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Ordering contact lenses from 1 to 800 contacts can be cheaper than visiting an ophthalmologist or a regular eyeglass retailer. But to place an order, you must have a prescription from an optometrist.
As a near-sighted millennial who vehemently opposes retail prices, I’ve been ordering mail-order contact lenses for a long time.
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I think it’s been almost 20 years since I first sat my glasses-wearing self in the optometrist’s chair and asked for a contact lens prescription.
About 10 years after I ordered contact lenses through my ophthalmologist at the mall, I started walking out of the office with a copy of the prescription.
I would go home and immediately paste my prescription into whatever optics Google gave out that day to order lenses. What I really care about is their cost and delivery speed.
All along, I thought that many mail-order prescription optics sites, including 1-800 Contacts, were pretty much the same. As it turned out, I was wrong.
I took another look at what 1-800 Contacts has to offer, what other clients are saying, and what you should know if you are considering becoming a client too.
In terms of the telemedicine boom we’re seeing right now, 1-800 Contacts is a long way ahead. The company was founded in 1995, making it the oldest mail-order optics company in operation.
Before online ordering became a way of life, 1-800 Contacts allowed you to make a phone call to a supplier and create an order that was delivered directly to your home.
The phone number you dialed when placing an order? 1-800-266-8228, still the company’s customer service phone number. On the phone keypad, dial 1-800-CONTACT, hence their name.
1-800 Contacts does not sell glasses on its main site. However, the company owns Liingo Eyewear, which mainly sells eyewear.
The cost will depend on what type of contact you need and whether you have vision insurance.
I wear contact lenses almost every day, but I wear them at least once a week to extend my order (to give my eyes a break). Ordering 2 boxes of 90-day daily disposable contact lenses usually lasts approximately 3 months.
I googled and got a $10 coupon so my order for 2 boxes was $96. This is just the standard I pay from other contact lens vendors. Actually, it was a little cheaper than what I paid for 90 days of contact before.
Paying over $100 for contact lenses 4 times a year isn’t my favorite thing, but when you count $1.06 a day for prescription contact lenses that don’t dry out my eyes, it seems like a good deal.
1-800 contacts Free ground shipping (takes 5 to 7 days). Note that this is pretty standard for companies sending contacts. Regardless of which supplier I use, the cost of an order for 2 boxes is often enough to qualify for free shipping. I don’t think I ever paid to ship my contacts.
If you want your contacts to be delivered sooner, you can pay for one of their faster shipping options. You will receive a shipping quote immediately after placing your order. However, in my experience, contact may even be a day or two earlier than expected.
If you need a set of contact lenses as soon as possible, you can go to your ophthalmologist’s office and see if they have it in stock. You can also pay an additional $15 for 1-800 contacts for overnight delivery.
1-800 Contacts is not an optometrist or ophthalmologist, but due to US law, a prescription is required to sell products.
You can get a copy of the prescription from your optometrist and mail it to 1-800 Contacts. If you do not have an official copy of this information, you can simply share your doctor’s contact information with the 1-800 contact and they will take care of it for you.
If you do not have a valid prescription and need to renew it, you can get online eye care at 1-800 Contacts. The fee for this service is $20. Experts say that this type of exam does not replace an office exam.
She noted: “Contacts arrived quickly and they sent follow-up messages when a new pair was needed. They also offered to work with my ophthalmologist to update my appointment information and given COVID, to enable me to do Virtual Checkups. Virtual Checkups are so easy that I don’t have to wait until the ophthalmologist reopens to get new contacts.I’m so grateful they found a solution.”
The ordering process itself is quite simple. You will select your regular contact lens brand and enter the prescription number listed as your OS (left eye) and OD (right eye). If you have astigmatism, you may also need to specify this on your order.
You will then enter your doctor’s details and place an order. After ordering, contact 1-800 will confirm your prescription and process your order for delivery. If you have a copy of the recipe, you can send a photo of it with your order using the site’s automated system.
If you have vision insurance, you will also need to enter this information. 1-800 Contacts accepts most major forms of vision insurance.
If you are sending reimbursement to a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA), be sure to print a copy of your receipt.
Severs says: “It’s very easy to order. Assuming your prescription is still valid, you’ll either need a copy of it or you’ll give them your eye doctor information so they can get it, but if you don’t have a medical exam, they’ll contact you”. Doctors collaborated to get copies.”
To initiate a return, you can use the 1-800 Contacts chat app or call their customer service. A representative will guide you through the return process.
On Trustpilot, 1-800 contacts have over 200 reviews with an average rating of 3 stars. The rating is pretty average between bad and good, giving it 2.6 out of 5 stars. The reputation of the brand is certainly not as good as it could be.
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1-800 Contacts is a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited company. Based on their commitment to customer service, they are rated A+ by the BBB. There are about 30 customer complaints posted on the BBB website, which have been answered by 1-800 contacts.
In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint against the company, alleging that its anti-competitive practices limit the ability of competitors to bid online or win advertising space for similar products and services.
According to the BBB, in 2018 the FTC ordered 1-800 Contacts to stop the bad faith practices outlined in the complaint.
1-800 Contacts is best for people who have had recent eye exams, have current prescriptions, and are looking for affordable contact lenses delivered straight to their door.
You can also order contact lenses through an ophthalmologist when you receive your prescription. These contacts can also often be mailed to you.
Ordering lenses online is a great option, but that doesn’t mean you have to skip seeing an optometrist. If you wear contact lenses, you should see an optometrist once a year.
1-800 Contacts is a legitimate consumer-facing online retailer founded in 1995. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has hundreds of reviews on consumer experience sites. If you place an order by calling 1-800 and have problems, a customer service representative will assist you.
1-800 contacts do not belong to Walmart. In 2008, 1-800 Contacts began working with Walmart, combining Walmart and Sam’s Club on-site vision screening with 1-800 Contacts phone and online ordering models. The partnership ended in 2013 and has not been renewed.
The cost of 1-800 contacts depends on your recipe and the product you are using. The price of 1-800 contacts is the lowest price you can find online for the same product. Ordering from them can cost about the same or slightly less than ordering from your optometrist’s office.
If needed, the 1-800 contact number will call your ophthalmologist to confirm your contact lens prescription, and they will only do so with your explicit permission. This step is not necessary if you included a current copy of your contact lens prescription with your order.
If the 1-800 contact cannot validate your prescription, they will “reject” and the order will be cancelled. The 1-800 contact will contact you to let you know that your order cannot be processed. Your prescription will not be filled and you will not be charged for the order.
1-800 Contacts is one of several direct-to-consumer retailers that mail contacts directly to your home. Since most of these online stores offer virtually the same products, companies can only stand out by offering the best prices and top-notch customer service.
All in all, 1-800 Contacts has been providing responsive customer service and convenience for over 20 years.
However, if you are new to wearing contact lenses, you may want to order them through your doctor for the first few times. You can also discuss any contacts you use with them to make sure everything goes smoothly.
In general, if you are an experienced contact lens user, ordering from 1 to 800 contact lenses can cost money.
In some cases, this means that our writers and editors test products to see how they work in real life. In other cases, we rely on feedback from crowdsourced reviewers from retail and consumer sites.
In this review, our author draws on his years of experience as a Contacts user and buyer, including his experience as a 1-800 Contacts customer. She also analyzed online customer reviews of the company’s services.
Katherine Watson is a freelance writer covering everything from sleep hygiene to moral philosophy. Her recent credits include Healthline, Christian Today, LitHub and Curbed. She lives in New York with her husband and two children, and her website is kathrynswatson.com.
Our experts are constantly monitoring the health and wellness space and updating our articles as new information becomes available.
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Post time: Oct-16-2022
