Howard Johnson

I have no connection to this industry other than as a consumer, but I’d be careful about tarring all online glasses stores with the same brush. There are many that do exactly what you appear to find suspicious — offer really low prices, mostly — and that deliver as promised. I’ve been buying prescription glasses online, both regular and sunglasses, for years now, from 39dollarglasses, goggles4u, and a few other stores, at terrific prices and with a full money-back guarantee. I’ve received great frames and lenses for under 25 bucks. They are the functional and style equivalent of the $300-$400 pairs I used to get at Lenscrafters stores (and other brick-and-mortar retailers where sometimes the prices were even more outrageous).

FYI, there’s a blog dedicated to the online glasses industry called Glassyeyes. It has devolved a little bit into a discount-code site (with less pertinent, thoughtful info than it used to have), but it’s still a decent jumping-off point for people who’d like to find out more. http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/

As for BillC’s suggestion, the BBB has gradually squandered virtually all its credibility by becoming a pay-for-play organization that is more interested in making money in various uncouth ways, including shaking down merchants, than in protecting the interests of customers. Don’t take my word for it, watch this Brian Ross 20/20 investigative piece from ABC TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w6Oick8x48 Or you can read this Slate exposé if you prefer: http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_customer/2010/12/busted_watchdog.html

Paypal has always been great for refunding my money if there is a problem and you are within their timeframe for making a claim. Even Tom-Tom when I paid for a map update that they didnt furnish. Paypal got my money refunded.

My daughters and I have ordered online successfully several times with the optometrist verifying the glasses being correctly made.  We also jumped off from glassyeyes. 

We have never sent in a pair of frames though so that might be part of the problem.  They may have done a bad job of setting up the lens grinding machine. 

Mr. Reed did get a bum deal.

I did to no avail.

Christopher had to edit my story but I did research Glassyeyes quite
thoroughly and even communicated with the blogger about
Globaleyeglasses.com. There were no red flags about them at the time,
nor were there any negative comments on their nascent website which has
become a lot more sophisticated since my experience with them.

I tried contacting the BBB but as you say, their credibility has long
since diminished and my efforts got me no where.  At least I got my
original frames back.  I would have been REALLY p****d if I hadn’t! 

My point in offering this story was to alert as many people as possible to NOT do business with Globaleyeglasses.com.

BBB is worthless.  Try the State’s Attorney General.

I’ve reported them to the NC Justice Dept (they seem to have relocated their mailing address from GA to NC although lord knows where they actually are since their phone # is a GA area code).  Next, I’ll try the GA AG.    Maybe I should try Judge Judy