall: both companies exceeded my expectations. But there are a few things to note. ZenniOptical is more expensive than the latter. I only got one pair of glasses through them and I was not disappointed. I paid about $34 without shipping for a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarer knockoffs and they were pretty nice for the amount I paid for them.
I ordered 3 pairs of glasses from EyeBuyDirect. This order took a little bit longer but I had expected that. I cant ding them for slow shipping because it still got here within a very reasonable amount of time. One pair out of my order had issues. It was not comfortable and rubbed my ear raw after wearing them all day. I went to the website to review them and found out the rating system is flawed on their site. They pretty much only post 5 star reviews, leaving critical ones out for new shoppers. After emails being sent back and forth they opted to replace them free of charge with another pair and upgraded them for my hassle. Customer service with EyeBuyDirect was awesome after I mentioned I would write the Better Business Bureau about their trickery with the rating system. I intentionally ordered cheaper glasses from them to see what the overall quality was like. And all surpassed my expectations. Glasses range from $6 - $50+. Mine were all in the $6 - $15 range. After everything I had 4 pairs from EyeBuyDirect. All for about $59 plus shipping.
All of my Rx's were correct. All came with a case and lens cloth.
Quality from both were like lighter versions of the glasses I previously owned. Think of what sunglasses feel like weight wise. They were fairly comfortable, and with each pair catered to a specific job (computer, driving, night, daytime, or intermediate use) its easy to switch out as needed.
The one thing I can say is that it sucks not being able to try them on before buying but you have to be willing to take that chance. But for the price, it is so worth it. The total price for everything was under the $170 price range for my exam and all 5 pairs of my glasses. It should be noted, I had many extras added on so this price is pretty crazy for this much worth of product.
ZenniOptical or EyeBuyDirect?
If you don't mind taking a slight chance in buying a pair of glasses you cant feel or try on beforehand this is the best way to purchase glasses. The prices they have are unbeatable from either company, but the cheapest and fairest was EyeBuyDirect. If I was wanting to get quality glasses that were a bit more expensive I would try ZenniOptical, only because the quality was slightly better than the others I had ordered. But keep in mind the one pair I got from Zenni were about double the price of my other ones from EyeBuyDirect. Not to mention EBD had pretty good customer service when I had requested an escalation to my inquiry. I had supervisors calling my personal phone to talk to me about the issues I had.
I know this was wordy, but its been weeks since I got my glasses and it was important I had a decent time testing them out. I am overall very satisfied. One thing is sure, I will never go get glasses at the brick and mortar stores ever again. When I saw I could get complete glasses for $6, I about shit myself. Thinking I could have had 83 pairs of glasses for the price of my last pair made my head spin.
Highly recommend both companies, but EyeBuyDirect has an edge with the competitive pricing and customer service.
-TSB