Discussion on zenni-optical

[Nix]

I purchased two pairs of glasses from Zenni Optical almost four weeks
ago and have been given nothing but grief since. I never received my
order and my several attempts at contacting customer service have been
practically useless, as the phone is either busy, or, as they informed
me yesterday, my glasses not arriving is "not their problem" and to
contact USPS.

I took their advice and contacted USPS yesterday, only to be informed
that they had given me a tracking number for a bulk shipment of 390
packages and that there is no way of knowing if I'll ever receive my
order, since they can't trace it or track it. The man at USPS told me
that, if the glasses were even in the shipment, that it'll be at least
another two to three weeks before they're found and shipped, if
they're found, which isn't likely.

Zenni Optical won't respond to the complaint I filed with the BBB, e-
mails, and their phone is busy(I can see why). Has anyone here
successfully received a refund from them?

[KayakerNC]

Dispute the charge with your credit card company, since you didn't get
what you paid for.

Kayaker in NC

[andre66]

Sorry to hear your bad luck, i have two pairs of glasses on order with
them. I ordered 10 days ago but i am not going to (try to) contact
them until another week has passed. At this point i am not worried, i
may become concerned in another week but that's why i went with the
cheapest glasses, this is an experiment, so 36 dollars is not a big
loss and i can dispute the payment with visa if they never arrive.
At what point in the process did you start trying to contact customer
service?
Andre

[jsmeans]

I think you will still get your glasses. You may have jumped the gun
on getting on them, I'm new to the eyeglass online thing and have a
couple orders out with Zenni and Optical4less. I believe all these
lenses are crafted in china, meaning they are made in china and then
sent to the states and dropshipped from cali. I won't worry about not
getting mine until 20-30 days have passed, I bet some orders take up
to six weeks to arrive. Dealing with Customs throws a monkey wrench
into all orders. Patience my friend.

> > successfully received a refund from them?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Erin]

Are 1.57 lenses in a +4.75 cylinder perscription acceptable?

I have read previous posts saying 1.61 lenses can only be used in +/-5
and up lenses, since my prescription in my left eye (high astigmatism)
is rather close to that cut off, I'm a bit apprehensive. Any
suggestions / opinions?

[Pau...@yahoo.com]

I think a lot has to do with the size of your lens to begin with. If
you're getting frames with smallish lenses (52mm or less in width,
less that 22mm in height) then the lens thickness isn't as much of a
problem. If you're getting oversized frames with lenses that cover
more of your face, the edges will be where you notice the lens
thickness, not to mention the extra weight.

[Erin]

Thanks for that info. The frames I'm looking at have a lens size of
50 mm width and a 25mm height -- i'm thinking anything smaller than
24mm height will be too small as my current frame's lenses are 50mm
width and 25.5 height and are just right (they were made with a 1.67
high index lens).

[Greg]

I ordered glasses on March 17. I received an email reply almost
immediately regarding my order. Then, a day later, I got an email
saying there was a "problem" with my order: They couldn't fill my
prescription in the frame I had chosen. I had carefully checked to see
if the lens was deep enough for progressive bifocals (it was); there
was no indication that rimless specs wouldn't work with my strong
(-8.5) prescription. My credit card was charged right away, before
they even told me there was a "problem." I emailed back, canceling my
order. No response, no credit on my card. It has now been a week and
still no response, no credit. They have my $77 and I have nothing. My
biggest complaint is they charged my credit card, knowing they could
not fill my order as it stood, and have not credited my account even
though they were VERY quick to charge it. I can't believe that email
is the problem, since they were able to correspond fine before they
found out I wanted my money back. All my calls, to their 800 and
regular number, have received a busy signal, any time of day. If I get
my money back, I'll try somewhere else.

[Chuck]

Greg -- Try calling them first thing in the morning. They open at
9am, Pacific time zone. Since I'm in Texas, I would call them at 11am
local time.

I just got right through on Monday (yesterday) morning, to a very nice
gentleman. Told me right where my glasses were...when they shipped
from the lab, etc. Consequently I *know* from recent first-hand
experience, that they do answer their phones.

Maybe I just got lucky?

-- Chuck Knight

[IMQ]

I am really sorry to hear you have problem with your order.

My general impression from reading numerous comments in this forum is
that although many of us here had good experience with Zenni, the
number of happy customers seemed not high enough to give a confidence
for first time or second time buyers to give them a chance.

I do hope they will improve their customer service.

Having said that, my first order with Zenni was good, so I am thinking
of placing a couple more order with them. Hopefully, they will turn
out just as good as the first.

On Mar 25, 8:10 pm, Greg <g...@sunupranch.com> wrote:

[lilpenguin]

I ordered a pair of glasses from zenni after I got a bum pair from
eyebuydirect. At first they charged my card twice, i called the
company and had no trouble at all. Less than a week and a half later I
had my glasses. The frames aren't exactly what I ordered, but I like
them and they look great. I'm very pleased and quite surprised. I
wasn't holding much hope for online eyeglasses, but I am pleasently
surprised and happy :)

[Greg]

I did get my money back -- they credited my card after I wrote the
post (maybe they're reading it!). I will give them credit for that.
Still, I am going to be cautious about ordering -- a little
communication would have gone a long way, is this where they're saving
money? I have my own business and try to return emails and calls the
same day. I never got an email response from Zenni and couldn't get
anything but a busy signal by phone. I'm very tempted to get glasses
on-line, as mine are $500 locally. But if on-line ordering means
lending my money to a far-off company for a few days and not getting
any glasses, I'll stay local.

[sr912m]

Hi,
Thanks for the replies. As undone said i would give abt a week to see
it improves.
As IMQ mentioned i should have given more details..sorry.
My lenses are single vision , 1.57 index (Zenny wouldn't do 1.67) with
AR Coating.
The frame size is about same as my previous and lens size little bit
bigger and i think my previous lenses were 1.67 index.
The prescription is arnd -4.25(cyl)/-2.25 (sph) for left eye
-1.5(cyl)/-1.25(sph) for right eye. The right eye changed by abt .25
from previous one and left eye abt 2.0(combined) from previous one.
The prescription was by a doctor. I can see much better and clearer
with new glasses , the only problem as i said in my previous post ,
the closer vision is distorted.
Thanks again.

[dragonfl...@gmail.com]

I placed my first online Rx glases order on March 28/08 - got the
glasses today (supposedly shipped April lst) and while I have no fault
with the frames (love them!) and the quality of work - I can't see a
thing with them on. Turns out I 'failed' to see the insstructions on
how to convert an optometrist's prescription for bifocal lens into a
single-vision reading glass prescription (you add the sphere value and
the add value together, as well as dropping the PD value by 3 points.
Never saw any instructions to that effect and when you order online
with Zenni for single-vision glasses you can't even put the 'add'
value in. Oh well - this has been a learning experience for me!
Phoned their customer service number and waited for 11 people ahead of
me but did finally connect to a rep who was very nice & informative.
So now I have to return these glasses to get a 50% refund and reorder
to my corrected prescription value. On top of paying exchange and
return postage these aren't going to reallly be 'cheap' glasses
anymore!

[IMQ]

Hey everyone,

Just got my 2nd order from Zenni today.

It took 10 calendar days from ordering to receiving the package. Same
packaging style as 1st order: bubble-padded envelope --> zipbag -->
cleaning cloth wrapping around the glasses.

The initial inspection of the glasses shows no defect or scratches on
the lenses. However, the top of the right temple near the hinge has a
small scratch mark, but not so bad that I couldn't live with.

The glasses fit well. The prescription seems spot on, based on my on
the fact that I can see well with these glasses on.

So the score is 2 for 2 for Zenni.

On Apr 14, 4:17 pm, dragonflylady...@gmail.com wrote:

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[IMQ]

[Budda]

Zenni Optical--discussion

[mzdtk]

my daughter got her two pairs 11 days after ordering them. She is very
pleased with her selections. The RX is accurate.

[garyd...@bellsouth.net]

I order a pair of rimmless from Zenni and they caught an error I made
in my perscription. I am greatful for that. But when the glasses
arrived they were 1/4 inch thich so I could not ware them and had to
send them back for half of the price. They don't offer really good
lenses so your choices are not many. Would I use them again? Since my
perscription is somewhat difficult, I would not but they would be good
for easier perscriptions.

[IMQ]

The lens edge thickness depends on:

- The Rx
- The size of the frame eye
- The lens material.

The higher the Rx, the thicker the edge
The bigger the frame eye, the thicker the edge
The higher the index of the lens material, the thinner the edge

There is an online calculator that gives you an idea how thick you
glasses may be:

http://www.opticampus.com/tools/thickness.php

[OcalaFlGuy]

Ok, here is the start of my Zenni-sperience.

I thought I did good finding a local optician to replace a pair of
lens in my glasses (single vision) for $48. That was before a friend
turned me on to Zenni.

I think I did my homework pretty well. I measured my frames and
converted to mm and carefully found as close a match on Zenni (within
1 mm most of the way around) I ordered and received a pair of single
vision, 3132 flexible, memory titanium in brown. The looked very nice
and at first I was very happy. Then I noticed I was starting to get
the tinge of a headache wearing them. So today, I took them and the
other pair of in town new lensed glasses to Optical Outlet (where I
usually go) to have them tested. The Sphere and Cylinder part of the
Zennis are fine. The Axis part is off.

Came home and went online and found the ANSI standards for
eyeglasses. According to an online Opticians forum they consider
those standards tight/conservative. My right side Axis could be off
+/- 5, it was off by 8. My left could be off by +/- 3, it was off by
6. The lady at the Optical Outlet was actually very nice and I even
admitted I'd gotten the pair from Zenni and she had no problem with
it. (I did tell her, I'd still come to them for exams no matter how
the Zenni deal worked out) She did say that even though the ANSI
standards are tight, some people (me?) are less tolerant of Axis
differences than others. She also said the amount mine were off was
too much and to send them back.

(I would be interested to hear from any of you really knowledgable
about the Axis variance deal and if my Zennis are off that bad)

There is ONE remarkable GREAT bit of news here.

When I first starting playing around with this and had the in town
lens made, I also looked at other flexible titanium frames in town.
The medium price optician that did my lenses for $48 had some nice
ones for $140 (frames only) Wal-mart had some decent ones for $110.
So, I felt pretty good knowing that a comprable set of the same frame
glasses as the Zennis that I got for $39.85 would have been from about
$160-210 in town. While I was in Optical Outlet today waiting to be
seen I looked at their frames. BINGO! I find almost EXACTLY the same
flex-tanium as at Zenni, a foot away they are the same, if you look
close, a tad different. They were $240!! (frames only)

My Zennis are going back tomorrow for lens fixing (called them today
too).

Again, any feedback on my Axis problem would be appreciated.

[Mike.Diehn]

On 4/28 I ordered frame 3167 with a fairly hefty prescription in 1.57
index lenses. I added in the AR coating and the total was $42.85
shipped. They arrived 5/13 - pretty fast. These are good looking
glasses and they feel good on my face!

I took them to the optician at my optometrists' office to get her
opinion and have them adjusted and checked. She looked them over and
proclaimed them "structurally sound, made of beta titanium" and
commented that she liked how they look. She also pointed out that the
lenses seem to be polycarbonate - thought I'd ordered regular CR39.
She adjusted them to fit my face then checked the prescription.

While the sphere and cylinder measurements were right on the money -
no mean feat - the axes were wrong in both lenses. I ordered 97 and
65 on the left and right, respectively. I got 100 and 61. And I can
tell - everything is out-of-focus beyond about four feet.

I'm trying to reach them now to ask for new lenses. Their phone
system sent me to voice mail three times just after telling me to wait
for the next customer rep. - I didn't leave messages. I sent e-mail
to ser...@zennioptical.com a few minutes ago. We'll see... :-)

[ehb]

Zenni is sometimes hard to get through. If you keep getting the
voicemail just try again about 20 minutes later. I was trying to call
one day and was being transferred to the voicemail and kept getting
the messge that the mailbox was full so I couldn't even leave a
message.. Very frustrating but I just tried about 20 minutes later and
got right through and was only number 7 in the queue instead of my
usual 9 or 10.

> to serv...@zennioptical.com a few minutes ago. We'll see... :-)

[Fred Di]

Having the axis off by 3 or 4 degresss isn't going to make everything
out of focus beyond 4 feet.
You didn't say what your cylinder is, but lets assume it was -2.00 or
so
so your looking at a on axis error of well under 0.10. Remember that
lenses are only specified at 0.25 interveals because even that about
is barely noticible.

Try puttoing the glasses on, and closing one eye. and rotating the
lense a bit.
Thats all the axis is, just a rotatation of the lense.

So there must be something else wrong (Like the prescription)

> to serv...@zennioptical.com a few minutes ago.  We'll see...  :-)

[Mike.Diehn]

On May 16, 11:11 pm, ehb <ehb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Zenni is sometimes hard to get through.  If you keep getting the

> voicemail just try again about 20 minutes later.  [...snip...]

Thanks, ehb - that's what I did and I got through pretty easily.
Maybe their hold-queue is only 10 deep? Dunno.

Anyway, I spoke with a fellow who was polite and somewhat reserved.
He told me what the web site says: send them back and they'll check
them as well.

[Mike.Diehn]

On May 18, 9:32 am, Fred Di <john_tar...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> You didn't say what your cylinder is, but lets assume it was -2.00 or

OD Sphere -5.75
OS Sphere -3.25
OD Cyl +2.25
OS Cyl +2.75

> Try puttoing the glasses on, and closing one eye.  and rotating the

> lense a bit. That's all the axis is, just a rotatation of the lense.

I'll try it.

> So there must be something else wrong (Like the prescription)

Yeah, something is wrong. I doubt it's the prescription, though.
It's pretty much the same as my prescriptions from the last fifteen
years. The doc who wrote it noted that particularly - warned me it'll
change in a few years.

I've ordered a pair from eyebuydirect and one from goggles4u. I'll
wait to see how those are before I do anything else.

Thanks,
Mike

[ppe...@yahoo.com]

Zenni told me that you can also get frames without lenses for half the
price:

"We do offer frame only. When you place your order, you just fill a PD
value, and put "0" on other values, stating "frame only" in the
customer notes area, then we will refund you 50% of the frame cost."

[max.b...@gmail.com]

Haven't received my first order from Zenni yet, but wanted to add this
data point to the discussion:

I place my order with them on 5/13 and promptly received an email
confirmation. I've been waiting patiently since then, but apparently
hadn't word a word.

This morning I checked my spam box and found two messages from them
asking for clarification about my prescription, one dated 5/15 and the
other 5/20. So my order hasn't been processed because they're waiting
for confirmation from me.

But here's the kicker: The reason it went to spam was the address it
was sent from - zenn...@gmail.com

Why the lab technician doesn't get a valid zennioptical.com email
address is beyond me.

We'll see how the glasses are when they (eventually) arrive.

[mzdtk]

I bet you are pleased. I am not a patient person but Zenni are worth
the wait.

On May 22, 9:01�am, max.bux...@gmail.com wrote:
> Haven't received my first order from Zenni yet, but wanted to add this
> data point to the discussion:
>
> I place my order with them on 5/13 and promptly received an email
> confirmation. I've been waiting patiently since then, but apparently
> hadn't word a word.
>
> This morning I checked my spam box and found two messages from them
> asking for clarification about my prescription, one dated 5/15 and the
> other 5/20. So my order hasn't been processed because they're waiting
> for confirmation from me.
>
> But here's the kicker: The reason it went to spam was the address it

> was sent from - zenni...@gmail.com

[Mosasaurus]

I ordered a pair of glass from Zenni on April 5th, received shipping
confirmation on April 12, held up by Custom at Vancouver until April
29.

Glasses is poorly put together, and one major problem.

All the dimensions of the glasses are different from what was listed
on the website.


Listed Actual

Lens Width 53 mm 55
mm

Lens Height 38 mm 36
mm

Temple Arm Length 142 mm 140 mm

The arm length is only off by 2mm and it does not make a lot of
difference.

But the lens is now 2 mm wider and 2mm flatter, it sure makes a big
difference visually. Now I am wearing a much more rectangular glasses.

I called them , there was only answering machine. Left a message, no
reply.

I sent e-mail them, no reply .

Called again later, yes, there was a live person this time. Their
answer was to send the glasses back for them to measure. Basically
they were not going to do anything and totally denied that the
measurements were off and offer no solution at all.

I have three of my friends to measure it without telling them the
problem, each of them came up with the same numbers as I did. Even the
numbers said on the side of the arm indicated the different
measurements.

Lesson learned. Should have learned it from before, this is so typical
of Hong Kong Merchants. Once you paid, "don't call me, I call you. "
It is called shyster in North America. I any event, no matter how you
slice it or dice it, it is just bad business practice that they don't
deliver what you order and deny everything.

Craftsmanship of the product is questionable to begin with, but I
don't feel like bending out of shape every time I try to get in touch
of their customer service which is not existing. Nevertheless, based
on the misrepresentation on the website and their customer service or
lack thereof, I won't be a returning customer.

[Mosasaurus]

I ordered a pair on April 5th, received shipping confirmation on April

[Fred Di]

So you think that a 2mm error is equal to being a "shyster"

I would think that charging $200 for $8 glasses qualifies as being a
"shyster".

But, yes PLEASE don't do business with Zenni, people like you drive up
costs for everyone.
Shop at Lenshysters, you'll be much happier.

[Rob O.]

Back in April, we took a gamble and <a href="http://www.2dolphins.com/
2008/04/glasses.html" title="Click here to learn about our successful
venture of buying glasses online for Liam.">bought glasses online for
our 2 year old son</a>. Most of the local stores don't even carry
frames small enough for an infant/toddler and the one store that came
close wanted nearly $300 - which I just couldn't see spending on
something that was very likely to get horribly mangled.

We found frames at Zenni Optical that were not only sized right, but
were made of titanium memory metal, have 180 degree hinges, and
feature soft, wrap-around tips on the earpieces - which make them a
bit more difficult to remove. Having just turned 2 years old, you can
only imagine how he's put those frames to the test — and so far,
they're still in one piece!

We've had the lenses validated by a local optician and they're exactly
as prescribed. They cost $35 shipped and arrived in just a little
more than 10 days. We couldn't be happier! I'll definitely be going
this route on my next pair of glasses!

Now, if we can just somehow win the <a href="http://www.2dolphins.com/
2008/05/battling-with-glasses.html" title="Getting Liam to leave his
glasses on is the biggest challenge!">battle to get our kiddo to leave
his glasses on</a>...

[ZB]

Some time ago I ordered a set of "memory-plastic" rimless bifocal
glasses from Zenni.
A few days after receipt, the bridge snapped in two during gentle
routine cleaning.
[ I suggest their plastic bridge isn't made strong enough, and
recommend avoidance. ]
Replacing the plastic locally with sturdy bendable titanium frames
tripled total costs.
The shop owner/operator was keenly interested to find out about Zenni,
of course!
.
I needed a second set of bifocals for office work, and ordered Zenni's
memory titanium rimless, which has been working much better for
several weeks now
.
I believe their AR coating is similar to less-expensive local
versions, vulnerable to scratching (rinse first!) or solvents
(especially ammonia) but quite serviceable
.

[Paul]

With regard to ammonia, you're not supposed to use Windex, etc. on ANY
plastic lenses. I personally wouldn't use anything stronger than hand
dishwashing lotion. Polycarbonate is also the material used to make
CD's and DVD's, and those need to be cleaned with very mild stuff.

[Schadenfreund]

I looked at all the sites and spent many late nights staring at page
after page of frames and lens options in trying to decide where I
would buy my first (ever) pair of glasses and decided on Zenni,
because it'd be the cheapest way to give this shopping experience a
try. I figured if I never got the glasses or if they were totally
wrong, I would have lost less than $20. Well, the glasses, even with
optional AR coating were so cheap that I figured I could be a little
indecisive and bought two pairs of glasses: Frame #3395 in black/
purple, which I had chosen primarily because it had a small bridge,
and Frame #2208 in black/orange. My total investment: $32.80 for two
pairs of glasses. And then, the wait...I have to tell you, the last
time I've been this eager to check the mail was when I was saving Dum
Dum wrappers to send in for prizes!

I received both frames in about a week and half (I ordered on
Thursday, May 29th and received it on Monday, June 9th). While Frame
#2208 was pretty true to the website picture, I was really surprised
at how beautiful Frame #3395 was. The picture on the website really
did it no justice! I was also very satisfied with the quality of the
lenses on both glasses, though I am not much of an expert on lenses
and coatings and my prescription is very light.

I was so happy, I brought both pairs into work the next day to show my
co-workers who did not believe that you could get prescription
eyeglasses online. Needless to say, I have since been barraged with
requests from my co-workers to email me the link to Zenni's site.
Given that I work in social services, it is now a wonderful resource
for clients who don't have insurance coverage to pay for eyeglasses.
I am very, very happy with my Zenni purchases and will definitely
being buying more glasses! The only drawbacks: the frame selection
is not as stylish as some of the other sites (especially if you're
looking for cute sunglasses frames). But for the price, it really
can't be beat.

[Chuck]

I made the exact same decision -- Zenni was my first ever pair of
eyeglasses, too! Zenni really does have a great selection of basic
(and not so basic) glasses, and at an absurdly cheap price. I
definitely like the prices!

I've sent more than a few people there, myself...2 more families,
today, in fact. Sure wish they had an affiliate program...I'd be the
first to sign up for it! :-)

Glad you like your glasses. We expect a photo of you wearing them, at
some point...

-- Chuck Knight

P.S. If the accuracy of your lenses concerns you, they can be easily
checked at almost any optical dispensary; even WalMart Optical. They
get stuck into an automatic machine, and "read" directly. They match
them up to your prescription, and then they compare the two. They
should match...but there are variations allowed...tolerances. They're
pretty tight, though, and Zenni's lenses tend to be pretty close to
smack on perfect. At least, my 3 pairs were. In fact, my
ophthalmologist is still impressed!

[artbunker]

I ordered off my 4 pairs of glasses form Zenni about 2 weeks ago. I
gave them everything I need and my glasses arrived in about 2 weeks.
While they are a little small and thigh, I cannot complain on them.
they were as advertised and excellent. I will be ordering from them
again and again .

I got exactly what I ordered and they kept in touch and gave great
communication. I got 4 pairs of glasses for $75 and even if they fall
apart after a month I still think I got a wonderful deal.

[Ira Mitchell]

Here's hoping they don't fall apart in a month -- I think that might
not be the "deal" you think it would be. ;-)

Keep us informed of their progress.

[Chuck Knight]

I agree that it should not fall apart after a month, but let's just say that they did.

My everyday Zenni glasses cost $19.  Let's say $20 for simplicity's sake.  Locally, a similar pair costs $428...let's say $420 for simplicity, again.  That means I could buy 21 pairs at Zenni, for the same price as 1 at the local dispensary.  ($20 x 21 pairs = $420)

That means I could replace my glasses once every month, for nearly 2 years, and only just reach the breakeven point...and likely change styles more than a few times, during those years.

     -- Chuck Knight

[Ira Mitchell]

From a numbers standpoint, you're absolutely right -- and this is VERY much about numbers. I'd love to take this one step further though -- because it's Friday and too hot outside to mow the lawn.

You'd also have to figure in your "work"  -- your time spent ordering and planning to reorder the middle of every month to replace the glasses about to break at the end of the month. ;-)

All that said, I have multiple pairs from every vendor and while some are worn more than others, not a single pair has broken unexpectedly. I had a lens crack, but it certainly wasn't the lens' fault.

I'd be very surprised if "artbunker" had a single pair break on him for any reason that wouldn't break a $400 pair.

Namaste!

[Puds38]

I was very surprised to read they have such a poor BBB rating. I've
had nothing but positive experiences with them. My first order I was
nervous and requested just 2 pair. They came back fine and I was
hooked. My next order I think I typed in the prescription wrong. They
emailed me and asked me was I sure. When I emailed back it was the
same prescription I had made previously they emailed me a copy of that
order. I've been nothing but pleased with them. I currently have 5
pair of regular and 1 pair of prescription sunglasses from them. I
showed them to my ophthalmologist and even he was impressed by the
quality. I hope they get the customer service in line because word is
out. I've referred at least 5 friends who have bought from them.

[Chuck Knight]

Zenni does over 10,000 pairs a month.  A *few* people will undoubtedly be dissatisfied, for *whatever* reason.  And, it only takes a lack of response to a couple of customer complaints, to get a poor rating.

My own experience mirrors yours...accurate prescriptions that astonish my ophthalmologist every time I go in and see him.  Hope my newest pair comes in before my next appointment!

It's a shame that they don't have a referral program -- I've lost track of how many people I've referred to Zenni!

     -- Chuck Knight

[Rifkinn]

I just received my first online order for glasses from Zenni and they
are perfect. I ordered on the 8th of July and they were in my mail
today, 15 days later. I took my 2 pair of glasses in because my
doctor wanted to see how they were and she said that the prescriptions
were spot on. I ordered 5828 and 5823 both with 1.61 lenses, anti-
reflective coating and one extra magnetic sunshade each (just incase,
lol). Total cost just over $110 with shipping. She also said that
the 5823 frame looked like it could have cost me $300.

5823 http://zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=602&cat=0&page=1
5828 http://zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=858&cat=0&page=1

[Jennah]

RE - Zenni customer service

As I posted a while ago, I have purchased glasses from Zenni before.
On my last purchase, one pair seemed a-OK, the other pair seemed maybe
a little off, and there was lso a small chip in one lens right by the
nosepiece. Both were $8 glasses. Because the one pair seemed to have 2
things wrong with it, I figured I'd try to send it back to see what
would happen. Here's what happened:

On July 2, I emailed customer service to let them know of them
problem. On July 4, they got back to me and said "please feel welcome
to return the glasses, in their case, along with a copy of the order,
the order number, your prescription and a notation as to the
difficulty you're experiencing, to Zenni Optical at 27 Sunny Oaks
Drive, San Rafael, CA. 94903. We will check the glasses and inform the
final decision." When I asked about shipping, they said "If the
glasses are made incorrectly, we will correct for you at no additional
cost. And we can refund the postage of return via USPS first class,
not exceeding $1.65. If the glasses are made correctly, we will refund
you 50% of the production cost according to our return policy. We
don't refund any shipping cost."

By August 1, I still had not hear anything, so I sent another email.
(Admittedly, some of this lag was due to the fact that it took me a
couple weeks to get to the post office before it closed to send out
the glasses.) They got back to me and said "We have received your
returned glasses and are sending them to the lab in China for
evaluation. It normally takes 5 days to receive them there. As long as
the glasses are received by our technician in the lab, we will test
them and inform you the result."

On August 15, they sent me an email stating "We have received your
returned glasses and tested them, they were produced exactly matching
the prescription that you entered in the order form. So we can either
return them to you, or you may request a fifty percent refund, if they
are not to your satisfaction. Please let us know your preference." At
this point, I sent back an email reminding them about the chip in the
lens. On 8/17, they said that they rechecked them and DID see the
chip, so they would order me a new pair of glasses at no cost and send
them out. I got a new invoice and order receipt for $0.00.

All of this was done by email, I never had to call (I hate having to
call places). So we'll see what happens when I get my new glasses, but
all should be well. I've been wearing the other pair I got on this
order (plus the first pair I got from there) around quite a bit and
they are fine. So even though it took a loooong time and I did have to
remind them about the chip, the service was good. I have an eye appt
coming up soon, and if my prescription is the same (which I am sure it
is), I'll probably order another cheap pair from them that I've had my
eye on, along with the ones from the eye doc (with my insurance, I
only have to pay for lenses if I pick from a certain set....which
still ends up being about $60 or so at least, but still not too
shabby). Hope this helps someone!

[PatGehrke]

Wife ordered a pair of glasses from Zenni. They arrived in just over
a week, no problems. Frame is surprisingly solid and cute, lenses
look good, and she says her vision has never been better. She has a
pretty strong prescription (-4) and is dependent on her glasses all
the time, so she is a good judge of her vision and is very happy.
Pretty impressive stuff!

[K.D.]

Add another to the Zenni satisfied category.

One pair normal glasses, two sunglasses. Both came in about two
weeks, and are great.

[EdT]

I was apprehensive at first to place an order with them after reading
all the the negative responses from these forums, but they had the
selection of frames and price I liked for a pair of aviator
sunglasses.

The only beef I have with them is that there was no confirmation email
sent to me after I placed the order as stated on their website even
though I had printed out order number when my order was placed.

The frame quality is superb as well as the lens and workmanship in
assembly. The Asian touch in fit and finish is there like
Optical4Less.

Ordered on: 21 January 2009
Received on: 5 February 2009

Total of 15 days from order to delivery from Hong-Kong to Montreal,
Quebec, Canada !

I definitely will be ordering from them again !

[EdT]

My second order with Zenni in 2009 so far and everything seems great !

Now they send delivery notification via email and online tracking from
Hong-Kong Post, so they working in getting their service up to snuff
while eliminating customer inquiries !

[Irene]

I realize a number of people have had problems lately, but I'm still
willing to give Zenni a chance because they are one of the few places
that will make reasonably-priced glasses for people with very poor
vision (-13 for distance in my case). I can get a pair of single
vision glasses from Zenni for $17 (using the cheapest frames) and
every pair has been optically perfect. (And I'm almost embarrassed to
admit how many pairs I've ordered: I think I have 10 pair, with 2
more on order. I just wish they made progressives in my
prescription.)

Goggles4U is the next cheapest, but I paid nearly twice as much and
the optics, while acceptable, seem a bit off. Many of the other
online places recommended by posters here either won't handle extreme
prescriptions or else charge as much as the brick-and-mortar stores.

Yes, it can take a month or more to get the glasses, and, yes, Zenni
would save itself a lot of calls and emails if it would be more
truthful about shipping times, but I really don't care how long it
takes as long as the glasses arrive eventually. My approach is to
assume that you may need spare glasses in the future, so order them
now so you don't have to fret about delivery time if you break a
pair. For people with less-extreme presciptions than mine, glasses
can cost as little as $8 a pair, plus shipping. Folks, that's a cheap
as a sandwich--throw caution to the wind and order several back-up
pair just in case you need them someday.

Also, note that their order acknowledgements often seem to get caught
by spam filters, and when emailing them, you need to use their service
email, not the sales email.

[Chuck Knight]

This post, and those like it, really say quite a lot about Zenni.

In the past few months, they've had 2 shipping disasters, multiple canceled orders, credit card chargebacks, and more bad press than almost any company discussed on this list.  It has gotten so bad, that they have even been officially removed from the preferred providers list on the main glassyeyes.com web site.

Yet, despite all this, and what appear to be continued (though less severe) problems, we have people who zealously defend them, citing the price/quality ratio, and the perfection of their optics.  That's one thing that has never been an issue for debate...Zenni has always been known for the accuracy of the optics.  People have complained about all sorts of things...but never the optics.

This says WAY more about Zenni than the ordinary reviews we usually write.  I know I am, personally, a Zenni zealot...but even I stopped recommending them on-list, after so many problems were reported for list members.  Yet, even in these trying times, not a day goes by without a praise email about Zenni.

They must be doing *something* right!  Maybe, once I get my new prescription, I'll get that pair of rimless glasses, after all!

Wish they did rimless circular lenses...rimless John Lennon glasses would be very cool.  Oh, sorry, groovy!  :-)  Peace.

     -- Chuck Knight

[Deb]

Just got notice that my last pair I ordered from Zenni back in January are waiting for me at the post office...they sent them certified!  That is most certainly a new twist from them, and a quite welcome one.

I would have preferred to not have to go pick them up at the post office, but at least I know exactly where they are.

[snooperz]

I just received my first prescription pair of glasses that were
ordered on line. I choose Zennioptical since I read that they have
Very Very low prices. After placing my order I found GlassyEyes.com,
and saw that Zenni had a below average rating with the BBB, and many
have had shipments that were delayed quite a while. To my suprise, I
received my glasses in exactly 12 days! I am very happy with the
frames, lenses, and prescription. I ordered a pair of single vision
lenses with a metal frame for a total cost out of pocket of $12.95 I
compared them to my Pearle Vision pair I bought using my vision
insurance,($319 retail)
and these are quite similar. No problems, Yea!

[Paul]

I had ordered from Zenni about a year ago, with no problem. I waited
until after all the recent problems to order again, and recently got
two more pair, which I received within about two weeks of ordering.
Everything with this order is fine so far.

[ZB]

About a year ago, I bought a set of bendable titanium framed
eyeglasses from Zenni.
A couple months ago, one of the temples on my snapped. (That compares
favorably to memory-bendable plastic, which broke within 2 weeks.)
While they're not set up for parts orders, they were willing to sell
me a lens-less full frame set for half price. (I had to specify non-
Rx and add comment "frames only, no lenses".) They included a tool-
set (screw and nut drivers). Wish I remembered how to adjust these,
though.