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Goggles4U drops prices, drops additional discount codes. People are concerned, but this is still one of the best places to buy online. Link!

The folks over at EyeBuyDirect have been working on their site. Seriously, take a look. They relaunched with a new look at the end of April (and I've been remiss -- and really, really, really busy -- in commenting on it).

I've always considered EBD to have one of the better looking and behaving sites of the bunch, and this new version is even better. It's "busy", but there is some good content to dig through as well.

It will appeal to a younger audience, one more familiar with today's social networking. There are numerous ways to share photos and comments.

This girl has some seriously white teeth -- and a better price-point...


than one of the original doofuses they had posted back in April:



Most importantly, and this is what is currently setting them apart from the crowd, check out the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee:


This guarantee is good on non-designer frames (we typically don't care too much about them anyway) for 7 days, but after that, a 70% refund is still in place. This is a huge change and not to pump my chest too much, came about partly from a conversation I had on the state of their previous guarantee with Roy Hessel, the CEO of EyeBuyDirect.

It's difficult to compare the guarantees of the retailers (though I will try in an upcoming piece), but one thing is certain, this is a big leap forward -- especially for those unsure of the process and whether they're ordering the right size frames.

EyeTryTM is the name of EyeBuyDirect's interactive try-on feature. It appears to work as advertised -- if not a bit on the slow side. I find tools like this to be useful, particularly for those unsure of how online eyeglasses works, or those brave souls willing to try a new style. Here's one that gave me the results I expected:


You can even share your saved pictures or ask an "optical expert his (or I assume 'her') opinion". I haven't heard back just yet on this. It's only been a few minutes though.


And with prices starting at $7.95 (including these), I could build a Halloween costume around this bold number. For those like-minded, I'm wearing the "Carlton" and:
"The Carlton welcomes you to its plastic world: Square lenses surrounded by a particular transparent/brown color, with arms to keep the balance you need. Strong glasses for the ones with a strong personality."
Nice to see some humor -- at least I hope it's humor.

I admire the work they've done and the important changes they've made. They're pushing the other retailers -- something keenly important to those of us in the market.

Knowing what I know about this business from the viewpoint of a web developer, blogger, and as a customer many, many times over, none of this is easy stuff. I like the decisions coming out of EyeBuyDirect and think if you haven't given them a try (or it's been a long time), now would be a great time to place an order.

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NOTE: If you're listening over in the EBD IT department, you might want to add a server though, or at least restart the application -- a bit pokey today.

While doing a quick runaround looking for PD information, I tripped over optiboard.

This interesting exchange between a number of optical professionals reaffirms my thought that this Pupillary Distance (PD) measurement thing is more "art" than science.

On pupilometers...

"Pupilometers are not as acurate (sic) for me either."

...and rulers.
"Just because I use a pupilometer that doesn't mean that I can't use a ruler."

Even "dotting the pupil" on the lenses like LensCrafters did to me every time.
"I use the pupilometer to measure adults, but I still dot the pupil. Then I have something to compare. I am usually within .5 mm each eye."


Here's the link:

http://www.optiboard.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-1844.html


Note to Sara, "reply me on this."

After seeing Dean and having him read all of the previous posts over the Memorial Day holidays, he chose the Moscow frame with the CR-39 Transitions® Sola® lenses. I've got a degree in English (not Math or Finance), so after I prepared to call in my order -- more about that later -- I was surprised and a bit worried I'd forgotten something when the price came to $174 rather than the $209 I was expecting.

I talked to Dean a bit about the price, concerned that it might be too much and he replied, "They'd run me between $500 and $600 in Alexandria." I've become so used to prices in the sub-$50 range with my single vision prescription, I needed a bit of a reality check it seems. He was thrilled with the price. [Ed. Note: Alexandria is a wonderful town in the heart of lakes country in Minnesota].

So I got his information and placed the order on Monday. I had to call, because the 39DollarGlasses ordering system doesn't allow for a prism to be entered. This is a disappointment for me as Optical4Less' system handles it nicely.

I spoke with Lauren, who took the information and entered into the system. I got an order confirmation email immediately which did not include the type of lens I ordered or the Prism. She said it might not show up correctly, so I wasn't worried. I did however use their contact system to verify that they were indeed included in the order. I got a response within a few hours confirming.

They need to upgrade the order system a bit for my liking.

I received an additional email yesterday stating that they'd be shipping within 2 to 4 business days. I'll let you know how they work out, next week -- through Dean's eyes.