I had an interesting shopping experience this past Saturday. I thought I would share it with you.
After two years, I figured it was time to get my eyes checked and get new prescriptions for my progressives and reading glasses. I scheduled with the doctor at LensCrafters for 10:15, and got brought back at 10:10 for the full set of tests, including what is now a “digital dilation test” that looks for glaucoma, blood pressure, diabetes, and so forth. Great stuff.
After that, pleasant and good natured, Dr. David Feenstra saw me, walked me through the digital process of refining my prescriptions, simulated what the new glasses would be like through several cross processes, and got me out of there by 10:40. Fantastic experience and well worth recommending to anyone in a similar situation!
Then came the “shopping experience” at LensCrafters. I mentioned to Leanne, a technician, that I had about a half dozen glasses I really liked, so I just wanted to update the lens, but keep the glasses. Was that possible? “Absolutely”, she said. “In fact, you’ll get 20% off the lens.”
When I sat down for pricing, the sales clerk Leanne had directed me to, Pedro, went through the pricing for both the progressives, as well as my sun glasses. He told me that the lens would cost $425. I asked him if that included the 20% discount and he said it sure did. I said that I was a little surprised at that price since I thought I had paid less when I bought the glasses a couple of years prior. He checked the records and, sure enough, he said, I had paid $400 for the glasses.
I asked him if that made any sense to him and he explained the reason. When I buy frames at LensCrafters, he said, I get a 40% discount on the lens, but if I only buy the lens, I get a 20% discount. The upshot is that I could pay either $425 for just the lens on my existing glasses or buy a new pair of glasses for $400.
After telling him that the pricing model made no sense to me, I asked him whether any other program was available to bring the cost of my lens down. He told me that unfortunately there was not, so I took my progressives and sunglasses, bid the store ado, and left.
My experience at LensCrafters was pleasant enough. Dr. Feenstra is a gem and both sales clerks I dealt with were very pleasant and courteous. But I simply couldn’t wrap my mind around a pricing policy that charges $425 for just lens and $400 for lens and the frame.
In this wacky world of soaring prices, serpentine kickbacks and rebates in the health care field, I cannot even begin to surmise how LensCrafters ended up with this counter-intuitive consumer solution. It’s obviously above my pay grade.
In any event, as a postscript, I decided to connect with See Eyewear on Park Avenue in Winter Park. Milena, the store Manager, and Sarah, a technician, came to my rescue. They said that they would be happy to honor a 40% discount on the lens even though I hadn’t bought the glasses there and they charged me an average price of $148 per pair. One pair – the polarized progressive sun glasses – was higher at $308, but the rest came in under $160 per pair.
If you ever want to keep your glasses and buy another lens for them, I might suggest you call Milena at (407) 599-5455.
Image source: shopdullestowncenter.com