Category: Products & Services (Page 2 of 24)

I finally got a new eye prescription a few weeks ago (and I’m sad to say that I finally need bifocals), and decided to order both contacts and glasses online.  I’d done the former many times before, but was a little bit weary about the latter.  Whenever I’ve gotten glasses  I had to have them fitted.  But I figured I wear contacts all the time, and I only needed the glasses for emergencies, so how bad could it be?  The answer was “not too bad, but not that great either”.

I ordered the glasses from 39DollarGlasses.com because the glasses were cheap.  Frames + lenses start at $39 + $5 shipping, but with coupons I got my glasses for a total of $33.  Right now they’re running a $15 off promotion, so you can get a pair for as little as $29.  The glasses themselves arrived very quickly. I placed the order on a Saturday, and they were delivered early in the week, maybe even by Tuesday.  The frames themselves are clearly as cheap as they can be, they are not very flexible and I think they will break easily.  The prescription seems to be accurate, but I can’t really tell.  They do feel a little bit weird, but that may be because they are narrower than I was expecting so the frames are in my field of vision, that’s disconcerting and annoying.  Still, for a pair of glasses to wear very occasionally they’re OK.  I’d order from this company again, but next time I’d make sure to look for VERY BIG glasses 🙂
I ordered the contacts from AC Lens.  This company did not have the lowest prices, but some of the companies with lower prices weren’t well reviewed.  When you order from AC Lens, they order directly from the manufacturer who then ships to you. For that reason, the service is not as quick as it’d otherwise be.  I also ordered the contact lenses on a Saturday and they arrived the following Saturday.  I wasn’t able to use a coupon when I ordered, but they have them occasionally so check before you order.  The contact lenses I got were the ones I ordered, so I can’t comment on customer service.

For years, I used to get the most horrible foot ache whenever I walked any sort of distances. It didn’t matter what type of shoes I wore. Then, almost a decade ago I discovered Teva sandals, and then shoes, and I have wore nothing else since. The problem with Teva is that the shoes are very expensive, usually in the $70-90 range. While they are well made and last a long time, I do walk a lot – so a pair of shoes won’t last me more than a couple of seasons. An additional problem is that the shoes are rather ugly – some newer styles are cute, but not as comfy as the traditional ones. Still, I’m just not ready to pay full price for Teva’s so I’ve resorted to buying them at online discounters. Note that these usually sell either discontinued styles or returns.
The best discounter I’ve found is Sierra Trading Post. I’ve gotten several pairs of shoes from them and the shoes have always been in brand new condition. Shipping is quick and efficient. Prices are great, in particular when you use a discount code. On the minus side, if you do have to return your shoes, you will have to pay shipping -which can be about $8. So make sure you know what your size is – not all Teva sytles are consistent.

Amazon.com sometimes has great deals on Teva as well. However, they usually only have these great deals in unpopular sizes or colors.
This time, I as looking for Pretty Rugged Leather sandals in a size 8. The newest model retails for $80, even last year’s model sells for close to that at most retailers. The only retailer that had them for a reasonable price ($40 + shipping) was 6 pm.com. I was very uncomfortable about ordering from them because they get terrible reviews, but the prospect of saving 50% off finally got me and I did. Fortunately, the shoes I received were fine. They were clearly a return, they had been tried on and all the packaging material was not there, but they were in perfect condition.
For those interested, 6pm.com is the sister company to Zappos.com, an online shoe store that is known for great customer service, quick and free shipping both ways and no-hassle returns. 6pm apparently sells the shoes that are returned to Zappos.com. The problem is that Zappos has a great return policy, you can return your shoes up to a year after you buy them, and clearly people return shoes after they’ve used them quite a bit – and these very used shoes can find their way into 6pm, as one shopper/blogger documented on her blog. Fortunately, that did not happen to me, but beware before buying from them. Also note that you have to pay return shipping.