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High Five to Zenni Optical

Posted 14 months ago|15 comments|28,306 views
Written by
Rudi Stettner
 Moderator
One of the pleasures of blogging is the ability to thank merchants who do a good job. I try to praise as loudly as I complain. I am not getting paid for this article. If I were I would say so clearly.

My old glasses were a mass of tiny scratches, held together with tape and a paper clip. Stuffing them into my motorcycle helmet had taken its toll. I needed frames that could take abuse. My son told me about an on line optometrist called Zenni Optical. He was able to get a complete set of prescription glasses for $8.00. Mine cost more for two reasons. One is that I was getting bifocals. The second reason is that I wanted a titanium frame as well as clip on sun shields. With all of the extras I paid $68.50, which included a per order shipping charge of $4.95 and an eyeglass case.

The Zenni web site instructs you to type in your prescription information. I had no problem with this, except for one line on the form that asked for pupilary distance, which is the distance between the pupils. Although opticians need this number, it is not usually written on the prescription. When you do get this number, write it down and do not forget it. Unlike all the other numbers, this number does not generally change in adulthood. I was able to go back to my optometrist and get the number for pupilary distance.

Zenni promises delivery within 14 days on simple orders. Mine was a bit more complex so it took 17 days. They e-mailed me when they shipped out my order.

I was told that the glasses are made in China, and this is what keeps the price down. I like to buy American, but that is not always easy to find. I was delighted with the quality of the glasses I got. Titanium is supposed to return to its original shape when bent. For me, that was a critical selling point. I was not disappointed. The glasses fit, they retained their shape. They are a pleasure to look through and to read with. I am probably going to buy a cheaper pair to use as backups.

When a merchant treats me right, I am not shy about giving them five stars. Conversely, I am happy to skewer those who displease me with a five rasberry rating. It is a pleasure to recommend Zenni Optical to my readers. I hope you will check them out.

Reprinted with permission from Rudistettner.com
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COMMENTS
The Cypress Gang
The Cypress Gang
Cypress, TX
14 months ago: Dude you need to follow-up after looking into the eyemed insurance scam. Dig hard. You will be shocked. Big, bigtime scam that company insurance plans won't address.
JAK Gladney
JAK Gladney
Saint Albans, WV
14 months ago: This is helpful, Rudi. I've read a lot about Zenni (usually in the context of, "interesting web sites"), but never knew anyone who actually ordered from the company.

My glasses get pretty rough treatment, and a cheaper back-up pair from Zenni can't be any worse than supermarket readers.
JohnC1
JohnC1
Manchester, KY
13 months ago: I bought from zenni im very pleased with the product i bought 3 pairs saved over 100 dollars thumbs up
13 months ago: I have 2 boys, both in glasses. Being boys, it's inevitable that they break their glasses. I got tired of shelling out a couple hundred bucks on glasses every few months.

Hooray for Zenni!

For the past 2 years, I have bought their glasses (and mine) exclusively from Zenni, and I have never been disappointed. They're inexpensive enough to buy multiple pairs, but they're definitely not "cheap" glasses. Same quality I've gotten from the high priced places like LensCrafters.

Zenni Optical is a life saver and a budget saver, especially if you've got kids in glasses.
shirley
shirley
Fryeburg, ME
12 months ago: i orded my glasses they cme in two week I love them with a saving of 300.00. Iwill order again . i will tell all my friends . shirley
11 months ago: Awesome place. I have seven pairs. The transition lenses are cool, fabulous selection and If you need extra glasses why get ripped off I paid about $150.00 for all seven pairs, two transitions a magnetic shade, clear wire, reading glasses and some funky pink ones. I also bought the black and hot pink with rhinestones--had the darkest grey for super sunny days and they rock. Do it, you will be happy.
Aikidokaratefan
Aikidokaratefan
Seattle, WA
8 months ago: Thanks for the tip, especially about pupillary distance. That's not one of my body statistics I've been aware of.

My husband bought titanium glasses many years ago after he had repeatedly broken his frames when he fell asleep wearing his glasses. I never understood how he could pass out so fast that he didn't take a moment before the face-plant to remove his glasses. When he heard about titanium frames, it was an easy sell. Unfortunately, the glasses were over $500. Yes, that extra zero is correct.
People, if you can get titanium glasses that work great and look good for under $100, that's an amazing deal.

I chose to give up glasses. I think of them like constantly wearing a lumbar support. I figure it's my job to exercise sufficiently so that I can lift anything I need to lift without any wearable appliances.I know everyone can't get away with that. So far, I'm doing ok except for what appears to be #2 font printing on vitamin bottles, customer support phone numbers, and products with information that the manufacturer is loath to divulge.

The next time my husband loses his glasses, I'll tell him about Zenni Optical.
6 months ago: Come on, No Zenni anymore! There are so many online optical stores to choose from. I have bought from most of them. The greatest deal should be the one from www.GlassesShop.com. Strongly recommend it!
6 months ago: Come on, No Zenni anymore! There are so many online optical stores to choose from. I have bought from most of them. The greatest deal should be the one from www.GlassesShop.com. Strongly recommend it!
Troyer
Troyer
Raeford, NC
5 months ago: For the past 3 years, I have bought a variety of glasses for my family and I am happy with the quality and service. So far so good. The eyeglasses are lightweight and comfortable.I have recommended Zenni to all my friends.
4 months ago: I was so tired of paying for the expensive local glasses, I'm so glad to find Zenni Optical. I received my very first order from Zenni several days ago. I am so pleased with the excellent products and their customer service, I decided to spread the word to as many people on how they can save hundreds of dollars by ordering glasses from Zenni! I will be buying all my glasses with Zenni from now on!
Dennis Wicker
Dennis Wicker
Madrid, IA
3 months ago: I will never buy another pair of glasses from a retail optical store again after purchasing glasses from Zenni Optical. The price and the quality are outstanding, everything they said was true and far superior to other stores I've been associated with. I've worn glasses for over 50 years and Zenni glasses are better in all categories than any other places I've purchased glasses. The frames I ordered from Zenni were less than one hundred dollars and the same frames that I bought from an optical store were over four hundred. I am completely satisfied and will be a repeat customer. Thanks for not ripping people off.
2 months ago: I too have had great success with Zenni. Love my colorful eyewear collection from them. Great service, fast shipping, free lenses & no issues.

When I called my eye doctor to get the pupilary distance, they asked why I needed it. I mentioned I was ordering online & she practically admonished me for it, saying it's not recommended, poor quality, etc. I was really stunned by her rudeness. I told her that I paid over $100 for my exam there & that I fully expected her to comply with providing that information to me. ....eventually I got it, but what a hassle.

Apparently eye doctors who try to push $300+ designer glasses on you in their office (when your pupils are dialated no less) are quite upset about these online outlets & overseas eyewear sites. TOO BAD. How about competing by getting real world priced eyewear in your shops? How about listening to your customers? Is it really that hard to do?
Cully
Cully
Cartersville, GA
Content Removed by Cully
Cully
Cully
Cartersville, GA
1 month ago: : I first purchased two pairs of glasses from Zenni four years ago. I was extremely pleased. I was also fortunate to have chosen frames that looked good on me and were the right size. Pure luck as I had no idea what I was doing.

I know more now through reading and checking various websites. Just one month ago I ordered five pairs of glasses from Zenni. Rimless, half rimmed, rimmed, titanium, metal, plastic, different colors, etc. I have progressive lens, reading lens, computer lens (two pair), and distance lens. Ok, I went overboard, but the total price for all five was much less than one pair at Walmart or Pearl Vision. It felt like Christmas the day they arrived. Overall, I am thrilled.

Three things I wish I had known: (1) Progressive lens are not good for computer use. The midvision part is too small and there was a glare. (2) 50% yellow lens is fantastic for me for the computer screen. It reduces the glare and makes the print clearer, especially on a white screen. I never knew that and found out by accident. (3) Titanium frames were slightly crooked. Probably an easy fix but I didn't want to mail them and wait two weeks. I should have done that before the 30 day warranty was up because they would have fixed them better than me.

Zenni's customer service is at times fantastic and at times just adequate, but always superior to the other online glass suppliers I tried to work with. Except for eyeglassfactory outlet.com. They have exceptional customer service but prices start at about $35.00)

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