Frames Direct

Full review
I had been thinking about changing my eyeglasses to a more "hip" style. After trying on a pair of glasses at a store in the mall, I found a model that I liked, but was disappointed to find that they didn't have my size. A similar (but different) style in the size that I was looking for fit my head MUCH better. I decided to look online for the first style (the one I liked the best) in the size I needed. I was pleased to find that the website FramesDirect.com had this style in the size I needed.

I had my optometrist fax my prescription and I ordered the glasses: temple size 140mm, ordered directly from their website. After over a week I became impatient and called to ask where my glasses were. I was told that they would be shipped the next day. After a few days, still no glasses. I called again, and was told that the first pair didn't pass inspection because the lens was scratched. They were remaking the lenses and would ship them to me overnight. I was pleased by this gesture, and sure enough, I had the glasses the next morning.

When I put them on I thought they felt weird, but assumed that was because they were new and different. I wore them around the house for the day. That evening I examined them more closely, specifically the size inscription on the inside of the temple piece. The temple size was 135, not the 140 that I had ordered and that my head size apparently requires. I was quite upset, especially since my glasses had miraculously been hand inspected and approved for style, color, etc. and correct SIZE, with each aspect been checkmarked and initialed by someone. Of course, the store is not open over the weekend, so I had to wait a few days for Monday.

On Monday I called and explained my situation. After some scuffling, I was told that this style did not come in 140, only in 135. This begged the question: "why did your website list 140 as an option, and why did my 135's pass inspection before being shipping to me?" The bottom line is that these glasses do not fit my head and they are NOT what I ordered.

The return policy at FramesDirect.com allows a change of glasses within 30 days, but you have to pay 50% the cost of the lenses. Since this was not my fault I do not feel that I should have to pay for their mistake (i.e. two mistakes: website listing and failure of careful inspection prior to shipping). This proved to be a difficult argument to make with the staff at FramesDirect.com They did not see how we could complete an exchange without my paying the 50% lens cost fee. Finally after some discussion it was agreed that an exchange would be made and I would be refunded fully for the glasses (since I would have to pay again for the new pair).

It's been a month since this whole ordeal started. My new glasses should be here on Monday or Tuesday (they sent them to me with standard shipping). Upon examining my credit card statement today I see that I have not been refunded the full amount for the first pair of glasses. This is obscene. Either they figured I wouldn't notice, or they simply made a mistake. Either way, this is unacceptable given the amount of problems and delay I've experienced thus far. I feel that I have been given the run-around since my transaction with FramesDirect.com began. I hope that when my replacement glasses arrive in a few days that they are indeed the same size that I ordered. Is that too much to ask? According to FramesDirect.com, the answer is yes.

I still have to work on trying to get my proper refund for the first glasses, otherwise I will have paid 50% more and waited one month for a pair of glasses that is different than what I originally wanted. Not a good deal.