Contacts by Mail

in the late evening on Saturday, the 30th of October 2004 by Tina

OK since i ranted about 1-800 pet meds it is only fair I beat up on another company.. share the wealth ya’know..

Now i have not heard much from this company lately (commerical wise) but i am sure they are still out there.. if not there are others to take its place. I am referring to 1800contacts..

In theory this is a good idea, again to refill your contact rx by mail.. cool.. and if you can save some bucks.. again cool.. BUT i need to share some inside insight about this particular company.. (again if they are gone, i am hoping this bad practice is not being continued by another mail order contact company)..

They say they will verify your rx..
BUT what they do is have a 48 response from the doctor’s office, if they don’t receive a response they fill it anyway.
WHY is this bad? If an eye doc’s office is open during the weekend, it is often only a couple hours on saturday.. when does the contact lens company contact?
After noon on saturday, ironically after the business is closed, and the contact is via fax. By the time the fax is seen, it is past that approval time period and has been filled.
Again WHY is this bad?? If there is an error in the size, rx, or type of lens… you are pretty much screwed one way or another! (either because this discomfort, or worse!)..

What other problems are there? Contact lenses REQUIRE an annual check up, since the lens directly on your eye to verify the health of your eye, the rx, and the fit.. as well as other issues you may have..
The mail order companies often fill rx’s after the 1 year or longer because their requests are sent on off hours.. and are not seen before they are already filled.

Complaints have been filed against these companies.. but that will not stop them from operating. YOU need to take responsibility for your own health and make the decisions that are best for you!

Make sure you see your doctor when you need to. Make sure if you choose to do a mail order source, that you verify they have verified the rx (call your doctor to verify they received the request and confirmed the rx, etc), check the contacts over thoroughly.. etc. BEST bet.. if you find a price better then your eye doctor’s office.. let them know, odds are they will match or do something for you.. and you will be covered by the service and support your doctor can give you.. that is something you willnot receive by discount online services.

OK that rant is over.. Take care of yourself and your eyeballs!