Zenni problem - Glasses wearers

[Karen]

Have you ordered any glasses from someplace other than Zenni Optical? When I went to their site recently, it had been redone, and I had to re-establish an account with them. I plugged in my prescription, which has indeed changed some, and made an order.

Today, I got an email saying:

Your order is being processed promptly, but we need to clarify something with you before processing it further.

We don't provide bifocal or progressive glasses with extremely strong prescription. In this case, we would advise you to choose single vision glasses either for distance or for reading use instead due to your strong prescription.

Please email your confirmation to us so that we can proceed with your order.

Which they did last time, I have these glasses, and I know my prescription has changed, but it only got stronger in one way, and I need weaker in another way. I wonder if the company changed hands or something, and that's why they won't make progressive with my prescription now?

Has anyone ordered glasses from somewhere else and had success?

[anna_66]

I'm glad you posted this Karen because I have bifocals and was thinking about getting some. Too bad:(

[Karen]

Yeah, I'm just surprised, because they did my current glasses ... which are progressive lenses, with no complaints.

[Cataholic]

If you need stronger in one way, and weaker in another way....isn't that meaning your prescription is even further apart then before? Maybe it is the gap is too wide in strengths? I am no expert, lord knows, I can hardly keep 'far sighted' and 'near sighted' straight, and have worn lenses for WAY longer than I care to admit...LOL.

I am glad you posted this, though, as I want to get a new rx and buy these glasses!!

[catnapper]

My new favorite place is goggles4u.com. My last few pairs have been from there and I like them better

[Edwina's Secretary]

I have five pairs from Zenni - just ordered two pair of sunglasses for my husband and a friend who has tri-focal just called me on Friday THRILLED with the pair she got from Zenni.

So I guess it all depends...

[kokopup]

I ordered two pair of Bifocal a few weeks ago and I checked my order status, it is "processing". I take it from processing that my glasses will be on their way soon. My prescription is very routine though since I barely need correction for my distant vision ( mild astigmatism ) and my reading is also very mild. I'm hoping mine will be here soon. I have never used Zenni until this order so hopefully they still turn out quality glasses.

[Karen]

My new favorite place is goggles4u.com. My last few pairs have been from there and I like them better

I just tried that site, and the pulldown menu doesn't go up to my strength, so I emailed them, and we'll see what they say! Hey, I'm not blind, I promise!

[happylabs]

You order glasses online? I have never done this. I get mine at the eye doc.

[Karen]

You order glasses online? I have never done this. I get mine at the eye doc.

goggles4u rsponded, and they can do the higher prescription, so that's great. Yes, happylabs - when I ordered them years ago from the eye doctors, my glasses cost $400-$600 at least. Online I can get a pair for $50, even less before I needed the bifocals.

[happylabs]

goggles4u rsponded, and they can do the higher prescription, so that's great. Yes, happylabs - when I ordered them years ago from the eye doctors, my glasses cost $400-$600 at least. Online I can get a pair for $50, even less before I needed the bifocals.

Wow! My glasses are progressive with transitional lenses, light weight and all the bells and whistels. Cost me OVER $500.00!!!!! I need to learn more about this online ordering. Does the eye doc just give you the prescription? I don't know if mine would do that.

[Karen]

Wow! My glasses are progressive with transitional lenses, light weight and all the bells and whistels. Cost me OVER $500.00!!!!! I need to learn more about this online ordering. Does the eye doc just give you the prescription? I don't know if mine would do that.

You can ask your doctor for your prescription, they should hand that over no questions asked. The only tricky thing is you need to ask for one more measurement than is usually on a prescriptions, and that's your pupillary distance. It's a simple measurement, and it is fixed - once you know it, it's good for life. Ask them for it, and if they balk, say, "I just need to know, I am thinking of ordering some inexpensive 'back-up' glasses, or sunglasses, online, and just need that." They might not be happy, but they will give it to you.

Yes, I have a very strong prescription, a different astigmatism in each eye, and now need bifocals, so my glasses have always been hundreds of dollars - getting a pair (non-bifocals, before I needed them) for $23 was a delight!

[Karen]

Well, I just spoke to my doctor's office, they confirmed that there should be no reason my glasses could not be made. I called Zenni, intending to cancel my order, but the gentleman who answered the phone said the person who wrote the email was just wrong, I just needed to choose a different lens type, or if I wanted those particular lenses, chose a different frame that was a full frame, instead of a half frame which I am getting. So we changed the lens type, and I'll have my new glasses in a couple weeks. Yay!

[catnapper]

Gee thanks Karen, I just ordered three more pairs of glasses. Combined total? $39. I guess I'm allowed my little obsession when its this cheap! :D

[Karen]

Sadly, when I go through the process at goggles4u, with my prescription, I'm gonna pay at least $90 for my lenses alone. I got another email for Zenni, and will have to call them again tomorrow. It'll be $87.50 total at Zenni, IF they can get them done. Kim, be glad you don't have a prescription like mine!

[shais_mom]

You order glasses online? I have never done this. I get mine at the eye doc.

check it out - I have 5 pairs from Zenni - all around 3+ years old. Spend less than $60 for ALL of them!

[Karen]

Okay, despite the nice gentleman yesterday, I got ANOTHER email today, saying "try getting single vision glasses ..." and so I called today again. The guy who answered the phone pulled up my order file, listened to me, then said he'd check with a "colleague" (I'm betting supervisor) and came back and said he was sorry for the confusion. The people sending emails were from the lab in China, the phone crew is in California, and Zenni just does not stock the lenses necessary to make a "special needs" prescription like mine. Sigh. I iz speshul.

So, thanks for letting me know about goggles4u, I will try them next! I just want new glasses that work! Is that too much to ask?

[Karen]

Okay, so far so good, I have placed an order with goggles4u.com, and we'll see what happens!

[Karen]

Just to keep folks updated, I got two emails from Zenni, and they did refund me the order and the upgrade I had paid for, so that's good.

Still no problems from goggles4u ... so far so good ...

[kokopup]

I received both of the glasses I had ordered today. I am very pleased with the order and am glad I can see again after losing my last pair. I paid about $80 for both pair of Bifocals. The pair I lost cost me about $400 and the new pair I'm wearing around $40. The glasses I just received seems to be superior in quality and definitely a better fit. I was always annoyed with my old glasses because the lower lens was misplaced and they could never get them fitted so I wasn't looking through the transition. My new frames "Memory titanium" are much better than what I had on my previous pair. I am very happy with Zenni.:)

[Karen]

Yay! Yes, I loved them, but now they just cannot make my prescription, sadly.

[Karen]

I got my glasses today from Goggles4u, and either the glasses are very badly made, or the prescription is off, I have an appointment on April 5th to check my eyes and the glasses themselves. Sad, I was so looking forward to new, correct glasses!

[Karen]

So, an update for this saga. I went to the eye doctor today, and she checked my prescription, and the glasses, and then had me see the optician do some measurements also. It turns out the "bifocal" part started far too high up on the lens, so I called Goggle4u.com. They said to email them, and they would make me replacement glasses, and to give them the new measurements that they took today for Pupillary distance near AND distance, and for the segment height. I will let you know when I get them if they work!

The optician said, "I know you probably saved a bunch of money, but with prescriptions like yours, we see this kind of issue all the time when people order online." But he didn't yell at me, belittle me, or try to convince me to buy a more expensive pair from him, which I respect. He just gave me the measurements, bent the pair I was sent to be as good as he could get them, and sent me on my way.

[karlyb]

When you get your glasses by mail, how do you get them fitted?

[Karen]

In the past the have just worked right away, this pair that didn't work I took with me to an optician and he did make a few adjustments, in case I needed to use them at all. But you take measurements for certain things before you order, which usually takes care of it, and adjusting the nose pads, etc, is easy enough to do with a pair of pliers if necessary!

[Cataholic]

I just ordered my first pair of Zenni glasses. I will report back once they come in the mail!

I didn't have the best experience at the eye doctor, when I told him I was purchasing glasses online. I felt a distinct change in attitude. :(

[pomtzu]

I didn't have the best experience at the eye doctor, when I told him I was purchasing glasses online. I felt a distinct change in attitude. :(

Not really surprising - you are depriving him of more $$$. I guess a lot of eye doctors would feel the same way.

After I had my cataract surgery and corrective lens implants, I no longer needed glasses, except for reading. My eye doctor told me not to waste my money buying the prescription from him, and just told me what strength I needed, and to buy them over the counter! :) I bought a pack of 4 at Sam's three years ago for $20, and still have 2 pair left that I didn't loose or destroy.

[Karen]

I just ordered my first pair of Zenni glasses. I will report back once they come in the mail!

I didn't have the best experience at the eye doctor, when I told him I was purchasing glasses online. I felt a distinct change in attitude. :(

That's unfortunate. I was expecting that, the first time I did it, but the doc was curious, and asked me to report back how it went. And this time, when I got the ones that weren't right from the goggles4u place, the optometrist who measures and fits and sells glasses at the practice took the "bad glasses, marked up with a marker showing me the flaws, adjusted them manually so they'd be as workable as they could be, and said "I know you are saving money ordering online, but honestly, with a scrip like yours, I'm not surprised it got screwed up. He gave me extra measurements to plug in, and all this was for free, and with no attitude at all.

[Cataholic]

Not really surprising - you are depriving him of more $$$. I guess a lot of eye doctors would feel the same way.

After I had my cataract surgery and corrective lens implants, I no longer needed glasses, except for reading. My eye doctor told me not to waste my money buying the prescription from him, and just told me what strength I needed, and to buy them over the counter! :) I bought a pack of 4 at Sam's three years ago for $20, and still have 2 pair left that I didn't loose or destroy.

It is surprising, to me. I have been to that practice for close to 30 years. I had/have an opportunity to save close to $175.00. I wasn't cheating him, I wasn't dishonest, I wasn't doing anything 'wrong'. I would expect him to treat me the same as he would if I had an eye exam and didn't need new glasses.

I spent, including shipping, $24.75. Even if I only like the glasses 'ok', I still think it is a bargain. I got two pairs of those clip on sunglasses, which is thrilling to me. In all my years of wearing glasses, I have never had sunglass ability. I wore contacts and had cheap-o sunglasses, but never had the ability to wear my glasses with sun coverage.

[pomtzu]

It is surprising, to me. I have been to that practice for close to 30 years. I had/have an opportunity to save close to $175.00. I wasn't cheating him, I wasn't dishonest, I wasn't doing anything 'wrong'. I would expect him to treat me the same as he would if I had an eye exam and didn't need new glasses.

I spent, including shipping, $24.75. Even if I only like the glasses 'ok', I still think it is a bargain. I got two pairs of those clip on sunglasses, which is thrilling to me. In all my years of wearing glasses, I have never had sunglass ability. I wore contacts and had cheap-o sunglasses, but never had the ability to wear my glasses with sun coverage.

I didn't mean that you did anything wrong or underhanded - just that some doctors are in it for every penny that they can get. Which I find surprising too, since so many people now get their prescription and take it to Lens Crafters or some similar place, and most doctors don't have a problem with that. Can't say it's a good idea tho, since those places seldom get the script correct - as I found out the hard way - twice!!! :mad:

[Cataholic]

I knew you weren't implying anything about me. As if. :D But, it really is surprising to me. The 30 year relationship tarnished over $175? That is a lot of money to me, probably not nearly as much to him and his lovely new space, 16 employees, etc.

[Karen]

I got the new glasses, and they did need some adjusting, and I took it to the optician that works at my optometrists' office, and he adjusted them and they work! Yay!

[Cataholic]

I am SO waiting for mine to be delivered. I ordered them on the 21st of April. When I inquired yesterday, they were made, but not yet back to zenni for shipping to moi! ANXIOUS!